iPad Mini to start at $329, will ship Nov. 2
Apple sets the price and date for the smaller version of its iPad tablet. The device comes in six pricing configurations based on memory and wireless connection.
See CNET's full coverage of Apple's iPad Mini event
The day has finally come. Apple is delivering an iPad Mini with a starting price tag of $329.
The new device, a 7.9-inch version of the 10-inch iPad tablet, goes on sale Friday and ships on November 2, Apple announced from the California Theatre in San Jose, Calif. The $329 iPad Mini will have 16GB of storage and will be Wi-Fi only.
The industry has been speculating about the once-fabled tablet since 2009, even before Apple released the full-sized iPad. Despite the late Steve Jobs' insistence that consumers didn't want a smaller iPad, the company moved to introduce one after the likes of Amazon and Barnes & Noble successfully launched their low-cost, smaller tablets. Google launched its own $200 Nexus 7 tablet over the summer.
The iPad Mini comes in six pricing configurations. In addition to the 16GB tablet with Wi-Fi at $329, the 32GB tablet with Wi-Fi is $429, and the 64BG version is $529. For devices with Wi-Fi and 4G cellular connections, the 16GB tablet is $459, the 32GB is $559, and the 64GB is $659. These devices are shipping two weeks after their Wi-Fi-only counterparts.
The market for smaller tablets is expected to grow quickly -- and is one Apple didn't want to miss out on.
Update, 11:22 p.m. PT: Updated with pricing configurations.