I disagree with your assessment that it was not well received by consumers. iPads as a whole were in a slump at the time, but the Mini 4 was selling as well or better than any of them.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPad mini iPad mini 5
- Thread starter Des48
- Start date
-
- Tags
- ipad mini
- Sort by reaction score
I disagree with your assessment that it was not well received by consumers. iPads as a whole were in a slump at the time, but the Mini 4 was selling as well or better than any of them.
I have a mini 2 and it's been updated a few times all ready and still is. They were discontinued this year. Right now the only mini is the 4 and there has not been any news on a new one since then.
Considering I just got my Mini 2 at the beginning of 2017 and the fact that it was discontinued and it still gets updates I don't see a new mini any time soon if at all. The mini 4 is still out there but does not seem to have as much interest as the bigger ones.
People blame Apple because Apple never really got the Mini right.
- The first Mini lacked a Retina display.
- The Mini 2 was what the Mini 1 should have been.
- The Mini 3 was a joke.
- The Mini 4 was what the Mini 3 should have been.
Apple can make a mini that's priced higher than a normal iPad, which a 3D Touch pro would have to be. Let the demand pick. The market is there. I'd buy a mini pro right now. (I've never set an alarm for launch day but for the mini pro I would!)
What i love about the mini is that its an ipad, but fits into my cargo pants pocket. I would love an ipad mini pro to use an apple pencil with to create notes & sketches on the go. It'd be the perfect digital note taking sketchbook. I totally believe there'd be a huge market for it. Still holding out hope Apple will finally give the mini its due.
Sort of. Since the Mini 2 had the same specs as the Air, which launched the same time, if it had been the Mini 1 it actually would have been a generation ahead of the full sized iPad. Aside from that one model, The Mini has always been a generation behind the full sized model in specs, and I'm okay with that. I'd say that the only ones they got wrong at the odd numbered models. The 2 and 4 were great at their time of launch, but as you said, the 1 and 3 were lacking.
The Mini 1 was two generations behind - it should have been on par with at least the iPad 3, if not the 4.
Realistically, though, the Mini 3 is the only one I'm really "bitter" over - I remember buying a Mini 2 after the disappointing announcement of the Mini 3 (I was waiting for a Mini Air 2 before buying - I eventually got it... at the same time I was drooling over and anticipating the iPad Pro).
Personally, I REALLY want the Pro Mini, even if it's "only" equivalent to the 9.7 Pro. For me, it would be the final nail in the Newton coffin - a small form factor, stylus-equipped tablet. The Mini size is perfect for a portable sketchbook and would mean I have a device that fits in my (sport coat) pocket and I don;t have to carry a bag just to have a digital sketchbook (i.e. The Pro 9.7).
There will be no iPad Mini 5
Not with an attitude like that
[doublepost=1501651777][/doublepost]
Not with an attitude like that
Edit: there's NO ipad wirh 3D Touch. I believe it's because of the design limitations (maybe tech) The mini is perfect to try and scale up this feature.
I think we will know where the iPad mini is going after the new iPhones drop. Period.
Update = they are willing to keep it and see a demand.
No update = it's dead.
Edit: there's NO ipad with 3D Touch. I believe it's because of the design limitations (and tech) The mini is perfect to try and scale up this feature. The 9.7 pro is nice but I didn't do my due diligence to know it doesn't have 3D Touch. I LOVE this feature on my 6S!
Update = they are willing to keep it and see a demand.
No update = it's dead.
Edit: there's NO ipad with 3D Touch. I believe it's because of the design limitations (and tech) The mini is perfect to try and scale up this feature. The 9.7 pro is nice but I didn't do my due diligence to know it doesn't have 3D Touch. I LOVE this feature on my 6S!
I'd give them until the end of the year. There could be a surprise update in time for the holidays. I believe other iPads have launched in October or November.
I would agree with you until yesterday news of iPad unit sale growth. And most of these sales were the new $329 iPad.There will be no iPad Mini 5
If Apple wants to keep unit sales up and is willing to sell the iPad at these levels, I see it as very logical for Apple to release an updated iPad Mini at $299/399 with the same internals as the new iPad 2017 (that sells for $329/429). Economies of scale should drive this decision (the A9 SOC is small, yielding lower power consumption and a lower cost for Apple)
Software wise, however, I agree that Apple is going in the other direction (larger iPads) and the iPad Mini will benefit little from iOS11 new features.
50/50 chance ?
If the iPad Mini is ONLY a price target and is NOT going to get the "Pro" treatment, then let it die.
To me, the Mini isn't about price - it's about size (portability / convienance). I would have no interest in a new Mini without the Pencil.
https://news4c.com/ipad-mini-5-leaked-rumors-about-new-features-and-improved-design/amp/
Maybe maybe maybe.....
Maybe maybe maybe.....
They even invoke a reliable source about price. For them it is almost certain that a mini 5 is coming. But then I never heard about this ... news4c. Have they predicted correctly anything in the past?
People have noted that with the introduction of this year's iPads Apple has experienced a 15% increase in iPad sales after years of decline, but I just read that this apparently only translated to a 2% gain in iPad revenue. This suggests that the sales are being dominated by the lower priced model (the 9.7" non-Pro) has opposed to the new iPad Pros. What's more, they experienced a 32% growth in the education market.
It may be that a Mini Pro isn't happening, but a little brother to the 2017 iPad doesn't seem impossible.
It may be that a Mini Pro isn't happening, but a little brother to the 2017 iPad doesn't seem impossible.
Last edited:
Right, but that is simply because of peoples tablet buying habits. Most people do not update their tablets as often as their phones. So of course sales will continue to slow and slow as the years go on. Unless they add features that attract the general public. The more powerful these devices get, the more the sales will stagnate because it will get to a point where normal casual buyers and users will see no advantage in ever upgrading.
There are only 2 reasons I'd want a Mini over a large iPad Pro:
1. WEIGHT - if it's more than a half pound, I can't hold it in the air - in less than 2 minutes, it falls to the desk, and then, since it's farther from my eyes, the screen is effectively smaller anyway. I don't think Apple grasps this issue - a tablet shouldn't have to be used like a laptop.
2. One Handed grasp - I can still hold a Mini in one hand, facilitating in-air use. Yes - you can hold it from the side, but the bezels are already small and shrinking and I get a lot of hand cramps doing that.
HOWEVER - if you could make a 12.9" weigh only a half pound, I'd much prefer that. Anything too large for my pocket goes in my backpack anyway, and the 12.9" iPad pro is finally the size of a single sheet of paper. (Although I get that women love Minis because they can fit in their purse - that's their pocket.)
Here's the disclaimer: What is the name of the website we are all on the forums of? MacRUMORS. There you go, problem solved.
Secondly, can you name any Apple product that, since Jobs' return to Apple in 1997, after the usual product cycle, was reduced to a single model and was then later updated?
I can't either.
Thirdly, you'd be surprised how quick it is to reply back with holes in arguments from people that can't seem to divorce their love of the iPad mini product line (which, to be fair, I have a ton of, myself) from the evidence to suggest that it will not see a fifth generation.
9.7, 10.5, 12.9. And while I know the post of yours that I am quoting predates WWDC, it doesn't predate rumors that (a) those would be the three sizes and (b) the iPad mini would eventually get discontinued altogether.
The tablet market != the smartphone market. They are not treated the same. They do not function the same. To draw comparisons between them does you no logical good in this kind of discussion. Apple has even said that the tablet market is much more fluid than the smartphone market and point to recent size introductions and rebranding as them experimenting. By the time the fifth iPhone came out, they had nailed down any inconsistencies in the branding. By the time the fifth iPad came out, that was when naming and numbering and all of that started to get nonsensical. All that to say that you are comparing apples and oranges.
The only option period is the iPad mini. Unless you count a couple of Fire Tablets and last year's Galaxy Tab S2 8.0. And that's because the only reason why the vast majority of tablet-hungry people want mini tablets, other than to read books, is because they cost less. The book-readers can by an e-ink e-reader and for those purposes it will usually be a superior experience. Otherwise, bigger iPads and bigger phones. I'm not as big of a fan of that logic either as I love the mini. But so it goes.
Lots of problems with this argument here. Saying Apple is dominating the mini-tablet market segment is like saying that you won an election to be mayor of a town with a population of only 18 people and no one running against you. It's a big deal and I'll definitely high-five you for it, but it's not as big of an accomplishment as it would otherwise sound on its own. Also, you forget that the whole thesis is that customers aren't buying the mini because they like smaller tablets; they're buying the mini because it's the cheapest tablet. Something that is now, no longer true.
I don't think you have anything to really support these assertions. The price segment matters more than the form factor segment. Apple's solution is the 9.7" 2017 iPad, which is now the cheapest iPad. There, you've solved the price segment. As for 32GB vs. 128GB; eliminating the former made it easier for Apple to position a 9.7" iPad as the entry level iPad, seeing as the 7.9" iPad will be going away. Makes perfect sense as, again, Apple is a marketing company first and foremost.
Yes.
No, next year is (likely) the last year the iPad mini 4 has a version of iOS that isn't painfully slow to use. After that it will either lose software support, or be given a version of iOS (likely iOS 12) that it can technically run but will be sluggish as hell on and that will be it. Do not be surprised if it gets discontinued sometime between now and WWDC 2018.
We all have hopes that Apple will refresh it. This is a thread full of people who, whether they think it will get refreshed or not, WANT it to be refreshed.
That said, odds REALLY don't look good. We just had an iPad refresh, no dice. Apple may lump in whatever it decides to do next in with whatever updates it does to the 9.7" iPad. And odds are decent that it will just nix it altogether, given that it's just down to one single shipping model.
This is MacRumors. The whole point of this website is trend analysis. The trend that Apple has had since Steve Jobs' return to Apple in 1997 is that if a product line is shrunken down to a single shipping model without getting updated or replaced, that said product would be the end of the line and would eventually be discontinued without an update. We are at that point with the iPad mini 4. Apple is a marketing company and their marketing emphasis reflects this. In what scenario is my hypothesis not correct?
Customer interest is irrelevant so long as Apple isn't interested themselves. This thread is chalk full of people that'd happily buy an iPad mini 5 right now if it ever materialized. That doesn't mean Apple will make one.
It was a product that was designed to compete with the likes of the Nexus 7 and various other mini Tablets. Apple's mini-tablets were, unsurprisingly, markedly superior. However, with bigger phones, and the competition all pulling away from it, manufacturers gave less of a crap about it because it was a market that had, largely, been cannibalized.
Impossible? Of course not!
Improbable? Totally.
https://twitter.com/stroughtonsmith/status/899869780219490305
No new iPad model(s) in this screenshot while the iphone 10,X and watch 3,X are present.
Probably case closed for any hope of a new mini this year.
No new iPad model(s) in this screenshot while the iphone 10,X and watch 3,X are present.
Probably case closed for any hope of a new mini this year.
Good to see confirmation, but a surprise to no one except for die hard iPad mini fans.
The iPad mini 3 and 4 were poorly received by consumers. The data compiled by Above Avalon using Fiksu data indicated a huge decrease in 7.9" sales after those models were launched. The form factor is an evolutionary dead end just like 3.5" smartphones. It has limited productivity and media consumption value.
Apple has done everything to discourage buying the iPad mini, removing the mini from their product page footers, killing the 32GB SKU, and limiting ARKit compatibility to A9 and newer.