VIDEO: Why did Apple make the iPad Mini so weak?
The new iPad mini is displayed after its unveiling at the Apple special event at the historic California Theater on October 23, 2012 in San Jose, California. The iPad mini is Apple’s smaller 7.9 inch version of the iPad tablet.
On paper, the iPad Mini would've been mind-blowing a year ago.
Today, not so much.
When you take a look at the iPad Mini's specs, it's clearly underpowered compared to other 7-inch tablets.
The Mini uses Apple's old A5 dual-core processor, the same one that debuted in the iPad 2 in early 2011. It's missing the special high-resolution Retina display found in the full-sized iPad and the iPhone. And Apple's starting price is $329, a full $130 more than the competition.
Are we saying the iPad Mini will be a dud?
Nope!
Apple will surely sell a gazillion of these things.
Based on the early hands-on reactions, the iPad Mini is apparently extremely light and thin, a delight to hold.
But it is odd to market the Mini as a premium product when its competitors are offering better hardware for a fraction of the price.
On the flipside, that extra $130 for the iPad Mini gets you access to Apple's incredible ecosystem of movies, music, and tablet-optimized apps that the competition still can't match. Plus you get to use iOS, arguably the best mobile operating system around.
And at the end of the day, that's more important.
Counterpoint: Watch below to find out why you shouldn't buy into the iPad Mini hype:
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