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iPad mini is dead?
- Thread starter pika2000
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iPad mini is 7.8 inches iPhone plus is 5.5 , that makes iPhone screen half the size for double the price. Of course iPhone 7 comes a much better processor but no problem with my iPad mini 4 that costs 400 dollars to justify replacing it with iPhone 7 plus that costs 800 dollars.
Mini is not marginally larger it's massively larger. Because double size does make a huge difference because of the small scale of these devices.
I have a cheap android phone, it's crap but because I carry easily my mini around I never use it as a smartphone only for receiving and making calls and sharing the mobile internet with the mini in the exception I am not near a wifi.
Mostly agree! There are still a couple updates I want though: quad speakers, water resistant (to use in bathroom and kitchen), better display for outdoor use, more storage, and maybe Apple Pencil. And I'd actually like the size reduced as well but that isn't in the realm of possibility.
yes, because the iphone PLUS is too big for a lot of people...but with the intro of the iphone 8 with an even larger display than the iphone plus but in more compact form, Apple will sell this a lot more than 4.7"
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I simply can't get behind the "Mini is too similar to IPhone+" argument. Massively different requirements and use cases, not least of which is fitting in my damned pocket for use throughout the day, every day.
I've always had a Mini and it goes with me on every road/work trip, to the gym for cardio, to the ballpark when needing to look up info in Safari (aspect ratio for web content is far more ideal than iPhone, especially if using landscape), etc.
Great battery life, and the Apple Smart Case/Cover have made this Mini 4 nearly bulletproof for me since day one. I've noticed degraded performance since iOS 10, however.
I'll miss having one if they're discontinued.
I've always had a Mini and it goes with me on every road/work trip, to the gym for cardio, to the ballpark when needing to look up info in Safari (aspect ratio for web content is far more ideal than iPhone, especially if using landscape), etc.
Great battery life, and the Apple Smart Case/Cover have made this Mini 4 nearly bulletproof for me since day one. I've noticed degraded performance since iOS 10, however.
I'll miss having one if they're discontinued.
It doesn't matter if the argument is true or not, only what the average person perceives as being true. I've championed the larger size of the iPad mini over the iPhone plus repeatedly, but even Tim Cook knows that the iPhone plus cannibalizes the iPad mini.
I understand if Apple deprioritizes the iPad mini, but at the very least I'd like a processor / RAM refresh. Otherwise, another $100 drop on the iPad mini 4 would also be nice....
The iPad mini is dead just like the 9.7" iPad is dead. Meaning it isn't.
@Aluminum213 they will keep it around because it is an iPad, not an iPhone. 2048x1536 resolution. 326ppi. 4:3 aspect ratio.
A 6" 20:9 screen cannot compare to a 7.9" 4:3 screen.
This argument is silly. You won't even get any vertical regular size class app UI layouts out of the phone...
[doublepost=1496951110][/doublepost]
The current mini 4 is still going to get almost all of that multitasking goodness in iOS 11, so it is going to be an amazing little machine.
@Aluminum213 they will keep it around because it is an iPad, not an iPhone. 2048x1536 resolution. 326ppi. 4:3 aspect ratio.
A 6" 20:9 screen cannot compare to a 7.9" 4:3 screen.
This argument is silly. You won't even get any vertical regular size class app UI layouts out of the phone...
[doublepost=1496951110][/doublepost]
Can't really disagree with that. I postulate the continued existence of the mini based on what Apple have done to the 9.7" iPad. I really think it will get the same treatment soon, maybe this fall. Spec-wise will be identical to the 9.7" model and will start between $279 & $299.
The current mini 4 is still going to get almost all of that multitasking goodness in iOS 11, so it is going to be an amazing little machine.
No one knows. By June 2018 at the WWDC, if we haven't seen anything updated then I'd start to question the mini's lifespan but for now we just won't know for sure. I bought my wife a mini 4 for $100 off at BB not long ago to replace her mini 2 (which her mother now has) and its clearly worked well ( I can even use it myself lol). She loves the size and won't go any bigger so hopefully the mini continues its place in the future but for now my wife is set with the 4 at least.
It will still be significantly bigger than the 4.7" body and of course much bigger than the 4", (and still nowhere near a mini surface area as the post above shows), so I doubt even with the slightly reduced overall size it will out sell the smaller phones, UNLESS they purposely make it wildly more featured than the smaller phones. But I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
I hate repeating myself but you didn't seem to see my counter argument. The argument that the large iphone replaces the small tablet might only make sense if everyone used iPhone Pluses. But over half of Apple's customers use smaller iPhones. Therefore, if Apple sees the iPhone Plus as the iPad mini replacement, then Apple is either ignoring over half their customers' needs for a super portable small tablet OR they are expecting them to buy two phones, one small and one large. Both are unreasonable. Do you see what I'm saying? The iPhone Plus can only hope to replace the iPad mini when it becomes the overwhelming majority of iPhones. It is currently the minority, therefore, there is still a place for the iPad mini.
So just to point out - the "iPhone 8" has a larger screen (5.8") via the introduction of smaller bezels in a smaller form factor. Let's go with a 4mm bezel all around.
Now let's translate that to the iPad mini. I'm just going to take Wikipedia for gospel and pull these numbers out:
203.2 mm × 134.6 mm
So reduce 8mm on both sides, convert to inches and we have around 7.68" x 4.96" just for the display (3:2 ratio!). That translates to a screen diagonal of 9.14"
So that's 9.14" in a 3:2 ratio versus the new iPhone's pathetic 5.8" in a 16:9 ratio!
Guys... I think this is going to be the new high-end "consumer iPad" - an almost 9.7" 4:3 screen in the iPad mini's form factor and on-screen fingerprint sensor. Thanks @Aluminum213, you've given the iPad mini faithfuls renewed hope!
Now let's translate that to the iPad mini. I'm just going to take Wikipedia for gospel and pull these numbers out:
203.2 mm × 134.6 mm
So reduce 8mm on both sides, convert to inches and we have around 7.68" x 4.96" just for the display (3:2 ratio!). That translates to a screen diagonal of 9.14"
So that's 9.14" in a 3:2 ratio versus the new iPhone's pathetic 5.8" in a 16:9 ratio!
Guys... I think this is going to be the new high-end "consumer iPad" - an almost 9.7" 4:3 screen in the iPad mini's form factor and on-screen fingerprint sensor. Thanks @Aluminum213, you've given the iPad mini faithfuls renewed hope!
The iPad mini is not dead. We've seen Apple under Tim Cook is less willing to remove SKU's that fill some sort of product niche.
The iPad mini is always going to seem a little neglected because they are intentionally keeping it under spec and low PR visibility. They want you and the press to notice their shiny new *expensive* stuff. Look for the occasional silent refresh tho, at least a generation behind the iPad Pro's.
The mini is actually due for an update now, but I gather they probably didn't want any distractions from their shiny new iPad Pro's.
The iPad mini is always going to seem a little neglected because they are intentionally keeping it under spec and low PR visibility. They want you and the press to notice their shiny new *expensive* stuff. Look for the occasional silent refresh tho, at least a generation behind the iPad Pro's.
The mini is actually due for an update now, but I gather they probably didn't want any distractions from their shiny new iPad Pro's.
I don't see why they need to kill the mini. I hope to see them update the chip to A9 in September (quietly of course), and drop the number from the name. Seems perfect line up to me:
iPad Mini - A9
iPad - A9
iPad Pro 10.5" - A10x
iPad Pro 12.9" - A10x
It'll have two year old tech in it, but be reasonably cheap, none of the 'special pro' features and there's really no need to update the design for a long time - it's already got the same thinness as the 10.5" pro and pretty decent bezels as well.
Given the recent hardware requirements for AR Kit and things like HEVC video, they do really need to get those A8 devices updated to A9. I definitely expect an ATV update, I just hope that Apple decide to shove an A9 in the mini too before its too late.
iPad Mini - A9
iPad - A9
iPad Pro 10.5" - A10x
iPad Pro 12.9" - A10x
It'll have two year old tech in it, but be reasonably cheap, none of the 'special pro' features and there's really no need to update the design for a long time - it's already got the same thinness as the 10.5" pro and pretty decent bezels as well.
Given the recent hardware requirements for AR Kit and things like HEVC video, they do really need to get those A8 devices updated to A9. I definitely expect an ATV update, I just hope that Apple decide to shove an A9 in the mini too before its too late.
iPad mini 4 is a bit like MacBook Air at the minute, on borrowed time... if it didn't sell in good volumes which currently, it is thanks to fans of its size then it'd already be discontinued.
Sadly I don't see it getting updated. But I owned the Mini 1 and thought it was so so perfect but now that I use an iPad as my only device the 9.7 does the job for me. Especially because they gave it newer processors.
Sorry to all its fans. But you know Apple now has the watch, TV and more to think about these days. It seems to be invested in the Pro lines and one budget size iPad to fit all right now
Things could change but it's unlikely
Sadly I don't see it getting updated. But I owned the Mini 1 and thought it was so so perfect but now that I use an iPad as my only device the 9.7 does the job for me. Especially because they gave it newer processors.
Sorry to all its fans. But you know Apple now has the watch, TV and more to think about these days. It seems to be invested in the Pro lines and one budget size iPad to fit all right now
Things could change but it's unlikely
Seems like a few people here only see the trees but not the forest.
Past research has shown consumers need to see three times more value before they purchase a new product or change an existing behavior.
The iPad mini may have a larger display, but consumers lose the portability and the convenience of carrying one phablet. As a media consumption device, the iPad mini's 7.9" display doesn't offer anywhere near 3X more value compared to losing the portability and convenience of carrying a single 5.5 or 4.7" device with phone capability.
Even if we ignored the above, there so many other factors against iPad mini:
Past research has shown consumers need to see three times more value before they purchase a new product or change an existing behavior.
The iPad mini may have a larger display, but consumers lose the portability and the convenience of carrying one phablet. As a media consumption device, the iPad mini's 7.9" display doesn't offer anywhere near 3X more value compared to losing the portability and convenience of carrying a single 5.5 or 4.7" device with phone capability.
Even if we ignored the above, there so many other factors against iPad mini:
- Apple's drive for higher margins: Preference to sell large phones ($750) or tablets instead of mini tablets ($300).
- Competition from small tablet or e-reader substitutes, especially from Amazon.
- Sharply dropping global demand for iPad (especially iPad mini) in the past three years.
Here's the thing about the iPad Mini, which I'll describe in a kind of story about me.
I always loved the Mini for the convenience because it was smaller, I read books, and it was light to carry around. Not necessarily convenient though as it didn't fit into a pocket. So if I took it anywhere it had to have a purpose that couldn't be replaced by my phone.
But then I got an iPhone Plus and started to have a problem, and it took me a while to figure it out, but it was this: What is it specifically about the iPad Mini that made me carry it? The iPhone I could carry in my pocket, even the plus. I would have to have a compelling reason to carry the mini to make it tactically advantageous.
It really become more about the advantages that the screen size provided, and explicit advantages at that. For example, I could just as easily read regular books (non school books, or "textbooks", like fiction stuff) on the phone. On the flip side, the stuff that was great on the iPad Mini was always scaled down. Sure it looked great, but the buttons were smaller simply due to the scaling, as was the font. You can't really blame Apple or the vendors here, it just was a problem overall.
So once you recognize that the screen size dictates function, then I started thinking what explicit reasons I needed or wanted an iPad mini. It was reading books. That was it, that's where it's sweet spot was, one handed reading of fiction. I thought that mobile games and video would also be there too, but I was straining for the screen and button sizes. Many times I would think to myself: "Why did I pick small when this could be bigger? I already had to grab a bag to carry it..." So once I abandoned that and started reading books on the phone, I started thinking about why I DON'T have a full-size iPad, and then I understood why the iPad will supplant the mini:
I still have to carry the full-size iPad in something that isn't an easy pocket.
I get none of the scaling trouble of the iPad mini.
I get a better screen. DPI is a pointless comparison point on its own;
The only negative I can see is "it's slightly bigger" than the mini
The iPod/iPhone/iPad line doesn't have to be a linear scale of size from tiny to huge. The mini did not have a compelling use case that solved the scaling problem in a way that made it special. I believe that's why it's going to end up chopped.
The iPad Pro models (10.5 and 12.9) will look and act exactly the same because the scaling is unnoticeable at that size, and anything that makes developer's lives easier is better. Cramped screens also don't make for a healthy usability exercise either - it translates to customer dissatisfaction.
I always loved the Mini for the convenience because it was smaller, I read books, and it was light to carry around. Not necessarily convenient though as it didn't fit into a pocket. So if I took it anywhere it had to have a purpose that couldn't be replaced by my phone.
But then I got an iPhone Plus and started to have a problem, and it took me a while to figure it out, but it was this: What is it specifically about the iPad Mini that made me carry it? The iPhone I could carry in my pocket, even the plus. I would have to have a compelling reason to carry the mini to make it tactically advantageous.
It really become more about the advantages that the screen size provided, and explicit advantages at that. For example, I could just as easily read regular books (non school books, or "textbooks", like fiction stuff) on the phone. On the flip side, the stuff that was great on the iPad Mini was always scaled down. Sure it looked great, but the buttons were smaller simply due to the scaling, as was the font. You can't really blame Apple or the vendors here, it just was a problem overall.
So once you recognize that the screen size dictates function, then I started thinking what explicit reasons I needed or wanted an iPad mini. It was reading books. That was it, that's where it's sweet spot was, one handed reading of fiction. I thought that mobile games and video would also be there too, but I was straining for the screen and button sizes. Many times I would think to myself: "Why did I pick small when this could be bigger? I already had to grab a bag to carry it..." So once I abandoned that and started reading books on the phone, I started thinking about why I DON'T have a full-size iPad, and then I understood why the iPad will supplant the mini:
I still have to carry the full-size iPad in something that isn't an easy pocket.
I get none of the scaling trouble of the iPad mini.
I get a better screen. DPI is a pointless comparison point on its own;
The only negative I can see is "it's slightly bigger" than the mini
The iPod/iPhone/iPad line doesn't have to be a linear scale of size from tiny to huge. The mini did not have a compelling use case that solved the scaling problem in a way that made it special. I believe that's why it's going to end up chopped.
The iPad Pro models (10.5 and 12.9) will look and act exactly the same because the scaling is unnoticeable at that size, and anything that makes developer's lives easier is better. Cramped screens also don't make for a healthy usability exercise either - it translates to customer dissatisfaction.
iPad Mini fans can join us in the Mac Mini forum, we can all complaint together about all things Mini that Apple doesn't pay attention to.
Some very nice points, but the mini is my favorite iOS product and the scaling is a big part of it. After using the mini and going back to the standard size, I feel like ... what is this an IPad for blind people?
The same amount of data is on the screen. Watching video is the main reason to go for the bigger pad for me, but all in all I'll take the miniFor me, I actually find myself taking my mini in the go more often than when I used to have the regular sized iPad. Plenty of slings and even camera bags with slots for the mini, and they don't have to be a full size backpack.
I do agree if you carry a backpack, the mini's size advantage is less obvious. Thus my plan to get the 10.5 as a replacement for my MacBook Air whenever I carry my regular backpack. But I still want an updated mini for the other times I don't want to carry anything bigger, but still have my sling bag.
I think that Apple will not kill the mini. However they may leave it for a long time without a substantial update.
For me it is the ideal iPad model for general use, if we factor in outdoors and travel. So I hope that it is here to stay, even if the signs are not so good at this point.
For me it is the ideal iPad model for general use, if we factor in outdoors and travel. So I hope that it is here to stay, even if the signs are not so good at this point.
Maybe they will combine them into one product: iMac Mini with removable touch screen.
Mike
Stunning
. So much for large phones displacing the mini because of ... comparable size . But then, people sometimes do strange things.