Apple stated that the new iPad mini would provide the exact same experience that the original iPad did; and as things seem to unfold, Apple is certainly standing by the statement. The company makes it impossible for developers to find out if a page is being accessed by an iPad mini or an iPad. Traditionally, developers would like to find out exactly what device is accessing their page so that they can adjust the website accordingly.
Not being able to detect if a page is being accessed by a mini or the full size version was found on a thread posted on Hacker News. According to the web content formatting business Onswipe, Apple has done this so that the web content that people access on their mini would would be identical to that of the bigger iPad. Apple had stressed during the launch of the mini that it was “every inch an iPad,” so apps would require no changes in order to work on the mini, plus it would have the same resolution as the 10 inch version.
Apple fears that if developers can detect a mini and then tailor the experience accordingly, then there are going to be some long term user experience implications. At times, this customization for smaller tablets or devices means a more frustrating experience for users who just want to have the same thing they have when they use the iPad.
Developers however, will feel as if they have been treated like kids, since their hands are tied when it comes to offering a more custom experience for a smaller device. But with this so called restriction, Apple is ensuring the same experience across all iPads. The CEO of Onswipe Jason Baptiste said that it might also be because Apple was preparing to a possibility that the mini might eventually become more popular than the larger version by decreasing the amount of needed content revision in that case.