Apple finally unveiled the long-rumored iPad Mini at a press event in San Jose, California, on Tuesday, October 23. The firm also showed off new versions of the standard iPad and a revamped MacBook Pro.

The iPad Mini was clearly the star of this show, however.

Despite former Apple Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs having once dismissed 7-inch tablets, the firm has long been developing a device to compete in the rapidly growing lower-end tablet niche.

7.9-Inch Screen, No Retina Display, $329

The iPad Mini weighs just 0.68 pounds and measures only 7.2 millimeters thick. The screen is 7.9-inches wide, with 1024 x 768 pixel resolution. (Source: nbcnews.com)

Although it doesn't feature the lush, high-resolution Retina display found in the newest iPads, the new iPad Mini's screen is smaller, so it's reportedly hard to notice the difference.

The iPad Mini contains 16GB internal flash memory, front- and rear-facing cameras, and LTE cellular wireless support. Apple says the iPad Mini's battery should last ten hours.

The most important detail: Apple says the device will retail for $329 (and up) when it goes on sale Friday, November 2.

New 9.7-Inch iPad Features Faster Processor

Apple has also unveiled a 4th generation 9.7-inch iPad. The device includes a newer and faster processor, yet will retail for the same price as its predecessor: $499 and up.

A new 13-inch MacBook Pro laptop will eschew an optical disc drive in order to slim down to 0.75 inches in thickness. The device ships with a powerful Intel Core i5 processor, a 256GB solid state drive, 8GB RAM, and the popular Retina display.

The MacBook Pro's bad news: a starting price of $1,699.

Overall, there's no doubt the focus of this event was on Apple's new tablet computers. As Apple CEO Tim Cook pointed out, they're selling like hotcakes.

"We sold more iPads in the June quarter than any PC manufacturer sold of their entire PC lineup," Cook said. "We're not taking our foot off the gas." (Sour ce: informationweek.com)