Apple's mini iPad has the world go ga-ga

A staff member poses with new iPad Mini at an Apple store in Seoul, South Korea. Apple Inc's new, smaller version of the iPad tablet that hit the stores on November 2 will fight with other smaller tablets as the holiday season kicked off on November 23.

Shoppers looking for smaller tablets will have plenty of choices, including Apple's mini iPad. Apple introduced a smaller iPad to take on competition with devices from Amazon.com Inc., Google Inc. and others.

Apple's new iPad Mini is sure to please millions this holiday season. Song Tae-min rejoices after buying his in Seoul, South Korea.

Apple iPad Mini starts at $329 for base model with Wi-Fi only and 16 gigabytes of storage, $429 with 32 GB, $529 with 64 GB. Add $130 for versions with cellular capability.

As for any new launch, customers formed a long queue outside Apple stores (in pic: Seoul, South Korea) to purchase the new iPad Mini.

Apple's mini iPad is also thin and light, despite having a screen that's 40 per cent bigger than other "small" tablets.

The most expensive of the small tablets is also the prettiest. Its exquisitely machined metal rim sets it well apart from competing tablets clothed in plastic and rubber.

A staff member of Apple Inc hands a iPad Mini to a customer in Hong Kong.

But fans of the latest full-size iPad have reason to look down on this newcomer: compared to other Apple products, the screen just isn't that good.

The quality of the screen doesn't quite measure up to the competition. It has fewer pixels than other small tablets, and they're spread over a larger area, making for a relatively coarse, pixelated look.

The mini iPad has two cameras though - front and back - which is a rarity in tablets its size.

Where the Mini really wins is in third-party apps: it's the only small tablet that has access to Apple's App Store, with a superlative selection of high-quality apps.

It's an excellent addition to the household that's already hooked on iPhones and full-size iPads.

Along with the iPad Mini launch, Apple has also refreshed its 9.7 inch tablet. The updated iPad continues to have the Retina Display but has the new A6X processor with twice the graphics performance of the earlier A5x processor.

Shoppers check out the new Apple iPad mini at a store in Chicago. Apple's mini iPad has a screen size of 7.9 inches diagonally, with a resolution of 1024 by 768 pixels, 162 pixels per inch.

Apple has sold more than 100 million iPads since their debut in April 2010. Analysts expect Apple to sell 5-10 million iPad Minis before the year is out.

The technology giant already sold 3 million iPads in just three days after the new iPad mini and fourth generation iPad were launched on November 2.

Apple staff cheers on customers who bought the Mini iPad on the very first day of it hitting the stores (November 2).

"Customers around the world love the new iPad mini and fourth generation iPad," Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, had said after the company announced sales figures soon after the launch. "We set a new launch weekend record and practically sold out of iPad minis. We're working hard to build more quickly to meet the incredible demand."

The iPad Mini is as thin as a pencil and weighs 0.68 pounds, half as much as the full-size iPad with its 9.7-inch screen.