iPad mini with Retina display officially available

After the latest Apple press event on October 22, there was one major question that apple fans had: when would the new iPad mini with Retina display be available? Launch dates for the iPad Air, Mac OS X Mavericks and new MacBook Pros were all provided but those waiting for the new mini were just told "in November." Well we are a third of the way through November and the new device is finally here.

According to a press release today from Apple, the new iPad mini with Retina display is now available online and in retail stores. With a 7.9-inch screen, the thin and light design features the powerful A7 chip with 64-bit desktop-class architecture, fast built-on wireless connection and expanded LTE cellular connectivity. It also comes prepackaged with iOS 7.

"The response to iPad Air has been incredible, and we're excited for customers to experience the new iPad mini with Retina display," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "We think customers will love both of these thin, light, powerful new iPads, and we're working hard to get as many as we can in the hands of our customers."

The new iPad mini comes in silver or space gray and begins at $399 for the 16GB model and $529 for the 16GB with cellular connectivity. It goes all the way up to $829 for the 128GB model with cellular connectivity.

This means that in the next few days, IT departments that support iPad deployments will need to vet and add the new devices. An IT consulting firm that specializes in Mac integration can ensure that happens easily.