iPad mini Am I the only one not Excited about the new Mini?

[laffnvegas]

I have bought the new Mini upon each new release since the First Generation back in 2012, loved everyone of them, I was using for work when I travel but mostly for the Kindle App in reading. My old Mini's would be handed down to my husband who used them for his Kindle Reader so he has my Mini 5 currently. He really needs to change because that battery is just not lasting very long on the 5 (he charges daily now) he is retired and reads a lot. But I see absolutely no reason to upgrade my 6. When you compare the 6 to the 7 other than other than going from the A14 to the A17 Pro chip there is no difference. I am now semi retired but when traveling I can do a lot of what I need on my iphone 15 Pro Max. I already have 256 GB on the mini 6. I was really hoping for some exciting improvements but nothing. I really wish they would have put the face ID on the mini and made is slightly lighter. I really hate the touch ID on my Mini 6 it only works 50% of the time I usually just end up putting in my passcode.

 

[thadoggfather]

there's dozens of us

the mini 7 reminds me of iPad 3 to 4: SoC drop in, and that's about it... but even iPad 3 to 4 had 30 pin to lightning change

 

[Technerd108]

I understand your complaint. However look at the entire Apple lineup and there are a lot of new models with just a processor upgrade.

I think sometimes Apple sticks with the same design for too long BUT they do this for several practical reasons. Look at Android phones from just a few years ago, they would have a redesign of the hardware every year. You might like this but it created several problems. Refinement of hardware design never happened and some hardware issues never get resolved and new models often presented new hardware issues. They were all good devices but the refinement of design was a problem. Then you had poor resale value.

Eventually Android OEM’s learned from Apple and switched to designs that last several generations with hardware refinement over time.

Apple doesn’t add new features in older designs but the original design is so good that it ages well.

Obviously as a Mac user timing in buying a new Mac in coordination with a new hardware design is always the best choice. Then as new releases come out over the years your device doesn’t become outdated in a year. You get better resale value and Apple makes up money for the hardware design and materials as at initial release profits are lower than the last year of production for a particular Model. This is a smart strategy in my opinion.

So with my iPad Air 5th gen I am happy. I don’t need to upgrade for a while. The mini will not get a new design in hardware probably for a while so buying the new model with a much better processor in my opinion is still a great value option for those wanting a powerful mini.

But I certainly understand your frustration with Apple for not redesigning the mini more often and making it more a focus. I think they should release a mini pro! I think a lot of people would like pro specs on a mini including m2 or newer. They could sell for the same difference in price above as the other pros over the airs or regular model's. It would sell out in a day I would guess with Apple Pencil 2 support!

 

[CharlesShaw]

Being pedantic here, but Apple doesn't even refer to the new version as 7 or 7th generation, so I suppose that's to temper expectations?

 

[01cowherd]

Being pedantic here, but Apple doesn't even refer to the new version as 7 or 7th generation, so I suppose that's to temper expectations?

View attachment 2442632

Apple made the same naming change for the latest iPad Air and iPad Pro models, and the iPad Pro has the fancy new OLED, thinner design, new accessories, and the new M4 before the MacBook Pro.

 

[Isamilis]

There are many threads sharing the same feeling as yours.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Are there additional features I wish it had, without increasing the price? Sure.

Frankly I would be willing to pay more for OLED. I don’t particularly care about ProMotion or Face ID but if it had it (for a higher price) I would still buy it.

But I realize of course, that OLED and ProMotion and Face ID costs would hurt the overall sales of the mini (the extra sales they’d gain from adding the features would not be much - e.g. I bought one anyway so my purchase would not be “new”) but the LOSS of sales due to the higher price would be too much.

This is not the same as “disappointed” though. The mini 7 with 512GB and future Apple Intelligence features, and 8GB RAM suits my needs for now.

 

[Gregg2]

Most likely, about 10% of those who are not excited about the new iPad Mini are not posting to this thread. On the other hand, of those who are excited about it, 90% are posting to other threads on the topic. Percentages are estimated only, do not rely on them. Talk to your doctor.

 

[Jackbequickly]

I seldom use my mini 6 so getting the 7 is not going to happen. I prefer FaceID.