Apple announcement is live streaming now

[larig]

I've been watching/listening...

so far:
1. new ibooks app.
2. new 13" retina macbook
3. new mac mini (the server looks great--when our old laptop that is our media server dies we'll get one to replace it).
4. new iMac--5mm thick. Unreal--this was unexpected. I saw no rumors about it. ETA: it is BEAUTIFUL!
....

[larig]

now onto the iPad stuff...
4th generation ipad. Just 6 months after the 3rd is announced...
-new chip A6X chip--faster performance (doubles CPU & graphics performance)
-10 hour battery life
-new facetime HD camera
-expanded LTE coverage
-2x faster wifi
-lightning connecter
-retina display
-black & white (starts 16 gig wifi $499)

[larig]

Mini time!!!!!
ETA: hold it in one hand
new design.
thin, light...
Oh, it's beautiful.

ETA2. Thin as a pencil .68 pounds, 53% lighter than iPad 3.
ETA3: 7.9 diagonal (vs. 9.7 on ipad)--same pixels
A5 chip
facetime HD
5mp isight camera
LTE wireless
802.11 n wifi
lightning
10 hour battery life

ETA4: ipad mini $329 at 16 gig
preorder starts friday--ship week after? (not sure about this)

[larig]

oh, and the ipad3 is no longer for sale.

[ha98ed14]

oh, and the ipad3 is no longer for sale.

Wait, what? Why???

I'm bummed the mini is starting at $329. The $250 rumor made is seem accessible to me. $300+, not as much. :(

[Mermanaid]

Wait, what? Why???

I'm bummed the mini is starting at $329. The $250 rumor made is seem accessible to me. $300+, not as much. :(

Me too. I was considering getting one for DD for her big Christmas present. Guess I'll stick with the Kindle Fire.

[pastrygirl]

Yeah, the price is disappointing, especially since the comments so far are that it is comparable to the iPad 2 in terms of specs...

[larig]

Me too. I was considering getting one for DD for her big Christmas present. Guess I'll stick with the Kindle Fire.

well, it may be cheaper, but there are so many fewer tablet apps for android tablets. That really makes a big difference to me.

[larig]

Wait, what? Why???

I'm bummed the mini is starting at $329. The $250 rumor made is seem accessible to me. $300+, not as much. :(

yes, they are keeping the ipad2, adding the ipad 4 and ipad mini and the 6 month old iPad 3 is gone.

ETA: I will say that the $249 price rumor that I saw was speculating that it would only be 8 gig. The 16 gig is bigger than I thought, so I'd have expected a $299 price on the 16 gig, if there had been a lower, 8 gig model.

[jgenie]

Larig - what are your thoughts on availability for Christmas this year? Will they have enough inventory later in the shopping season?

[hellokitty]

I may have missed it, but is something wrong with the ipad3? It seems so strange they are already discontinuing it. They've also out priced the mini for me. I was thinking it would be under $300 for sure, however it's an apple product, so of course they will jack up the price for something new.

[Mermanaid]

well, it may be cheaper, but there are so many fewer tablet apps for android tablets. That really makes a big difference to me.

Was there something specific you were looking for? I have a Fire now and have found a replacement for most apps that I use on my iphone. But, I am not a very heavy app user anyway.

[wendibird22]

Yes the pricing is higher than speculated. However if you look at the side by side spec comparison it is much more comparable to the ipad w/ retina display than it is to the ipad 2. So I still think you get a lot for the price.

http://www.apple.com/ipad/compare/

[AnnieW625]

Higher than speculated price for the Mini, but still not the worst IMHO. I had set my price point at $350 so still under that. It is basically a mini Ipad without a Retina display, and not a gutted mini Ipad2 so I think the price point is fine. I would not be buying this for my kids so I don't need or want a cheaper tablet. I just want something that will work and will work well. Apple products do that for the most part. I now however think that it will have to be the perfect size for me to not want spend at least $170 to $270 more for the larger 16 or 32 gig Ipad w/Retina Display (or hope they are selling some refurbs. after the holidays). I tend to watch a lot of Netflix on my phone so that for me would be the only advantage to get the regular vs. the mini for me. I like how the mini is a more portable size and will fit in my purse with no issues. I don't want to feel like I am carrying around a compter.

[Kungjo]

Bummer.

Was thinking of getting two for Xmas presents, but at over $300 a pop, it's out of my price range now.

[jiggaman]

well, it may be cheaper, but there are so many fewer tablet apps for android tablets. That really makes a big difference to me.

I don't have an ipad or android tablet, which apps do android tablets not have? I have friends with a nexus and they seem to have every app I can think of.

The price point is disappointing, $329 seems a bit high. Especially with the announcement this coming monday of the 32GB nexus 7 that will push the 16GB nexus 7 down to $199. That's $130 less than the ipad mini and the nexus has a better screen (1024x768 on the ipad mini vs 1280x800 on the nexus 7).

The ipad 4 announcement was a surprise. If I'd bought an ipad 3 in the last 6 months I'd be pretty mad.

Now if I buy an ipad mini and in 6 months they release a retina version of the ipad mini I'd be really angry.

[larig]

Larig - what are your thoughts on availability for Christmas this year? Will they have enough inventory later in the shopping season?

I think that they must be planning for this to be popular. I think that supply will be tight, but I think as long as you aren't expecting to get one the day before xmas you'll likely be fine. Even the iphone5 supplies have been decent enough that after the first week or so, you could do the reserving-one-online-and-pick-up-in-store thing. I'd guess they'll do that after orders settle down.

We're kicking around the idea of getting an LTE mini--maybe on sprint (because they still have unlimited data plans, and we already have 2 iphones on AT&T).

As for the apps--if I'm going to have a tablet, I'd like apps that are designed to take advantage of the larger size, not just be a pixellated blown-up version of the phone app. The android platform is way behind in the tablet app market. We use a lot of apps for DS's speech therapy. Plus, at this point we've owned an iPad 1, 2 & 3, so we have already purchased a great number of apps--it would be foolish for us to start investing in another ecosystem.

[larig]

I don't have an ipad or android tablet, which apps do android tablets not have? I have friends with a nexus and they seem to have every app I can think of.

The price point is disappointing, $329 seems a bit high. Especially with the announcement this coming monday of the 32GB nexus 7 that will push the 16GB nexus 7 down to $199. That's $130 less than the ipad mini and the nexus has a better screen (1024x768 on the ipad mini vs 1280x800 on the nexus 7).

The ipad 4 announcement was a surprise. If I'd bought an ipad 3 in the last 6 months I'd be pretty mad.

Now if I buy an ipad mini and in 6 months they release a retina version of the ipad mini I'd be really angry.

eh, that's technology. there's always something new and better coming out. we have an ipad 3 we ordered first day we could. no regrets for us, but we probably won't rush to order a 4, because it's not that compelling an upgrade for us, although the iphone 5 I have is screaming fast--I think the ipad4 will be noticeably faster than the 3.

Here's a bit about the apps. (http://www.androidpolice.com/2012/06/19/android-tablets-still-suck-and-googles-running-out-of-time-to-fix-them/) Most android apps for tablets are just scaled-up versions of phone stuff. if you have a good screen and crappy app resolution that screen doesn't do a bit of good.

[minnie-zb]

I'm curious as to why people aren't more interested in the Nexus 7 -- it gets really good reviews and has a great price point.

[Kungjo]

I'm curious as to why people aren't more interested in the Nexus 7 -- it gets really good reviews and has a great price point.

Probably because Apple products are soooo user friendly and popular that they have apps for just about everything.

[daniele_ut]

Argh, I'm still so torn about whether to get an iPad Mini or to go for a full size iPad. I really love the light weight and the portability factor but I wonder if I am going to miss the larger screen. I do a lot of reading on my original Nook Color (and the backlit screen does NOT bother me one bit) and I anticipate this will replace the NC for me. I carry a diaper bag now and the iPad would fit, but down the road I won't carry a gigantic purse. Hmm. . . .

[AnnieW625]

Probably because Apple products are soooo user friendly and popular that they have apps for just about everything.

that is why I am interested. I have read posts on this forum and other electronics related forums and been completely confused in regards to android stuff so yeah even though I am paying more for a product that is completely plug n play I will know how to use it almost immediately.

[edurnemk]

that is why I am interested. I have read posts on this forum and other electronics related forums and been completely confused in regards to android stuff so yeah even though I am paying more for a product that is completely plug n play I will know how to use it almost immediately.

I agree, I have a Macbook, an ipad, an ipod... and now I have an Android phone and I HATE it (I had a blackberry before). I'm totally getting an iphone next time.

[codex57]

DW is pissed they announced a new iPad so soon.

I'm just excited about the new iMacs. Ours is really dying so we haven't even turned it on for like a week or so. Now we have time to save up for it.

[edurnemk]

LOL I just emailed my dad with the news and I said "what a bummer, you just got the ipad3 6 months ago!" and he replied "not at all! it just means you get an ipad3!" :hysterical: My mom is going to have a fit, but we all know my dad runs out to buy every new Apple gadget the minute they release them (and that is how I got my current ipad, as a hand-me-down form my dad, I would never pay for one myself, lots of other things I'd rather spend $500 on).

[TwinFoxes]

I think Apple was betting most people wanted a mini for the size, but in reality it seems most people were wanting one for the (in their minds cheaper) price.

[daniele_ut]

I think Apple was betting most people wanted a mini for the size, but in reality it seems most people were wanting one for the (in their minds cheaper) price.

The decision for me is based almost completely on the size. I'm willing to spend more on the full size iPad but I think that the Mini might be more practical for me.

[TwinFoxes]

The decision for me is based almost completely on the size. I'm willing to spend more on the full size iPad but I think that the Mini might be more practical for me.

I'm not saying no one is excited about the size (I actually am interested because of the size) but there is huge disappointment out there (and in this thread) about the price point. Apple's stock took a dive when the price was announced.

[hellokitty]

I'm not saying no one is excited about the size (I actually am interested because of the size) but there is huge disappointment out there (and in this thread) about the price point. Apple's stock took a dive when the price was announced.

Yup, this pretty much describes my reaction. It seems like a rip off when you a full sized iPad isn't that much more. I think that the price difference isn't big enough. This is similar to when ereaders came out. As soon as they lowered the price, ppl were on board.

[hellokitty]

I'm curious as to why people aren't more interested in the Nexus 7 -- it gets really good reviews and has a great price point.

Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if apple's release has boosted interested in the nexus 7. I wasn't interested in the nexus, but now that I know where apple stands on the mini's price, I am MUCH more interested in the nexus. It seems like a steal compared to the mini. I have an iphone and it is ok (DH and I are disgruntled palm pre users who were forced to choose something else, he picked droid, I picked iphone), but we're not vested in apple computers and we both hate itunes, so I'm haven't been inducted into the cult of apple yet.

[Twin Mom]

I am torn b/c I really want something smaller than the ipad to fit in my purse and be easier to transport but for me it's not so much the size of the screen but the retina display on the new ipad. I know the screen is the same on the mini and the iPad2 so I probably need to look at an ipad2 and decide.

I am also disappointed that the mini is more expensive then we thought it would be so that is another reason why I am now considering the ipad. I agree the price difference is really not all that much between them.

[daniele_ut]

Well, dh thinks that I should just get the new full size iPad and I think he's probably right. I'll be carrying a diaper bag with plenty of space for at least the next 2 years so I'll have the room for it.

[wendibird22]

Here's a good article that compares the mini to the 4: http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/handheld/apple-ipad-mini-vs-ipad-4-which-to-buy/240009585