Good news, iOS 6.0.1 has been released! It promises fixes for a bunch of annoying bugs, but if you're brand new to the iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, you might be wandering how you can get it? iOS will popup an alert to tell you iOS 6.0.1 is available, but if you miss it, or you simply don't want to wait, you can start the update process manually as well.

iPhone 5 users only

Before updating to iOS 6.0.1, you'll be asked to install the iPhone 5 Updater which fixes a bug that prevents iPhone 5 users from being able to update over-the-air. If you are updating a device other than the iPhone 5, you can skip this section and continue on to the next one.

1. Go to Settings on your iPhone 5.
2. Tap on General and then Software Update.
3. You'll be asked to install iPhone 5 Updater. Tap on Learn More.
4. Now tap on Download and Install.
5. A popup will come up asking you to confirm the install. Tap Install.
6. Once the install is complete you can go ahead and move on to the next section.

How to manually update to iOS 6.0.1

1. Launch the Settings app.
2. Tap General.
3. Tap Software Update.
4. Tap Download and Install
5. Agree to the Terms and Conditions
6. Watch the progress bar (This part depends on the speed and quality of connection. Don't be alarmed if it takes a long time, speeds up or slows down, or appears to jump around -- be patient.)
7. Once it's finished downloading, you'll be prompted to instal (and restart) your device. If you don't explicitly hit Later or Install within a few seconds, it will install on your behalf.
8. Apple will verify the install.

You're done! Once your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch reboots you should now be on iOS 6.0.1.

My Twitter stream is being swamped by people claiming the iOS Facebook app is crashing for them today. It doesn't seem to have anything to do with the recent iOS 6.0.1 or iOS 6.1 beta 1 firmwares either, and people who haven't gone near either of those are reporting the problem. It also doesn't seem to be a problem for everyone, as other people are saying they're just fine.

Maybe some piece of content is causing a problem for those folks unlucky enough to have loaded it? Who knows. Let's hope it fixes itself, or Facebook fixes it, as soon as possible.

In the meantime, if you use Facebook for iOS, let me know if it's working for you, and if it's not, how it's not.

And if it's not, remember, you can always use facebook.com to get at least some of your fix in the meantime...

Apple has released iOS 6.1 beta 1 for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. It's available to paid developers via developer.apple.com and carries build number 10B5095f. The iPhone version is over 1GB, so plan your bandwidth accordingly.

Speaking of iPhone versions, the iPhone 5 versions are listed by model number, so make sure to check Apple's iPhone 5 model number page to make sure you grab the right one.

Also, if you have a new iPhone 5, or you're getting a new iPad 4 or iPad mini, make sure you add the UDIDs to Apple's developer portal before you update (or you'll have to dig through Xcode, system profiler, or third-party deployment tools to find it.)

More: developer.apple.com

Apple absolutely left an umbrella beneath the iPad mini's $329 starting price. From the moment they showed off the Google Nexus 7 on stage at the October iPad and Mac event, Apple was making the case that the iPad mini was worth more than smaller, cheaper competing tablets. Apple was arguing premium over discount, value over cost. It's the same argument Apple made against low-margin netbooks when they released the MacBook Air. And it's an argument that leaves Apple as wide open to competitors playing the "cheaper" card now as it did then.

Competitors can -- and already are -- claiming that they offer more for less with their products than Apple does with the iPad mini. Even if the argument is severely contorted, it can be compelling. For many buyers, price matters, and for some it matters the most. For some, price outweighs any other consideration.

That's the problem with it. If you compete based primarily on price, you can be competed against primarily on price. If you claim to be cheaper, but you're not the cheapest, you're going to reap what you've sown.

So while the iPad mini is indeed more expensive than the Google Nexus 7 or Amazon Kindle Fire HD, neither of them are the cheapest small form factor on the market, not even from a major mobile player.

The BlackBerry PlayBook is.

Sure, the BlackBerry PlayBook isn't the latest hardware anymore -- it's closer to the original Kindle Fire in specs than the Nexus 7 or any of this year's Kindle Fires -- but it's scheduled to be updated to BB10 in 2013 and that looks to be a much more functional tablet experience than what Amazon offers, and something that could rival Android for not-Apple in not-Apple lovers' hearts. Even the PlayBook as it stands today is arguably a better pure tablet experience than either the more-properly-defined-as-a-media-appliance Kindle Fire, or the "blown up smartphone" interface elements that still plague the Nexus 7.

And if you look around, you can find the Wi-Fi only version of the BlackBerry PlayBook on sale for only $150.

Sure, there are a lot of advantages to the Kindle Fire HD, especially if you're all in on Amazon and live in the U.S.. Absolutely, the Nexus 7 is the clear winner if you're a heavy Google user and want Android on your tablet.

But if you're arguing something other than value, if you're complaining that the iPad mini is way too expensive for a small tablet, if all you care about is the lowest cost, legitimate device possible, whether you're Amazon, Google, or anyone else -- right now you're arguing for the BlackBerry PlayBook.

The iPad mini is no exception when it comes to getting torn down just to see how repairable it is compared to its larger siblings. iFixIt managed to get their hands on a unit a little earlier than the rest of us and took to tearing it down. It should come as no surprise that it didn't fare much better than other iPads and only earned a 2 out of 10 repairability score.

Much like its previous predecessors, the iPad mini's screen is held in with nothing but adhesive. While many of us may have been holding our breath and hoping that it would follow suit with the iPhone 5 display, it sadly does not. You'll still need a heat gun and some serious prying time to get the display off.

Once you've gotten the display freed, not only will you face even more adhesive, but super tiny screws that appear to be hidden pretty well. You'll need to make sure you remove all of them before pulling up any components.

We had to do some sleuthing to find some of the screws on this thing--several tiny screws were hidden underneath covers and inside crevices. Apple wasn't joking about "mini"; this iPad contains some of the smallest screws we have ever seen!

After locating all the screws, iFixIt realized that mostly everything else was glued in.

The screen is glued to the case. The battery is glued down. The logic board is really glued down. The headphone jack is glued in. The only good news is that the LCD is not fused to the front glass.

When it comes to DIY repair, this probably doesn't mean much that we already didn't expect. A screen replacement will be possible for most experienced DIY'ers and repair shops considering the LCD is a separate component. Outside of that, it's probably something that many owners would rather not attempt.

Interestingly enough, the iPad mini's LCD is powered by a Samsung chip despite Apple supposedly ditching Samsung as a component supplier. Other internals include 512GB of RAM and an A5 processor.

There isn't any word on what Apple will charge for out of warranty or damaged iPad mini's just yet but I'd make an educated guess that it'll ring it right around the neighborhood of $179 plus tax. Apple typically charges half of the purchase price of a device to replace a damaged one. iPad 2 costs $249 to replace out of warranty and the initial cost was $500. The iPhone 5 replacement cost is $329 and the outright cost for the base model is $650 and so on. We can't be sure but that'd be our best guess for now.

Hit the link below to check out the full teardown complete with images.

Source: iFixIt

Apple has released iOS 6.0.1, a bug fix revision, for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. You can grab it via over-the-air (OTA) update by going to Settings > General > Software Update, or by tethering to iTunes and checking for updates.

If you're using an iPhone 5, Apple has also released an Updated for iPhone 5 which will download and run before the iOS 6.0.1 update. Here's what Apple has to say:

This update contains improvements and bug fixes, including: - Fixes a bug that prevents iPhone 5 from installing software updates wirelessly over the air - Fixes a bug where horizontal lines may be displayed across the keyboard - Fixes an issue that could cause camera flash to not go off - Improves reliability of iPhone 5 and iPod touch (5th generation) when connected to encrypted WPA2 Wi-Fi networks - Resolves an issue that prevents iPhone from using the cellular network in some instances - Consolidated the Use Cellular Data switch for iTunes Match - Fixes a Passcode Lock bug which sometimes allowed access to Passbook pass details from lock screen - Fixes a bug affecting Exchange meetings

For information on the security content of this update, please visit this website: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222

Apple has been chastised by the UK court of appeal for the content of its acknowledgement that Samsung didn't copy the iPad. Apple was ordered to post the statement last month after losing an appeal in their UK patent case against Samsung. The issue with Apple's statement are the added details about other, similar cases around the world, which Apple has won. Because the mentions of these cases were additions to the original order, the court of appeal stated that Apple's statement was not compliant with the terms of the order, and they would have to correct the statement. Charles Arthur of the Guardian reports:

The acknowledgement put up last week, linked from the home page by a tiny link, was deemed to be "non-compliant" with the order that the court had made in October. The court has now ordered it to correct the statement – and the judges, Lord Justice Longmore, Lord Justice Kitchin and Sir Robin Jacob, indicated that they were not pleased with Apple's failure to put a simpler statement on the site.

At a hearing in the court in London on Thursday morning, the judge told Apple that it had to change the wording of the statement within 48 hours, carry it on its home page, and use at least 11-point font.

Apple originally added four paragraphs to the ordered statement when they posted it to their UK website. This included the declaration that Samsung's Galaxy Tab was not as "cool" as the iPad, made by the original trail Judge, was also added to the statement. It is unknown if that will need to be removed, though it is likely, considering it is an addition to the original order. Apple has been ordered to keep the amended statement on its website until December 14.

So, your move Apple. What will it be next, a nice Animated GIF off to the side maybe?

Source: The Guardian, via Android Central

Rene and Georgia present the 2012 iPad buyers guide. Again. This time it's for the new iPad mini and the newly updated iPad 4. Should you buy an iPad, which one, what color, what capacity, and which carrier? This is the iMore show.

• Subscribe via iTunes: Audio | Video
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• Download directly: Audio | Video

Show notes

• iPad buyers guide (late 2012 edition)

Hosts

• Rene Ritchie (@reneritchie)
• Georgia (@GeorgiaTiPb)

Credits

You can reach all of us on Twitter @iMore, or you can email us at podcast@imore.com or just leave us a comment below.

For all our podcasts -- audio and video -- including the iMore show, ZEN and TECH, Iterate, and more, see MobileNations.com/shows

Arc Squadron launched on the App Store today, summoning many memories for old-school Star Fox players. The on-rails space-themed shooter game takes players through a variety of treacherous interstellar scenarios, who must guide a variety of ships through obstacles with smooth and natural-feeling swipe-gestures, while unloading advanced weaponry and technology against the foes they encounter.

Steering your ship is as easy as dragging your finger around the screen. As your ship moves, so do the crosshairs, and if they rest on top of an enemy, you'll automatically start shooting. Secondary weapons and equipment are activated through taps, while you can get an extra bit of maneuverability with sideways swipes to execute barrel rolls. I was really impressed with the implementation of touch controls here, and was extremely happy that there wasn't some bastardized version of joystick controls. Controls are simple, intuitive, and allow players to focus on the challenging gameplay. 

Each level is scored out of four stars, depending on how many of the level's enemies you blow up, how much damage you take, and how many of the bonus cubes you pick up. Currency is earned for destroying alien ships or bought through in-app purchases. Those Arcbucks are used to buy new ships and secondary weapons, upgrade existing ones, or get one of the many different paint jobs available. The upgrade structure is really nicely streamlined and not too complicated while still offering a solid amount of tactical variety. Though level progression is fairly linear, there are a handful of branching bonus missions that aren't required in order to move along in the storyline. As linear as the gameplay may be, there's an obscene amount of levels to chew through - don't count on finishing this game any time soon. The game's replay value is stunted a little bit by the scripted nature of the combat encounters, but if you're the type of player that loves really digging in on a level and memorizing each tiny little detail of a stage and meeting those challenges flawlessly, there's definitely plenty of opportunity in Arc Squadron.

Game Center support extends as far as leaderboards among your buddies and tracking various achievements, though Arc Squadron itself keeps close tabs on specific stats, like how many of the total stars you've collected, how many enemies you've killed, and even how many barrel rolls you've made. No love on cloud saving unfortunately, so be sure to pick iPad or iPhone before you get started. The graphics and audio are both top-notch, and well-suited for the arcade feel the devs are going for. The soundtrack has an amply sci-fi feel, while effects are well-timed, electric, and diverse. The voice acting, though a bit hammed-up, is well done. UI elements are all large, bold, and readable. The wide range of fantastic weaponry and settings produce a bunch of exciting lighting effects, but by far the most impressive part of the game's graphics are the stages. They're all crafted with a rich amount of detail, and despite it all happening in space-themed regions, there's ample visual variety.

All in all, Arc Squadron has excellent graphics, smooth controls, tight, twitch-based challenges, and heaps of compelling upgrades. Pick this up for $0.99 before the price goes up to a regular $4.99.

$0.99 (on sale) - Download Now

AT&T and T-Mobile are joining forces in order to try and curb the rising rate of stolen smartphones by way of a shared database project backed by both the CTIA and FCC. The system will allow either carrier to flag an IMEI number as stolen which will render the device useless on either network.

While CDMA carriers have the ability to flag an EIN number of a device as stolen, GSM carriers have long had no option since the service is technically tied to the SIM card instead of the actual device. Switching to an IMEI method will, for the first time, allow GSM carriers to take a strong stand against theft.

Even though CDMA carriers can flag EIN's, it isn't a fool proof system either so the FCC and CTIA plan on rolling out an initiative for CDMA carriers as well.

The database initiative was announced in April as a joint plan between the carriers, the wireless industry group CTIA, and the Federal Communications Commission. At that time, the organizations said that the GSM service would be up and running on October 31, followed by a CDMA option for Verizon and Sprint soon after.

Smartphones nowadays such as the iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S often possess the capability to run on any network, GSM or CDMA. This means they can technically be unlocked for use on any network and the need for a shared database across all carriers is quickly becoming a much needed system to deter theft.

The database won't help to curb all kinds of theft, however:

The CTIA's warning highlights the key driving factors behind smartphone theft. Some steal devices to have the latest and greatest handset without needing to pay for it. Others steal devices to take sensitive data. The database initiative won't solve the latter issue.

To solve the latter issue, smartphone users should always have services like iCloud or another comparable service configured on their devices in case they need to perform a remote wipe. Passcodes are also a good theft deterrent against thieves that are after personal information.

Source: CNet

November is here, and that means dudes the world over are growing out mustaches in the name of men's health. Movember participants raise funds for prostate cancer and mental health by growing out the manliest of facial hair growths, and the Mobile Nations crew are going all-out with it. Want to get involved? First, shave your face. Second, download the Movember app for iPhone. It lets users keep track of their pledges, post updates on their mustache's progress, and pester friends on various social networks for donations. There's even a cool Mo Stuff section with a bit of history of the charity, solid guidelines for men's health, and a few different styles that you might want to aim for. 

Movember is a great cause, and let's face it - lots of fun. So, who's in? 

Free - Download Now

iStat menu 2 is the second generation system monitoring app for iOS by longtime iStat menu-makers, Bjango. While Bjango started off focused on widgets on computers, for computers, they moved rapidly to mobile following the launch of the iPhone so that you could take your monitoring with you. That's the dream, right?

As much as real-estate is location, location, location, server administration is data, data, data. In the old days anyone responsible for big metal boxes had to sit on them like a nurse in a critical care unit, carefully monitoring every bit and atom for the slightest fluctuation, finger and stress-level ever poised over the command line keys -- and the reboot trigger. But now we carry computers in our pockets that are almost as powerful as the big metal boxes of old, and we have networks faster in some cases than the wires in our homes. Now, we can go home, go on vacation, sit by the pool, and more calmly keep an eye on everything from our devices in-hand to our ultra-light laptops across the room to our rendering and compiling pro machines across town to our co-located mini computers across continents, all right on our iPhones. All with iStat 2.

Rewritten from the ground up by Bjango, who have been doing this stuff for years, who have been testing and perfecting this process for years, iStat puts literally every single piece of information allowable by iOS and technology right on your display. (For more on the design and development process, be sure to check out my interview with Bjango's Marc Edwards.)

With iStat 2, you can monitor your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad itself and see everything Apple allows you to see, dynamically rendered, and and very well organized. And iStat 2 is a universal app, so it's optimized for both iPhone and iPad interfaces, including the new 16:9 aspect ratio of the iPhone 5.

The stats presented include battery life, along with projects of how much web surfing on both Wi-Fi and cellular that leaves you with, as well as video and audio playback time, and for iPhone, talk and stanby time. You also get storage space, free and used, wired, active, inactive, and free RAM, pages in and out, swap size and used, and up time. There are numbers, percentages, and graphs, and the information density is dizzying.

You can also monitor all the computers in your home, office, or server farm by installing Bjango's iStat server for Mac, iStat server for Windows, or the third party, open source, iStat server for Linux. If you're on the local network, setup is often as easy as typing in a pin code and going. If you're going over the internet, Bjango gives you a lot of configuration options so you can map ports back to anything this side of a Cylon-proof Battlestar. You can even secure the connection with a passcode, and reset it from the server-side app if the need ever arrises.

The amount of information available for a personal computer or server is incredible. Not only is there virtually every stat you can imagine, but you can also tap into each second to get an even more detailed breakdown of the numbers. If it's too much for you, you can reorder and even turn off sections you don't want or need, but for most monitoring junkies, the level of detail will be nerd nirvana.

On the iPad, the deeper levels of stats even slide into place using Brichter-esque layered panels. You get hour, 24 hour, and 7 day stats, and on Macs, you also get 30, 90, 180, and 365 day history as well.

iCloud lets you transparently sync iStat 2 between iOS devices, so once you set up your machines on your iPhone, they'll also show up on your iPod touch and iPad, or vice versa.

iStat 2 brilliantly sees to the needs any computer administrator, home or professional, densely yet elegantly providing every bit of information possible, literally at your fingertips.

• $4.99 - Download now

Note: Marc Edwards of Bjango is a friend of mine, and one of my co-hosts on the Iterate podcast. However, I've been using iStat since well before I met Marc. Consider both those facts when reading the above review.

Marc Edwards, the creative mind behind Bjango, spent a few minutes talking to me about re-designing and re-building their signature system monitoring app, iStat from the ground up.

• $4.99 - Download now

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Here they come, folks! If you're just waking up, check your e-mail for a tracking number from Apple, as the iPads mini are on the road, scheduled for delivery tomorrow. (Our actually started its trek in China on Oct. 28, but as is sometimes the case it keep its movement secret until now.)

Just a day to go. And if you're still on the fence about picking one up, be sure to check out our iPad mini Buyer's Guide.

The Dock+ has just arrived on Kickstarter and it is looking to fill the void left by Apple's failure to release an official dock for the iPhone 5. Dock+ is more than just a dock for the iPhone 5 too, it also will support the soon to be released iPad mini as well as the latest generation of iPod touch.

Dock+ is machined from a single block of steel, a material 3.6x more dense than aluminum. That means it doesn't tip or wobble as you use or dock your iPhone. And with non-slip rubber bottom, it doesn't slide. Your iPhone 5 just feels safe and secure. iPhone 5 is particularly easy to scratch and scuff on its back surface. With Dock+, your iPhone only touches the soft rubber pad, so you can be sure it won't damage or scuff.

Office. Coffee table. Nightstand. Kitchen. Place Dock+ around your home and office, everywhere you place your iPhone. Free yourself from the charging cable.

The dock+ is currently looking for pledges before it can be made a reality. It currently has just under half of its goal of $75,000 but still has 43 days to go. If you fancy being one of the first to get your hands on one should they make it to production, you can pledge a minimum of $59. This will secure you a dock and charging cable but you will have to provide your own wall power adaptor. The dock will be made available in black, white or raw steel and each dock can be used with an iPhone 5, iPad mini or iPod touch with or without a case.

What do you think of the Dock+? Would you be interested in getting hold of one?

Source: Kickstarter

When Steve Jobs returned to Apple from NeXT he famously found their product lines confounding. When Tim Cook inherited Apple, an argument could be made that Steve Jobs' greatest product, Apple itself, was confounding. Steve Jobs' solution, famously, was to draw a simple grid and in each of its four quadrants, laptop and pro laptop, desktop and pro desktop, placed a core product. Tim Cook just did the same thing, drawing up a simple grid, and in each of its four quadrants, design and technology, software and services, placed a core person -- Jony Ive and Bob Mansfield, Craig Federighi and Eddy Cue.

Steve Jobs took Apple from a plethora of ill-defined and overlapping computers to a clearly defined product line that removed internal overhead and customer confusion alike. While the iBook (MacBook) and PowerBook (MacBook Pro) and iMac and Power Mac (Mac Pro) have once again grown into a larger product line, and one now in adolescent-like transition, once that transition passes, Apple will likely return to a simpler scheme -- iPhone and iPads, MacBooks and Macs.

Tim Cook is now taking Apple from an overlapping group of people, some responsible for iOS and some OS X, some responsible for hardware design and some software, some responsible for some services but not others, and clearly defining roles and responsibilities that remove internal roadblocks and hedge against the fiefdoms that plague other, large, second generation leadership teams. Jony Ive, Bob Mansfield, Craig Federighi, Eddy Cue will each set up teams to support their new roles, and industrial and interface design, chips and antennas, iOS and OS X, and data centers and ecommerce, and more, will all still get individual attention, but they'll benefit from better defined, more collective leadership.

Phil Schiller remains the product guy, Peter Oppenheimer the money guy, Dan Riccio the hardware guy, Jeff Williams the operations guy, Bruce Sewell the legal guy, and Tim Cook the top guy, but the core of Apple has been reinvented. Tim Cook's Apple has been reinvented. Despite what Steve Jobs did, or what Steve Jobs would do, this is what Tim Cook did. It's what someone newly in charge, coming into that charge, does.

Now we get to see how well this simplified, clarified team can execute.

Apple has introduced their lighter, thinner, more "concentrated" iPad mini but they certainly weren't first-to-market with a small tablet. Most recently, Google and their partner, Asus, launched the Nexus 7, the best Android tablet to date.

Still, the Nexus 7 hasn't really caught on beyond Android aficionados and gadget geeks. And that's despite it's decent build quality, ultra-modern operating system, and the full-on Google support only Nexus-class devices enjoy. It remains to be seen if Apple's small tablet will fare any better in the thus-far completely big iPad dominated market, but if you're looking for an alternative, there's very few other places to look.

So what happens when you put Apple's iPad mini up against Google and Asus' Nexus 7? Apple's engineering precision up against Google's Android power? Let's take a look.

iPad mini vs. Nexus 7: Hardware

The Nexus 7 sports a quad-core Tegra 3 processor and a 7-inch IPS display at 1280x800 resolution, which translates into 216 ppi. It has NFC, Bluetooth 3.0, and GPS built-in, and they've just added an HSPA+ option to the high end model (but not LTE, and yes, that makes a difference). It's got a 1.2 megapixel, 720p camera on front, and the back is plastic, but soft-touch to make it easy to hold on to, even one-handed.

The speaker is stereo but Google doesn't make a big deal about it. The original Nexus 7 came with 8 or 16GB of storage, but that's just been bumped to 16 or 32GB. Battery life is rated at 9 hours for video, which is accurate in my experience. (Though standby time for me has been abysmal.)

The iPad mini blends an iPod touch-like casing and internals with a decidedly iPad 2-like 4:3 screen ratio, splitting the difference in side bezel almost down the middle. The back is aluminum and the front, a 7.9-inch IPS display at 1024x768 and163 ppi. How does that compare to the physically smaller but denser Nexus 7?

• iPad mini vs. Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD: On display size and density

The iPad mini also has a die-shrunk, dual core Apple A5 processor inside, and while there's no NFC, there is GPS on the cellular model, and there are cellular models compatible with GSM and CDMA, including HSPA+, DC-HSPA+, and LTE around the world.

The iPad mini has stereo speakers but Apple likewise doesn't advertise them, and both a front facing 1.2mp, 720p camera and a rear-facing 5mp, 1080p camera. You can get the iPad mini in black or white, and in 16, 32, or 64GB versions. Battery life is rated at 10 hours for watching videos, and iPads have traditionally met Apple's battery life claims.

So when it comes to hardware, iPad mini wins on design, manufacturing, and elegance, and Nexus 7 wins on power and screen density.

• Nexus 7 review
• iPad mini preview

iPad mini vs. Nexus 7: Software

The Nexus 7 runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean but should be updated shortly to Android 4.2. Jelly Bean is a great operating system, but it's still better suited for phones instead of tablets. Google claims the Nexus 7 uses a mix of phone and tablet UI, based on what's best for the task at hand. My guess is they're still searching for the right way to translate Android to tablets and we'll see it in 5.0 or some other future version. Right now, however, it's much more like a big phone than a small tablet, and that's not a bad thing -- it might even be better for some users -- but it's a different thing. Also, while Google and Project Butter have done a lot to improve interface and performance, it's still not iOS-level polished, and things like the back button are still an exercise in frustration. That said, Android is even more powerful than ever, with features and functions far beyond those available to iOS. Google Now is more than a few steps ahead of Siri, notifications are actionable, and apps can actually communicate with each other. Imagine that.

iOS 6 comes loaded on the iPad mini, and Apple still leads the industry when it comes not only to polish and consistency, but to pushing out software updates for their devices (granted, they have much fewer of them and much more control over them than anyone else in industry). You still can't do a lot of things with iOS, and that will frustrate a lot of users, especially those with edge or very specific power needs, but what you can do you can do easily. iOS 6 also has a complete, optimized tablet interface with multiple columns and features beyond what you can fit on a single phone-style interface screen. Safari for iPad is still the best mobile browser (sorry Chrome), the Home button is an amazing escape hatch for non-technical users, and the accessibility features lead the industry.

So software is a similar story to hardware. Apple writes better code and creates more cohesive, consistent user experiences than Google. But Google makes code that does more things and is more customizable than Apple. Argue that all you want, but at the end of the day iOS in invariably smoother, more intuitive, more up-to-date, and more pixel perfect than Android, yet just as invariably misses out on a lot of features Android gets early and gets stock. If you want something that's accessible and just works, iOS has the advantage. If you want something configurable that just works the way you want it to, Android wins.

• Android Jelly Bean features
• Complete iOS 6 review

iPad mini vs. Nexus 7: Services

When it comes to services that bring the internet fully to your iPad mini, Apple has iCloud, which includes iTunes in the Cloud, iTunes Match, Photo Stream, Documents in the Cloud, Find my iPhone, Find my Friends, and more. As a service goes, it's... serviceable. It backs up and syncs your data and gives you access to all of the your iTunes content. But Apple is still new to the cloud and they aren't as strong at it as they are hardware and software. At least not yet.

Google was born in the cloud. They're the biggest cloud services provider in the world. Android, in many ways, is a localized front end for Google's cloud. Now the localized part traditionally wasn't as good as Apple -- they just chucked web pages inside of apps -- but Google has been getting better code as well. Now their services not only work well, but look better and perform far better than ever before.

The twist here is that you can get almost every single Google service on the iPad mini that you can get on the Nexus 7. Now, Android has by far -- by far! -- the better Google integration of course, but the iPad mini has a surprising amount as well, including the brand new Google Search. And that's also including Gmail, Google+ YouTube, Drive, Google, etc. That's a full, robust, and increasingly good set of offerings available in Apple's App Store. (For reasons that involve the difference in business models between Apple and Google.)

So, going with the Nexus 7, you get the best Google can offer, but nothing from Apple. Going with the iPad mini, you get everything Apple and almost everything Google, but there's one more kind of service to consider -- customer service.

The Apple Store is unmatched. From buying your iPad mini, to being taught how to use it, to easily getting help with it when something goes wrong, Apple has hundreds of stores in dozens of countries. If you live anywhere near an Apple Store and your iPad mini stops working, you can go in and get it fixed, or get it swapped out for a replacement, in a matter of hours. With the Nexus 7, all you'll have is lost time and patience as you wait for Google's notoriously non-human mechanisms to process you.

If you live in the Google cloud, Nexus 7 is undeniably the better choice. If you don't, go with the iPad mini. What Apple lacks in online services, Google makes up for, and you get the best customer service in the business.

iPad mini vs. Nexus 7: Content

Apple has a tremendous advantage when it comes to content. iTunes started earlier and is now in more countries and provides more content than anyone else on the planet. Moreover, like with the services above, even if you don't like iTunes books, movies, TV shows, etc., you can also get Amazon, Netflix, Spotify, and all the other content companies right on your iPhone.

Google provides a lot of its own content now with Google Play, and you have access to enough third party content that there's no real difference. If you live in the U.S., you're almost certainly good to go. If you live outside the U.S. it can literally be the difference between being able to get legitimate content onto your phone and not (if that matters to you).

When it comes to apps, Apple used to win by default based on the sheer magnitude of numbers. That's no longer true for phones, but it is for tablets. Apple has over 275,000 tablet-optimized apps. Google has a handful. Sure, you can run the 700,000+ Android phone apps on the Nexus 7, just like you can run the 700,000+ iPhone/iPod touch apps on the iPad mini, but that's a second-class experience. Do you want a big phone or a tablet?

Apple has also become slightly more open over time, and Android apps have become much better looking and better working. You can still knock Apple for being more controlling, both in terms of what apps you can get and how those apps can interact with each other (or not), but for some users the simplicity and security of that model trumps any neck-bearded annoyance.

Now, if you already have an iPhone or iPod touch or iPad, and a lot of iOS apps that work on the iPad mini, or if you've already bought a lot of iTunes media, that can make it easier and cheaper to stick with Apple. Likewise, if you already have a lot of content from Google Play, you'll find it easier to stick with Android.

Otherwise, if you're in the U.S., you're good to go with either, and if you're outside the U.S. and really care about buying your media, check and see what's available, but Apple and the iPad mini is your safer bet.

iPad mini vs. Nexus 7: Price

The Nexus 7 is $199 for 16GB, $249 for 32GB, $299 for 32GB + HSPA+.

The iPad mini is $329 for 16GB, $429 for 32GB, and $529 for 64GB, and you can get HSPA+/LTE on all of those for an additional $130.

So, while the iPad mini is much better built, uses aluminum instead of plastic, includes extras like LTE and a 5mp rear-facing camera, etc., the Nexus 7 absolutely wins on price.

iPad mini vs. Nexus 7: The bottom line

If you want to run Android, absolutely have to have a slightly higher screen density, or don't have more than $299 in your pocket, get the Nexus 7. Otherwise, get the iPad mini. Cost isn't the same thing as value.

The iPad is almost synonymous with tablets for most people, most of the time, for very good reason. If you want a Nexus 7, you specifically want a Nexus 7. If you want a tablet, you want an iPad mini.