iPad mini What's your primary use case for the iPad Mini?

[HobeSoundDarryl]

What do you use to make outgoing calls to landlines? Any recommendations?

VOIP apps will call landlines. There's no difference to phone apps. VOIP works just like calling mobile or landlines with any smart phone. Call ANY number and it rings. Text ANY mobile number and the recipient gets the texts.

Perhaps you mean using landlines FROM home??? If so, there's a cheap device called Obihai to basically hook up home phones using landlines to the SAME system. In other words, set up Obihai, and you are using VOIP for landline service at home over a broadband connection. For those with an alarm system that needs wired... or perhaps still need to send or receive an occasional fax... or just like using traditional phones at home, this works that way over VOIP.

When my iPad "rings," my home phones do too. When home, I am more likely to make traditional phone-to-ear calls using those portable phones than using iPad. And since I'm also calling with Google Voice this way, I'm using the very same number.

The ONE negative for this (landline replacement) setup: when broadband is down, I have no home phone service. I do live in hurricane territory and direct hits can knock out broadband for upwards of a few days to a week or so. However, cell towers typically survive the storms, so during those relatively rare scenarios, I simply go mobile: Mini for home phone needs, Mini and MBpro to go find some wifi to get more online work done.

The big positive: one number for all purposes, $0 phone bills for "landline", free local and long distance, relatively cheap cell service as low as $5/month for continuous cellular service if I can relatively sip cellular data (which works because I'm in wifi zones most of the time)... or only a little more if I need a bit more cellular from time-to-time such as when heavy traveling.

 

[Karnicopia]

For me it’s really about web browsing and taking notes. I don’t need a large ipad for either and the mini is the perfect size for me for both. My last iPad mini was the series 3 and I was still using it for a reader and then to control my headphone setup but now it’s getting to the point that it’s too slow to really do that so for this one I like the power and screen size of the 12.9 for photo editing and storage of photos if I need but would basically use the mini for anything else. I think the mini will be great for notes just because it’s easier to have on me and quickly take down a note and my note taking on an ipad really took off with the pros so I’m also really excited to be able to use the same Apple Pencil between the 12.9 pro for photo editing and then grab it with the mini for taking notes or on the go I think they will really be a great pair together. I’ll still use it as a roon interface for my headphone setup as well I really like the iPad mini size to browse music.

 

[taneff]

To me it is my traveling device, and I travel for my work all around the clock. So my main go-to device. My Macbook 12 99% stays at home. So my iPad mini 6, as was my Mini 5, is there on the go for browsing, media consumption incl streaming sports games etc., checking mails etc. It is only for my private entertainment. I don't use it for work though.

I had bigger iPads too, like the Air 2 or Pro 11 2018. But they were not as nice to just check and browse for something. And I often found myself leaving it in the luggage because it wasn't small enough to just put it out, put it in again and so on. For my use case the iPad mini 6, as was the 5, is perfect. So I am completely happy about the new display ratio for me watching mostly 16:9 content on it.

I wonder though, is there any possibility to charge the Mini 6 with original Apple stuff and the 12W charger? I think if I only want to use Apple Originals I need to charge it with the 20W right? I can't find any Original Apple USB-C to USB.A cable.

 

[ElectronGuru]

VOIP is simply another type of service packaged in various apps. Trying one is the easiest way to get a feel for how this works on whatever iDevice you already have.

The boys over on https://reddit.com/r/ipadmini would enjoy a post explaining all this

My only concern is that the mini screen will make the scripts illegible

Depending how the PDFs are constructed they may auto paginate. You can test this now by zooming in and out on the larger screen. If zooming in just adds pages as the letters grow, you should be good.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

The boys over on https://reddit.com/r/ipadmini would enjoy a post explaining all this

Yes, there's seems to be a overwhelming perception that iPad can't also cover phone & texting needs in place of a mobile phone. I think many people are simply self-programmed to think in terms of iPhone as essential core and everything else revolving around the assumption of having an iPhone: "why do I want cellular on an iPad, I'll just share from iPhone?" and "iPads can't be used as phones" and pics of holding iPads up to ears, etc.

But, like so many other uses, one simply needs to think "I wonder if there is an app for that." And, of course, there are many VOIP apps/sevices even for full computers. Many replies to Google Voice texts I get are done on my iMac or MBpro through Safari on the GV website. Nobody can tell I'm not replying on a mobile except perhaps that my texts have so many fewer typos by using a real keyboard. Emoji works that way too. Switch to the Mini and that texting conversation is there to pick up where I left off. Do some more texting on that Mini and come back to Macs later and whatever was exchanged while mobile is available through Safari in the GV website. All seamless.

VOIP is nothing new. I was making phone calls with PowerMac G4 long before there was an iPhone. I recall using a "real" Skype phone number back in the early 2000's to be able to call and get calls from phones using that Mac. I think that cost about $60/yr way back then but now the whole pile of VOIP services has been eroded down to free/cheap.

Had Apple never invented iPhone... had it perhaps been iPod Touch... and then iPod Touch with cellular... a variation of iPhone would have been realized with first or third party VOIP apps. iPads are basically "just big iPod Touches" and the cellular option makes them even more like iPhone. VOIP apps fill in the software gap there... much like other apps turn an iAnything into a flashlight, remote control, radio, tape measure, etc.

 

[Yaxchian]

Buy both, test them and return the one you like less. If that for some reason isn’t an option, I’d personally focus on the screen size that seems the most suitable for your intended use case.

That‘s what I did already: Mini Cell for 719€, IPP 11 2021 Cell for 910€ (Amazon).
ProMotion, 600Nits, 128GB instead of 64GB, Face-ID, M1 architecture…
Will be a hard descision. My dataplan includes audio/video streaming, but 64GB seems really low nowadays.
Mini arrived already, IPP later today.