Apple managed to hold out for two years before deciding to enter the market for tablets under 8" in size. Faced with a groundswell of competition from Google and Amazon with the Nexus 7 and the Kindle...
The power of an iPad 2 in a more easily portable device; Battery life / Good sleep mode; Great design; first-rate finish; Responsiveness / Feature-rich iOS 6 interface with over 700,000 apps; Grip/handling greatly improved by intelligent Multitouch pressure-point recognition (so you can rest your
Screen def isn't exactly high-end; Onscreen readability isn't on par with the Nexus 7 or the Kindle Fire HD; Proprietary connector; Internal memory can't be expanded