So the Apple Event was live streamed for the first time in a while, which gave us all the first hand experience of seeing Tim Cook and Phil Schiller unveil the iPad Mini. Despite the proclamation that 7” tablets were too small, Tim Cook has decided to go ahead and compete in the 7” space.

Visually its much as the leaked images suggested, a 7.9” display, 4:3 aspect ratio with the same 1024×768 resolution of the original iPad and iPad2, and thinner side bezels that allow you to hold the iPad Mini one handed.

The iPad Mini is “is 23 percent thinner and 53 percent lighter than the third generation iPad” which Apple conveniently omit was thicker and heavier than the iPad2.

Inside is the fast Apple dual-core A5 chip, that will handle the processing and graphics while still keeping the acclaimed 10-hour battery life that you expect from an iPad.

There is a front-facing FaceTime HD camera and a 5 megapixel iSight camera on the back with “advanced optics for taking sharp still pictures and recording full 1080p HD video”.

As standard there is a WiFi only model in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB and a WiFi+4G(LTE) model also in each size. Interestingly the many leaked model options had an 8GB storage option which has proven to be false.

Pre-orders start this Friday 26th October, with shipping for the WiFi model on November 2nd but shipping for the WiFi+4G model sometime “late November”.

Pricing isn’t as cheap as we had hoped, but realistically it provides a cheaper price entry point into the iPad line-up, and although not as cheap as the £199 Google achieved with the Nexus7 Apple will bank on their reputation, quality and ecosystem to be the justifying factor in their higher pricing.

About Rob Gordon

This post was written by Rob Gordon, an IT geek, gadget lover and blogger. Rob has been using the internets since 1994 when the only streaming video was that coffee pot in Cambridge (rip).... Follow Rob on Twitter - @robgordon

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