While Apple hasn't officially pulled the wraps off the pricing yet, the latest rumors suggest a starting price of Rs 21,900 for the 16GB Wi-Fi version. If this actually turns out to be true then it actually makes it a very good buy and inadvertently, makes the iPod touch and the iPad 2 a bit...

This smaller tablet plugs the gap between the iPod Touch and the iPad.

It wasn't exactly the best kept secret. For weeks the rumour mills churned out tidbit after tidbit with supposed details of a smaller, more compact iPad. Speculation swirled and finally on October 23rd Apple unveiled the mythical iPad Mini, just as the rumours suggested.

pricey compared to 7-inch tablets; no Retina display; no HDR or panorama options for camera; beautiful design; great battery life; fits in one hand

pricey compared to 7-inch tablets; no Retina display; no HDR or panorama options for camera

Forget the headlines and exit the hype train at the next station. The iPad mini is here and it's not the shining beacon we all expected it to be, but it damn-well got close.

When I was testing the iPad mini this weekend, I pitted it against my 11-inch MacBook Air and third-generation iPad to see what device I would use more around the house and would take out on the road to do some work on. The clear winner was the iPad mini.

Excellent Form Factor; design and build quality; Fantastic battery life; Very portable and practical

Lack of Retina display and lower resolution will be a deal breaker for some; Price higher than anticipated; First-generation device; lots to improve on

Wait, did hell just freeze over? Maybe a couple of degrees cooler? Rumors of a mini version of the iPad had been laughed at, dodged and denied - not necessarily in that order and often all at once. But here it is - the iPad mini is finally a reality.

Compact body: 200 x 134.7 x 7.2 mm, 7.9" LED-backlit IPS LCD touchscreen, 768 x 1024 pixels; scratch-resistant, oleophobic coating, Dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n connectivity, carrier-dependent hotspot support, Optional 2G/3G GSM, CDMA, LTE connectivity (data only, separate models, Optional GPS...

More expensive than 7" Android tablets; only $70 cheaper than iPad 2; No Retina display; 162ppi only; Same chipset as iPad 2; now two generations old; iTunes still required for most of the content uploads; Reflective screen struggles outdoors; No standard USB port; Lightning accessories still rare...

The war in which everyone seems to be winners is the one we seem to have had with Apple and everyone else in the last couple of decades. It started with Mac vs PC, continued with iPhone vs Android, and now that battle has extended to the tablet market.

Good price; good size; all the advantages of a tablet; great video and audio; all the apps; all the features of I devices

Like all Apples; not massively configurable; a new proprietary cable to worry about

The 7.9in tablet arrives on the market as Apple follows competitors by making a pocket-sized device. Does the iPad mini retain the magic of the original?

Verdict Consumers have come to expect excellence from Apple products. While the iPad Mini excels as a physical example of design, its technology is now severely dated and it brings little new to the table.

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Two months down the line and the iPad mini has been elevated as my go-to tablet of choice, which is surprising for someone who relies on the larger iPad for so many things.