Apple Unveils iPad Mini, New Macs In California

Apple officially unveiled its iPad mini on Tuesday — a move that Steve Jobs said would never happen. Along with announcing the highly anticipated device, the press event in California also saw the revelation of a new 13-inch MacBook Pro.

Apple CEO Tim Cook and vice president of marketing Phil Schiller took the stage during Tuesday’s event, unveiling the new iPad mini, which had a 7.9- inch screen and will cost $329, reports Fox News.

Schiller joked with the crowd before the big reveal, saying:

“You knew there’d be something called Mini in this presentation.”

He added that the iPad has sold 84 million units since it debuted in April 201. Cook explained to the crowd:

“So this iPad mini is just 7.2 mm thick. That’s about a quarter thinner than the fourth-generation iPad. Thinner than a pencil.”

Prior to the big announcement, Cook also announced an updated full-size iPad, which he labeled a “fourth-generation” model. The Los Angeles Times notes that the iPad mini will be available for pre-orders beginning Friday. The Wi-Fi version of the latest Apple product will go on sale on November 2, with cellular versions coming two weeks later.

A 16GB Wi-Fi version of the iPad mini will cost $329, with its cellular counterpart starting at $459. Analysts have said that the timing of the unveiling is smart, because it comes just before the holiday season. JPMorgan analyst Mark Moskowitz stated ahead of the media event:

“In our view, the iPad mini stands to target price-sensitive users and the e-reader crowd. Given the global economic uncertainty, we think price-sensitive users cold gravitate toward an iPad mini instead of making a PC purchase.”

The pair also announced an updated 13-inch MacBook Pro, which Schiller stated is 20 percent thinner than the previous generation, and also weighs a pound less. The new laptop will feature a high-resolution Retina display with more than four million pixels, a 2.5 GHz Intel processor, and a solid-state drive, instead of a spinning disk.

Those interested in purchasing the new laptop will have to shell out at least $1,700. Schiller also announced a new generation of iMacs and Mac minis. The new Mac is razor-thin and starts at $1,299. It will start shipping next month.

Do you plan on purchasing Apple’s new iPad mini?