Your iPad Menu Just Got Smaller: iPad Mini Officially Launches with Equally as Mini Price Tag2 min read
The much anticipated wait for the release of the iPad Mini by Apple has finally come to an end. On Tuesday, Apple, Inc. officially released the iPad Mini with an equally as miniature price tag, starting at $329 (USD). The iPad Mini comes with a 7.9” screen, which is about two-thirds smaller than the standard iPad tablet.
This Friday (October 27th), Apple will start taking orders for the new tablet device. The gargantuan computer maker announced that on November 2nd, they will start shipping Wi-Fi only tablets. In the weeks/months that come, the company announced that they will also be releasing new models that are capable of accessing “LTE” wireless data networks.
While smaller, Apple’s touting the iPad Mini as equally as powerful as the iPad. However, it shouldn’t be confused with the iPad 3’s capabilities just yet. That’s because the iPad Mini has 1024 by 768 pixels, which is the same as the iPad 2, but about 25% fewer pixels than the iPad 3.
According to marketing chief at Apple, Phil Schiller, the iPad Mini represents an entirely new design (something that Steve Jobs used to call the “tweener tablet” due to its micronized size).
“It’s not just a shrunken down iPad, it’s an entirely new design,” Schiller explained at a San Jose, California event that was hosted to welcome the new iPad Mini to the family of iPad tablets.
The iPad Mini is indeed teeny-tiny. The device weights a mere 0.68 pounds, approximately half the weight of its full-sized iPad cousin. Schiller also was certain note that the new miniature tablet is pencil-thin.
Analysts were debating what the opening price tag on the iPad Mini was going to be, with many hoping that it would be in the $250-$300 range to stay competitive with other hot-selling tweener tablets like Amazon.com Inc.’s Kindle Fire HD, which retails for $199. However, the company announced that the initial price tag will start at $329 and up for the Mini, still well within the ballpark of expectations.
In other related news, Apple also announced that their newest iPad tablet will be getting a powerful upgrade in the months yet to come. The company plans on doubling the processor speed with newer models in the next few months; Apple usually updates their iPads about one time per year. The fourth-gen iPad will also boast LTE connectivity, an improved camera and a smaller dock connector.
With the announcement of the new iPad Mini, Open is pleased to announce that our digital menus just shrunk in size (and in the cost of the hardware). Open’s digital menu software is entirely compatible with the iPad Mini. Now restaurants can now offer smaller menus with just as much functionality as our traditional iPad menus. Learn more about a digital menu by Open.
