iPad mini iPad mini 7 price...

[UltimateSyn]

The size of the products when comparing the Air to the mini probably doesn't have a lot of bearing on the actual cost of the materials. The panel gets cheaper, I'd imagine (although keep in mind it is a physically smaller panel with a higher pixel density), and maybe they spend 10 cents less on aluminum, but nothing else really scales down. Same cameras, same USB-C connector, same microphones, similar speaker setup, same storage modules, same Pencil magnets, same TouchID sensor, same WiFi and Bluetooth modules, same cellular radio, same gyro/accelerometer, etc. Oh, I guess the battery is smaller too. I'm not really displeased with the price difference from the Air.

 

[Moukee]

The size of the products when comparing the Air to the mini probably doesn't have a lot of bearing on the actual cost of the materials. The panel gets cheaper, I'd imagine (although keep in mind it is a physically smaller panel with a higher pixel density), and maybe they spend 10 cents less on aluminum, but nothing else really scales down. Same cameras, same USB-C connector, same microphones, similar speaker setup, same storage modules, same Pencil magnets, same TouchID sensor, same WiFi and Bluetooth modules, same cellular radio, same gyro/accelerometer, etc. Oh, I guess the battery is smaller too. I'm not really displeased with the price difference from the Air.

And a few cents on the smaller battery, but add a flash for the camera to the cost. Overall $100 cheaper makes a lot of sense I think.

 

[subjonas]

The size of the products when comparing the Air to the mini probably doesn't have a lot of bearing on the actual cost of the materials. The panel gets cheaper, I'd imagine (although keep in mind it is a physically smaller panel with a higher pixel density), and maybe they spend 10 cents less on aluminum, but nothing else really scales down. Same cameras, same USB-C connector, same microphones, similar speaker setup, same storage modules, same Pencil magnets, same TouchID sensor, same WiFi and Bluetooth modules, same cellular radio, same gyro/accelerometer, etc. Oh, I guess the battery is smaller too. I'm not really displeased with the price difference from the Air.

I think this perceived higher value of bigger (vs minimal actual manufacturing cost of bigger) is generally a major reason that small devices don’t get much attention or get axed completely. Part of it is many people want bigger devices but another part of it is companies are happy to sell more of the bigger devices to them for higher profit.

 

[Shanghaichica]

The pricing is actually pretty good for the increased storage. I bought my mini 6 at launch and it was £479 for 64GB. Later on the price increased to £499 here. So now it's £499 for double the storage. The mini is smaller and people buy it for the size so I think people are willing to pay more to get a good small sized device.

 

[Le0M]

The mini is smaller and people buy it for the size so I think people are willing to pay more to get a good small sized device.

Oh I definitely agree! I was so p*ssed when Apple decided to discontinue the iPhone Mini. Some people prefer smaller form factor, while retaining the power and quality of the bigger ones.

 

[Pezimak]

Well considering Apple increased the Pro prices to start from a grand this year!!! The new Mini is a bargain. Although compared to the Air it is a bit expensive but it’s a nice size.
Personally I’ve been toying with upgrading my M1 11” Pro. I looked at the new M4 and fell in love with its OLED panel. But it’s a little confusing. I got my iPad when my Mac was really really really old and I hardly used it. So my iPad became my main device, so the size made sense. But now I have a new 14“ MacBook Pro, not so sure about the iPads size these days although I still use it daily. Been using it naked to see how it goes. Trouble for me is I love Pro Motion and really notice going back to devices without it.
But, whether I can drop to a Mini iPad or not I’m not sure, cause the new Pros are twice its price! They are over £200 more then my M1 Pro cost.

But I am very happy Apple has kept the Mini around, it has a dedicated fan base and some use it as a phone. A much appreciated device I think.