The iPad mini has just been revealed by Apple at a special event in San Jose. Up on stage, Phil Schiller explains that this "isn't just a shrunken-down iPad, it's an entirely new design." The 7.9-inch iPad mini has a 1024 x 768 resolution, like the earlier-generation 9.7-inch iPad models, but is encased in an all-new 7.2mm-thick aluminum shell, which makes it 53 percent lighter and 23 percent thinner than the 4th-gen iPad.

Comparing the iPad mini against the Nexus 7, Phil points out that Apple's tablet is lighter and thinner than Google's slate in spite of having a display area that's a third larger. The Nexus 7 also has a bigger, plastic bezel around its screen whereas the iPad mini's bezel is made out of aluminum.