I still have hopes Apple will refresh it, but not likely until we see another iPad refresh or somewhere in between. But it would be much appreciated.
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iPad mini iPad mini 5
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I still have hopes Apple will refresh it, but not likely until we see another iPad refresh or somewhere in between. But it would be much appreciated.
How do you know that?
Again. how do you know that.
The bottom line is that nobody outside of Apple knows.
He knows everything.
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There have been few to no rumors for a new Mini. It may be the end of the road for them, but then Apple could surprise us all, one day.
People keep saying that there's not enough interest to continue the Mini line, but it seems like there's a new thread asking about a Mini 5 every day! Yeah, I know it's a very small and non-representative sample of the larger market that posts here, but I do think there would be a fair amount of interest in a new Mini if Apple put out a good one. (Not just a Mini 4 with a new colour and faster TouchID or something)
I think Apple has stopped updating anything with "mini" in it's product name.
I love my ipad mini 2. Would love love love if they came out with an ipad mini Pro. To be able to sketch and take notes on a mini would be awesome. Many people think the mini is being phased out, but Apple has always kinda neglected the mini. Often updating it less frequently than the other ipad sizes. But who knows. They could update the ipad mini again. Either with a regular update or a pro ipad mini version. I have heard no concrete rumors tho. So dont hold your breath.
Although I'd love to see a "Mini Pro", I think it is a bit impractical. A "Mini Plus" that supports Apple Pencil only (no ASK) seems more possible.
I think with the new direction they're going with for the iPad's multitasking it's unlikely going to happen. Those Amazon Kindle tablets has become the new mini these days.
I tend to side with the camp that says the iPad Mini is EOL but for the sake of speculation there’s one long shot possibility:
- Apple may release a last model / refresh of the iPad mini over the next 12 months, the main change being an update to the SOC going from A8 to A9
Two reasons:
1) in line with the new iPad 2017, no additional changes, i.e. gains of scale
2) iOS 11 is based on the new HEVC/HEIF video/picture format which can only be fully exploited by A9/A10 SOC
Again, not saying this is bound to happen, au contraire, but there’s always a possibility. No one really knows.
- Apple may release a last model / refresh of the iPad mini over the next 12 months, the main change being an update to the SOC going from A8 to A9
Two reasons:
1) in line with the new iPad 2017, no additional changes, i.e. gains of scale
2) iOS 11 is based on the new HEVC/HEIF video/picture format which can only be fully exploited by A9/A10 SOC
Again, not saying this is bound to happen, au contraire, but there’s always a possibility. No one really knows.
I think we'll find out next spring for sure. I doubt we'll see any more new iPads this year for sure. Too much else on Apple's plate for the fall. A new mini then would be invisible.
I'm in the camp hoping Apple doesn't discontinue it but, honestly, it's a 50/50 prop at this point. I will be saddened, not shocked, if it fades away. My thought (hope) is that the "new" iPad and mini are going to leapfrog each other as the consumer models. So this year the iPad was "updated," next year the mini. Neither of those models needs an annual update and that keeps the price down too.
I'm in the camp hoping Apple doesn't discontinue it but, honestly, it's a 50/50 prop at this point. I will be saddened, not shocked, if it fades away. My thought (hope) is that the "new" iPad and mini are going to leapfrog each other as the consumer models. So this year the iPad was "updated," next year the mini. Neither of those models needs an annual update and that keeps the price down too.
I could go for this. The ipad mini is about the size of the small sketchbook i carry with me. So just being able to use the Apple Pencil without it being a pro would be awesome...and cheaper! But i dunno if Apple would do this.
iPad mini 5 won't happen.
The iPad mini 3 and mini 4 killed the sales performance of the entire iPad line. Just look back at Q3'14 and Q3'15 financials when those products were launched. Sales units dropped and revenue dropped right after launch. It would be nuts for Apple to release an iPad mini 5.
The strong iPad financial results released today from Apple shows the new 9.7" low/10.5" high strategy works. Just listen to the con-call and how happy Cook and Maestri are today about iPad.
The iPad mini 3 and mini 4 killed the sales performance of the entire iPad line. Just look back at Q3'14 and Q3'15 financials when those products were launched. Sales units dropped and revenue dropped right after launch. It would be nuts for Apple to release an iPad mini 5.
The strong iPad financial results released today from Apple shows the new 9.7" low/10.5" high strategy works. Just listen to the con-call and how happy Cook and Maestri are today about iPad.
Nah, i wouldnt blame the mini for that. The pro ipads werent released during that period, and people dont upgrade their ipads that often. There just wasnt a huge demand for any ipads at that time. But then the ipad pros were released and that slowly started to change. And the larger iphone plus kinda canabalized the ipad mini...much like the iphone Hurt the ipod touch. But i think if Apple released an ipad mini with Apple pencil support, that it'd revive the ipad mini sales. I think the mini is a great size for portability and note taking. Not saying Apple will release another mini. Things aren't looking too promising at this point. But if Apple did release an ipad mini pro, i think it'd sell.
All I can say is, the financial results speak for themselves.
There's a lot of people blaming Apple for not updating the iPad mini hardware. When Apple updated the hardware in 2014 and 2015 and released the iPad mini 3 and mini 4, sales tanked.
Apple effectively killed the iPad mini 4 in March. The 9.7" (2017) and iPad Pro 10.5" are the replacements. Guess what? Sales are way up, higher than analysts predicted.
But the data doesn't offer any real insight, it could be in anticipation of iOS 11
It could be that people just couldn't wait any longer and the owners of ipad4s for example are just in the market due to planned obsolescence?
Or maybe it's customers saying apple were wrong to release a 12.9 pro model and 10.5 was what they were waiting for?
It's too early to declare the games won and the MVP after a goal in the first 5 minutes.
Mini appeared along side the phone last time.
It could be that people just couldn't wait any longer and the owners of ipad4s for example are just in the market due to planned obsolescence?
Or maybe it's customers saying apple were wrong to release a 12.9 pro model and 10.5 was what they were waiting for?
It's too early to declare the games won and the MVP after a goal in the first 5 minutes.
Mini appeared along side the phone last time.
Actually, Mini sales were quite good relative to the larger models during the quarter of the Mini 4's launch. Definitely higher than the first 12.9" Pro. During the holiday quater the Minis 2 and 4 sold more units than the Air, Air 2, and Pro combined. The Mini 3? Well, that was a joke. Not a real update, just the previous year's Mini with Touch ID, but sold at the price of a new device.
In any case, I wouldn't say that the financial results speak for themselves, because people can and do interpret the numbers to support whatever narrative they favour.
The iPad mini 4 was launched September 2015. The iPad financial results for the following quarter tanked. Keep in mind Apple launched the Pro 12.9" that same quarter.
Contrast with the 9.7" iPad (2017) that was launched late March 2017. We see the positive financial results today after a full quarter of sales.
So by that logic shouldn't the 12.9" iPad be dead as well? It sold even fewer units than the Mini 4.
As I said, people interpret the data to fit their preferred narrative. Only time will tell what will become of the Mini or any other product line, but it's silly to think that we, as simple consumers, are aware of all the factors that contribute to such decisions.
Are you seriously trying to compare a brand new iPad segment with the iPad mini? The 12.9" Pro was a $799 notebook replacement product intended to be attached with $300 of accessories. It's going to take time for the market to understand and accept the product.
iPad mini was an established form factor that had been on the market since 2012. The iPad mini 4 was a substantial refresh that was not well received by consumers.