But don’t think the iPad mini is a stripped back model. Despite it’s diminutive stature, the iPad mini’s internal components are reminiscent of the iPad 2 model that on sale. Externally, however, the iPad mini has a lot in common with the latest generation of iPhone and iPod touch.
Like the iPhone 5 the first thing that hits you about the iPad mini is how incredibly thin and light it is. The bezel between the screen and edge of device is also much smaller on the iPad mini. You can hold it with one hand: either by grasping both sides of the iPad mini like an iPhone, or by clasping one side. Unlike the iPad, which is very much a two-handed or rest-on-lap aff air, the light weight ensures that it can be held in the one hand.
Aside from the thinner styling and smaller bezel the iPad mini is remarkably similar to the full-sized iPad. It runs the same iOS interface, all the same apps, and has the same button layout.
iPad Mini Actual Size
200 mm x 134.7 mm x 7.2 mm
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| iPad Mini Actual Size |
The iPad mini is a technological marvel. Apple has managed to take all the incredible power of the iPad, and crammed it into a smaller, lighter frame. Apple has incredibly high standards of manufacturing, and this teardown (courtesy of our friends at www.ifi xit.com) reveals all the inside components.
While we know a lot of what to expect from the iPad mini, there are a few surprises along the way. Apple has taken much of its manufacturing to new levels, with thinner and smaller components, and tiny screws. There’s also far more glue holding everything together than we’d like, and like many of Apple’s recent products it’s going be hard to repair.
Apple is typically reticent about releasing too much information about its products, but unlike most products viewing beneath the surface doesn’t ruin the experience. The iPad mini is as beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside.
