iPad mini available for pre-order in India for Rs 28,990

Apple recently took the wraps off the much hyped diminutive tablet, the iPad mini. This is the first new device to be launched with Tim Cook as CEO of Apple. When Apple announced the iPad mini, they mentioned that it was up for pre-order in numerous countries. However, India was not one of them. This 7.9-inch tablet is available to pre-orders on eBay. The 16GB Wi-Fi only version costs Rs 28,990.

When Apple announced the iPad mini, the base model which is the 16GB W-Fi only variant was priced at US $329. That translates to roughly Rs 17,750, depending on the conversion rate of the dollar. The eBay seller who has a fairly good track record is pricing it a lot higher than what it will cost overseas.

Available in black as well

However, you would be able to get your hands on the iPad mini before it makes its way here officially. The seller notes that the iPad mini will start to ship from November 12.

When Apple announced the iPad mini, speaking at the widely covered event, Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing shared, “iPad mini is every inch an iPad. With its gorgeous 7.9-inch display, iPad mini features the same number of pixels as the original iPad and iPad 2, so you can run more than 275,000 apps designed specifically for iPad.” Schiller went on to add that the “iPad mini is as thin as a pencil and as light as a pad of paper, yet packs a fast A5 chip, FaceTime HD and 5 megapixel iSight cameras and ultrafast wireless―all while delivering up to 10 hours of battery life”.

The iPad mini has an aluminium and glass design 7.2mm thick, and weighs only 0.68 pounds. As per an official statement by Apple, the iPad mini has 35 percent more screen real estate than 7-inch tablets, and up to 67 percent more usable viewing area when browsing the web. The dual-core A5 chip on the iPad mini allows for responsive graphics and a multi-touch experience that Apple believes to be both, fast and fluid while still providing all-day battery life.

The iPad mini features a front-facing FaceTime HD camera and a 5-megapixel iSight camera at the back, which allows for recording full 1080p HD video. The iSight camera includes video image stabilisation and both cameras feature backside illumination, which Apple claims will allow users to capture great pictures in low light. The iPad mini also allows easy sharing of photos with friends and family using iCloud’s Shared Photo Streams.
 
The iPad mini features dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi support for speeds up to 150Mbps, which Apple says is twice the Wi-Fi performance compared to previous the iPad models. The iPad mini is available in a Wi-Fi version and a cellular one, which are world-ready with built-in support for most wireless standards, including LTE and DC-HSDPA. The iPad mini data plans will be available sans contract; so users will be only required to sign up and activate service directly from their iPad. Using the Personal Hotspot feature you can share a fast cellular data connection via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or USB with up to five other devices such as the MacBook Pro, the iPod touch or another iPad.