iPad mini Is a first generation mini powerful enough?

[Cabous]

Wow - I wasn't expecting all replies to be in agreement It settles it for me then, I'll see if I can get my hands on the 3rd gen, after that it becomes too expensive for what and how often they would use it for.

Some hit the nail on the head how 'people remember the iPad Mini' - I'm one of them

Thanks for all the responses - it saved this dad a lot of frustration and time

 

[*~Kim~*]

I’m not sure what the price difference is between a Mini 2 and 3, but I question whether the Mini 3 is worth it when both models have the same A7 processor and the same 1GB RAM. Here is a comparison article between the two: https://everymac.com/systems/apple/...ferences-between-ipad-mini-2-ipad-mini-3.html

For children of that age, I can totally understand wanting the Mini form factor. By the time they want/need something better, the 6th Gen 9.7” iPad would be even more affordable used (perhaps even bringing a later model than that into the equation.)

 

[rui no onna]

Wow - I wasn't expecting all replies to be in agreement It settles it for me then, I'll see if I can get my hands on the 3rd gen, after that it becomes too expensive for what and how often they would use it for.

Some hit the nail on the head how 'people remember the iPad Mini' - I'm one of them

Thanks for all the responses - it saved this dad a lot of frustration and time

iPad mini 2 and 3 are fairly equivalent performance-wise with A7/1GB. At this point in time though, the RAM is very limiting and prone to out of memory crashes. Good enough for YouTube and Netflix but even web browsing is a pain.

 

[retta283]

iPad Mini 2 and 3 are the exact same product besides Touch ID and a Gold color option on the 3.

 

[AutomaticApple]

I installed it just last week so I can update my LTE iPad 4 to iOS 10.3.4 for the GPS bug fix. Wanted to keep it on iOS 6 for posterity so I'm sad to see that go. That iPad has apps that have been removed from the app store

That was painful to read...
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iPad Mini 2 and 3 are the exact same product besides Touch ID and a Gold color option on the 3.

Touch ID makes a major difference depending on how long you plan to keep the device and how frequently you unlock it/make purchases with it/log into accounts.

 

[Digitalguy]

Wow - I wasn't expecting all replies to be in agreement It settles it for me then, I'll see if I can get my hands on the 3rd gen, after that it becomes too expensive for what and how often they would use it for.

Some hit the nail on the head how 'people remember the iPad Mini' - I'm one of them

Thanks for all the responses - it saved this dad a lot of frustration and time

You got bad advice from one of the posters. Mini 3 is exactly the same as Mini 2 plus touch ID. Mini 4 is much better, not because of A8, but because of 2GB, which makes all the difference....

 

[rui no onna]

That was painful to read...

Ugh, I know. I delayed updating for as long as I could (like 2 days before deadline). I would've ignored it if it was just a security update but things tend to get super screwy when the system clock is incorrect.

 

[K1221n]

I still have my mini 1, I basically use it as an ereader, think your children would get frustrated with it.

Hi,
I'm considering getting iPad Mini's 2012 (A1432 or A1455) for my kids (aged 9 and 7).

I like the mini's weight as it won't be too heavy on their wrists and the screen size is just right. Everything about the mini for me actually is perfect. For the foreseeable future the tablets will be used for web searches, photos, games and movies/music. They won't be using it at school too much.

So the question is - do you think the 1st generation mini is powerful enough as it has only 500Mb flash RAM? If you wouldn't recommend it - which model would you recommend?

 

[1BadManVan]

Honestly for their age, a standard size ipad is just fine. Getting all 3 of my kids the 10.2 ipad for Christmas, 6,7 and 11. They have used my 6th gen 9.7 and love it, no issues holding and using it

 

[Marty80]

I am currently using a iPad mini 4 while I wait for a redesign. For arguments sake for web browsing, email and media such as YouTube and Apple TV it works like a dream. Some apps or games may struggle but it’s a great device, and with Black Friday sales on eBay you might be able to snag a bargin.

 

[Saturn1217]

NO. It can't run the latest version of iOS, or even a recent version that allows you to download most apps. I literally just tried to use my husband's old iPad mini first gen in the interest of seeing how I liked the size (before buying an iPad mini 5). It is not possible to do almost anything on this old tablet. Get a version that at least is supported by Apple or get a Kindle fire if you can't afford that.

Again speaking with first hand experience. The first gen iPad mini is essentially a brick.

 

[geo88]

My iPad Mini runs VNC Viewer, the iTunes Remote app, and Apple Music. That's pretty much all it does.

 

[doolar]

I currently have a Mini 4, and had a Mini 2 a couple of years ago. It was horrible at simple tasks two years ago, mostly with Safari just not loading pages, crashes and apps that reloaded. The lack of ram was very noticable. Unless a 2 or 3 is very very cheap and used very lightly, I say get a 4 instead.

 

[merrygoround]

i'm still using the 1, pretty much all the apps have died or they won't allow me to use it.. i used to be able to change the configuration via jailbreak but even that ran out... i can only use low level web browser (lots of crashing) and reading ebooks.. as far as speed, it still as fast as when it came out but i still can't do much if apps turn off the ability to use the app..

also i am on io6, my aunt's 1 with ios8 is laggy

 

[Shanghaichica]

I guess it depends what you want to do with the device. I’ve used an iPad mini 2 recently on iOS 12. It wasn’t too bad to use for general things such as web browsing, video streaming and social media. It was useable but not as quick as my iPad Pro 10.5 or iPad mini 5.

The original iPad mini would be painful to use for a few reasons. The chipset is very old now and it doesn’t even have 1 GB of ram. On top of that it hasn’t been updated since iOS 9 so a lot of apps will have compatibility issues. The screen is also sub retina.

The iPad mini 2/3 would be the minimum. I’d say. They were supported up until iOS 12 so will be compatible with 99% of apps. The performance is acceptable if you are only doing basic things. The issue would be the longevity and as time goes on apps will stop being compatible but you probably have a few years before that happens.

The iPad mini 4 is not a bad option. It runs the latest version of iOS and will be fast enough to do most things.

 

[Cabous]

Thanks everyone for your inputs, opinions and recommendations. In the end I managed to get my hands on an iPad 3 and 4. I got them both at the same price. The 4 is a 16 GB vs the 64 of the 3.

I'm very happy with them at this point - I'm unofficially still keeping an eye open for another 4 and will then let go of the 3.

Have a blessed Christmas!

 

[FlyingDutch]

Thanks everyone for your inputs, opinions and recommendations. In the end I managed to get my hands on an iPad 3 and 4. I got them both at the same price. The 4 is a 16 GB vs the 64 of the 3.

I'm very happy with them at this point - I'm unofficially still keeping an eye open for another 4 and will then let go of the 3.

Have a blessed Christmas!

You mean iPad Mini 3 and 4, right ? ?

 

[Cabous]

Yeah, the Mini 3 and 4.

 

[Suture]

Late response, but consider the battery life. Those models will be long in the tooth and the battery life would be impacted. Even my iPad mini 4 is already getting long in the tooth. It's laggy since iPad OS came out (likely because of the 2GB of RAM) and the battery is already showing signs of age.

 

[rui no onna]

Late response, but consider the battery life. Those models will be long in the tooth and the battery life would be impacted. Even my iPad mini 4 is already getting long in the tooth. It's laggy since iPad OS came out (likely because of the 2GB of RAM) and the battery is already showing signs of age.

Nah, lag's just the A8.

The A10/2GB iPad 6th gen handles iPadOS 13 fine albeit with more frequent reloads compared to iPads with more RAM.

 

[Cabous]

Late response, but consider the battery life. Those models will be long in the tooth and the battery life would be impacted. Even my iPad mini 4 is already getting long in the tooth. It's laggy since iPad OS came out (likely because of the 2GB of RAM) and the battery is already showing signs of age.

Cost was a big factor in the decision - my kids had to pay for the devices themselves by doing chores around the house. They also earned money for reading books.

Yeah, I bribed them but it really is to teach them about money

 

[The Game 161]

Cost was a big factor in the decision - my kids had to pay for the devices themselves by doing chores around the house. They also earned money for reading books.

Yeah, I bribed them but it really is to teach them about money

props, thats how it should be

 

[Shanghaichica]

Cost was a big factor in the decision - my kids had to pay for the devices themselves by doing chores around the house. They also earned money for reading books.

Yeah, I bribed them but it really is to teach them about money

Ooh. I would have liked you as my dad growing up. Not the chores part but being paid to read books. I love reading and loved reading when I was a kid. I used to have a torch and read under the covers when I was supposed to be asleep lol
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Late response, but consider the battery life. Those models will be long in the tooth and the battery life would be impacted. Even my iPad mini 4 is already getting long in the tooth. It's laggy since iPad OS came out (likely because of the 2GB of RAM) and the battery is already showing signs of age.

For kids the iPad mini 4 is more than enough. My kids have kindle fires for kids but I think even an older iPad mini like the 2 or 3 would be fine for them.

 

[Korican100]

i still have mine today. it streams netflix and youtube kids well enough. but it is painfully slow for anything else. Given that future app iterations will drop support for it going forward, you are just shooting yourself in the foot by getting one this day and age

 

[AutomaticApple]

I used to have a torch and read under the covers when I was supposed to be asleep lol

How did you not burn your bed covers then? ?

I like to read too, but only electronically.