iPad mini iPad mini 7 price...

[Le0M]

I can't get round myself with the mini(s) price(s).
It's way smaller than the Air, and yet it's only $100 cheaper, coming at a hefty $500.
If there was an up-to-date iPad lineup, the price increase should be proportioned, this way: iPad Mini, iPad, iPad Air, iPad Pro.

I really never understood why a mini, non-pro version of a device could be more expensive than a regular, bigger version.

 

[Moukee]

The regular iPad has a way slower SoC (A14 with 4 GB of RAM), the display isn't laminated, no Apple Pencil Pro (or any wireless charging Pencil) support, no P3 colors, no anti reflective coating, USB limited to 2.0 speeds, no camera flash, Wi-Fi 6 instead of 6E, a camera flash and smaller starting storage.

Storage-normalized (both models @ 256 GB), the mini is $100 more expensive than the base iPad. Yes, it's smaller, but you get quite a few, if small, upgrades besides just a better SoC.

 

[Macalway]

What he said. I guess.

 

[JPack]

Less demand resulting in niche prices.

 

[IJBrekke]

Size does not equal price. Look at every other metric besides size, then it all makes sense.

 

[Crow_Servo]

Higher PPI, flash on the rear camera and its own unique design. The Air is mostly a recycled, downgraded iPad Pro.

 

[Le0M]

The regular iPad has a way slower SoC (A14 with 4 GB of RAM), the display isn't laminated, no Apple Pencil Pro (or any wireless charging Pencil) support, no P3 colors, no anti reflective coating, USB limited to 2.0 speeds, no camera flash, Wi-Fi 6 instead of 6E, a camera flash and smaller starting storage.

Storage-normalized (both models @ 256 GB), the mini is $100 more expensive than the base iPad. Yes, it's smaller, but you get quite a few, if small, upgrades besides just a better SoC.

I see what you’re saying, then perhaps it would make much more sense if this was called iPad Air Mini.

I think an iPad (regular) Mini would be appealing.

 

[Le0M]

Size does not equal price. Look at every other metric besides size, then it all makes sense.

Sure, but wasn't the iPhone mini sold at a cheaper price than the iPhone regular?
Then if that logic applies, I would expect the iPad mini to be cheaper than the iPad regular. Unless they renamed it the iPad Air Mini or something. You know what I'm saying?

This being said, I do believe there is a place for a real iPad mini, similar in specs to the iPad regular, but with a smaller form factor.

 

[rui no onna]

Sure, but wasn't the iPhone mini sold at a cheaper price than the iPhone regular?
Then if that logic applies, I would expect the iPad mini to be cheaper than the iPad regular. Unless they renamed it the iPad Air Mini or something. You know what I'm saying?

This being said, I do believe there is a place for a real iPad mini, similar in specs to the iPad regular, but with a smaller form factor.

The iPhone to iPad counterparts are like this though:

iPhone SE -> iPad

iPhone mini -> iPad mini
iPhone -> iPad Air 11
iPhone Plus -> iPad Air 13

iPhone Pro -> iPad Pro 11
iPhone Pro Max -> iPad Pro 13

Also, iPad mini market is fairly small. If they do a sub-$300 iPad mini, that might practically kill the market for a (presumably more profitable) mid-range iPad mini.

 

[sparksd]

Simple retail economics - they're selling it at a price point that they believe the market will bear while generating the largest profit margin.

 

[subjonas]

Sure, but wasn't the iPhone mini sold at a cheaper price than the iPhone regular?
Then if that logic applies, I would expect the iPad mini to be cheaper than the iPad regular. Unless they renamed it the iPad Air Mini or something. You know what I'm saying?

This being said, I do believe there is a place for a real iPad mini, similar in specs to the iPad regular, but with a smaller form factor.

By iPhone "regular", did you mean iPhone SE? Then no, the iPhone Mini was more expensive than the SE.
If by iPhone "regular" you meant iPhone (nothing), then yes it was sold cheaper. But the regular iPhone (nothing) is equivalent to the iPad Air, which is more expensive than the iPad Mini. Yes, the iPad Mini is essentially an iPad Air Mini.

 

[Le0M]

By iPhone "regular", did you mean iPhone SE? Then no, the iPhone Mini was more expensive than the SE.
If by iPhone "regular" you meant iPhone (nothing), then yes it was sold cheaper. But the regular iPhone (nothing) is equivalent to the iPad Air, which is more expensive than the iPad Mini. Yes, the iPad Mini is essentially an iPad Air Mini.

By iPhone regular I mean iPhone; no SE, no Pro.
And yes, that's my point: iPad mini - for what it costs and it's market collocation - is essentially an iPad Air mini.

 

[shadowboi]

Seems like Apple has lost the plot trying to sell 50 shades of gray iPads. They now have Pro models of different sizes (would have been fun if they called 13’ iPad Pro “Max”), a “student” budget iPad that feels super cheap, an iPad Air which seems to be middle ground between both, as well as awkward mini model with mobile phone processor and questionable featureset

 

[boak]

By iPhone regular I mean iPhone; no SE, no Pro.
And yes, that's my point: iPad mini - for what it costs and it's market collocation - is essentially an iPad Air mini.

It essentially was - they both (almost always) got the latest A chips. But Apple wanted to decouple their refresh cycles as the mini was a niche product. The chip diverged when Apple pivoted to market the Air as a laptop-class device and gave it an M chip.

 

[Le0M]

Seems like Apple has lost the plot trying to sell 50 shades of gray iPads. They now have Pro models of different sizes (would have been fun if they called 13’ iPad Pro “Max”), a “student” budget iPad that feels super cheap, an iPad Air which seems to be middle ground between both, as well as awkward mini model with mobile phone processor and questionable featureset

I mean, it's ok to have a few offers, considering the size of the company. But it should be easier to understand the lineup 😂

 

[boak]

Seems like Apple has lost the plot trying to sell 50 shades of gray iPads. They now have Pro models of different sizes (would have been fun if they called 13’ iPad Pro “Max”), a “student” budget iPad that feels super cheap, an iPad Air which seems to be middle ground between both, as well as awkward mini model with mobile phone processor and questionable featureset

Not really. If you want small: mini. If you want regular: base, Air, Pro. If you want large: Air, Pro.

The mini is a really niche product. You would rarely end up buying the mini when you were initially shopping for a "normal" iPad.

 

[klasma]

I can't get round myself with the mini(s) price(s).
It's way smaller than the Air, and yet it's only $100 cheaper, coming at a hefty $500.

The mini display has significantly higher pixel density than the Air (326 DPI vs. 264 DPI). The mini has 87% the number of pixels of the Air 11”, which in turn has only 69% the pixels of the 13”. Going by pixel count, the mini should be priced even closer to the 11”, compared to the price difference between the 11” and the 13”.

I really never understood why a mini, non-pro version of a device could be more expensive than a regular, bigger version.

The mini has a significantly better screen (color space, full lamination, AR coating) (ignoring the jelly scrolling issue of the 6+) than the regular iPad, now double the base storage, and supports wireless Pencil charging (and Pencil hover).

The portability due to its small size and weight is a feature.

 

[Le0M]

The mini display has significantly higher pixel density than the Air (326 DPI vs. 264 DPI). The mini has 87% the number of pixels of the Air 11”, which in turn has only 69% the pixels of the 13”. Going by pixel count, the mini should be priced even closer to the 11”, compared to the price difference between the 11” and the 13”.


The mini has a significantly better screen (color space, full lamination, AR coating) (ignoring the jelly scrolling issue of the 6+) than the regular iPad, now double the base storage, and supports wireless Pencil charging (and Pencil hover).

The portability due to its small size and weight is a feature.

Sure, but the actual iPad (regular) is outdated imo.
Not only I think there would be interest in a cheaper Mini, but also in a Pro Mini, like an 8 inches or something. I would be super interested.

 

[subjonas]

The mini has a significantly better screen (color space, full lamination, AR coating) (ignoring the jelly scrolling issue of the 6+) than the regular iPad, now double the base storage, and supports wireless Pencil charging (and Pencil hover).

The portability due to its small size and weight is a feature.

I believe it’s always had a higher performance chip too

 

[subjonas]

Sure, but the actual iPad (regular) is outdated imo.
Not only I think there would be interest in a cheaper Mini, but also in a Pro Mini, like an 8 inches or something. I would be super interested.

There would be some interest in cheaper and more expensive Minis, but if the market for the Mini is small, it makes business sense to just do one tier of Mini, and if just one tier it makes sense to do a middle tier.

 

[klasma]

Sure, but the actual iPad (regular) is outdated imo.

The mini having the superior screen and better chip has been true for a decade or so.

Not only I think there would be interest in a cheaper Mini, but also in a Pro Mini, like an 8 inches or something. I would be super interested.

My guess is that Apple’s numbers show that the economics wouldn’t be attractive for Apple. They can likely make a good estimate by translating Air vs. mini sales to their regular-iPad sales. And size reduction doesn’t necessarily imply a corresponding reduction in manufacturing cost. Otherwise the Apple Watch should be super cheap.

And a Pro mini couldn’t have an M-series chip due to heat dissipation and/or the small battery. So it would be a semi-Pro with Face ID and ProMotion but less performance and still less features (smart connector? stage manager?) and worse battery life.

 

[brilliantthings]

This makes me think that maybe the iPhone minis might've survived if Apple had charged a premium for their mininess 😭

 

[profets]

My primary device is a 13" iPad Pro, but I've always loved the mini for more casual use. I've been using one for several years mainly to read books and do some browsing / watch videos.

I'm in Canada and with the 6th gen at the time I couldn't make 64GB work. Going up one storage tier and adding sales tax approaches $1000 CAD. Feels quite intense for a mini.

 

[mansplains]

Sure, but the actual iPad (regular) is outdated imo.

This is intentional, to keep the price point lower. Prior years' tech for a more affordable model.

 

[Digitalguy]

The mini 6 was severely overpriced compared to the air 5 and despite this, according to several reports the most sold iPads were the mini and the 12.9 pro with mini led (contrary to pre 2021, when the cheapest iPad was the most sold device).
The mini 6 despite the measily 4GB RAM and 64GB storage was very popular so Apple had no reason to lower the price. And if it wasn't for Apple Intelligence, it wouldn't even have received the A17 pro with 8GB RAM.