<Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> <P> The iPad Mini family (branded and marketed as iPad mini) is a line of mini tablet computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc . It is a sub-series of the iPad line of tablets, with a reduced screen size of 7.9 inches, in contrast to the standard 9.7 inches . The first generation iPad Mini was announced on October 23, 2012, and was released on November 2, 2012, in nearly all of Apple's markets . It features similar internal specifications to the iPad 2, including its display resolution . </P> <P> The second generation iPad Mini, with a faster processor and a Retina Display, was announced on October 22, 2013 and released on November 12, 2013 . The third generation iPad Mini was announced on October 16, 2014 and was released on October 22, 2014; it features the same external hardware as the Mini 2 and the addition of a Touch ID fingerprint sensor compatible with Apple Pay . On September 9, 2015, Apple released the iPad Mini 4 . </P> <P> On October 16, 2012, Apple announced plans for a media event on October 23 at the California Theatre in San Jose, California . The company did not give the subject of the event, but it was widely expected to be the iPad Mini . At the event, Apple CEO Tim Cook introduced a new version of MacBook family and new generations of the MacBook Pro, Mac Mini, and the iMac, then unveiled the fourth - generation iPad and the iPad Mini . </P>

What is the current generation of ipad mini