[Asia Economy Reporter Joesulgina] Apple has unveiled the new 'iPad Mini' with up to 80% improved performance compared to its predecessor. The starting price is 649,000 KRW for the Wi-Fi model and 839,000 KRW for the cellular model. The domestic release date has not yet been decided.
On the 14th (local time), Apple held a special event at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, where it introduced the 6th generation iPad Mini alongside the new smartphone, the iPhone 13.
The new iPad Mini will be available in colors such as Pink, Starlight, Purple, and Space Gray. It features a larger 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display compared to the previous model, while maintaining a compact size with thinner bezels. With technologies like 500 nits brightness, wide color gamut support, anti-reflective coating, and front lamination, it is praised for delivering clear images and videos.
Additionally, it is equipped with the A15 Bionic chip, improving performance by 80% over the previous generation. Advanced machine learning features powered by a 16-core Neural Engine are twice as fast as before. Real-time text translation is now available in seven languages.
Looking at the front design, the Touch ID, previously located on the bottom bezel, has been moved to the top button. It supports the 2nd generation Apple Pencil, which can be magnetically attached to the iPad Mini for wireless charging and pairing.
Furthermore, the cellular model supports 5G. The charging port is USB-C, offering data transfer speeds of up to nearly 5 Gbps, which is 10 times faster than the previous generation.
The Center Stage feature, previously applied to the iPad Pro, is also available on the iPad Mini. It is praised for enabling more immersive video calls. Center Stage automatically pans the camera to keep the user centered on the screen as they move. If another person enters the frame, the camera detects this and smoothly zooms out so that everyone can participate in the conversation.
Greg Joswiak, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, said, "With its highly portable design and wide range of uses from everyday tasks to creative activities and business work, the iPad Mini is irreplaceable by any other product. It is a device that fits a leap in innovative performance into one hand, featuring a new front Liquid Retina display, dramatically improved performance, advanced cameras on the front and back, Center Stage, USB-C, 5G, and Apple Pencil support."
The new iPad Mini comes in 64GB and 256GB configurations. Pre-orders are available starting today in 28 countries and regions including the United States, with a release date set for the 24th. The domestic release date has not yet been decided.
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