Apple.com

Apple's unveiling of its new iPad mini launched in a sedate manner with CEO Tim Cook recapping the successes of iOS 6, the new iPods and the App Store, which has distributed 35 billion apps.

After Mr. Cook and Apple's senior veep of marketing Phil Schiller introduced a new, lighter MacBook and a pair of thinner, lighter iMacs, there came the great unveiling of the iPad Mini.

Apple's smaller iPad is the same--but different.

The Mini has the iPad's signature retina display and will use the same accessories, such as the lightning charger. Light as a pad of paper and thinner than the larger version, the iPad Mini's screen is 7.9 inches diagonally. However, when compared with similiar-sized competitors like the Google Nexus, the iPad Mini has more on-screen space--close to the full-sized iPad.

App makers won't have to redesign their product for the Mini, either--all current iPad apps will function the same on the Mini as they do on the full-size iPad.

Pricing for the iPad Mini is comparable to the larger tablet. Wifi only:

• $329, 16 GB
• $429, 32 GB
• $529, 64 GB

The cellular versions of the iPad Mini will have an option for 4G LTE reception and are, as usual, more expensive:

• $459, 16 GB
• $559, 32 GB
• $659, 64 GB.

Apple is promoting the Mini as a "concentration" of the original iPad, not a reduction.

The Verge has published a brief hands-on demo of the iPad Mini by Josh Topolsky, which you can watch below.