Two More iPads Slated for 2012

By now you’ve probably already heard that Apple has announced two new iPad branded tablets. In fact, you’ve definitely already heard this by now, because these are Apple products, and no doubt that one die hard Apple fan in your circle of friends has already told you all about how they are going to totally revolutionize... something.

What you may not know already are the details surrounding the new tablet computers and their incredibly odd (and, depending on who you ask, frustrating) release dates.

First off, we have the new kid on the block, aka the iPad Mini. The new device is Apple’s answer to the growing seven-inch tablet market. It’s 53 percent lighter than its older sibling, features the same A5 processor found in the iPhone 5, has its own, smaller version of the iPad Smart Cover and will use Apple’s new Lightning connector.

That all seems pretty much in line with what everyone expected just prior to the press conference at which it was announced, but what is surprising is the price.

The 16 gigabyte version of the iPad Mini with wi-fi only wireless will set you back $330, while the cellular version will start at $459 dollars. For comparison, other, similar seven-inch tablets like the Nexus 7 and the Kindle Fire only cost $200.

If you’re willing to pay the extra $130 markup from most other tablets of that size, you still have just enough time to pre-order one. The device itself ships tomorrow.

And the slightly more normal, but equally zany side of things, we have the new, fourth generation standard sized iPad. And when I say we have it, I mean that we will have it very soon; this year, in fact.

That’s right, the new iPad is being released into the wild alongside its miniature companion. In case you’re wondering why this is so unexpected, the third generation iPad was only released a mere seven months ago.

This shucks Apple’s longstanding tradition of the yearly generation cycle. This has, understandably, upset those consumers out there that buy each new model of Apple devices year after year, as they must now drop twice the money they expected to have to this year in order to keep up with the latest technology. And they probably will, whining all the while as they fork over more than $500 for the second time in just over half a year.

For those expecting to get the basically identical third generation iPad on the cheap now, you’ll have to settle for buying used. With the announcement of the new, new iPad came the declaration that the previous model (but not the iPad 2, oddly enough) will be discontinued altogether.

So, is this the beginning of the newer, even greedier Apple that the world feared would rear its ugly head when Steve Jobs finally shuffled off this mortal coil? Perhaps. But I’ve got a sneaking suspicion that this was probably planned at some point long ago.

Whatever the case, these announcements aren’t likely to rock anyone’s world. Apple fans will remain Apple fans, and those that hate Apple will likely continue to do so, just with a bit more ammunition than they had previously. However, if things continue on this course we may see opinion shift on the unstoppable company sometime in the future.

Maybe.