iPad Mini Goes on Sale: 10 Reasons It Will Beat Small Tablet Rivals

by Don Reisinger

One of the big issues with Apple’s products and other similarly popular tablets is that they often become hard to come by soon after launch. However, as of this writing, the iPad Mini with Retina display can be shipped within one to three business days for those who want the cheaper WiFi-only model. The LTE version is only five to 10 days out. Apple has done a good job delivering enough product to store shelves to keep the purchase train running.

One of the ways Apple tries to set its product apart in the smaller-sized tablet market is through storage. The iPad Mini starts with 16GB of onboard space, but jumps all the way to 128GB for those who are in need of additional space. The additional storage will certainly not appeal to everyone, but for power users, it might just work out well.

There’s no debating that iOS 7 takes some getting used to for those who have become so comfortable with the operating system’s previous design. Upon further use, however, those folks find that the software’s improvements, like Control Center and AirDrop, really do improve productivity. Even notifications are better. Saying iOS 7 is a selling point is not to discount Android or Amazon’s FireOS, but it is to say that Apple has come a long way in addressing user needs for software.

It’s hard to argue with Apple’s track record as a device maker. Last year, Consumer Reports said that as a whole, Apple is tops in product reliability. In a recent study from Rescuecom, Apple was second only to Samsung for computer and tablet reliability. In other words, Apple knows how to build devices that hold up and last years. That matters to folks who don’t want to invest in new devices each year.

Apple’s customer care team is outstanding. The company’s Genius Bars have become the envy of retailers around the world and have prompted companies like Best Buy to improve their own product-support offerings to keep up. AppleCare, while a tad bit expensive, also provides competitive after-purchase support for the company’s products. Granted, it’s not Mayday, the on-device feature in the Kindle Fire HDX, but in terms of traditional support, Apple is doing quite well.

From iBooks to iTunes to FaceTime, Apple delivers enough built-in services with its iPad Mini with Retina display that customers should be able to get all their entertainment needs met by the software. That’s important. Tablet owners don’t want to jump through hoops to access movies or books, and they like knowing that they can be synced across devices. Apple’s built-in services allow for that.

All of this talk of the iPad Mini with Retina display must come back to the device’s most important feature: its Retina display. The Retina display delivers a downright beautiful picture, showcasing text and other minute details far more sharply than Apple’s non-Retina displays. According to Apple, the iPad Mini with Retina’s screen comes with more than 3.1 million pixels. That’s 1 million more pixels than those on an HDTV. Who can argue with that?

Although Apple hasn’t adopted near-field communication, a wireless technology that allows for the transfer of data, it has gone wireless in its own way. The company’s AirPlay, which comes bundled with iOS 7, allows users to share their iPad Mini screens with Apple TV-attached televisions. In addition, the device features AirDrop, which allows for the transfer of files between Macs and iOS-based products. Apple has officially gone to the air.

Apple’s iPad Mini with Retina offers up to 10 hours of battery life while on WiFi, watching video or listening to music. On cellular networks, the iPad Mini with Retina can keep its charge for 9 hours. Since the iPad Mini is designed to be a mobile companion for folks, Apple needed to deliver a battery life that could last a long time. It did just that.

Although the iPad Mini with Retina is supposed to be one of Apple’s budget-friendly devices, as indicated by its $399 starting price, it’s actually quite powerful. The tablet comes with Apple’s A7 processor, complete with 64-bit architecture to facilitate better software experiences. The device also features the M7 motion coprocessor. On the graphical front, the iPad Mini with Retina is similarly impressive, delivering enough power to play high-end games or edit videos. The iPad Mini might not be big, but it’s certainly powerful.