Apple iPad mini: Need to know

Ports

There are no micro-USB ports or memory card slots available. The iPad mini is the latest Apple device to be shifted over to the new proprietary Lightning connector - so if you want to use it with existing peripherals you will need to purchase an adopter, which costs 25.

Cameras

Asus and Amazon only included front facing cameras on the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD devices to keep the cost down to 159.

However, Apple has not held back in this area, providing front and rear facing cameras. On the front is camera capable of taking 1.2-megapixel snaps and 720p HD video.

There is a 5-megapixel snapper on the rear with key features such as autofocus, face detection and the ability to record in 1080p.

Software

The iPad mini ships with iOS 6 as standard which means you get access to Apple's vast ecosystem - made up of the App Store (275,000 apps) and iTunes, which houses millions of songs, as well as thousands of TV shows and films.

The tablet will ship with Apple specific apps including Safari, FaceTime, Siri and unfortunately Apple Maps as well.

Battery

Despite having a smaller screen, the iPad mini offers the same level of battery life as its bigger brothers. Apple touts up to 10 hours when using Wi-Fi to surf the web, watch video or listening to music.

Pricing and availability

The iPad mini is 110 more than competitors such as Google Nexus 7 and Amazon Kindle Fire HD. Pricing for the iPad mini is as follows:

16GB Wi-Fi only - 269

32GB Wi-Fi only - 349

64Gb Wi-Fi only - 429

16GB Wi-Fi + LTE - 369

32GB Wi-Fi + LTE - 449

64GB Wi-Fi + LTE - 529

Users can pre-order devices from Friday 26 October, and the Wi-Fi models will be available in Apple Stores from Friday 2 November.