Get out your sleeping bag and dust off your lawn chair, people. Another iPad is coming -- two, actually.
Apple just announced plans to release the fourth-generation iPad as well as the iPad mini. Both of the new iOS6 tablets will be available for purchase starting November 2, 2012.
The iPad mini features a new design that's supposed to be 23 percent thinner and 53 percent lighter than the third-gen iPad. It has a 7.9-inch Multi-Touch display with a 1024-by-768 resolution, as well as the front-facing FaceTime HD camera, a 5-megapixel iSight camera on the back, and a dual-core A5 chip. With a new aluminum and glass design, the iPad mini measures just 7.2mm thin and weighs in at a mere 0.68 pounds.
Other iPad mini features include full 1080p HD video capabilities, access to iCloud's Shared Photo Streams, and dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi support for speeds up to 150Mbps.
That fourth-generation iPad will have a 9.7-inch Retina display and the FaceTime HD camera. It will also have Apple's new A6X chip, which boasts double the CPU and graphics power of the third-gen model.
Apple says that both of the new tablets have iOS6 and boast 10 hours of battery life. Both models also support the newly launched Lightning connector, with accessories that can accommodate cameras, SD cards and VGA or HDMI digital video.
As expected, both of the new iPads will also work with the over 700,000 apps currently available through iTunes, as well as the 275,000 apps specifically designed for the iPad. This includes the new iBooks app for iPad, which lets users read eBooks in over 40 languages.
"iPad mini is every inch an iPad. With its gorgeous 7.9-inch display, iPad mini features the same number of pixels as the original iPad and iPad 2, so you can run more than 275,000 apps designed specifically for iPad," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing. "iPad mini is as thin as a pencil and as light as a pad of paper, yet packs a fast A5 chip, FaceTime HD and 5 megapixel iSight cameras and ultrafast wireless -- all while delivering up to 10 hours of battery life."
The iPad mini with WiFi will be available in black and slate or white and silver, with a starting price of $329 for the 16GB model, $429 for the 32GB version and $529 for the 64GB tablet. The fourth-generation iPad with WiFi comes in black or white with an MSRP of $499 for 16GB, $599 for 32GB and $699 for the 64GB model.
Those interested in the iPad mini with Wi-Fi + Cellular and fourth generation iPad with WiFi + Cellular will have a bit more of a wait. Apple has yet to announce a formal release date, only saying that these versions will start shipping "a couple of weeks after the Wi-Fi models." AT&T, Sprint and Verizon customers will get the goods first, with the iPad mini with Wi-Fi + Cellular priced at $459 for the 16GB model, $559 for 32GB and $659 for the 64GB version. The same providers will get the fourth generation iPad with WiFi + Cellular, with prices listed as $629 for the 16GB model, $729 for the 32GB model and $829 for the 64GB model.
If you're still pining for the iPad 2, Apple is selling those now. The 16GB WiFi model is priced at $399, with the 16GB WiFi + 3G going for $529.
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