Apple's October keynote on Oct. 23 marked the beginning of a series of events, notably the debut of the iPad Fourth Generation and the iPad Mini.
The debut of the two iPads marked the surprising end of the iPad 3, but still alive is the iPad 2.
During the keynote, Apple Inc.'s Vice President Phillip Schiller compared the iPad Mini to the iPad 2, instead if the direct predecessor iPad 3.
The reason may be because the iPad Mini has similar features to the second-generation iPad, aside from the obvious: size.
But what are the other similarities and differences between the new iPad Mini and the iPad 2 that launched in 2011.
The obvious and notable difference will be the size. The iPad 2 launched with a height of 9.50-inches, a width of 7.31-inches, and a depth 0.34 inches.
The iPad Mini features a height of 7.87-inches, 5.3-inch width, and a depth of 0.28-inches.
The devices also weigh differently with the second-generation iPad having 1.33 and 1.35 pounds for the Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi with 3G models, respectively.
The iPad Mini weighs 0.68 and 0.69 pounds for the Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi with Cellular models, respectively.
When it comes to the screen, the devices have different screen sizes but the same pixel resolution.
The iPad 2 features a 9.7-inch screen (diagonal) with 1,024x768 pixel resolution and at 132 pixels per inch (ppi).
The iPad Mini's screen measures at 7.9-inches with the same 1,024x768 pixel resolution but a higher ppi of 163.
Despite the iPad 3 featuring Retina Display, the iPad Mini will not feature it. The new iPad 4 will feature the Retina Display instead.
For the chipset, the iPad 2 and iPad Mini will feature the same A5 dual-core processor.
The advantages for the iPad Mini is notable in the cameras.
The iPad 2's front-facing camera, also known as the FaceTime camera, has Video Graphics Array (VGA) resolution for both pictures and camera settings. VGA has a resolution of 640x480.
The iPad Mini's front-facing camera, also known as the FaceTime HD camera, takes photos at 1.2-megepixels and video using 720p HD.
The rear-facing camera of the iPad 2 takes photos using 960x720 resolution, while the iPad Mini features iSight's five-megapixels.
Both tablets feature autofocus, but the iPad Mini also features face detection, backside illumination, five-element lens, and f/2.4 aperture.
The cameras also features Wi-Fi capabilities.
The cellular and wireless capabilities include Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n and Bluetooth technology.
Additional wireless features vary on mobile carrier, which include AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon.
When it comes to the SIM card, the iPad 2 accepts a Micro-SIM card while the iPad Mini features a Nano-SIM slot, and it will not accept existing micro-SIM cards.
Lastly, both devices have the same hours for battery life. The iPad 2 and iPad Mini, when fully charged, can last up to 10 hours watching videos, listening to music, and utilizing Wi-Fi. Up to nine hours of battery life is available for utilizing the carrier's data network.
For the iPad 4 and iPad 3 comparison, click here.
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