Somewhat reluctantly, Apple quickly announced the new iPad mini 3 shortly after announcing the iPad Air 2. The new smaller iPad received very little on-stage time unlike the new iPad Air and the new iMac with Retina Display, and it is likely due to the lack of proper hardware improvements over last year’s iPad mini with Retina Display.
Last year’s iPad mini with Retina Display proved to be one of the easiest purchasing decision for those looking to get a powerful but small-sized tablet. It was powered by the same processor as the larger iPad Air and shared the same display resolution, which meant that going smaller didn’t mean going less powerful.
This time around, though, the iPad mini 3 (as it is now called) received barely a mention on stage at Apple’s even earlier. It may have a lot to do with the hardware inside the new iPad mini – it is virtually unchanged from the iPad mini 2 (as the iPad mini with Retina Display is now called), with only one major addition: Touch ID. Thankfully, Apple did not reduce the functionality on this feature.
On the other hand, Apple also made another compromise on the iPad mini 3, where the American giants have downgraded the tablet’s camera to a 5MP iSight sensor.
Despite all of this, the iPad mini 3 will retail at the same price that the previous iPad mini was retailing for, with prices starting from 399 all the way to $729. Like the iPad Air, the iPad mini 3 will be available in Silver, Black and Gold. The new iPad mini 3 will also be available on pre-order starting from tomorrow.
(Source: The Verge)
