Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Why does is iPad Mini 4 still for sale?

Boyd01 said:
Is that a 128gb wifi model? Sounds like a pretty good price for a new one (Apple sells for $400). I was looking at a new 128gb LTE model and they are $530. In the end I just couldn't justify that price when the 2018 9.7" 128gb LTE iPad only cost $30 more.
Click to expand...

Yes, WiFi model only.
 
Perhaps once the rumoured 6.5" iPhones launch in the fall, they'll kill of the iPad mini.
Even though many won't want to pay for mobile plan, I sense Apple will point you to that 6.5" phablet if you need a fast but smaller iPad.
 
satchmo said:
Perhaps once the rumoured 6.5" iPhones launch in the fall, they'll kill of the iPad mini.
Even though many won't want to pay for mobile plan, I sense Apple will point you to that 6.5" phablet if you need a fast but smaller iPad.
Click to expand...

Nah, many mini's go into Children hands. Nobody is going to buy the flagship mega product and give it to a 2 year old
 
I wish it would just decrease in price! My mini 2 most likely won't last much longer. A wifi only model of the 4 is still $550 CAD.
 
satchmo said:
Perhaps once the rumoured 6.5" iPhones launch in the fall, they'll kill of the iPad mini.
Even though many won't want to pay for mobile plan, I sense Apple will point you to that 6.5" phablet if you need a fast but smaller iPad.
Click to expand...
I know a whole lot of pilots as well that have stuck with the Mini 4 because its form factor works well for them in the cockpit.
 
Apple has to keep supporting the iPad Mini 4 for several more years since they are still selling it now. Imagine someone buying it now and in one year when iOS 13 is announced, it's not supported? That would not go over well.

Apple has really dug themselves a hole by not refreshing their products annually, and keeping products around unchanged for 3-4 years. People expect a minimum of several years of software support from Apple, and as they continue to have a line up of products that use 2,3,or 4 generation old hardware, they have to continue to support those products for many years.

I really cannot figure out Apple's strategy with most of their forgotten products, like the iPad Mini. It seems like it would require very little resources to keep it a generation behind in processor and RAM. If they just put an A10, not even an A10X, with 3 gigs of RAM in the iPad Mini design as is, many people would be happy and satisfied. I know Apple likes to be considered innovative, so just incrementally updating something annually doesn't seem to be their game. But what they are doing now by not even trying to update a product and continuing to sell it at a premium is even worse.
 
wwooden said:
Apple has to keep supporting the iPad Mini 4 for several more years since they are still selling it now. Imagine someone buying it now and in one year when iOS 13 is announced, it's not supported? That would not go over well.

Apple has really dug themselves a hole by not refreshing their products annually, and keeping products around unchanged for 3-4 years. People expect a minimum of several years of software support from Apple, and as they continue to have a line up of products that use 2,3,or 4 generation old hardware, they have to continue to support those products for many years.

I really cannot figure out Apple's strategy with most of their forgotten products, like the iPad Mini. It seems like it would require very little resources to keep it a generation behind in processor and RAM. If they just put an A10, not even an A10X, with 3 gigs of RAM in the iPad Mini design as is, many people would be happy and satisfied. I know Apple likes to be considered innovative, so just incrementally updating something annually doesn't seem to be their game. But what they are doing now by not even trying to update a product and continuing to sell it at a premium is even worse.
Click to expand...

Where's this "several years of software support" requirement coming from?

For example, iPhone 4s was for sale up to September 2014. It only supports iOS 9 (2015).

iPad mini is nowhere near as iconic as iPhone. If Apple wants to drop software support, they will do it.
 
Azeroth1 said:
I’m thinking of buying one for 299. Reviews online seem to indicate it’s old, but still kicking in 2018. The form factor just seems much more portable.

Or I’m just crazy.
Click to expand...

If you care about performance or the fact that you're not too far from the time when the device either becomes too slow or is left behind from an iOS update and that it's not a good bang for buck deal, then no, you are not crazy. At this point, it's not a terrific value proposition and you're paying for the form factor only. That said, as a longtime iPad mini fanboy, I certainly understand wanting to go there. The IT guy in me that cares about product lifecycle longevity can't bring myself to be using one anymore; though I definitely miss it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Boyd01
I faced a choice, buy a new car with Apple car play, since my 17 outback doesn’t support it, or buy a 128gb cellular iPad mini and use a mount and Bluetooth. Works great for me. $20 add on to my Verizon unlimited plan I have Waze and Google maps. Since It works so well, I bought mounts for all of my vehicles. Screen size is perfect.
 
  • Like
Reactions: sracer
burgman said:
I faced a choice, buy a new car with Apple car play, since my 17 outback doesn’t support it, or buy a 128gb cellular iPad mini and use a mount and Bluetooth. Works great for me. $20 add on to my Verizon unlimited plan I have Waze and Google maps. Since It works so well, I bought mounts for all of my vehicles. Screen size is perfect.
Click to expand...

What mount did you purchase if i may ask ?
 
Last edited:
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
  • Like
Reactions: r0c and RevTEG
I want to replace my son’s mini 4 and every time I think to do it I realize they still haven’t updated it!!
 
Hater said:
Nah, many mini's go into Children hands. Nobody is going to buy the flagship mega product and give it to a 2 year old
Click to expand...

Whoops! My two year old runs around with my wife's 10.5 all the time. Even occasionally with my 12.9. The mini's that we own don't have unlimited data like the pros do. We should probably put a stop to that. lol
 
  • Like
Reactions: sracer
Hater said:
Nah, many mini's go into Children hands. Nobody is going to buy the flagship mega product and give it to a 2 year old
Click to expand...
Back when the mini was the cheapest iPad, sure. Now, there are $329 9.7" iPads that serve quite well as an alternative.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RevTEG
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back