The iPad mini is the first non-Retina display iOS device Apple has introduced since the iPad 2 in the spring of 2011. The iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, and iPhone 5 are all Retina devices, as are the iPhone touch 4 and iPhone touch 5. There's are a lot of technical reasons why Apple made that choice. Lighting, powering, and paying for a 2048x1536 panel would have resulted in a substantial thicker, heavier, more expensive iPad mini. But how much of a difference does it really make?

For some people even the idea of a non-Retina mobile display in 2012 is deal breaker. For others people it's the idea that Retina even matters at all that's ridiculous. Still others want retina but will live without it for now. Everything is relative and everyone has their priorities.

I've been using an iPhone 4S, iPhone 5 and iPad 3 for the last 7 months so those chunky pixels are like sandpaper on my eyeballs. My mom's only ever owned an iPad 2 so she thinks the iPad mini is a good step up. Georgia's always cared more about performance than display, and she thinks the iPad mini's portability trumps any concern about screen resolution.

Yet display density is a real thing. It can be measured and compared. Whether is matters to you or not, whether it's a priority for you or not, it's something to be recognized and considered.

So here is it, looked at through a macro lens. First, the Safari icon. From left to right, iPad 2 at 132 ppi, iPad mini at 163 ppi, iPad 4 at 264 ppi, and iPhone 5 at 326 ppi.

Obviously, the iPad 2 has the largest, most easily discernible pixels, and the iPhone 5 the least. The iPad mini, while better than the iPad 2, is still close enough that it looks about the same. Likewise, the iPad 4 isn't as good as the iPhone 5, but it's good enough that it's hard to tell the difference.

Here's some web text and graphics, same order of devices.

Here's iBooks text, again same order of devices (though I didn't have the same books available on the iPad 2).

And here's some iBooks graphics, just to highlight the difference between the iPad mini (top), iPad 4 (middle), and iPhone 5 (bottom).

Personally, I find small text noticeably pixelated and more difficult to read on the iPad mini. While it's denser than the iPad 2, it's also smaller. Going from the iPad 3 or iPad 4, and especially from the iPod touch 5 or iPhone 5 to the iPad mini isn't quite as bad as going to the iPad 2, but it's close. Going from the iPad 2 to the iPad mini is a small upgrade in terms of display, as is going from the iPhone 3GS or iPod touch 3 which have identical density but nowhere near as good color or panel quality.

Fast moving video and video games hold up much better across the range of devices, simply based on how we perceive and process motion. So, if that's your primary use case, you won't notice the difference as much.

I notice the lack of Retina on the iPad mini a lot. It bothers me. But unlike some of my designer friends who won't even look at it, much less buy it, it's not a deal breaker for me. The compactness, the thinness, and especially the lightness are profound enough that I'll put up with the lack of Retina for now.

Apple had to compromise on the Retina display in order to make a lighter, thinner, smaller, less expensive iPad, and I'm willing to make that same compromise to own one.

For my mom, the iPad mini will be an upgrade in every way, and for Georgia, who doesn't care about screen density, it's not even a compromise.

• iPad buyers guide (Late 2012 edition

If you just got your new iPad 4 or iPad mini and you're wondering which apps and games you need to download right now to show off that gorgeous new piece of tech, you're in luck. We have your list right here!

Browse all iPad retina-ready apps and games

Twitter apps: Tweetbot, Twitter, and Twitterrific

If you're a Twitter user, the retina iPad and iPad mini are both great for taking part in the social network. The three big iPad Twitter apps are the original iOS Twitter app, Twitterific, which is great for those who enjoy just reading through Twitter, the official Twitter app for iPad, which has one of the most audacious user experiences ever seen on the iPad, and Tweebot which is perfect for power users with best-in-class notifications and great features like "mute". If you're brand new to Twitter, check out Twitterrific. If you're a hard core tweeter, give Tweetbot a go.

• Tweetbot for iPad review
• Twitterrific vs. Twitter for iPad vs. Tweetbot shootout

2.99 - Tweetbot - Download now

Free - Twitterrific - Download now

Office apps: Numbers, Pages, and Keynote

Apple's iWork suite, which consists of Keynote for presentations, Numbers for spreadsheets, and Pages for word processing has just been updated for Retina, so all your documents will look fantastic on the high-density screen of the iPad 4 and also work fantastically on the iPad mini. Keynote was built for Steve Jobs so it's absolutely best in class, while Numbers and Pages are easy to use and produce great looking documents.

• Keynote for iPad review
• Numbers for iPad review
• Pages for iPad review

$9.99 - Keynote - Download now

$9.99 - Numbers - Download now

$9.99 - Pages - Download now

Creativity apps: iPhoto, iMovie, and GarageBand

Apple's entire iLife suite is available on the iPad and iPad mini. It includes iPhoto for image editing, iMovie for video editing, and GarageBand for music creation. They're all optimized for multitouch as well, so you can really get your hands on them and manipulate your content like never before.

• iPhoto review

$4.99 - iPhoto - Download now

$4.99 - GarageBand - Download now

$4.99 - iMovie - Download now

eBook apps: iBooks

While Amazon's Kindle for iPad app has also been updated for Retina, and has a bigger catalog of titles, not to mention cross-platform support, Apple's iBooks is just better looking, better animated, and has an overall better experience. And if we're talking showing off, that's what wins out. From the latest novels to the best non-fiction to high school textbooks to cartoons like Bloom County and comics from Marvel, you'll think you're looking at digital paper.

Free - Download now

Newsreader apps: The Early Edition 2

The Early Edition 2 is an RSS reader with a gorgeous user interface that looks absolutely stunning on the new iPad. Because of our love for eye candy, one of our favorite features is the manilla envelope that pops up when sharing an article to a social network and the "Shared Copy" stamp that appears just before it pops up. If you ever dreamed of reading the news on your iPad with your feet up and while sipping excellent coffee (or wine), this is the app for you.

4.99 - Download now

Games

Be sure to check out our list of the best free games for your iPad 4 or iPad mini.

Your favorite apps?

So there you have them, the best apps available to really show off you new retina iPad or iPad mini! What apps do you use to show off your new iPad?

The iMore show Special Edition podcast comes to you a day early this week with special guest, Ryan Block of GDGT fame. We'll be talking about Apple's management shakeup, the iPad mini launch, and the new Nexus competition.

Join us LIVE at 6pm PT, 9pm ET. Set an alarm. Bookmark this page. Be here.

Apple's recent apology to Samsung on their website was found to be unsatisfactory by the UK courts. They had since removed the statement from their website and have posted a reworded version that's also appearing in newspapers in the UK.

After ruling that the statement on Apple's site was non-compliant with the order, Apple was ordered to re-write the statement and present it on their website in at least 11-point font. It's now appearing on the bottom of their UK website.

On 25 October 2012, Apple Inc. published a statement on its UK website in relation to Samsung's Galaxy tablet computers. That statement was inaccurate and did not comply with the order of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales. The correct statement is at Samsung/Apple UK judgement.

The statement can be found at the very bottom of the UK Apple site and also includes a link to more information on the judgement.

Source: Apple UK

The iPad mini was only available to buy yesterday but it has already found its way into a car dashboard. The guys from Soundwaves in Tampa, Florida were really on the ball with this one by pre-fabricating the necessary dashboard mods all ready for the iPad mini's launch.

Once they got their hands on an iPad mini yesterday morning, it was all systems go. To make this project even more interesting, the guy's filmed the install and testing for your viewing pleasure. The iPad mini is fully removable too so no need to worry about leaving it behind when you leave your car.

The prospect of having an iPad mini as your in car entertainment system is certainly one that whets my appetite. It would probably be better to wait for the iPad mini with LTE to enable the GPS features as well as the possibility to access streaming services as well all as everything else an iPad mini can do. Looking at this set up, using an iPad mini as an in-car entertainment system seems like the perfect solution.

Would you fancy having an iPad mini as your in car entertainment system?

Source: Soundwaves, YouTube

To coincided with the launch of the iPad mini, Apple has started airing a new television ad called "Piano" that focuses on this new device. The ad actually begins with an iPad 4 running GarageBand and a hand comes in to play the intro to the popular piano duet Heart and Soul. When it's time for the second pianist would join the song, an iPad mini slides in and a hand begins to play the melody of the song. As the song is played, the camera slowly pans and zooms into the iPad mini so that it's the only featured device. There is no voiceover for this ad, just music being played by iPads.

What do you think of the new ad?

Earlier this week, Disney announced they were buying Lucasfilm, including Industrial Lights & Magic, Skywalker Sound, Indiana Jones, and Star Wars from George Lucas, for $4 billion and change in cash and stock. That's roughly Disney paid for Marvel a few years ago (and have since spun off into the Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Hulk, and the Avengers film franchises), which pretty much sets shows the price tag has been set for large slices of my childhood.

In the wake of the announcement, Guy English of Kicking Bear and Dave Wiskus of Better Elevation, Matt Drance of Apple Outsider, Dan Moren of the forthcoming Dan Shot First, and I stumbled from Twitter onto Skype to record our thoughts, fears, hopes, concerns, fantasies, and lamentations about the future of a Disney owned Star Wars.

Directors, cast, crew, stories, traps, heroes' journeys, timelines, themes, theatrics, dramatics, and dreams, no topic is safe when a bunch of tech nerds get their Force talk on. Listen in:

• The future of Star Wars podcast (MP3)

In addition to giving the iPad mini a photo gallery all of its own, we are also excited to present to you a photo gallery that compares the iPad mini to all the other three iPad form factors, the iPhone 5, and iPod touch 5.

Enjoy!

iPad mini vs iPad 3/4

iPad mini vs iPhone 5

iPad mini vs iPad 3/4 vs iPhone 5

iPad mini vs iPad 3/4, iPad 2, and iPad 1

iPad mini vs iPad 3/4, iPad 2, iPad 1, iPhone 5, and iPod touch 5

Equipment used: Nikon D800 with Sigma 50mm f/1.4 lens