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For some tablets, iPad Mini is a big threat in a little package

Apple's introduction of the iPad Mini this week generated two lines of thinking about competition in the tablet space.

The first, articulated by some analysts, holds that lower-cost tablets have nothing to worry about. Reuters collected their comments in an article giving shape to their general lack of concern. The reason? The entry-level Mini's $329 price, enough to give it distance from cheaper tablets on the market. A note from Nomura Equity Research indicated that "demand for Google's Nexus 7 and Amazon's Kindle Fire is unlikely to be much affected by the launch of the … Read more

The logic of Apple's premium-priced iPad Mini

On Tuesday, Apple unveiled its well-received holiday lineup of products and saw its stock continue to sink. Stock analysts are predicting that like Google, Apple will miss consensus estimates for the current quarter, mostly due to lower-than-expected iPhone sales and production delays for the iPhone 5. Apple reports its quarterly earnings after the bell tomorrow.

Read: Apple earnings preview: All eyes on iPhone, iPad

But now the analysts have some fresh meat, and are considering how the iPad Mini will impact Apple's fortunes, especially its pricing. The mini-tablet space is becoming a hot spot, one crowded with competitors. … Read more

iPad Mini Wi-Fi version lacks GPS found in similar tablets

The iPad Mini Wi-Fi version is missing one key feature found in many other 7-inch tablets -- GPS.

Looking at the Location specs for the iPad Mini on Apple's Web site, the cellular edition shows built-in GPS. But the Wi-Fi version doesn't include that feature.

At yesterday's iPad launch event, Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller seemed to enjoy comparing the iPad Mini with Google's Nexus 7 tablet. Schiller proclaimed the iPad Mini the winner due in large part to its bigger 7.9-inch screen size.

But the Nexus 7 comes with GPS. I've used the … Read more

Get a refurbished iPad 3 (16GB) for $379

Mea culpa: In yesterday's post about the free Inpaint program (now expired), I neglected to warn users about the big, blue, fake Download button on Giveaway of the Day's cluttered download page. That's a commonly used adware ploy found on a lot of sites, and I know some people clicked it and got stuck with unwanted toolbars and other junk.

For the record, I did include a direct download link within the post (meaning you needn't have visited GotD at all), but I still feel awful about what happened. It's really important to look before … Read more

That was fast: The iPad gets a new chip, the A6X

Apple was quick to obsolete the "new" chip in the third-generation Retina iPad -- not to mention the iPad itself. So the question is, why so fast?

But before we answer that question, let's look at some of the improvements. Apple says the A6X "delivers up to twice the CPU [central processing unit] and graphics performance of the A5X chip" -- the A5X being the processor Apple just announced back in March when it rolled out the first Retina iPad.

A lot of that improvement comes from the goodness of Apple's new A6 chip … Read more

iPad's Mini's price makes it just a small threat to Android tablets

Well, it's official. Apple today announced the iPad Mini, a 7.9-inch version of its immensely popular iPad.

Available beginning November 2, the $329 device should be a top-seller this holiday season. In fact, it's a safe bet that the iPad Mini will join products such as the Kindle Fire HD, Nook HD, and Nexus 7 in winning big sales. But, considering this space is already so crowded, just how will the iPad Mini directly affect Android tablets, and in what capacity?

A pricier point As is the case with other Apple products, the iPad Mini is priced … Read more

Apple, where's the software?

The Apple event today went mostly as we expected. We got the iPad Mini we were expecting (though the fourth-generation iPad was a surprise), we got a new MacBook Pro and a new iMac, and we heard a lot about the many millions of iThings that have been sold (if you made a drinking game hinging upon the word "millions" at an Apple event, you'd have passed out in the first 30 minutes). As a software reviewer, however, I have to say there wasn't very much for me to talk about.

We heard a little bit … Read more

iPad Mini vs. fourth-gen iPad vs. the new iPad

Though it's typical that the youngest and littlest sibling gets all the attention, he or she isn't always the favorite member of the family. The same can be said for the iPad Mini. In addition to the competition it faces with non-Apple tablets, the fun-size iPad still has some big shoes to fill from its own lineage.

To find out what's new and what stayed the same, we fashioned this handy comparison chart to see how the iPad Mini stacks up against its own siblings -- the recently announced fourth-generation iPad and the new iPad, which was … Read more

Peeved? Apple will exchange your 3rd-gen iPad for the newer model

Just got a third-gen iPad? Apple might be willing to exchange it.

In an unexpected move, Apple refreshed its 10-inch iPad today, leaving many third-generation iPad owners groaning at a suddenly subpar device.

Apple customers like Roger Cheng have (until now) slept soundly knowing that any Apple product purchased is the "latest and greatest" for at least one year. Today, Apple killed that notion.

Considering the fourth-generation iPad offers relatively incremental upgrades, not all iPad owners will be peeved. However, if you know you'll lose sleep over the iPad you purchased less than one month ago, you'… Read more

iPad Mini vs. Google Nexus 7 vs. Amazon Kindle Fire HD

CNET reviews the Apple iPad Mini

After dominating the larger tablet market it popularized, Apple has turned its attention to the slightly smaller screen. The 7.9-inch iPad Mini has Apple's attention to style and detail behind it, but it certainly isn't the only slate of this stature that's worth considering, especially with the Mini's stepped-down processor and screen resolution.

When you line up the specs and the intangibles, which tablet has the upper hand: the iPad Mini, the Asus-made Google Nexus 7 (an original Android 4.1 Jelly Bean device), or the Amazon Kindle Fire HD? … Read more