Apple unveils a refreshed lineup of tablets, software and MacBook Pro updates at the "We've got a lot more to cover" event in San Francisco, Oct. 22, 2013.

Apple Inc CEO Tim Cook speaks about the new iPad Air during an Apple event in San Francisco, California October 22, 2013. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith

The new iPad mini features pretty substantial updates, making it well worth considering for the 7.9-inch tablet fans. See notable differences between the new iPad Mini and the old:

Old iPad Mini

New iPad Mini with Retina

7.9-inch display

7.9-inch display

7.2mm thick

7.5mm thick

0.68 pounds (Wi-Fi), 0.69 pounds (Wi-Fi and Cellular)

0.73 pounds (Wi-Fi), 0.75 pounds (Wi-Fi and Cellular)

A5 processor

A7 processor with 64-bit architecture

M7 motion processor built-in

10-hour battery life

10-hour battery life

5 megapixel, f/2.4 back-facing camera

5 megapixel, f/2.4 back-facing camera

1080p video recording

1080p video recording with 3x video zoom

1024 by 768 resolution display (non-retina)

2048 by 1536 resolution display ("retina")

163 ppi (pixels per inch)

326 ppi (pixels per inch)

Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n), dual channel (2.4GHz and 5GHz)

Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n), dual channel (2.4GHz and 5GHz) and MIMO

Bluetooth 4.0

Bluetooth 4.0

Updated Pricing: $299 for 16GB Wi-Fi, $429 for 16GB Wi-Fi + LTE

Wi-Fi-only: $399 for 16GB, $499 for 32GB, $599 for 64GB, $699 for 128GB

Wi-Fi + LTE: $529 for 16GB, $629 for 32GB, $729 for 64GB, $829 for 128GB

The new iPad Mini is mostly a visual upgrade and the retina display is a dealmaker. With the pixel density doubled, it boosts the new iPad mini's resolution up to a remarkable 326ppi. It will hard to go back soon as the user sees how crisp the "retina" display looks as compared to the non-retina. It is best for reading or watching stream media on the iPad.

Apple's new powerful A7 chip means business and is by no means a slouch although a bit choppy sometimes. If smooth UI and speed are a priority, then A7 is surely for you. The M7 motion co-processor is still a cool technology that opens new doors to app developers, especially those of fitness and the likes.

The new iPad Air is displayed during an Apple event in San Francisco, California October 22, 2013. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith

Meanwhile, the new MacBook Pro gets the latest Intel chips, better battery life and a lower price.

The new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro models look and feel just like the previous versions but the promise of an improved performance, longer battery life, faster Wi-Fi and lower prices makes it a significant update.

While other systems from premium hybrids to budget laptops had moved to Intel's newest CPU platform, fourth generation Core i-series or Haswell, the new MacBook Pro though with high-end and expensive retina display is still stuck with the 2012 processors. The Mac systems with Haswell are the 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Air 2013 and iMac all-in-one desktop, which leaves the more costly MacBook Pro oddly behind in CPU power and battery life.

The new MacBook Pro with Retina Display still has a high screen resolution with clearer photos and crisper text (2,560x1,600 pixels for the 13-inch model, 2,880x1,800 for the 15-inch model). OS X scales the onscreen content to achieve its best better than access to extremely high resolution. This is similar to the tile interface in Windows 8 with higher res PCs available today.

The new MacBook Pro feautures faster PCIe SSD storage, 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Thunderbolt 2 ports for video and data output. The prices went from $1,499 to $1,299 for the 13-inch and from $2,199 to $1,999 for the 15-inch version. The thin body 0.71 thick screen remain the same but internally it has a fourth gen Intel CPU (Core i5 in the 13-inch and Core i7 in the 15-inch) and Intel's newest onboard Iris and Iris Pro integrated graphics, with an optional Nvidia GeForce 750 graphics for the 15-inch model.

The 13-inch Macbook Pro offers a 4GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD, while the 15-inch offers the 8GB and 256GB SSD (called "quarter terabyte"). The MacBook Pro still has a power-packed thin design and is more striking with its slim chassis. The new features are software based and internal, if you like OS X10.9 Mavericks which now comes for free. There are more updated, major versions of the iPad Air, iWork and iLife.