Apple iPad Mini gets Retina Display
The new Mini, unveiled by the company Tuesday, finally gets the same display as its full-sized counterpart. The device starts at $399 for the 16GB Wi-Fi-only version.
Apple's iPad Mini finally has a Retina Display just like its bigger brother.
The new version of the 7.9-inch tablet will offer buyers a 2,048x1,536 resolution, the same as that found on the new iPad Air and a hefty bump from the original Mini's 1,024x768 resolution, Apple revealed Tuesday at its iPad launch event.
The new resolution packs in 326 pixels per inch, compared with 163 ppi on the first Mini model. Also found on the last few iPhones, the last two 9.7-inch iPads, and the MacBook Pro, Apple's Retina Display is designed to reduce pixelation by increasing the number of pixels per inch, thus making the screen look sharper.
Starting at $399 for the 16GB W-Fi-only version, the new Mini will reach consumers sometime in November.
Various reports and rumors had speculated whether Apple would adopt the Retina Display for the iPad Mini 2. Some analysts said it would likely happen but cautioned that production problems might delay the launch of the device or limit its supply.
Apple unveiled the original iPad Mini last October to carve out a slice of the growing market for smaller tablets. Company co-founder Steve Jobs and current CEO Tim Cook both thumbed their noses at the 7-inch tablet, vowing that Apple would never make such a product. Technically, that's correct since the Mini offers a 7.9-inch screen.
However you size it, the Mini has been a hot seller. Apple doesn't break down its iPad sales numbers by model. But a June report from Gartner pegged the Mini's share of overall iOS tablet sales at 60 percent during the first quarter of the year.
But the Mini's popularity represents a mixed bag for Apple. The smaller tablet has cannibalized sales from its bigger brother, although Tim Cook has in the past dismissed that as a concern. However, Apple's profit margins on the Mini are lower than they are for the larger version.
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