During Apple's Q4 2012 conference call Tim Cook was asked about the iPad mini, and why Apple released it after Steve Jobs had previously called 7-inch tablets "terrible".

Cook responded that Apple wouldn't make one of those 7-inch tablets, which they didn't consider good products for a number of reasons. The iPad mini, according to Cook both during the call and at Apple's iPad and Mac event previously, is 7.9-inches rather than 7-inches, and due to its 4:3 and 1024x768 pixel display, it has 35% more screen real-estate than a 7-inch, typically 16:9, tablet. Including the difference in landscape height, and depending on interface chrome, Cook said that translates into a 50-67% more space.

The iPad mini, because it has the same display as the iPad 2, only at a smaller size, can run all 250,000 iPad apps, compared to the tiny number of competing tablet apps.

Cook sees 7-inch tablets as compromised, and the iPad mini as being in a "whole different league".

When Steve Jobs first made his comments almost exactly 2 years ago, the 7-inch tablet market consisted primarily of the original Samsung Galaxy Tab, and the unveiled but not yet released BlackBerry Playbook.

Neither of those tablets were fantastic then, and while the Galaxy Tab has been replaced with new versions, and the BlackBerry Playbook will eventually be upgraded to BB10, neither have gained much traction since. The Amazon Kindle Fire is more a U.S.-centric content appliance than tablet, with otherwise middling hardware and software. Even the Nexus 7 remains more iPod touch than iPad, still lagging far behind in terms of tablet software.

You can argue Cook's screen size comparisons, but the build quality and software quality of the iPad mini can't be argued, nor can its international content offerings. Whether or not that puts it in a different league remains to be seen, but it's tough to see the iPad mini not becoming the best selling small tablet on the market. And quickly.

According to numerous European readers, the lowest App Store price tier has just changed from €0.79 to €0.89 (to put that in rough perspective, imagine the U.S. base price going from $0.99 to $1.09). Whether that reflects updated exchange rates or other factors of doing business in Europe, including taxes and other charges, is unknown at this time.

If you're seeing higher prices in your local App Store, let us know what they are, and what the difference is.

UPDATE: Federico Viticci of MacStories has confirmed price changes in 15 countries, and a switch to local currencies in 8.

If you're in the U.S. it's probably not so easy deciding which carrier is best for your iPad or iPad mini needs, AT&T, Verizon, or Sprint. Price is always a huge factor to consider when choosing a carrier, but coverage should be just as, if not more, important when making a decision. Since the iPad and iPad mini support LTE cellular technology, you're going to want to take a close look at which carriers offer the best LTE coverage in your area.

First, let's take a look at prices.

iPad mini and iPad 4: AT&T vs Verizon vs Sprint prepaid monthly plans

All three carriers offer LTE data plans for iPads with month-to-month, contract-free pricing. So if you are interested in choosing a different provider than you have for your cellular service, you can. You may also be interested in one of these plans if you are not on a "share everything" plan on AT&T or Verizon, since those are the only plans eligible for adding a tablet at a low price.

Since the data amounts and prices vary so much between the carriers, we have created two different charts to present the data -- one organized by data amount and one organized by price.

iPad mini and iPad 4: AT&T vs Verizon vs Sprint add-on plans

If you already have a "share everything" plan with AT&T or Verizon, you can add a tablet to your plan for just $10 per month. If you have an individual plan, this is not an option and you must use one of the above prepaid plans.

Sprint does not offer a simple add-on price for iPads since their "share everything" plans include unlimited data. Instead, even if you already have a smartphone with Sprint, the same costs above apply. However, for an unknown amount of time, Sprint is offering discounted rate plans that include 1 GB of data for $15 per month and 100 MB for $10 per month. These are the only two plans available at a discount.

To see a comparison of the different "share everything" plans, check out our AT&T vs Verizon vs Sprint comparison for the iPhone.

iPad mini and iPad 4: LTE availability

In addition to price, you must also consider where each carrier offers coverage and if you're within that area. When it comes to coverage, the first thing you want to consider is LTE availability.

Clearly, the above maps are not a good enough indication of LTE coverage in your area. So make sure you look at each of carriers' maps very closely as they all offer an interactive tool that lets you zoom into your specific area and learn exactly which areas of your city get coverage.

• Verizon's coverage map
• AT&T's coverage map
• Sprint's coverage map

If LTE is not available to you on either network, the next thing to look at is 3G (or "4G" -- ugh!) coverage. In general, AT&T's HSPA data is much, much faster, but also less reliable than Verizon and Sprint's CDMA networks -- and Verizon is typically faster than Sprint. Because of 3G/4G data speeds, I am inclined to recommend AT&T over Verizon and Sprint providing that they offer solid coverage in your area.

It really does come down to who offers the best coverage. If price is deal breaker for you, you may have to compromise on coverage and stability and choose Sprint, but if you're willing to pay extra for a better network, take a close hard look at the coverage that AT&T and Verizon offer. Don't only look at maps, either. Talk to your friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers who use AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint to learn how satisfied they are with their carrier's network.

iPad mini and iPad 4: International traveling

Since AT&T is GSM carrier and Sprint and Verizon are CDMA carries, Apple chose to make two different models of the iPhone 5: GSM+LTE for AT&T and CDMA+LTE for Verizon and Sprint. For people who don't travel internationally, this fact is irrelevant, but if you're a frequent traveler, it may play a very important role on which carrier you choose. To make a long story short, if you regularly travel within North America (US and Canada) and want LTE when you travel, AT&T is your only option. If you travel to the rest of the world, then you want Verizon or Sprint. If you travel between Canada and the rest of the world, well, you're out of luck -- you can't have both, unfortunately. If this is something that you need to consider, hit the link above for more details.

iPad mini and iPad 4: Making the choice

So which carrier are you going to choose? Will you be ditching one carrier for another or sticking with the one you already have? Sound off in the comments below!

• AT&T forum
• Verizon forum
• Sprint forum

We're listening along with Apple's Q4 2012 financial results conference call and we'll be jotting down notes as we go.

• Peter Oppenheimer: 4.9 million Macs. 1% growth. New record. Compares to 8% contraction of market. Portables grew 9%. 80% of Mac mix. 3-4 weeks of inventory, below range of 5-6. Talks about new Macs.
• 5.2 million iPods. iPod touch still over half. Still over 70% of market. Continues to be top seller in most markets they track. Talks about new iPods.
• iTunes record results. Almost 2.1 billion thanks to music, apps, video. Launching new iTunes (iTunes 11). Talking about new iTunes.
• iPhone sold 26.9 million. 58% year over year growth, compared to 45% of smartphone market overall. iPhone 5 demand phenomenal. Talks about new iPhone. Demand still outstrips supply. Ended with 9.1 million in channel inventory, up 800,0000. Below 4-6 weeks of inventory. Revenue was 17.1 billion. Increased 56%. Talks iPhone in business. Canon uses them for secure CRM system. Amtrak deployed thousands to train conductors, ticketing, workflow. Custom app. Revolutionized paper based process. BBC, CTV, WSJ are using iPhone cameras to capture HD video for broadcast on TV and web.
• iPad 14 million sold. Increase of 26%. Ahead of expectations. Strong year-over-year in every region. Talks iPad mini. Talks 4th gen iPad. Revenue was 7.5 billion. Up 9%. 3.4 million in inventory. Up 200,000. Just over 4 weeks of inventory target.
• Talks iPad in industry. VW has over 30 in-house apps across the company. Monitoring, scheduling, customer greeting apps. Ping An insurance in China. Car accident inspectors. Brazil Bank using iPads. Completing customer transactions, inform and educate customers.
• iOS devices 44 million sold in September Q. Over 700,000 apps. 250,000 iPad apps. New Q record. 6.5 billion in cumulative payments to developers.
• Talking iCloud. iCloud
• Over 200,000,000 iOS 6 devices. Talks iOS 6. Number of improvements to maps, will work non-stop until it lives up to standards.
• Apple Store up 18%. Best iPhone launch ever. New Q record for Mac sales. 18 new stores in 10 countries, first store in Sweden, second in Hong Kong. 390 stores, 140 outside US. 11.2 million revenue on avergae per store. 94 million visitors. Up 22%. 19,000 per store per week on average.
• Total gross margin was 40%. Better than expected commodity, costs, higher than expected sales, better exchange. OpEx was 3.5 billion. (Lots of financial stuff.)
• 121.3 billion in cash at the end of Q (after dividend payout). Up 4 billion. 83 billion offshore.
• Talking dividends, repurchases.
• December Q will span 13 weeks, not 14 like last year. Last week 1/14th of total revenue. Expects 52 billion. Expects margin to be 36%.
• 200 million iOS devices, 58 million iPads, 35 million iPods. 63 countries for iTunes music. 190 million iCloud users. Strongest line up ever.
• Q&A time!
• Q: Why will EPR go down despite new lineup?
• PO: Change year over year being driven by loss of 14th week, this time normal 13 weeks. Stronger US dollar. Change in gross margin. Most prolific product history, unprecendent, record level of demand. 80% of total December revenue. Costs associated with demand. New form factors. All have higher costs, lower gross margins, height of cost curve. Nothing new. Sheer number of new products in short period of time. Lowered cost of iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. Strongest iPhone lineup ever. iPhone 4 starting at free. iPad mini priced aggressively. Gross margin significantly lower than average.
• (So more expensive products sold at lower margin will depress earnings until the economies of scale kick in?)
• Tim Cook: Dedicated to making best products in the world, think of smallest of details, unwilling to cut corners. Relentless commitment to excellence. Reason customers buy their products. Managing the company for the long run, make long term decisions. Confident in strategy. Will delight customers.
• Q: Supply ramp for iPhone 5 for holiday?
• TC: Demand for iPhone is extremely robust. Thrilled. Significant backlog right now. Output has improved significantly since earlier in the month. Pleased with progress, please with output. Largest volume ramp in Apple history. Confident in ability to supply.
• Q: Continue to anticipate rolling out to all 100 countries this Q? Impact on cost of goods sold to decline?
• TC: Still anticipate rolling out to the 100 countries. Fastest rollout ever. Large countries in December. Each new product has learning curves for ramping production. Now is no exception. Difference is the number of new products at once. Most prolific period in history. Past 6 weeks have been phenomenal in terms of introductions. Doesn't see costs accelerating on per-unit basis. Production ramp across many new products.
• Q: Any chance of larger tablets? Incremental PC functionality?
• TC: Don't comment on future views on products and roadmaps. Continue to be confident that tablet market will surpass PC market. Incredible development in ecosystem and product in tablet space. Already compelling. Particularly an iPad over PC. Enormous opportunity for Apple. 80-90 million PCs sold. iPad family will all be extremely popular in lieu of PCs. Extremely pleased to launch iPad mini.
• Q: China?
• TC: Revenue was 5.7 billion, up 26%. Mac was up 46%. Launched portables in july. iPad up 45%. iPhone was up 38%. Fantastic Q. Full fiscal revenue number of 23.8 billion for China. Up 10-billion, 78% year-over-year. 15% of Apple. Extremely happy. Expanding retail, partners. Extremely exciting.
• Q: Surface, Windows 8 tablets?
• TC: Haven't played with a Surface yet. It's a fairly compromised, confusing product. One of the toughest things to do is deciding which product, make hard tradeoffs, decide what a product should be. Done that with iPad. User experience is incredible. Suppose you could design a car that flies and floats but wouldn't do all of those things well. Thinks people will conclude they really want an iPad, will continue to conclude that.
• W: iPad mini vs. iPad?
• TC: Don't have old product, only new products. Provide fantastic iPod touch, iPad 4, iPad mini, iPad 2. Customers will decide which 1, 2, 3, or all 4. Learned not to worry about cannibalization. Better for Apple to do it. Better to cannibalize PCs. Thinks a great number of those people would be better off with iPad or Mac. Much bigger opportunity. Enormous incremental opportunity.
• Q: Apple TV?
• TC: 1.3 million in Q4. Up over 100% year-over-year. Over 5 million in fiscal year, almost double previous year. Continues to do well, but the revenue is quite small compared to other businesses. Hobby but beloved hobby.
• Q: iPad deceleration?
• TC: June Q contained 1.2 million increase in channel. Actual sell-through looks different. Exceeded expectations. (Lots of channel explanations.)
• Q: Open to passing costs onto customers? (Increasing price points.)
• TC: Think we've made great choices on products and prices. Guide for current quarter, wouldn't want to talk post that.
• Q: How could revenue growth dovetail?
• PO: Looking YOY and comparing sequentials, don't forget 14th week last year. (Talks about great new products).
• Q: iPhone 5, what is global rollout? Sprinkle/backfill or targeted?
• TC: Planned 30-40 prior to introduction, rollout in 2 different dates. Balance was planned with eye towards supply, what they think demand will be.
• Q: iPad mini pricing plans?
• PO: Didn't build small, cheap tablet. Full iPad experience. Difference between mini and competition is profound. 35% larger than 7-inch tablets, much better experience. 2 great cameras, FaceTime HD, 5mp iSight. Dual Wi-Fi, A5 chip. Fit and finish is breathtaking. Higher cost, gross margin is significantly below average, height of cost curve. Wants to make large number, get cost curve down. Like other products.
• TC: Create a product people will love for months and years after they purchase it, continue using it in a robust way. Mini is designed to do. Look at usage stats. 90% of web traffic on tablets from iPads. Apple won't make a product for the moment they pay for it, rarely use it again. Not the experience they want customers to have. Use iPad mini, won't use anything other than any iPad besides that.
• Q: Enterprise? -TC: Almsot all fortune 500 testing and deploying. Penetration will only grow. Global 500 above 80% both iPhone and iPad. Doing fairly well. Much more to do. Feeling good about it.
• Q: Component environment? Volatility on OI&E?
• TC: Doesn't see component shortage. Solved some challenges, feel good. General shortages, iMac will be constrained for full quarter in significant way. 21.5 in November, 27 in December. Short amount of time to manufacture and ramp. Shortage there. Others is how big is big on demand? Tough to predict. Bullish.
• Gary: Explains OI&E.
• Q: (Didn't follow, Peter didn't eitehr)
• PO: Talks ASPs.
• Q: US activations growing faster?
• TC: Bulk of the world did not launch in, expected more significant growth in US than RoTW.
• Q: China iPhone 5 in December?
• TC: Yes, we expect it.
• Q: Expect to meet supply at end of December Q?
• TC: Not projecting balance. Feels great about manufacturing ramp. Supply significantly higher. Confident they can supply quite a few. When that balance occurs, can't tell at this point. Demand very robust.
• Q: Subsidized tablets on content and search, break even or loss? Would Apple consider that?
• TC: Seen low cost challengers before, iPad continues to beat every other tablet at every price. Thinks customers are smart, have high expectations. Want something that can do more. Making the best product will win at the end of the day. Stay true to that.
• Q: Change to supplier list adding complexity, cost structure?
• TC: Not sure what he's getting at, no significant change. No change that would have driven more cost.
• Q: LCD and Samsung?
• TC: No change driven any cost. Samsung continues to be their customer. Have commercial relationship.
• Q: Why is the time now for iPad mini? Gross margins anything structurally different?
• TC: Comments Steve made before about 7-inch tablets. Apple wouldn't make one of the 7-inch tablets. Don't think they're good products for many reasons. Different in realestate between 7.9 vs. 7 is 35%, usable area is much greater than that. 50-67%. iPad mini has same number of pixels as iPad 2. Access to all 275,000 iPad apps. iPad mini isn't compromised like 7-inch. Whole different league.

And that's it!

Apple has posted their Q4 2012 financial results, which includes revenue of $36 billion and profit of 8.2 billion. In terms of devices sold, they reported 26.9 million iPhones, 14 million iPods, 5.3 million iPods, and 4.9 million Macs.

"We're very proud to end a fantastic fiscal year with record September quarter results," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "We're entering this holiday season with the best iPhone, iPad, Mac and iPod products ever, and we remain very confident in our new product pipeline."

"We're pleased to have generated over $41 billion in net income and over $50 billion in operating cash flow in fiscal 2012," said Peter Oppenheimer, Apple's CFO. "Looking ahead to the first fiscal quarter of 2013, we expect revenue of about $52 billion and diluted earnings per share of about $11.75."

It was, of course, a record for everything but iPods, which should help explain why they introduced the iPad mini a couple of days ago.

Source: Apple PR

Apple Reports Fourth Quarter Results

26.9 Million iPhones Sold; Record Fourth Quarter Revenue and Profit

Board Declares Quarterly Dividend of $2.65 per Common Share

CUPERTINO, California—October 25, 2012—Apple® today announced financial results for its fiscal 2012 fourth quarter ended September 29, 2012. The Company posted quarterly revenue of $36.0 billion and quarterly net profit of $8.2 billion, or $8.67 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $28.3 billion and net profit of $6.6 billion, or $7.05 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 40.0 percent compared to 40.3 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 60 percent of the quarter's revenue.

The Company sold 26.9 million iPhones in the quarter, representing 58 percent unit growth over the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 14.0 million iPads during the quarter, a 26 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter. The Company sold 4.9 million Macs during the quarter, a 1 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 5.3 million iPods, a 19 percent unit decline from the year-ago quarter.

Apple's Board of Directors has declared a cash dividend of $2.65 per share of the Company's common stock. The dividend is payable on November 15, 2012, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on November 12, 2012.

The latest, greatest, iPad -- in this case the late 2012 iPad 4 -- can't be considered a no-brainer buy this year because Apple has now also introduced the all-new iPad mini. The iPad 2 has also stuck around in some sort of limbo-like middle ground, further complicating your purchasing decision.

Power vs portability, starting at $329 vs. starting at $399 or $499 -- there's a lot of factors to consider.

(Late) 2012 iPad product line

Just when you thought Apple had already introduced the new iPad this year, they went and introduced a newer one! If you haven't taken the iPad plunge yet, or if you're looking to upgrade from another tablet or a first generation iPad, that just means you have even better value for your money.

If we map out Apple's product line completely, you can start with the iPod touch or iPhone, which are the most portable but arguably the least productive (small screen, most difficult input). They're great for on-the-go. The iPad mini bridges the gap between iPod touch and iPad, with a bigger screen and the ability to run iPad apps, but lighter and easier to hold up. It's for lying down and traveling around. The iPad has a bigger screen and is the most productive of the iOS devices. It's for feet up, literally on the lap, light productivity and more immersive content. The MacBook rounds things out. It's OS X not iOS, and while bigger and heavier than any iOS device, it has a full keyboard and runs full-on desktop software. It's for getting traditional computing things done.

If you want something between that iPhone and iPod touch, and the MacBook or another laptop, that's where the iPads fits in, and here's how they break down.

iPad mini

The iPad mini is slightly cheaper than the iPad 4 or the iPad 2, but that's just a side benefit of being a little smaller and a lot lighter. In terms of hardware, it's got basically the same body and components as the 2012 iPod touch 5, including the aluminum unibody, Apple A5 processor, and storage options. It has the iPad 2-style screen, however, at 1024x768, only shrunk down from 9.7 inches to 7.9 inches. That makes it slightly higher density -- the same 163 ppi as the iPhone 3GS if you're keeping score -- than the 132 ppi iPad 2, but nowhere near the 264 ppi of the iPad 4.

The lightness is the biggest differentiator, however. You can hold it easily in one hand, and while it's not small enough to be an on-the-go style device like the iPhone or iPod touch, it's not relegated to be a sitting-down, on-you-lap style device like the full sized iPad either. It's much better lying down, and much easier to hold for longer periods of time. It's also easier to stash in big jacket pocket or small carry bad.

Apple offers the iPad mini Wi-Fi at three price points depending on the amount of storage:

• 16GB - $329
• 32GB - $429
• 64GB - $529

If you want it with 3G GSM/CDMA, and 4G LTE version, the prices go up $130:

• 16GB - $459
• 32GB - $559
• 64GB - $659

If you value portability over the power of the processor and prettiness of the screen, get the iPad mini.

iPad 2 (2011)

The 2011 iPad 2 with 16GB of storage is the big "budget" iPad designed to ease the barrier of entry for price-concious first-time buyers and for bulk buyers like schools and businesses. It doesn't have the crystal clear, high density Retina display, 4G LTE data, the new, super-fast Apple A6X processor, or the new Lightning connector, and the cameras are terrible, but it runs the same iOS 6 operating system, and has access to the App Store and Safari, and can do most everything the new iPad can do. And it looks almost identical.

However, while the iPad 2 was arguably a reasonable buy compared to the iPad 3 due to the overhead of the Retina display, the iPad 4 promises 2x the performance of the iPad 3, diminishing that concern.

Apple offers the iPad 2 at one price point:

• 16GB - $399

If you want it with 3G GSM/CDMA, the price go up $130:

• 16GB - $529

Still, If price is more of an issue to you than getting the latest and the greatest, and $100 makes a big difference in your budget, the iPad 2 is still a valid point of entry, simply less so than before.

• Full iPad 2 review

iPad 4 (late 2012)

The iPad 4 (or iPad with Retina display, or 4th generation iPad) is the new king of the tablets. It has everything the iPad 2 had, and a lot more. Notably, the screen is a double-resolution Retina display at 2048x1536, which is more than 1080p TV scrunched down into a 9.7-inch size. In other words, you can't see the pixels. Speaking of 1080p, it supports both 1080p video playback, and has a 5mp camera on the back that can shoot 1080p video. (It looks like the iPhone 4 camera with the iPhone 4S photo processing software). Compared to the iPad 3, it has a faster Apple A6X processor, LTE that works internationally, and the new Lightning adapter.

Apple offers the iPad 4 at three price points depending on the amount of storage:

• 16GB - $499
• 32GB - $599
• 64GB - $699

If you want it with 3G GSM/CDMA, and 4G LTE version, the prices go up $130:

• 16GB - $629
• 32GB - $729
• 64GB - $829

If you know you want a top of the line iPad, with the latest and greatest features and every bit of cool technology Apple has to offer, then get the iPad 4.

Any questions?

If you're still not sure, hit up our iPhone Forums to get the help you need to make up your mind.

• New iPad forum
• iPad 2 forum

Pocket, the popular read it later service for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch has made its way to the Mac. If you're a fan of the iOS version of Pocket, you'll be glad to know it's now available for download and yes, the Mac version is also free.

For those of us that read news feeds frequently, having a way to save certain articles, images, or videos for reading and browsing later in a must. Pocket is the first read it later service to have a Mac counterpart available.

Pocket for Mac brings the full feature set of the popular Pocket iOS and Android apps to the Mac —including offline access to saved content from anywhere. Pocket for the Mac also includes instant syncing across all devices, keyboard shortcuts, viewing of streaming video, the ability to share found content, and great organizing and search features.

If you've used the iOS version of Pocket, you'll be right at home as the layout is very simliar. Your articles will aggregate in the left hand navigation pane for easy browsing and will sync with Pocket's service wirelessly. This means any story you save on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch will be ready for viewing on your Mac when you sit down at your desk.

Pocket for Mac is available in the Mac App store now.

Free - Download Now

So you've decided to take the plunge and the new iPad mini or the newly updated iPad 4, but you aren't sure which storage capacity size to go with? The difference between 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB isn't just how much stuff you can put on it, but $100-$200 in up front costs, so it's worth thinking about.

iPad mini and iPad 4 price for storage breakdown

The current US prices for the iPad mini are (not counting the $130 surcharge for 3G + 4G models):

• 16GB: $329 or $20.56/GB
• 32GB: $429 or $13.41/GB
• 64GB: $529 or $8.26/GB

The current US prices for the iPad 4 are (not counting the $130 surcharge for 3G + 4G models):

• 16GB: $499 or $31.19/GB
• 32GB: $599 or $18.72/GB
• 64GB: $699 or $10.92/GB

At first glance it may look like 64GB is twice the price for four times the storage, in other words a really sweet deal. But nothing is ever really that simple, is it? Basically, the 16GB for $329 (iPad mini) or $499 (iPad 4) is Apple's lowest margin device. After that, Apple is getting you to pay a premium for every additional doubling of storage. In other words, going from 16GB to 32GB costs you $100. Take a look at the cost of a 16GB SD card and you'll see how much more you're paying for that bump. The $200 premium for an additional 48GB of storage is more interesting, because it's for more expensive, double density NAND Flash. But it's still not $200 more expensive.

If your goal is to pay Apple absolutely the least amount of money as possible, the 16GB might tempt you. But hold on, there's a lot more to consider than just the cost of storage...

iPad mini and iPad 4 vs. iCloud and other online storage options

iCloud gives you free, unlimited storage for all your iTunes stuff. That includes iBooks, music, movies, TV shows, and apps, as well as 30 days or 1000 Photo Stream photos. You also get 5GB of additional storage for backups, data, etc. In many countries, you can use iTunes in the Cloud to download your media only when, and as needed. You can even purchase more iCloud storage for the following yearly fees:

• 10GB: $20/year
• 20GB: $40/year
• 50GB: $100/year

All of this might make that 16GB iPad mini or iPad 4 all the more tempting, since you could keep most of your media nearline in iCloud, and maybe even buy a little extra iCloud space if you need to.

It's not a crazy idea but it's important to remember that online storage isn't always as available, fast, or convenient as onboard storage. For starters, you can't really play a movie from iCloud, you have to download it at the same time you watch it, which means you have to have enough space available on your iPad mini or iPad 4 to handle the download. If you want to watch a lot of movies, you may have to watch, delete, watch, delete, over and over again. Annoying.

iCloud also isn't as open as things like Dropbox (which is also an option to consider), so you can only really store what Apple lets you. If your movies and videos don't come from iTunes, that's an important consideration. Also, in our tests, iCloud's free 5GB could get filled up pretty quickly by photos and especially videos.

Bottom line, iCloud means you can get away with managing more content on your device, but you still want to have enough local storage for what you need, when you need it.

iPad mini and iPad 4 and 5 megapixel photos and 1080p video

Both the iPad 4 and iPad mini actually have good iSight cameras on them, and that means they take good 5 megapixel photos and 1080p video. That also means you need room to store 5 megapixel photos and 1080p video.

For example, I take a ton of photos and videos on my iPhone 5 and with 16GB I'd quickly run out of space. Since it's a pain in the butt to have to go through and figure out what to delete if I'm not near my computer, I opted for more storage.

Unlike an iPhone, however, an iPad probably isn't your go-to camera, and isn't the camera you always have with you. In other words, I don't think most people will take and store as many photos or as much video with their iPads as they would their iPhones (or other smartphones).

That being said, I do store a ton of photos and video on my iPad that I've taken with my iPhone and with my DSLR. It's just a great way to show and share those special moments with friends and family. If you want to keep a lot of home movies and photos available, you'll need space for them.

iPad mini and iPad 4 content

The other thing that can fill up our iPad quickly is content.

The other thing that can fill up the iPad mini and iPad 4 quickly is apps, especially games. It's not uncommon for some console-quality games to be well over 1GB in size these days. Even basic apps might include interface assets for the Retina iPad 4, which are huge, and which all add up.

iTunes movies can be 1-3GB in size for SD depending on the length. If you prefer watching HD, they can be 3-5GB. iTunes TV shows can be a quarter to half the size of movies, but more than make up for it by the number of episodes typically available. If you get your movies and TV shows from somewhere other than iTunes, you're still looking at about 400MB an hour for SD and over 1GB (sometimes way over) an hour for HD. Music files are generally quite small but can add up as well, especially if you have lots and lots of albums you want to keep with you everywhere. Even with something like iTunes Match or a similar music locker service, or a streaming service like Slacker you need local storage for offline playback. Again, it all adds up.

Who should get 16GB iPad mini or iPad 4

If you don't use a lot of apps, if you don't want to have a lot of movies and TV shows, or a huge amount of music, if you don't intend to shoot and keep very much 8mp photos or 1080p video on your iPad, you'll probably be okay with 16GB.

Some people like to keep their iPads light and delete games and media when they're don with them, and some people just don't shoot a lot of pictures or video. If that's you, you can save yourself some cash and get a 16GB iPad mini or iPad 4.

Who should get 32GB iPad mini or iPad 4

If the iPad is your primary device, if you play games on it and watch movies and TV shows on it, if you have a decent-sized music collection you want to keep with you, and if you shoot an average amount of photos and videos, 32GB is your sweet spot.

Some people like to have one device that, while it doesn't do everything all the time, it's capable enough to do most things most of the time. If you do a fair but not overwhelming amount of stuff on your iPad, your probably better off going for 32GB.

Who should get 64GB iPad mini or iPad 4

If you're a power user who wants to keep as much as possible for as long as possible, if you have a large amount of apps and games, TV and movies, and a huge music collection you simply have to have with you all the time, or you shoot photos and video almost non stop and don't want to have to bother transferring it all the time... we'll, you've probably already decided on 64GB, haven't you?

Some people really do want their iPad mini or iPad 4 to do everything, all of the time, and never (or rarely) have to worry about running out of space. They probably want 128GB -- or even 256GB if they could get it! -- but they'll use the most they can, whenever they can. That's 64GB.

What if you choose the wrong iPad mini or iPad 4 size?

Remember, in most places you have time to try out your new iPad mini or iPad 4 and return it if you don't like it. Make sure, as soon as possible, you put your iPad mini or iPad 4 to realistic use. Load up all the apps and games you want with you, load up your movies and TV shows, go out and take some photos and shoot some video. Give it a complete and thorough workout and see.

If it feels like you got too much storage, say 64GB and you haven't even gone past 2GB, or if you got too little, say you're already at 15GB of 16GB, then take your iPad mini or iPad 4 back and exchange it for one that better suits your needs.

If you come to this realization too late, after the exchange period is over, remember you can buy additional iCloud storage, or look at other options like Dropbox which will let you keep your stuff available online and potentially free up some much needed space on your iPad mini or iPad 4.

Today Only: Buy the Incipio OVRMLD Case for iPhone 5 and save $15.99!

The OVRMLD case is engineered with raised NGP barriers to protect the soft touch finish from unpredictable scratches and surface wear. The dual-injected design combines impact resistant, semi-rigid NGP with a rigid Plextonium frame. Color options include black, purple, turqoise, orange and white.

List Price: $34.99     Today's Price: $19.00

Learn More and Buy Now

Never miss a deal. Sign up for Daily Deal alerts!

Apple has updated the iPad and launched the new iPad mini, so we're updating our buyers guides to help you choose just exactly the right devices for you. Now, ever since the iPad 2 launched with a choice of black or white faceplates, one of the biggest decisions we've all had to make is which color to get. This year, that stays the same for the iPad, but for the iPad mini, which has an iPod touch 5-style colored backplate as well, it's an even bigger -- make that smaller -- choice.

Is the white iPad 4 or iPad mini faceplate more distracting?

There's a reason almost all TV sets are black. When you're watching video or playing a game, you want the TV set to blend away into the background so you can enjoy what you're doing without the distractions of a big, bright rim around it.

The same goes for iPad and iPad mini. Some people find having a white faceplate very distracting when they're watching videos or gaming, and others just don't like the contrast between the white border and the black screen when the device is off. (It's known as "panda" if you want to get all inside baseball about it.)

Others aren't bothered by a white border at all and really like the two-tone look of the iPhone when its off. This year, however, you also have something else to consider. Until apps update for widescreen, they'll be letter-boxed or pillar-boxed on the iPhone 5, which means black bars. Those will almost disappear on a black iPhone 5. On a white iPhone 5, not so much...

I've had both a Black & Slate and a White & Silver iPhone 4 and have never been distracted nor irked by either one. If White & Silver catches your eye a little too much, however, you might want to stick with Black & Slate.

Will the white iPad 4 or iPad mini discolor?

Rumor has it Apple delayed the launch of the white iPhone 4 in order to improve the UV protection and prevent discoloration. That's just a rumor, however, and white iPads have shipped day and date with black iPads since they were introduced in March 2011. That also means white iPads have been on the market for over a year and a half now, and there haven't been any widespread accounts of discoloration. My own white iPad 2, bought in March 2011, still looks as crisp and clean as the day I unboxed it.

In 5 years time some more obvious aging issues may present themselves, but 5 years is an eternity in consumer electronics. If it concerns you, stick with black.

On the other hand, black shows fingerprints, dust, lint, and smudges more dramatically, so if those annoy you, white is a better choice.

Does the white iPad 4 or iPad mini look better?

Some people just love the look of a white device, whether it's an iPad, an iPhone, a BlackBerry, an Android phone, or whatever. They sometimes get shipped later or come in more limited quantities so there's an air of exclusivity about them.

That's not the case with the iPad 4 or iPad mini.

White tends to stand out more and can be more obvious with brightly colored cases. Is that something that appeals to you? Or do you want the content and the accessories to be the star? If you like the idea of a blank canvas, stick to black. If you want your iPad to pop all on its own, get white.

What about the anodized aluminum on the iPad mini?

Like the watch or race car trend, the Black & Slate of the iPad mini is blacked out and the White & Silver appears brighter and flashier. Think Darth Vader vs. Storm Trooper. Both mix texture and sheen to great effect. Both look hot. Black might show scratches and scuffs more, but that could also be seen as aged to perfection.

Unless and until a significant flaw shows up in one or the other, you're fine with either.

So which color iPad 4 or iPad mini should you get?

At the end of the day, the only real answer is get the color you like better. Everything else is manufactured anxiety at this point. Just close your eyes, picture your iPad in your hand and carefully look at what color you're picturing.

Then buy that.

It didn't take long for the guys over at iFixIt to get their hands on the new 13" retina MacBook Pro and give it their typical teardown treatment. While it's slightly more recyclable and repairable than it's 15" counterpart, it still only achieved a 2 out of 10 repairability score from the folks over at iFixIt.

The 15" retina MacBook Pro managed to stir up some controversy when EPEAT certified it gold by significantly lowering their standards. This time around, it appears that Apple is trying to make some changes with the 13" to make it more compliant. While it does come apart easier than the 15" model, it's still not very upgradeable according to iFixIt.

The 13" MacBook Retina is slightly more recyclable than the 15" Retina. Once inside, it took us only 15 minutes of prying to remove the battery, and we didn't puncture the battery cells. It was definitely a doable feat (compared to nearly impossible for the 15" Retina), but still a far cry from the no-adhesive, non-Retina MacBook Pros.

The 13" Retina's design is a step in the right direction, but it's a very small step: the RAM is still not upgradeable, the exterior screws are still proprietary, and replacing the display will still cost an arm and a leg. Accordingly, it earned a 2/10 repairability score, a meager one point higher than its 15" sibling.

Basically, while the battery isn't held down with as much adhesive as the 15" retina MacBook Pro's battery, it's still quite a feat to remove it. On the up side, the trackpad is only held in with screws and should be replaceable while the 15" trackpad is next to impossible to replace considering it's buried underneath the almost impossible to remove battery. The 13" SSD may also be replaceable according to iFixIt.

Our first thought was that a standard 2.5" laptop drive might fit in the SSD space, and it almost looks like the little nook was designed with that in mind. Yet, our 9.5mm Crucial SSD didn't allow the bottom cover to be closed, but only by a smidge. We'll see if a 7 mm or 5 mm super-slim hard drive could be incorporated into the space.

While these are steps made in the right direction by Apple, it's still a computer that a lot of DIY'ers and those looking to be able to upgrade over time will most likely want to steer away from. A screen replacement will still cost an arm and a leg as well as many other repairs.

It will be interesting to see what the case is with the newly announced iMacs when those are released and torn down. Given the new, slimmer profile, it could make upgrades and recycling a lot harder. And in a desktop computer, upgradeability is a huge deal.

Source: iFixIt

There is already a plethora of language translation dictionaries in the App Store, so what makes the new Languages for iPhone app by Tapity and Sonico Mobile so special? It's fast, reliable, stored directly onto your iPhone, and straight-up gorgeous. Languages also includes a lot of user interface elements and gestures that makes using Languages very intuitive and easy to use.

Having information stored locally on your iPhone is very important for apps like this. You never know when you'll need to look up a translations, so the last thing you want is to have to rely on your carrier's network connection to give you access to your dictionary. That's why Jeremy Olson, the Founder of Tapity, made offline storage a priority.

While Languages is going to be a lifesaver for students and travelers, I really think the fact that it works offline makes it valuable to almost anyone, regardless of whether or not they actively need translation. 99 cents buys you the peace of mind that you'll never get stuck without reliable translation again.

Languages includes 12 different translation dictionaries consisting of 8 different languages. Here's a list of the included dictionaries that will appear on a nicely designed bookshelf.

When you first download Languages, only the Spanish/English and German/English dictionaries will be installed as a way to limit the size of the app. You can download any of the other dictionaries at your leisure at no additional cost.

In dictionary mode, the words will be listed in alphabetical order. To jump to a section of the dictionary, tap and hold on the alphabet on the right. The letters will magnify around your finger and highlight the letter you're actually on. The visuals for this is really cool and makes it look like the alphabet wraps around your finger. When you settle on a letter, a second column will appear that alphabetizes a list of the first two letters of words included with your chosen letter. This streamlines your search and minimizes scrolling.

In the toolbar at the top of the dictionary, you'll find a search bar, a button that takes you back to your bookshelf, and a flag button that switches between primary languages. And because the developers are fans of gestures, even ones that are "just for fun", you can also pinch to close your dictionary and watch it animate back onto the shelf.

Dictionary mode is a great and all, but even with the enhanced alphabet scrolling, it still isn't ideal for looking up words in rapid succession. That's where Languages search mode comes in, and a quick swipe to the right gets you there. The curser will automatically jump to the search bar and a keyboard slides up. This is great for iPhone 5 users with small hands because it eliminates the needs to reach to the top of the screen to tap the search bar, especially when one-handed.

As you type the word, you'll get instant results. Words that are from your primary language will appear on the left and point to its translation on the right, and matches from the secondary language will appear on the right and point to its translation on the left. To clear the word and star over, a quick swipe to the right will delete the search field and bring the keyboard back up.

The good

• Dictionaries are offline
• Includes 12 languages
• Gorgeous and intuitive interface
• Time-saving gestures
• Tap a word to copy it or jump to that word's dictionary entry
• Fast
• Great price

The bad

• Limited phrases
• Lacks verb conjugations (coming soon)
• No pronunciation (coming soon)

The bottom line

Languages is a gorgeous translation dictionary that will be a great companion for anyone who is learning another language or even those who are fluent in multiple languages but need to look up vocabulary from time to time. From the moment you start using Languages, you know that a lot of work, heart, and soul was poured into it and this is what sets it apart from similar apps. And at just $0.99 for 12 dictionaries, Languages is quite a steal.

$0.99 - Download Now

Apple has once again decided to make public some highly detailed design drawings this time of the just announced iPad mini and 4th generation iPad. This isn't the first time that Apple has publicly released this type of information; we saw similar dimensioned drawings publicly released for the iPhone 5 too.

In fact, you can now view detailed design drawings for all of the iPod classic range, iPod shuffle, iPod mini, iPod nano as well as all of the iPad models and iPhone models going right back to the originals. The drawings are intended for the use of third party case and accessory manufacturers, the drawings enable them to make accessories that fit exactly and have cut outs for accessory ports and headphone jacks in the right place.

Ensure your cases secure an iPod, iPhone, or iPad without interfering with its operation. Follow the design guidelines and dimensional drawings below when creating your cases.

If you are not a case or accessory designer the drawings are still worth a look. Although they don't tell us a whole lot more about the iPad mini and 4th generation iPad than we already know they are still interesting to see. You can get access to the complete catalalogue of design drawings for all of the iPod, iPhone and iPad ranges from the link below.

Source: Apple

Apple has released a new commercial to show off their new 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display. It uses the trademark "start sideways to show how thin it is, then rotate slowly to center to show how stunning the Retina display is." The tagline is "for the pro in all of us."

Aperture is shown off (three times), as well as Safari, iTunes in CoverFlow mode, and Mail. All in full screen, of course. The ad looks solid. Short, to the point, and highlighting the two biggest differentiators between the new generation of MacBooks and the competition -- thinness and Retina display.

Found an interesting article you want to share with iMore? Have a burning question about that feature you just can't figure out? There is ALWAYS more happening just a click away in the forums. You can always head over and join in the conversation, search for answers, or lend your expertise to other members of our community. You check out some of the threads below:

If you're not already a member of the iMore Forums, register now!

As previously announced, the Wednesday iMore show is on temporary hiatus as I settle into my new MacBreak Weekly gig, but it'll be back at a new time with a new format soon enough. ZEN and TECH isn't going anywhere, though, and tonight Georgia will be taking your questions on parenting and dealing with stress and anxiety in the world of tech in general. So get ready, bookmark this page, and be back here at 10:30pm ET, 7:30pm PT for the most important show on this or any network. Seriously.

Want to go full screen? Head to iMore.com/live. Want to watch via iPhone or iPad? Grab the Ustream app and search for "mobilenations". Want to subscribe to any or all of our shows? Head on over to our podcast page.

On October 23, 2012, Apple held a special event to introduce their new Mac and iPad lineups. Unlike the previous month's iPhone 5 and iPod event, it wasn't bifurcated into effectively two different keynotes, nor was almost any time at all spent on software. Instead, one after another, product after product, spec updates, redesigns, and entirely new hardware was shown off on the California Theater stage. It was an unprecedented display of force projection. It was Apple firing everything. It was Tim Cook clearing his skies.

Yet at the same time, the pre-event hype seemed decidedly muted, at least compared to the iPhone 5 event in September. Was that simply because the iPhone remains the densest attentional gravity well in Apple's lineup? That the consistency and accuracy of rumors have begun to suppress the expectation of surprise, and hence, urgency of the event? That two events in such close proximity, even from Apple, simply can't maintain the intensity threshold of events more often spaced out across the year?

The state of Apple

Apple's CEO traditionally comes out first to welcome the crowd and set the stage for the event that follows. That's Tim Cook's role. He gives the mission statement and the mission brief, and his status updates are filled with something all too rare in consumer electronics -- actual numbers. Not numbers of products shipped or ordered or merely hoped to be sold, or users of ancillary services co-opted or confounded into new services, or percentages of nebulous markets in vague regions. Cook's numbers are of actual things sold to and used by actual people. And, as usual, they were impressive.

The iPhone 5 sold 5 million units its first weekend. The iPad line has sold 100,000,000 tablets to date. There are now 200,000,000 devices running iOS 6. 700,000 App Store apps, over a third of which are iPad apps or have iPad optimized interfaces. And more.

Those numbers would be especially important later in the event.

iBooks 3

While giving out the numbers for iBooks, which included 1.5 million items in the library and 400,000,000 downloads, Tim Cook also paused long enough to introduce a new version of iBooks and show off some new features.

From the beginning we'd heard the iPad mini was about removing weight and cost as barriers of entry to iPad sales, and about taking the ebook fight to, as Ryan Block of GDGT aptly terms them, Amazon's Kindle line of consumer content appliances. Yet right up front the new version of iBooks was relegated to an en-passant by Tim Cook.

In hindsight it should have been obvious. Apple could equal or eclipse the Kindle catalog through sheer force of deal-making, something they traditionally excel at. But the Kindle's strength is ubiquity -- it works on almost every platform, Apple and non-Apple alike. While Apple did make iTunes for Windows, they haven't made any iTunes apps for any other non-Apple devices. And because, unlike music, commercial ebooks are still bound by DRM (digital rights management), they can't be opened by generic ereaders either. When you buy Kindle books or iBooks, you're locked into that format, and the Kindle cage is simply much, much bigger.

Cook did announce additional language support yesterday, including Asian-languages like Chinese and Japanese (which looked gorgeous), bringing their total supported language count to 40. Amazon still seems stuck at 9, all of which require latin-based alphabets. Asia, and China in particular, are huge markets for Apple. That could make some difference going forward.

But for now, more content, in more places, on more devices, among other reasons, simply trumps whatever technical, interactive, and visual advantages iBooks has on iOS. Ultimately, the ability login, be it on a $69 Kindle or high end smartphone or tablet, have access to your entire ebook library, synced and ready to go, even in base text, is compelling, and is something Apple simply can't and won't match .

Given that, my expectation that Apple would make a direct run at Amazon in the ebook space was unrealistic. Given that, a broader focus on education at yesterday's event, which would have almost certainly required a broader focus on books and textbooks, was also unrealistic.

The ongoing lack of iBooks for Mac is disappointing, but a new version of iBooks keeps Apple's foot in the door, provides an amazing experience for those for whom experience matters more than Kindle's ubiquity, and the focus on languages grows Apple's advantages in international markets, especially asia.

• Apple, iBooks, and competing with Kindle

The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display

The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display had been widely rumored prior to the event, but it also made the most sense for Apple when it comes to the Retina Mac line. The iMacs are too big to cost-effectively deploy Retina panels, and the MacBook Airs are too small to balance out battery life (for now).

The 13-inch MacBook Pro uses the same body design as the 15-inch MacBook Pro that debuted at WWDC 2012, but at a smaller size. That makes it the lightest, thinnest MacBook Pro ever (a recurring theme for Apple if ever there was one). Retina was also given the same, very technical, very spec-heavy pitch on the 13-inch machine as it was on the 15-inch. Phil Schiller even had the word "nit" (a measure of visible light intensity or brightness) up on a slide. That's because Retina is something that needs to be explained. More pixels that are tinier pixels that ultimately make all pixels all but disappear needs to be defined. It makes Retina sound impressive, and since Retina is the new 13-inch MacBook's main selling feature, it needs to sound impressive. So, specs. And nits.

What was interesting, however, is that Apple went Retina on the 13-inch MacBook Pro without adding a discreet GPU (graphics processing unit). Both the 15-inch and 13-inch MacBook Pros have Intel HD Graphics 4000 embedded GPUs. The 15-inch also has an NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M GPU and switches between them depending on the task. Since the 15-inch can feel maxed out, even with the discreet GPU, I assumed Apple would add a discreet GPU to 13-inch MacBook Pro as well to make things as performant as possible. Clearly, I assumed wrong.

Maybe the slightly smaller panel size -- 2560x1600 versus 2880x1800 -- is enough to make the embedded graphics work, or maybe the demands of the big boy chipset on the smaller MacBook Pro are simply untenable. The HD Graphics 4000 can support dual 2560x600 external display setups all on their own, but the ability to kick into that better chipset is an advantage I enjoy on a pro-level machine.

That's the traditional tradeoff, though. With the 15-inch you get the discreet graphics as well as options for quad-core Ivy Bridge processors and up to 16GB of RAM. With the 13-inch you get smaller and lighter. For a lot of people, those that don't live in Final Cut Pro X or other performance-bound apps, smaller and lighter will win.

For everyone who lusted after the Retina MacBook Pro, but for whom 15-inches was just too big and heavy to lug around, the 13-inch is what you've been waiting for. At least until the Retina Airs ship...

The Mac mini

As expected, the Mac mini scored an update to the latest Intel Ivy Bridge processors and also an upgrade to USB 3. Despite Samsung and Google having totally ripped off the current Mac mini design for the ChromeBox, Apple didn't do anything to evolve the look.

So the Mac mini remains what it was, only better -- a good choice for multi-platform developers, home theater aficionados, and those who want a small but powerful OS X server box.

The iMac

The new iMac wasn't a huge surprise, though the degree to which Apple sharpened its edges was certainly surprising. 5 mm. You could cut someone with that.

To achieve the new, almost absurdly thin profile, Apple jettisoned the optical drive, just like the MacBook Air and Retina MacBook pro before it. That was an aggressive choice for a desktop machine that really doesn't benefit from thinness and lightness the way portables do. Yet Apple is also the company that killed the floppy, and clearly Apple believes optical is the new (deceased) floppy.

Did Apple have to move the built-in optical drive to an external peripheral (the same one the MacBook Air has had as an option since launch), and move the SD card slot to the rear, and otherwise sacrifice the convenience of a segment of their user-base for what looks on the surface to be simply less surface?

Of course not, but this is what Apple does. Because of the way they build devices -- designing the way to design them, manufacturing the way to manufacture them -- they exist in the relative future. And now just as competitors have begun copying the iMac to embarrassing degrees, the way they copied the MacBook Air and Mac mini, Apple has already moved the design bar even further out. If you walk into a big box retailer, and if by chance Apple products aren't isolated in their own oasis-within-a-store, no clone will be mistaken for an iMac. At least not for a couple years again.

Oh, and the iMac got all new, Ivy Bridge-powered internals as well, along with Apple's new Fusion Drive which intelligently manages an SSD and HDD as a single logical unit, allowing for fast boots, app launches, and read/writes, but also voluminous storage. Given the ongoing lack of compelling upgrades to the Mac Pro, for anyone who doesn't need four drive bays and the other benefits that come with a tower, the new iMac could prove compelling enough to switch product lines for.

Personally, however, I'm waiting on the updated ThunderBolt Displays with laminated screens and USB 3, but those are likely several months out as all the 27-inch panels will first go to satisfying iMac demand.

iBooks Author

If Tim Cook introducing iBooks wasn't interesting enough, he also introduced an updated iBooks Author as part of the iPad overview. Apple held a special education event earlier in the year to announce textbooks for the iPad, and iBooks Author was the way to more easily generate those rich-media publications.

Tim Cook claimed at yesterday's event that 80% of the U.S. school core curriculum was now covered by iBooks textbooks, and that they're deployed at more than 2500 schools in the U.S. (Sadly, they're still not deployed to iPhone or iPod touch.) The new version of iBooks Author includes vertical templates, embedded fonts, rendered mathematical formulae, multitouch widgets, and am easier, better process for updating books. International textbook support, of course, can vary wildly.

Again, it isn't overly aggressive, but it's realistic.

The iPad 4

For a couple of years now Apple was rumored to have had next-generation iPads ready to launch before the holidays, but always held off until the same spring event that saw the original iPad introduced. Not so this year. While Apple has typically stayed close to 1 year cycles for iOS devices, the iPhone 4S and Apple TV 3 took approximately 16 months and 18 months respectively, and the iPod touch 5 took 24 months. Now the iPad 4 took only 7 months.

We'd heard about the refresh months ago, but what surprised me was that Apple actually came out and called the refreshed iPad 3 the "4th generation iPad". I figured they'd play it like the Verizon iPhone, where a new carrier let them roll out a fixed antenna design at the same time. In this case, the expanded LTE footprint of the new radio chip could have been used to roll out the Lightning adapter and new internals in a way that wouldn't make existing iPad 3 owners feel instantly obsoleted.

That was the whole advantage to calling it "the new iPad". Dropping the version numbers, and the ability to play "iPad 3S" cards, smoothed the way for new versions at any point in the product cycle. But with the jump from an Apple A5X to an Apple A6X system-on-a-chip, Apple was upfront enough to not only give the new iPad a new generation, but announce it as such.

Although it likely won't be perceived as such by iPad 3 owners, that's a remarkable amount of respect to give your customer base.

It's also no-win for Apple. When Apple waits, they aren't innovative fast enough and they're losing out to the competition. When Apple moves aggressively, they're "screwing" users. But Apple doesn't really care about competition or about either sentiment. Not really. They care about making better products, which is what the iPad 4 is. And no one who has an iPad 3 has to buy it.

Those for whom the iPad 3 was a poor compromise between screen density and performance, or for those whose LTE bands it simply didn't support, it'll be something finally worth buying or upgrading to.

The iPad mini

The iPad mini ended up being almost exactly as expected. The big surprise for me here was the lack of an 8GB SKU for under $300. Either that SKU never existed or it was dumped. My guess is it was dumped.

At $250 the iPad mini would have annihilated the small tablet market. At $329 there's a $200-$300 umbrella underneath it where other at-cost or content-subsidized tablets and appliances can breathe and get a foot in the door. Granted an 8GB iPad mini would have been a poor user experience (which is likely why it was, properly, killed), but it would have shut that door. Hard. (And gotten a lot of people into stores who may have then gone 16GB for $350 anyway.)

Instead, Phil Schiller spent some time comparing the iPad mini to the Nexus 7 (though without naming the Nexus 7). That seemed like Apple explaining why they deserved $80 more for the iPad mini than Google charges for a similar capacity tablet. In other words, bigger screen, better apps. It was an odd segment, and arguably they didn't need to make that case, but they chose to.

And kudos for making a better small tablet, not just a smaller one. (Though again, I'm sure many won't appreciate what went into that decision.)

As to the device itself, the only truly new device Apple unveiled yesterday, Jim Dalrymple of The Loop had, among other things, this to say:

The iPad mini can easily be held with one hand for reading. Menus and other onscreen items can be reached with that hand if they are close. Of course, you can't expect to be able to navigate the mini's screen with one hand, but you can touch and scroll.

John Gruber of Daring Fireball's quick take included:

Screen resolution-wise, it's exactly what I expected for a 163 PPI display in 2012: noticeably nicer than the 133 PPI iPad 1/2, noticeably worse than the 266 PPI iPad 3/4. The iPad Mini display seems brighter and to have better contrast than the iPhone 3GS display, but unsurprisingly, rendered text looks exactly like it does on the 3GS.

It's basically got the iPod touch 5 casing and internals with a miniaturized (Apple says "concentrated") iPad-style 4:3 screen at 7.9- rather than 4-inches. In terms of both positioning and name, the iPad mini really is the iPod mini strategy. It's not for those who want a cheaper iPad. It's for those who want a more portable iPad, even if they have to compromise on some other factors, like screen density, to get it.

In addition to all the other iTunes content, however, the iPad mini runs iPad apps, which neither the iPhone nor iPod touch can do. Tim Cook pointed out there's over 250,000 of those now, which makes competing tablet apps little more than a rounding error.

That's what makes the iPad mini and iPad, and what makes it different from anything else currently on the market.

No iOS 6.x or OS X 10.8.x

Absent from the event was any time dedicated to new system-level features. There was nothing new in iOS to show off alongside the iPad mini, and nothing in Mountain Lion to show off alongside the new 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display. There was no Scott Forstall or Craig Federighi on stage at all. This was a hardware event with a couple of iBooks mentions, not a hardware and software event.

I guess we're waiting on spring and summer to see what's next for OS X and iOS.