Apple iPad Mini Pre Order Date, Price in USA: Apple Store, AT&T, Sprint, Verizon Release on October 26, 2012

The Apple iPad Mini and iPad 4 pre order, release date, and price in the USA were unveiled at the Apple keynote event today along with the specs and features.  Pre orders will begin on Friday October 26, 2012.  The time was not confirmed yet however, it's safe to say that the Apple Store, AT&T, Sprint and Verizon websites would begin processing sales at midnight.  

For several years, many were speculating that Apple would launch a smaller tablet, though Steve Jobs was not fond of 7 inch tablets.

Apple is expanding its market and expecting to catch the holiday with the large variety of products released in the recent Apple Events.   

The iPad mini is definitely more affordable than the larger tablet, however the price point is still over $100 more expensive than the major competitors including Amazon Kindle and Google Nexus.  The 16GB Wi-Fi only model starts at $329 and $529 for the 64GB model.  It goes up to $659 with 4G LTE for the 64 GB model.

The screen size is 7.9-inches and boasts of 10 hours of battery life.  It also features an a% processor, 5MP rear camera, and HD front-facing camera.  

"There is nothing as amazing as this, this beautiful new iPad Mini," said Apple's Phil Schiller.  "It's as light as a pad of paper."

With confidence, Schiller added, "Others have tried to make tablets smaller than the iPad and they've failed miserably."

The iPad 4 starts at $499 for the 16GB model, and tops at $829 for the 4G LTE 64 GB model.

"It is a powerhouse," Schiller said of the iPad 4. "We're so far ahead of the competition I can't even see them in the rear-view mirror."

Apple CEO Tim Cook also announced that over 100 million iPads have been sold.

"This is unprecedented for a new product in a new category," Cook said.

What are your thoughts on these new gadgets coming up for the holidays?