iPad Seeing a Flood of People Jumping to the iPad Mini 7 From Larger iPads

[Macintosh101]

The Mini does almost everything the Pro does. Just stupid marketing terms really. It’s the size that’s the issue.

The Mini cannot be compared to the Pro imho. I had both (recently sold the Mini). The M4 pro has promotion, a dual tandem OLED display, 16GB of Ram if you have the 1TB version (this is what I have), Stage Manager, External Display support, etc. and most importantly the nano texture display as an option (which for my use case has been a revelation).

 

[Macintosh101]

They can't. It can come close but it doesn't give you the same experience as using a Mac. I tried a keyboard with touchpad on my 11" M2 iPad Air and while I thought the experience was nicer having a keyboard and touchpad, it doesn't equal the experience I get from using my Mac.

And this also applies the other way around. They are different devices for different use cases. There's a ton of stuff I do on my iPad, that I either can't do on my Mac or wouldn't want to do on my Mac, and vice versa.

 

[mathiasinthe314]

I just bought my first iPad since 2018 when I received the base version (9.7”) that year as a gift.

I used it a lot at the beginning for light gaming and watching video content. But it never replaced my laptop or my phone. It wasn’t powerful or capable enough for a replacement for a computer and it was too cumbersome for prolonged or mobile use. Therefore it got used less and less over time until it eventually collected dust before being handed down to my daughter.

Recently I decided to give the iPad another go, I agonized over the M1 Air or the Mini 7. After putting hands on both and sketching, taking notes, streaming video, and reading books on both, I decided that the Mini would go more places with me and get used more in general due to its form factor. Can’t say that if money wasn’t an issue that an M2 Air or a Pro wouldn’t have edged out the Mini as a possible laptop replacement (I’m not a power user), but for the dollar, I think the Mini will be a sweet spot for me.

 

[chrono1081]

I have both. For me personally I use iPads for a lot of things. I have two currently (a 13 inch pro and a Mini 7 but have had pretty much every other size. My personal take is:

13 inch is great for people using it as a secondary (or even primary) computing device. I used mine heavily (before they changed the rules) for all my work stuff that involved Office/Teams. It was fantastic for that and kept those distractions off of my main work computer which is for coding. I also use the 13 inch as a secondary monitor through sidecar, especially useful if I'm just using my laptop. I also use it for photo editing apps, art apps, etc. It's great to use with the pencil.

iPad mini is great for people who want a fantastic travel companion, or a smaller device for reading, watching videos, gaming (which it excels at size wise), or just casual surfing. I use my mini all the time for this and just love it for travel where the 13 inch gets a bit unwieldy. It's also great for art apps you don't need a lot of space for (like pixel art apps). Also although I have normal sized hands, people with tiny hands absolutely love this size as well.

Although you didn't ask about it, I think the 11 inch is the best overall size for most people if they're unsure. It's not terribly big, but it's bigger than the mini if people find that too restrictive. If someone wants to use an iPad as more of a computing device vs an entertainment device but still want it portable for travel (and have an optional keyboard) I think the 11 inch is a great iPad size.

 

[Pbwallstreet]

The Mini cannot be compared to the Pro imho. I had both (recently sold the Mini). The M4 pro has promotion, a dual tandem OLED display, 16GB of Ram if you have the 1TB version (this is what I have), Stage Manager, External Display support, etc. and most importantly the nano texture display as an option (which for my use case has been a revelation).

It runs most of the software the Pro does. OLED, ProMotion and Nano are nice to haves but not required.

Stage Manager is nice to have but not required and breaks down on a small screen: the Mini does split screen.

If a person needs external monitor support and a more laptop like experience the Pro is the better option.

 

[Digitalguy]

It runs most of the software the Pro does. OLED, ProMotion and Nano are nice to haves but not required.

Stage Manager is nice to have but not required and breaks down on a small screen: the Mini does split screen.

If a person needs external monitor support and a more laptop like experience the Pro is the better option.

The iPad mini is not required either. The iPad is not required. People buy them because they want to. They could use just their phones and their laptops (except maybe for drawing). What is "required" is subjective.
For some people (like me) the small size is a drawback, for other it's the main advantage. And for drawing most people will find an 11" or 13" better. What's more the larger models offer more options. But if smaller size is your main requirement, all else is secondary

 

[Pbwallstreet]

The iPad mini is not required either. The iPad is not required. People buy them because they want to. They could use just their phones and their laptops (except maybe for drawing). What is "required" is subjective.
For some people (like me) the small size is a drawback, for other it's the main advantage. And for drawing most people will find an 11" or 13" better. What's more the larger models offer more options. But if smaller size is your main requirement, all else is secondary

I originally said that the iPad Mini can do most of what the iPad Pro can do. That's it. And you don't have the data to support your claim that "And for drawing, most people will find an 11" or 13" better."

 

[PPCmike]

I've never owned an ipad but really looking at getting one.. well two of them Maybe coming from a 10" 7" is just too small for me given I use it for movie watching and video calls.

 

[Bungaree.Chubbins]

The iPad mini has its place, but for me is totally useless. I had the original mini, which was nice when I caught the train to work, but useless outside of that. I ditched it for an iPad Air 2, which is getting rather old now. I couldn’t go any smaller than the Air 2, and still use it for what I want. Often I find myself wanting a larger screen, as I load up more blueprints, or chord charts, or stream video. When I can afford to upgrade, my decision will be between 11” and 13”.

I can’t say I have seen a mini outside of an Apple Store since I got rid of mine. My anecdotal evidence doesn’t support their supposed popularity.

 

[Digitalguy]

I originally said that the iPad Mini can do most of what the iPad Pro can do. That's it. And you don't have the data to support your claim that "And for drawing, most people will find an 11" or 13" better."

if we needed precise statistics to support even the most obvious things, we would be in a court with lawyers and judges
We should make a poll asking people if you draw / are an artist, and you can choose between 8in and 11-13" what would you prefer? I bet all you want most people would chose the larger canvas if they can only pick one

 

[ignatius345]

Whether it's people on Reddit, here, or reviewers on YouTube, etc. people are dumping their OLED M4 iPads (13" and 11") and older iPad Pros/larger iPads and getting the Mini.

What you see extremely online people posting about ≠ what people in the real world are doing.

 

[sparksd]

What you see extremely online people posting about ≠ what people in the real world are doing.

I can't personally imagine caring what a YouTuber's opinion on a product is. It would make zero difference to my experience product nor would it influence my purchase.

 

[ignatius345]

I can't personally imagine caring what a YouTuber's opinion on a product is. It would make zero difference to my experience product nor would it influence my purchase.

Especially when you realize those opinions are specifically crafted to generate "engagement".

 

[Pbwallstreet]

What you see extremely online people posting about ≠ what people in the real world are doing.

Neither you nor me can make the claim that what we see online in relation to some thing is not equal to what people are doing in reality.

My experience in this industry over the years and what I am seeing lends support to what I am seeing. I don’t know in the end for certain, and neither do you.

 

[geta]

The Mini cannot be compared to the Pro imho. I had both (recently sold the Mini). The M4 pro has promotion, a dual tandem OLED display, 16GB of Ram if you have the 1TB version (this is what I have), Stage Manager, External Display support, etc. and most importantly the nano texture display as an option (which for my use case has been a revelation).

Other than 16GB RAM, none of the "advantages" you mentioned affect the performance of the iPad.

 

[geta]

if we needed precise statistics to support even the most obvious things, we would be in a court with lawyers and judges
We should make a poll asking people if you draw / are an artist, and you can choose between 8in and 11-13" what would you prefer? I bet all you want most people would chose the larger canvas if they can only pick one

If you're talking about using the iPad strictly for drawing, then the 11-13” version would be my choice just for home use and the mini for travel/on-the-go.

 

[FlyingDutch]

I'm a 13" M4 iPad Pro owner. I also have a 16" MacBook Pro that sits on my desk as my mainstay daily driver and a 15" M3 MacBook Air. I use the Air on the couch or when I need to work on other businesses.

I find the 13" M4 iPad Pro very awkward to use as a tablet. It's just too big. I use it mostly with the Magic Keyboard. I had a Mini 6 that I sold a year ago and miss it. I've really been looking online to see what people are saying about the new iPad Mini 7 and particularly over the past week I'm almost in disbelief about what I'm seeing is a flood of people flocking to it from larger iPads.

Whether it's people on Reddit, here, or reviewers on YouTube, etc. people are dumping their OLED M4 iPads (13" and 11") and older iPad Pros/larger iPads and getting the Mini. And many people are posting their reviews after making such a move for days or weeks and saying how they like the Mini 7 a lot better given its smaller form factor.

What I'm also seeing is much more definitive decisions and comments from people that iPad OS and the iPad cannot replace their Mac. And how their MacBooks are better and that it's useless to have an iPad that is trying to be like a MacBook. Which further erodes the value of the larger iPads.

Wondering other people's thoughts.

I tried the Mini in the past (I don’t remember which generation, but I think it was the 4th gen), and used for about one year, but I finally realized it was just too small for my needs. It is very comfortable to carry around, but productivity was poor for me.

I think the iPads are pretty much useless in general.

I could see having an iPad mini as a comfortable reader, since the aspect ratio is just so much more useful than the iPhone, though.

Well, that’s your idea. I’m doing most of my work on an iPad.

I originally said that the iPad Mini can do most of what the iPad Pro can do. That's it. And you don't have the data to support your claim that "And for drawing, most people will find an 11" or 13" better."

If you really can’t see the difference drawing on a 13”, well it’s you problem.

 

[Digitalguy]

If you're talking about using the iPad strictly for drawing, then the 11-13” version would be my choice just for home use and the mini for travel/on-the-go.

What I mean is that if you have to pick only one for drawing most people would pick either the 11 or the 13 over the mini. Personally I like to have all sizes, but most people only have/want 1 iPad. Of course there will always be someone who prefers one size over the others no matter what.

 

[turbineseaplane]

My Mini 7 arrives this morning

Mini 5 battery is just flat out cooked ... Apple wouldn't replace the battery due to a cosmetic ding on a corner (ridiculous -- tiny dent, screen not affected, etc) and didn't want to throw money at another 2019 at this point since I couldn't find a reasonably priced new one

 

[mathiasinthe314]

My Mini 7 arrives this morning

Mini 5 battery is just flat out cooked ... Apple wouldn't replace the battery due to a cosmetic ding on a corner (ridiculous -- tiny dent, screen not affected, etc) and didn't want to throw money at another 2019 at this point since I couldn't find a reasonably priced new one

Same here - My Mini 7 arrives today, too. Along with my Apple Pencil Pro and screen protector. Case came Sunday. So excited to see if I love it as much at home as I did in the store.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Same here - My Mini 7 arrives today, too. Along with my Apple Pencil Pro and screen protector. Case came Sunday. So excited to see if I love it as much at home as I did in the store.

My case and screen protector are waiting to get put on straight outta' the box!

 

[kitkat2]

My Mini 7 arrives this morning

Mini 5 battery is just flat out cooked ... Apple wouldn't replace the battery due to a cosmetic ding on a corner (ridiculous -- tiny dent, screen not affected, etc) and didn't want to throw money at another 2019 at this point since I couldn't find a reasonably priced new one

Got my base mini 7 from the Costco sale a couple weeks ago and I love it! I’m coming off a very long in the tooth 9.7” iPad Pro that I hadn’t been using much for the past several months as it had become painfully sluggish. I didn’t want to pay big money for a new iPad for my use case, and I’d been admiring the form factor of my mom’s mini 6 for quite a while, so I decided to try it. I do a lot of reading (books and internet), some casual gaming (Stardew Valley right now), videos, and occasional light productivity. I think the form factor is terrific, and I have no trouble at all with the screen size. And thanks to an Amazon sale, I’m really enjoying learning to write with the Apple Pencil Pro.

I hope you enjoy yours as much as I’m enjoying mine!

 

[mathiasinthe314]

Got my base mini 7 from the Costco sale a couple weeks ago and I love it! I’m coming off a very long in the tooth 9.7” iPad Pro that I hadn’t been using much for the past several months as it had become painfully sluggish. I didn’t want to pay big money for a new iPad for my use case, and I’d been admiring the form factor of my mom’s mini 6 for quite a while, so I decided to try it. I do a lot of reading (books and internet), some casual gaming (Stardew Valley right now), videos, and occasional light productivity. I think the form factor is terrific, and I have no trouble at all with the screen size. And thanks to an Amazon sale, I’m really enjoying learning to write with the Apple Pencil Pro.

I hope you enjoy yours as much as I’m enjoying mine!

That was such a good deal. The 128GB was sold out by the time I found out about it, so I snagged up a 256GB for the price of the base model. With it being so new, I wasn't sure there would be another sale for $100 off between now and Christmas. If there is, I have 90 days to return it with Costco. Haha.

 

[turbineseaplane]

a very long in the tooth 9.7” iPad Pro

That was one of my favorites of all time, that first 9.7" iPP
🐐

Still love that original screen size honestly .. they could shrink the bezels around a screen that size (vs keeping the physical size and making the screens bigger -- which is what the 11" iPP actually did) and I'd be happy and interested!

 

[Digitalguy]

That was one of my favorites of all time, that first 9.7" iPP
🐐

Still love that original screen size honestly .. they could shrink the bezels around a screen that size (vs keeping the physical size and making the screens bigger -- which is what the 11" iPP actually did) and I'd be happy and interested!

Same, that was my main iPad and my on the go cellular device for several years, paired with a Logitech Create keyboard, I loved that thing