iPad mini iPad Mini 1 still useful for anything in 2025?

[Andy_2341]

Hey everyone.
I recently found an iPad Mini 1 on eBay that is really clean for cheap. Would this iPad still be usable for anything? I know it is stuck on iOS 9 and I probably wouldn't use it online much. (That would be risky, right?) Is there anybody who still has one or uses one for anything?

 

[Apple_Robert]

You could use it as a book reader.

 

[Andy_2341]

You could use it as a book reader.

That would be a good use. Maybe some games from 2012 as well.

 

[geta]

Frisbee?

 

[MiamiBeach]

I have an old iPad mini 2nd Gen (I know yours is 1st Gen but don’t see why you couldn’t do this as well) that I use as a dedicated device for streaming my music collection to a speaker in my living room.

 

[Andy_2341]

I have an old iPad mini 2nd Gen (I know yours is 1st Gen but don’t see why you couldn’t do this as well) that I use as a dedicated device for streaming my music collection to a speaker in my living room.

Nice. I think it could do that too.

 

[Student of Life]

I think Netflix and amazon prime still work on it.

 

[Digitalguy]

It's a waste of money. My iPad 2 (same specs) can't run anything, the screen isn't retina and you need a lot of patience even to run the OS. The mini 2 is a much more usable device, forget the 1, even as a reader it's not worth it

 

[Andy_2341]

It's a waste of money. My iPad 2 (same specs) can't run anything, the screen isn't retina and you need a lot of patience even to run the OS. The mini 2 is a much more usable device, forget the 1, even as a reader it's not worth it

Yeahhh, I kinda started to come to this conclusion as I thought about it. I use an iPhone SE 2016 as an iPod and occasionally try to use the internet, but it struggles pretty bad with its A9. Thanks for confirming it though.

 

[Digitalguy]

Yeahhh, I kinda started to come to this conclusion as I thought about it. I use an iPhone SE 2016 as an iPod and occasionally try to use the internet, but it struggles pretty bad with its A9. Thanks for confirming it though.

A9 is miles ahead of A5, night and day, even A7 is still. And the 500MB RAM make everything almost impossible. At some point I decided to give up... If you think A9 with 2GB struggles don't try A5 with half a GB

 

[mortlocli]

I still use mine every morning web browsing while still in bed with a morning coffee. ..recently installed Puffin browser version 5.2.9 and found it faster than opera with less wifi drop outs.
iBooks, Foxit PDF, Google Maps, Tube Browser, Notes and local (NZ) apps still useful.

 

[Digitalguy]

I still use mine every morning web browsing while still in bed with a morning coffee. ..recently installed Puffin browser version 5.2.9 and found it faster than opera with less wifi drop outs.
iBooks, Foxit PDF, Google Maps, Tube Browser, Notes and local (NZ) apps still useful.

You are a very patient person if you use it with iOS 9....

 

[MacFarmer]

I saw some being sold here for around 25 Eur. They are now cheaper then the last door stopper I bought

 

[Starfia]

I found a practically new iPad mini 2 for about 30 USD on eBay last year. I sort of crafted a transparent box for it, transfer videos to it from the Mac, and it offers at least ten or twelve hours of idle playback for our cat.

If it wasn't doing that, it would also be a nice way to display images or videos someplace.

I've also repurposed my first-generation iPhone SE as a full-time display for a web app, and I think an old iPad would work well for that kind of thing too.

 

[Iwavvns]

Hey everyone.
I recently found an iPad Mini 1 on eBay that is really clean for cheap. Would this iPad still be usable for anything? I know it is stuck on iOS 9 and I probably wouldn't use it online much. (That would be risky, right?) Is there anybody who still has one or uses one for anything?

Don't take this the wrong way, but I think you're putting the cart before the horse. It is best to discover a need and then search for a tool to help fulfill that need, rather than find a tool and search for a need this new tool might fulfill.

 

[Starfia]

Don't take this the wrong way, but I think you're putting the cart before the horse. It is best to discover a need and then search for a tool to help fulfill that need, rather than find a tool and search for a need this new tool might fulfill.

I think that is a fine reminder for keeping one's possessions manageable and precluding clutter generally.

It also seems that kind of wisdom is antithetical to being an enthusiast, and this is definitionally a site for enthusiasts. Perhaps it will serve as a mild factor. ^ ^

 

[Iwavvns]

I think that is a fine reminder for keeping one's possessions manageable and precluding clutter generally.

It also seems that kind of wisdom is antithetical to being an enthusiast, and this is definitionally a site for enthusiasts. Perhaps it will serve as a mild factor. ^ ^

That is a very good point, I hadn't thought about the enthusiast perspective. Ok, I'll have to go with "book reader", I think any iPad would make an excellent book reader.

 

[FeliApple]

The A5 on iOS 6? Unusable software-wise, but for whatever little it can do, very pleasant.

An iPad Mini 1 on iOS 9? Both unusable software-wise, and one of the worst-performing software updates Apple has ever released. I’d just avoid it entirely.

 

[Starfia]

It's a waste of money.

Yeahhh, I kinda started to come to this conclusion as I thought about it.

My emerging main thought: even if you don't mean to use it, the first iPad ever is still the first iPad ever, and it's already 15 years old. I only sold mine because it was still valuable and I was ready to upgrade, but if I could keep hold of one in good shape at a good price as a collection item or to sell for historical interest someday, I might do.

 

[Iwavvns]

The A5 on iOS 6? Unusable software-wise, but for whatever little it can do, very pleasant.

An iPad Mini 1 on iOS 9? Both unusable software-wise, and one of the worst-performing software updates Apple has ever released. I’d just avoid it entirely.

Unusable? Hardly. My first foray into iOS was iOS 5 and I can't remember any version of iOS being "unusable". I'm guessing your comment is a case of "your mileage may vary".. as is mine.

 

[FeliApple]

Unusable? Hardly. My first foray into iOS was iOS 5 and I can't remember any version of iOS being "unusable". I'm guessing your comment is a case of "your mileage may vary".. as is mine.

Perhaps I was unclear. It is unusable now, not at release. At least iOS 5 and iOS 6. I meant in terms of compatibility.

iOS 9 performs so poorly that I would call it unusable at any point in history.

iOS 12 is a struggle now. It obviously wasn’t at release.

 

[rui no onna]

iOS 9 performs so poorly that I would call it unusable at any point in history.

Lol, I remember being able to type entire sentences before the text would appear on-screen on the iPad 3 (A5X).

At the time, I had access to 3 generations of iPads all with 1GB RAM: iPad 3, 4 and Air. The performance on the latter two is just way better compared to the iPad 3. The Air was worse than the 4 in terms of RAM management though.

 

[Andy_2341]

Don't take this the wrong way, but I think you're putting the cart before the horse. It is best to discover a need and then search for a tool to help fulfill that need, rather than find a tool and search for a need this new tool might fulfill.

I was getting the cart before the horse, I just didn’t see that then. Thank you for the advice.

 

[FeliApple]

Lol, I remember being able to type entire sentences before the text would appear on-screen on the iPad 3 (A5X).

At the time, I had access to 3 generations of iPads all with 1GB RAM: iPad 3, 4 and Air. The performance on the latter two is just way better compared to the iPad 3. The Air was worse than the 4 in terms of RAM management though.

Yeah, it was a massive mistake by Apple, a mistake from which they did not learn, as iOS 10 was perhaps equally pathetic for A6 devices.

As for newer iOS devices, as somebody used to running original iOS versions, they are also pathetic. Not as bad as A5/A6, but poor enough. A9 fully updated, A10 fully updated... garbage.

 

[Iwavvns]

Perhaps I was unclear. It is unusable now, not at release. At least iOS 5 and iOS 6. I meant in terms of compatibility.

iOS 9 performs so poorly that I would call it unusable at any point in history.

iOS 12 is a struggle now. It obviously wasn’t at release.

Those versions of the operating system haven't just magically changed between then and now. You are the thing that changed, you and your expectations have been altered by the progression of technology. Don't blame the software, it did exactly what it was supposed to do.. perform consistently. Your expectations are the thing that changed.

Now, if mankind could get software working and then leave it the hell alone, then we wouldn't need new versions every year. All of this constant tinkering is why software gets outdated so quickly.