Apple is clever. Very clever. Its ability to release what is essentially the same product, just a different size, is undeniably brilliant. The cult of Apple is such that they can do just this and people across the globe will lap it up. When the iPad first launched, everyone had their opinion. The general consensus was that “It’s just a big iPhone!”, yet one million iPads sold within the first month of its existence. And now they’ve done it again with the launch of the iPad Mini. Cue more cries of “It’s just a big iPhone...and a slightly smaller iPad!” – but is it?
Is the iPad Mini Just a Bigger iPhone?
Well, yes to the latter. But don't immediately dismiss this as Apple exploiting its position at the top of the tablet and smartphone food chain. There are, of course, many advantages to a device that does everything its bigger brother can do, just in a smaller case. With a 7.9in screen, the iPad Mini has the same resolution as the iPad 2. While this may seem like a step backwards, let’s not forget that the display on the iPad 2 was hardly like that of the 90’s Sega Mega Drive. The smaller size and lighter weight also makes it much more comfortable to handle for long periods of time, and, obviously, doesn’t take up as much space as a laptop or previous models of the iPad.
With Google and Amazon launching new tablets – the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD respectively – Apple wasn’t going to just sit back. Instead, they responded with typical Apple-style cool and used a double-pronged attack, launching both the iPad Mini and the 4th generation iPad simultaneously. So what does the iPad Mini have that the others don’t? Apart from a whole load of hype, the iPad Mini boasts 4G, offering users super-fast download speeds, but only through the EE network. And only on the pricier model. Still, it’s really fast, and neither the Google or Amazon models have it, so that’s one-up to Apple.
As for the camera, Apple’s iPad Mini makes use of a 5 megapixel camera on the back and a face-time HD camera on the front, so you can stare at yourself in high definition, whereas the Kindle Fire HD has just 1.3 megapixels and the Nexus 7 only 1.2. The only other tablet with a decent camera that we can think of is the Samsung Galaxy Tab2, with 3.2 megapixels. But cameras don’t really matter when we’re talking about tablets, because you’ll look a bit silly taking a picture with an oversized smartphone.
Is the iPad Mini Price Justified?
With the smaller design comes a big price tag. A basic iPad Mini price of £269 for the 16GB version makes Apple's iPad Mini £70 more than the Nexus 7 and £110 dearer than the Kindle Fire HD tablet. But that still makes it cheaper than other iPad models, and, if you’re already an established member of the Apple fanbase, do you really care?
Before you rush off to camp outside the Apple store in frantic anticipation of the iPad Mini’s November 2nd release, why not make some extra cash from your old devices? With the iPad Mini’s technology essentially that of the iPad 2, it makes sense if you’re after a more hand-held style tablet to trade in your current iPad for the lightweight version. OnRecycle offers the best prices for your unwanted phones and tablets, giving you some easy money that will make buying the latest offering from Apple much easier on your wallet.
