Despite what Steve Jobs so vehemently declared, has just released a smaller version of the iPad.  Well, I guess technically Steve said Apple would never release a 7″ tablet, and the iPad mini is a 7.9″ tablet, so Apple didn't quite make a liar out of him.

Very small and light; Compatible with all iPad apps; Sturdy and well-built; Small enough to fit in a pocket; but big enough to comfortably read; Cheaper than previous versions of the iPad; Two speakers for better; louder sound

Doesn't have a Retina display; Smart Cover for the mini costs as much as the original Smart Cover

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.

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

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.

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...

Expensive; Wide.

The iPad mini goes on sale 2 November, and while specs and features won't come as a surprise to many, I've been enjoying an early test run over the last week, using it in place of a  3 rd generation iPad – the one with the Retina display – to see how it fits into my daily life.

I got the 16GB wifi-only model for my wife and within a very short time she had ditched the eReader she had been using for the past year. It's a testament to its user friendliness that she made the transition effortlessly, which was in stark contrast with the drama she has when changing mobile...

Love it or hate it, Apple's 9.7-inch iPad is the archetypal ‘tablet'.

I've heard many complaints about the iPad mini. I've heard people moan about the dated processor and the low resolution, 4:3 screen. I've even heard a few complain about the lack of GPS in the Wi-Fi version.

Smaller; lighter & more portable; Beautifully designed and built; Huge selection of apps; Seamless integration with Apple devices

Ageing processor; Relatively low resolution screen