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iPad mini IPad mini 5 now or wait ?
- Thread starter Abaganov
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Keep it. Last time the mini was updated was back in November 2015. I don't see it getting an update anytime soon.
No one on the MR forums knows anything for sure, we are just all speculating using rumors and history, and basically just making educated guesses.
If you prefer the Mini, I would just stick with the Mini 5, it might be a very long time before Apple releases an iPad Mini 6, it may not ever happen.
Apple never seemed to give much attention to the iPad Minis starting with the iPad Mini 3.
The rumor was that the iPad mini 2 was cannibalising sales from the iPad Air which had a much higher profit margin. This was due to the relative good specs of the iPad Mini 2 when compared to the more expensive iPad Air.
The iPad Air and iPad Mini 2 were launched together, and shared a lot of the same hardware and specs. In some cases, the iPad Mini 2's HW was actually better than the iPad Air's, such as the pixels per inch of the displays. The Mini 2 had 326 ppi versus the Air's 264 ppi.
So, the Mini 2 cannibalized sales from the Air and Apple responded by nerfing future Mini releases.
For example, the iPad Mini 3 launched a year after the iPad Mini 2, but it had all the same hardware as the Mini 2. The only difference was that the Mini 3 had Touch ID, which the Mini 2 did not.
This made the iPad Air 2 much more competitive, especially since it launch with a powerful upgrade over the original Air, Mini 2 and 3, the A8X.
Apple released the Mini 4 a year after the Mini 3 and the Air 2, but it still was underpowered when compared to the Air 2 that came out the year before. The Mini 4 only had a A8, which was just a small improvement over the A7 that the Mini 2 had two year prior.
It would be almost 4 years before Apple released an update to the Mini, which was the Mini 5.
Anyways, I wouldn't hold out for a new Mini, as I don't think it will happen any time soon, but again, this is all just a guess, as a new iPad mini could launch tomorrow.
If you prefer the Mini, I would just stick with the Mini 5, it might be a very long time before Apple releases an iPad Mini 6, it may not ever happen.
Apple never seemed to give much attention to the iPad Minis starting with the iPad Mini 3.
The rumor was that the iPad mini 2 was cannibalising sales from the iPad Air which had a much higher profit margin. This was due to the relative good specs of the iPad Mini 2 when compared to the more expensive iPad Air.
The iPad Air and iPad Mini 2 were launched together, and shared a lot of the same hardware and specs. In some cases, the iPad Mini 2's HW was actually better than the iPad Air's, such as the pixels per inch of the displays. The Mini 2 had 326 ppi versus the Air's 264 ppi.
So, the Mini 2 cannibalized sales from the Air and Apple responded by nerfing future Mini releases.
For example, the iPad Mini 3 launched a year after the iPad Mini 2, but it had all the same hardware as the Mini 2. The only difference was that the Mini 3 had Touch ID, which the Mini 2 did not.
This made the iPad Air 2 much more competitive, especially since it launch with a powerful upgrade over the original Air, Mini 2 and 3, the A8X.
Apple released the Mini 4 a year after the Mini 3 and the Air 2, but it still was underpowered when compared to the Air 2 that came out the year before. The Mini 4 only had a A8, which was just a small improvement over the A7 that the Mini 2 had two year prior.
It would be almost 4 years before Apple released an update to the Mini, which was the Mini 5.
Anyways, I wouldn't hold out for a new Mini, as I don't think it will happen any time soon, but again, this is all just a guess, as a new iPad mini could launch tomorrow.
I expect the rumor was merely that - rumor.
I know *a lot* of people who bought an iPad mini because it was "cheap" but really wanted a bigger tablet or had no use for a tablet at all. Particularly so when phablets started becoming the norm.
Mind, Air had a wider color gamut compared to the mini 2 so that's one source of savings even with the higher pixel density.
Apart from TouchID, the mini 3 also got an upgraded display with same color gamut as OG Air although I doubt many people knew or cared. Of course, it wasn't as good as Air 2 which got upgraded to laminated and at $399, it seemed poor value indeed compared to the price reduced mini 2.
Unfortunately, I reckon it's underpowered by necessity (thermal constraints).
If I remember correctly, Apple reduced Air 2 base pricing to $399 around the same time they released the mini 4 at $399. Alas, most people were of the opinion that a smaller tablet should be cheaper never mind the mini 4's 2048*1536 326 ppi display likely costs the same or perhaps even more than the Air 2's 2048*1536 264 ppi display.
Yeah, this is the cannibalizing part. One product taking away sales of another.
While it is just a rumor as Apple didn't break down sales by model, it was most likely true. There was plenty of articles back then of the larger, more expensive iPads losing sales to the Minis, at least up to the Mini 2. After that, the iPad Minis had significantly older HW to their larger counterparts, and were similarly priced.
It isn't unreasonable to think Apple felt that every sale of the cheaper and powerful Mini 2 was a loss of a sale of a larger, more profitable device. This is why I think the iPad Mini 3 didn't get much of a HW update like the mini 2 did before it.
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If you have use for a small tablet I'd just buy the Mini 5 now. The A12 is plenty powerful and should run great for years to come. Who knows what Apple will do for sure, but I suspect the Mini 5 will be sold as is for a couple more years before it is either updated or the iPad Mini is discontinued altogether.
2015.? newest is last year
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i bought it for testing ipad os and also for remote work. I still have old macbook 2011 16 gb for large use purpose. Never ever assume lot of think can be done via ipad .
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I had a Mini 2, sold it to get the 12.9" Pro, but always looked back at every new Mini rumor. When the 5 came out, I had to get it. There's something so right with the size of the Mini. It is my most used iPad (have a 3rd gen 12.9") and I can't imagine selling it unless a Mini 6 comes out. Get it when it goes on sale~
I have had almost all generations of minis and while I would n'd get it as a main ipad, as I wouldn't like to have the 12.9 as my main ipad (the mid size is ideal for that). But when a smaller or larger size is better, that is so much nicer to have the option....
PS I don't expect a new mini or new air before a couple of years and honestly I even doubt Apple will update the entry level this year... I would only expect a pro upgrade. We'll see...
PS I don't expect a new mini or new air before a couple of years and honestly I even doubt Apple will update the entry level this year... I would only expect a pro upgrade. We'll see...
Apple went through a lot of trouble getting the pricing on the 9.7" iPad down to $329.
Right now, the $329 (often $249) basic 10.2" iPad is cannibalizing sales of more profitable models and yet Apple has actually updated it every year. They've often mentioned it's their most popular iPad and ASPs on 10-K reports support this so it's selling well despite sporting what most on this forum would denounce as recycled parts.
There are 3 iPads being sold in the 10-11" size class (iPad 10.2", Air 10.5", Pro 11") but only one 7.9" and 12.9". There used to be tons of small tablets but they're mostly gone now, too. There's a market for smaller iPads to be sure. However, it's probably not as large as the one for the mid-size class.
I think if the iPad mini really was as popular as some here believe while providing at least the same profit margins as the current $329 iPads, Apple would've kept making it. I expect the 326 ppi full sRGB at 7.9" was too expensive and isn't expected to sell in sufficient volume to be able to reduce the MSRP to $279-329 even if Apple downgraded the display to non-laminated.
Looking back, I think the reason the mini 3 didn't get a bigger update is because Apple would have needed to sell it for $499 same as the Air 2 to maintain their desired profit margins. Personally, I would've preferred it if they had kept the inferior screen of the mini 2 as long as the mini 3 got A8/2GB.
In any case, I'm just happy the mini 5 with a fairly up-to-date Apple A12 chipset and 3GB RAM is available now. After year after year without updates, I had expected the mini 4 to be the last.
This isn't really true.
I think the big difference between then now and then is that for years, the iPad has been in overall decline in sales since the rise of larger iPhones.
Prior to the cheaper iPad, the Air had not been updated in years. Also, the iPad Pro was never the big seller than the iPad, iPad Air, and iPad mini was before it.
Apple needed something to prevent the iPad sales from crashing.
So, Apple launching a cheaper iPad, was a way to maintain marketshare. The iPad shares a lot of the components with the more expensive iPad Pro, helping costs with economies of scale, while the Pro still differentiates itself from the cheaper model.
It is normal to have some cannibalization, it is just part of the business.
While there may have been some cannibalization of the iPad Pro for the iPad, the iPad Pro was never a big seller. You can see this by the dramatic increased iPad sales since the introduction of the cheaper $329 iPad, all while the overall trend of decline of tablets in general.
The same cannot be said about the addition of the iPad mini.
The big difference between the full size iPad and the mini is that there was a dramatic drop is sales of the full size iPad that was replaced by sales of the cheaper mini.
There is plenty of sources to back this up:
iPad Mini Sales Overtaking iPad Sales Faster Than Apple Expected
Sales of the iPad mini are cannibalizing sales of the iPad, according to a report from NPD DisplaySearch. January shipments of tablet panels between...
www.macrumors.com
Yup, this we can agree on.
This was pretty much what I said here about the mini 2 and the Air:
The Pro didn't use to start at $799. Both 9.7" and 10.5" were only $100-150 more than original iPad pricing and really were just direct replacements to the $499 iPad Air 2.
Alas, tablets enjoyed a short period of exponential growth but reached saturation quickly with upgrade cycles closer to desktop/laptop than phones. Iirc, sales peaked around 2013/14 and was just dropping year after year so Apple needed to do something to stop the bleeding.
Sure the mini was popular, but again, I expect this is more due to most folks wanting a cheaper iPad rather than actually wanting a smaller iPad. When Apple released the mini 4 at $399 coinciding with Air 2 price drop to $399, the Air 2 was by far more popular.The same cannot be said about the addition of the iPad mini.
The big difference between the full size iPad and the mini is that there was a dramatic drop is sales of the full size iPad that was replaced by sales of the cheaper mini.
There is plenty of sources to back this up:
iPad Mini Sales Overtaking iPad Sales Faster Than Apple Expected
Sales of the iPad mini are cannibalizing sales of the iPad, according to a report from NPD DisplaySearch. January shipments of tablet panels between...
Hence, we got the $329 basic iPads instead of a $299-329 mini.
Yes, there's definitely cannibalization. What I don't agree with is the theory that Apple intentionally crippled future minis so as not to steal sales from the 9.7" iPads. Hindsight, I expect Apple just had to make sacrifices in the hardware to keep MSRP where it was while keeping profit margins the same.
As mentioned though, I'm just glad the mini 5 is as good as it is.
Not sure what the point of this in relation to what I posted. It doesn't really counter anything.
I agree.
Do you think I am arguing this point?
I wouldn't word it like this, but you above statement could be rephrased to this:
Which I completely agree.
They made sacrifices to the cheaper iPad mini to sell devices with higher profit margins.
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Yeah, probably not.
The MR buying guide can be a little misleading too.
I think it had "Don't Buy" for the Mac Mini for a couple years, IIRC.
Note, what I meant by that statement is they made sacrifices in the mini's hardware so they could sell the mini for $399 while maintaining, for example, a 50% margin for the mini itself. Not that they made sacrifices to the mini's hardware so they can sell more Airs.
Your guess is as good as anyone else here. My guess is that we're not going to see regular yearly updates of the Mini or Air lines. I wouldn't expect a new Mini for at least another year or two, but again, that's just my guess.
The Mini is just a junior sized Air. The specs are almost all the same, just $100 cheaper due to the smaller screen size. I don’t think they skimped on hardware at all. That’s why it costs more than the base iPad. The Mini 5 is related to the Air 3, not the iPad 7
That was in reference to the older minis specifically:
mini 3: non-laminated but higher pixel density, older A7 chipset, 1GB RAM $399
Air 2: laminated, triple-core A8X chipset, 2GB RAM $499
im not sure what you'll be waiting for if in the market for a mini
I think mini 5 is still a safe buy and early on in its life, even a year later
Mines been good on 12.2 and even better on 13.3
The A12 and P3 screen is humming along
I think mini 5 is still a safe buy and early on in its life, even a year later
Mines been good on 12.2 and even better on 13.3
The A12 and P3 screen is humming along
Probably. The Mini5 seems to be given such high specs primarily because they have no intention on updating it for several years.
well, the very latest rumors point to a new mini this year... with miniLED. Now it might just be a screen upgrade but based on the models, it probably isn't. Apparently the Air is being either dropped or put on hold while all the other ipads are being upgraded. The pros update is a given. Now if the mini is upgraded to A13, a 10.2 to A12 wouldn't be out of this world (A11 has never been used on a tablet and might be discontinued if the iphone 8 is), although it may kill the mid range Air... Maybe mini-LED but still non laminated? Who knows...
Considering the last gap in time when Apple updated the mini 4 to the 5, I would just keep it. It would take probably another 3 to 4 years for a mini 6, if ever. Apple doesn't seem to bring the same yearly upgrades to the iPads anymore, as it's not as big as the iPhones.
The base regular iPad still sports the A10 chip. The mini 5 with the A12 is a mini beast. If you want to save some money, do check Apple's refurbished section. At the time of this writing, I see they have refurbished mini 5. They are practically new and carry same warranty, but packaged in a white box.