November 2, 2012: The primary iPad mini goes on sale, shrinking each the scale and the worth tag of Apple’s groundbreaking pill pc.
With a lowered display screen dimension of seven.9 inches – as a substitute of the then-standard 9.7 inches – the unique iPad mini is the fifth iPad to be launched by Apple. Critics hail Apple’s most inexpensive iPad ever, though some folks complain concerning the pill’s lack of a Retina show.
First iPad mini: Going huge by going small
The unique iPad mini grew to become a right away hit. Apple offered tens of millions of them proper after the launch, outselling the full-size iPad launched on the identical time.
“iPad mini is as skinny as a pencil and as gentle as a pad of paper, but packs a quick A5 chip, FaceTime HD and 5 megapixel iSight cameras and ultrafast wi-fi — all whereas delivering as much as 10 hours of battery life,” stated Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vp of worldwide advertising, in a press launch concerning the new pill.
The primary iPad mini got here out when the present iPhone 5 had a 4-inch display screen and customers had been clamoring for a bigger one. Many individuals determined {that a} small pill would meet their want for an enormous iPhone and purchased an iPad mini as a companion for his or her iOS handset.
Regardless of its recognition, the mini suffered from some severe limitations. Most notably, the 1,024-by-768-pixel display screen decision gave it a pixel density of simply 163 pixels per inch. The iPhone 5, which additionally got here out in autumn 2012, supplied 326 ppi. The pill’s display screen appeared noticeably inferior to the iPhone’s.
Plus, Apple’s A5 processor and a skimpy 512MB of RAM meant the primary iPad mini suffered from pokey efficiency. And it confronted powerful competitors from different small tablets, together with the Google Nexus 7 and the Amazon Kindle Hearth HD.
A tiny Apple pill with an outsize legacy
The unique diminutive pill solely stayed in Apple’s product lineup for a 12 months. The iPad mini 2 launched in November 2013 with a sooner processor. That second-generation pill offered effectively, however in all probability peaked on the 2014 debut of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. Apple’s first “phablet” telephones introduced larger 4.7- and 5.5-inch screens. Individuals now not wanted a small pill as a companion for his or her small handset. They might simply get a big iPhone.
Twelve years later, a small pill stays in Apple’s product lineup. The iPad mini 7 launched final month with a much bigger 8.3-inch show in a case that’s nonetheless as svelte as the unique one. And it’s as much as dealing with the brand new AI-powered options dubbed Apple Intelligence.
Nonetheless, the primary iPad mini from 2012 stays vital as a result of it confirmed Apple’s willingness to experiment publicly with totally different show sizes. It’s attention-grabbing to invest whether or not, with out this machine, there even would have been an iPhone 6 Plus or any of the opposite massive (and small) iPhones we’ve seen since.
Did you personal the unique iPad mini? Go away your feedback under.
Luke Dormehl contributed to this text.