In the moment that the iPad mini was announced to feature a starting price point of $330, we were left wondering in confusion as to why? Factoring in its hardware specs and all, it would lead anyone to believe that this latest iPad is rather over-bloated at $330, which is still seen as a...

Super skinny construction; Takes good photos & videos for a tablet; Stellar battery life

Low resolution display

The iPad mini is the new iPad to lust after. It's a lot more manageable. It a lot more kid-friendly, it's a lot more game-friendly. It is a lot more "you" friendly. It's a lovely size, it's a lovely experience, and one that we can easily see cannibalising iPad 4 and iPad 2 sales in the future.

More portable; still a big screen; light; great for gaming; less chunky

Screen resolution; 4G won't work on Vodafone or O2; old processor

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

Apple's new iPad mini is likely to become its most popular iPad, due to a light, thin design that delivers tablet optimized apps in a more portable package at a reduced price.

If you're spoiled like us and are already used to high-resolution screens on your new gadgets, the iPad mini may be a let down, initially. But if you disarm your screen snobbery and relax, you'll find an incredibly comfortable, well-sized, well-built tablet at a more affordable $330 price.

Great screen size; Comfortable and light; 300,000 apps; Good rear camera

No Retina screen; Lightning connector adapter is expensive; No microSD; More expensive than Android competitors

How much are apps worth to you? How about $120? If you want those iPad-exclusive apps and price is no object, then no other small-screen tablet will do. Beautifully made, slim, and light, the iPad mini ($329/16GB, $429/32GB, $529/64GB direct) packs precisely the power of an iPad 2 into a tablet...

Beautifully designed.Very good cameras; Largest library of tablet apps

Expensive; Wide; Slippery

The iPad Mini is a decent tablet that is almost affordable by Apple's standards, making it a good choice for anyone already comitted to the Apple ecosystem.

Decent build quality; good battery life; iOS 6

Screen isn't as good as other Apple devices; A5 processor doesn't offer top end performance

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 iPad mini is a fantastic tablet and our favourite iPad, though falls short in some key areas.

Premium look and feel Incredibly thin and light The iOS app selection is huge Great battery life

Sub-par screen sharpness Mediocre camera 4:3 aspect ration not suited to movies Too wide

The first time I saw the iPad mini at an Apple Store, I decided to give it a pass. I already had a third-generation iPad with Retina Display and buying a smaller iPad did not make sense. Thankfully, a friend asked me to pick one for him and let me play around with it till I returned to India.