iPad mini (1st generation)

Steve Jobs had said publicly that a 7-inch tablet was dead on arrival and that Apple would not build one. Apple built one. The mini put the iPad 2's internals and the same 1024x768 resolution behind a 7.9-inch screen in a body 7.2mm thick and 308 grams, less than half the original iPad, and priced it at $329. The screen was the compromise, since it was not Retina at a moment when the full-size iPad was, and reviewers said so repeatedly. It sold anyway, because a tablet you can hold in one hand for an hour is a different object from one you rest on your lap. This is the iPad that took the form factor from Amazon and Google.