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So how much faster is the fourth-generation iPad than the iPad Mini? Raw benchmarks show a yawning gap between Apple's newest tablets.

Though benchmarks are typically more theoretical than real-world (that is, you won't necessarily feel a big speed boost using everyday apps), they're instructive because they show the potential of the underlying silicon.

And that potential can become very real when specific applications, such as games, are optimized to tap into the redesigned circuits of a new chip -- in this case, Apple's new A6X, a faster version of the A6 in the iPhone 5. … Read more

The iPad Mini is here! The 7-inch tablet market is going to be one of the hottest this holiday season, but did Apple do enough with the iPad Mini to justify its $329 starting price point?

iTunes 11 is pushed back to November, which is something to be thankful for after seeing what happens when Apple rushes out features like Siri and Maps.

The new fourth-generation iPad is also here, and it's a beast when it comes to performance. Plus, we'll break down Apple's big management shake-up and tell you how it might affect you. One thing'… Read more

Low Latency is a weekly comic on CNET's Crave blog written by CNET editor and podcast host Jeff Bakalar and illustrated by Blake Stevenson. Be sure to check Crave every Thursday at 8 a.m. PT for new panels! Want more? Here's every Low Latency comic so far.… Read more

The biggest surprise out of yesterday's Apple product event was news of the fourth-generation iPad. Not everyone considers it a pleasant surprise, though.

The device, which starts at $499, comes just seven months after the arrival of the third-generation iPad and brings with it a number of updates. It comes with an A6X processor that has twice the CPU and graphics power of the third-generation iPad, gets 10 hours of battery life, and has FaceTime HD and expanded LTE support.

But most important for the company, CNET executive editor Molly Wood maintains, it's got the Lightning connector, which … Read more

Starting at $329, the iPad Mini is pricier than other mini tablets, but the product will still capture sales from lower-priced rivals, says J.P. Morgan's Mark Moskowitz.

Though the price tag on Apple's new tablet was substantially higher than J.P. Morgan's estimate of $249, the features and specs were better than expected. The analyst had thought the base model would start at 8GB of storage, but Apple kicked it up to 16GB. The Mini lacks the Retina display of its bigger sibling, but Moskowitz was still impressed by the "look-and-feel" of the small … Read more

The iPad mini has arrived -- with supply problems in tow.

"We're now starting to see the issues that [Apple] is having with Samsung," Richard Shim, an analyst at NPD DisplaySearch, told CNET in an interview.

Specifically, Samsung, a traditional Apple display vendor, is not supplying displays for the iPad mini, according to Shim. That leaves two suppliers, LGD and AUO.

"The problem is that AUO is a new supplier, and they're not able to get to the volumes that Apple needs. So, essentially, there's just one supplier," Shim said, who covered the … Read more

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

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