I think that you didn't get my points:
it has a
best CPU/graphics/battery life combination for its class of products (see any benchmarks of CPU/GPU/battery life) for its generation of minitablets.
It has a
best camera for its class of products for this generation of minitablets.
It has an
average screen, same as iPad2, its parent product.
It has also
best OS for minitablets.
It has a
best app ecosystem for minitablets.
As for engineering, I don't think that you or your dog has instruments to carve a whole curved aluminium plate with such precision as a backplate of mini

neither I have.
We all know limitations of hardware. For comparison:
My beautiful Vaio X
Image has a slow Atom CPU, integrated Intel graphics (yikes), 64 gb of flash memory, 4 hours of battery life and resolution of 1366*768 for a 10 inch screen (far below of mini's resolution) plus Windows 7. It can't play
any graphic intensive games and even Yahoo flash
chess on it is dog slow (so slow that I lose usually if games are timed - so slow it is). And it costed more than 2000 US dollars. It has VGA front camera, no backside 5 mp BSI sensor camera like on mini. Mini and ipads in general have a great battery life, great graphics, absolutely fine CPU speed, abundance of executable and enjoyable software, exceeding anything I have on Windows. My iPad 3 is turbocharged with Keynote, Numbers, Pages, 3D games like FIFA 2102, Real Racing 2, plus GPS apps (good luck finding them for my Vaio), Garageband, stylus based note taking software like Notability (my favorite), scanner (JotNot) and it can print to my Samsung and Canon printers via my desktops. Everything is relative.