I was salivating throughout the ipad mini announcement - 30%+ bigger display area than a nexus 7. As thin as a 4th gen ipod touch! Lighter than the nexus 7. I wanted one badly!
Them the two bombs dropped - 1024x768 display, $329 starting price.
To those people saying they're not sure why they've gotten so resolution snobby... Hmmmm.. Ya think Apple driving it in with marketing campaigns and demos of the new ipad and the Iphone since the 4 might have something to do with it? Apple spends 2 years convincing consumers that they "need" these high resolution displays, and then they release the mini with the resolution from the original ipad.
I know why they did it (it would add some weight and the resolution would require an A5x or a6, but nonetheless its an un-Apple move at an Apple price.
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The thickness/weight argument for the ipad mini is totally blown out proportion. "it would have to be twice as thick and way heavier" you say.
Here's what the retina display did to the ipad:
Ipad 2: 601g weight, 8.8mm thick.
Ipad 3: 652g weight, 9.4mm thick.
A retina display ipad mini is an inevitability; the question is: will it come in 6 months, 12 months or 18 months? When it comes out, doubtless, Apple will talk about how revolutionary it is, how we all need it, and "how did we ever live without it".
I really wanted an ipad mini, but Apple basically convinced me (successfully, I might add) that I want and need a high resolution display.