iPod Touch Mega Announced!

Well, if you haven't heard, Apple released the iPad Mini today.  (Not to be confused with the iPad Nano... er um, the iPod Touch I mean.)

This picture has been slightly edited.

Very confusing specs, as far as I am concerned.

• 7.9" multitouch capacitive screen at 1024 x 768 (163 ppi)
• 5.0 MP Rear Camera (records 1080p video), 1.2 MP Front Camera (records 720p video)
• WiFi a/b/g/n 2.4 Ghz and 5.0 Ghz
• BlueTooth 4.0
• Proprietary "Lightning" connector replaces Apple's long-time 30-pin iPod style connector.
• Built-in Speaker, Mic, 3.5 Headphone Jack
• Dual-core A5 CPU
• 16 GB / 32 GB / 64 GB storage
• No HDMI, no SD/MicroSD, no USB, no other ports
• Thin and Light, but not as narrow or short as most 7" devices on the market. (since it's basically an 8" screen, there is a reason for that)

What is confusing to me is that other than the cameras and maybe the storage, the specs are worse than the Google Nexus 7, the Amazon Kindle Fire HD, and the Nook Tablet HD....  All of which are much cheaper than the iPad Mini.

• $329 16 GB WiFi-only
• $429 32 GB WiFi-only
• $529 64 GB WiFi-only
• $459 16 GB WiFi/4G
• $559 32 GB WiFi/4G
• $659 64 GB WiFi/4G

All those other 7" Name-Brand tablets have higher resolution screens.  And most have some sort of expandability  either HDMI-out, a flash card slot, standard USB or all of the above. And the Nexus 7 is Quad-Core.  Not to mention that all those other devices cost $199!

I have an iPad, the first gen model that I picked up used for pretty cheap. I also have an iPod Touch, and have owned two different iPhones.  So I know what iOS has to offer.  But it's not worth $130 ~ $460 and having a less powerful machine.  Not to me anyway.

Also announced today, the iPad itself has been refreshed, the so-called "New iPad" is no more.  The new-new iPad is dubbed the "iPad with Retina Display" and comes with a new A6 CPU.  Still dual-core, but now with quad-core graphics.  The old "New iPad" has been retired, but if you act fast you can pick up a "refurbished New iPad" for $50 more than the iPad Mini.  They are still offering the iPad 2 for some reason.

Even the names are confusing. You have the iPad 2, the iPad Mini, and the iPad with Retina Display.  To me, the iPad 2 sounds more "up-to-date" than the others, even though it is the least powerful of the bunch.