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Alright Apple, are you going to update the iPad Mini?
- Thread starter marc55
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I have an iPhone 7 Plus which I love, and an iPad mini 4, which I love. How do I use both? My Plus is my main communications computing device, and my iPad mini is my main professional computing device. I run a music lessons business and during the work day I live on the Files, Mail, and Messages app with airplaying to my tv monitor in my studio for sheet music displaying and other multimedia. I absolutely love this little thing. While I’ve been pretty tempted with the iPads Pro (that 12.9 would render orchestral score folders unnecessary for my conducting gigs), but alas...that price. That’s what kept me going with the Little Mini That Could and I’m praying a new one is on the horizon.
I would 100% buy an updated Mini with Pencil support. I'd go back to an SE sized phone and use the Mini as larger screen. The 7+ just doesn't cut it, especially when I do not use all the bells and whistles and want a screen that is iPad mini sized. I loved my iP Mini 4 - which I returned when I had to replace my iMac. I like my 12.9" iPP (it may prove useful beyond drawing as I am beginning to use it in other ways), but I'd much rather carry a smaller iPhone and an iPad Mini.
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The Mini sure has a lot of fans. I personally like the bigger screen on the 9.7”. I have a 7” nexus and it feels small. It’s a 1080p screen but it just feels tiny like I’m using a phone. Not sure about the difference between it and the mini size wise. But I think I’ve seen enough support here for the mini to say they should keep it. 
The Mini sure has a lot of fans. I personally like the bigger screen on the 9.7”. I have a 7” nexus and it feels small. It’s a 1080p screen but it just feels tiny like I’m using a phone. Not sure about the difference between it and the mini size wise. But I think I’ve seen enough support here for the mini to say they should keep it.
The iPad mini is quite a bit larger than the nexus 7. Not only because of the 0.9” longer diagonal but also because of the 4:3 aspect ratio (vs the nexus’ 16:9). But for a small tablet I actually prefer the size of the nexus 7 over the mini, at least the width (in portrait orientation). The main problem I have with the mini is that it’s too wide to comfortably grasp from the back with one hand. It would make the mini so much more usable for me. And unfortunately for me I can’t stand big phones. For me they are neither suitable as phones nor as small tablets.
What is the basis for this deep and insightful observation?
It’s not dead until Apple no longer sells it. Many thought the iPod Touch was dead and it got an unexpected refresh. Like the iPod Touch, the iPad mini may be on a lifeline, but it’s not dead.
That was just a drive-by comment by them, not a serious statement.
Apple has been all over the map with new models..
iPad 4 -> Air 1 = 1 year
Air 1 -> Air 2 = 11 months
Air 2 -> iPad 2017 = 2 yrs 5 months
Mini -> Mini 2 = 1 year
Mini 2 -> Mini 3 = 1 year
Mini 3 -> Mini 4 = 1 year
Mini 4 = 2 yrs, 4 months and counting
There's no way to predict what Apple will do, but if Apple is going to continue the Mini, there is a high probability of an announcement within a few months.
Mini 3 should be taken out
. Barely an update. Then it makes it look like 2 years apart and means 2 years 4 months doesn’t look quite as bad >.<
Excellent point.Mini 3 should be taken out
I agree something will likely happen to the mini within the next few months, whether it’s going to be updated or axed. I think the longest Apple has not updated an iOS device is about 3 years (iPod Touch), which for the mini will be this fall.
This is precisely why I want a new Mini to be released: I read a ton of books on my and it'd be nice to have a Mini as an e-reader. Right now I'll read on my 7+ or iPad 2017 (9.7") but the Mini is the sweet spot for e-reading IMO.
Unlike iPod Touch, the iPad mini serves no strategic value for Apple.
iPod serves as a $199 gateway into the App Store and Apple ecosystem. Analysts are fully aware of this and Apple has publicly admitted it. Children who grow up using FaceTime and playing Pokemon Go soon buy an iPhone.
iPad mini is neither the cheapest iPad, a great media consumption tablet, nor a competitive e-book reader. Surveys indicate most tablet users use their tablet at home where a large display is appreciated. Amazon is ruling the e-book reader market with their $79 Kindle Fire. With the multitasking features introduced in iOS 11, the iPad mini looks increasingly out of place.
I'm sure a bunch of people are interested to find this out. I never felt like Apple had to make the iPad mini in the first place – but when they did, I embraced it as the first true real-life Star Trek PADD and the best indoor device for reading books and articles ever.
But even after so much time, I wouldn't hold your breath – I'm sure they've thought a lot about what they're going to do, but it clearly hasn't been their focus to rush to inform customers about their plans. And you know how they are about focus.
But even after so much time, I wouldn't hold your breath – I'm sure they've thought a lot about what they're going to do, but it clearly hasn't been their focus to rush to inform customers about their plans. And you know how they are about focus.
I have not even heard a rumor that there will be a new mini and if there was one coming, something would have leaked out by now, so . . . . . . I think not.
I bet Apple has sold a lot more iPad minis than iPod touches in the last three years...
Apple is hurting themselves for not showing people what the mini is capable of. I think it's the best ipad for younger children, on the go people and a great ereader that easily fits into a purse or backpack.
Definitely an unsung hero of the line up
And that's a big problem.
The last iPad mini that saw sales growth was the iPad mini 2 for $269. Clearly, consumers were unwilling to pay $399 for iPad mini 4 or $499 for iPad Air 2. Otherwise, those products would have been refreshed.
Apple already laid out their plans last year. A large $329 iPad as a gateway product. And even larger and more expensive iPad Pro devices for productivity.
iPad mini no longer serves a strategic value. It satisfies a handful of niche customers who want a small tablet, but that's a not a good reason for updating it.
I think it's a great reason to update it. Put 2017 iPad specs in the iPad mini and sell it for $269. You'll have a great device at a price that customers can accept. Why charge $399 for a smaller device with worse specs than the $329 iPad? More storage? Yeah, but people aren't buying the mini purely for storage reasons. They bought it because it's a smaller device at a lower price point.
And that is in spite of the lack of any updates to the Mini 4 in over 2 years and the lack of any price drops during that same time.
If Apple had plans of allowing the Mini to wither on the vine as a way to have a soft-sunset, maybe the continued sales and customer satisfaction with it will cause them to reconsider (if they haven't already). There IS a spot in the line-up for a Mini Plus (upgraded Mini w/Apple Pencil support) even if it is more expensive than the 9.7 iPad 2017. Everyone understands that model is the entry level and having a Mini with Pencil support (and processor/RAM upgrades) is enough to justify a higher MSRP for the Mini. But we'll see (or not) soon.
Does the survey say users appreciate having a large display at home, or is that part your assertion?—because I much prefer using the smaller mini display at home. For casual media consumption, I personally think it’s Apple’s best tablet. When I want something bigger, since I’m at home, I skip over my 12.9 ipp and use my tv. (I use the 12.9 for work. I find the 9.7/10.5 iPads neither ideal for casual consumption nor work).
I don’t know about the bigger market, but for this customer, the mini is a competitive ebook reader. As someone who loves to read, I find the mini is apple’s only suitable device for e-reading. If Apple stops making it, I’d have to move to a kindle, which means I’d have to start buying ebooks from amazon, no longer from Apple books store. I wouldn’t prefer this, but if Apple is willing to accept driving me out of their books store (and any others like me) as part of their bigger strategy, then they should kill the mini.
Whether it makes strategic sense for Apple to keep it around, I don’t know. I haven’t seen any definitive market research saying one way or another, just a lot of conjecture. I just know the mini fills a huge role in my personal usage. I do agree, the newer iOS features are more focused on the bigger iPad pros, but I still find them useful on the mini from time to time.
Edit-for clarity
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I’ve had numerous iPads over the years and currently have the larger iPad Pro and iPad mini 2.
The iPad Pro gets used at home and work. But when travelling the iPad mini is the perfect size .. also it fits perfectly in the controller for my Mavic Pro drone.
At the current price point of £419 for the Wi-fi version it’s not worth the money for the spec.. now if there was a new version with upgraded processor I’d be on it like a shot.
Here’s hoping there’s an upgrade in the near future
The iPad Pro gets used at home and work. But when travelling the iPad mini is the perfect size .. also it fits perfectly in the controller for my Mavic Pro drone.
At the current price point of £419 for the Wi-fi version it’s not worth the money for the spec.. now if there was a new version with upgraded processor I’d be on it like a shot.
Here’s hoping there’s an upgrade in the near future
I don´t see the thing with phablets. Better to have one compact phone, and a good ipad. Dream iphone: take the SE, increase the screen a bit, decrease the overall size a bit, screen mostly edge to edge, fingerprint sensor beneath the screen with an apple logo showing the position, power button on the top right. It´s a mistake to put it on the right side. When you have side buttons on both sides, there is nothing to hold on to. Thats why I own the iphone steve jobs edition, and a 13 ipad pro.