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iPad mini Why is the new mini more $$$$ than the new "main" iPad??
- Thread starter kirkster501
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Because the base ipad is exactly that, a base model. And although the mini is smaller in size it has better specs, more in line with the middle of the range Air.
The mini is a small ipad air and always has been. It’s a mid-range option, not budget like the ipad.
Display is better—326 PPI vs 264. Has an A15 chip. 12-MP wide rear-camera vs 8-MP. Uses USB-C. Has 5G instead of LTE. Bluetooth 5 vs 4.2. Dual-Band WiFi 6 (~40% faster than single-band). Works with Apple Pencil 2.
It is more premium than a base iPad in many ways.
The entry-level iPad is largely for people who don't care what iPad they get or just want the cheapest solution possible. A lot of it is going to be bulk orders by schools, businesses, etc.
The mini is a more fully-featured device aimed at people who want a slimmed down version of the bigger, more capable iPads. It's been like this for years; I'm pretty sure the iPad mini has always been more expensive than the base level ever since it launched?
The mini is a more fully-featured device aimed at people who want a slimmed down version of the bigger, more capable iPads. It's been like this for years; I'm pretty sure the iPad mini has always been more expensive than the base level ever since it launched?
Thanks guys.
I note it also only works with Pencil 2 as well. Not Pencil 1 ??
I note it also only works with Pencil 2 as well. Not Pencil 1 ??
Yes because the Pencil 1 requires a lightning port which the new mini doesn’t have.
In addition to what has been written above, the Mini 6 will likely have more RAM than the iPad Gen 9 - and will be supported for longer than the base Gen 9. The Mini 6 has a laminated display which the Gen 9 does not have.
The new iPad mini 6 is really an iPad Air mini. Apple really should have renamed it and maybe they would have if the new Air 5 would have been ready. They could have done it like the Pros which have a 12.9" and a 11" version.
It’s always been more expensive. The iPad is the budget model and is meant to be as cheap as possible. The iPad mini is clearly being positioned as the smaller iPad Air and should be compared to that price.
I am SO GLAD that the mini isn’t cheap. I want a quality small iPad. If you just want a cheap iPad get the base iPad.
This is like asking why the iPhone is double the price of the iPad even though it has a smaller screen. There is zero reason why a newly redesigned and more advanced iPad mini should cost less than the basic iPad just because it has a smaller screen.
I am SO GLAD that the mini isn’t cheap. I want a quality small iPad. If you just want a cheap iPad get the base iPad.
This is like asking why the iPhone is double the price of the iPad even though it has a smaller screen. There is zero reason why a newly redesigned and more advanced iPad mini should cost less than the basic iPad just because it has a smaller screen.
Exactly.... though the price bump to get to 256GB... ouch.
... but necessary, IMO. (256GB, not the cost to get there)On the iPad mini 6? Not as far as I can tell.
- 326 PPI
- P3 wide gamut
- Fully laminated
- Very low reflectivity 1.8%
- 500 nits brightness
You use a mini 5 for your main iPad right? Are you upgrading?Exactly.... though the price bump to get to 256GB... ouch.
That PPI has me very very attracted to it.
Yeah, agreed. Look at videos on YouTube. Even the base iPad vs the mini 5... night and day difference between the screens. Mini is far better.
Correct... the Mini 5 is my main iPad. At this time I have no plans to upgrade to the 6. Primarily because the combination of the price increase (not unexpected nor unreasonable), the lack of smartcovers, and the higher cost of the Pencil 2 (to replace the Pencil 1), the cost of the smartfolio, and losing the use of the Zagg keyboard case, together makes it very costly to upgrade.You use a mini 5 for your main iPad right? Are you upgrading?
That PPI has me very very attracted to it.
But as usual, I'll be keeping a keen eye on sales, discounts, and clearances on things and will consider it when it is more financially favorable to do it. (that's why I qualified it with "at this time"
) I can easily afford to do it now, but I don't like to spend money wastefully...which is ultimately why I can easily afford to do things now.
I decided it isn’t necessary because with the addition of USB-C I can keep a bunch of movies on a key drive and access them with Infuse if I really need to. My current iPad (2019 Air) is also 64gb and is totally a consumption device so I don’t need tonnes of apps; it only becomes a problem when I want to travel and don’t have internet access. But I don’t mind have a small usb drive with me in those circumstances.Exactly.... though the price bump to get to 256GB... ouch.
I agree. Even with 256GB on my Mini 5, I will occasionally bring a USB drive with me as well... but if I can get away without having things dangling from the iPad, I try. The Mini is so small that having to bring anything along feels more intrusive than when toting a larger iPad. I didn't feel that way when I had my 12.9 Pro.
Sure. I'd have preferred 256gb but I can't really even justify the expense of the 64gb at the moment, I just couldn't resist ordering immediately to make sure I get on on day one, lol, and getting the slightly cheaper one made me feel a bit better.I agree. Even with 256GB on my Mini 5, I will occasionally bring a USB drive with me as well... but if I can get away without having things dangling from the iPad, I try. The Mini is so small that having to bring anything along feels more intrusive than when toting a larger iPad. I didn't feel that way when I had my 12.9 Pro.
Apple has marketing choices when designing any model. Long ago, they decided that "mini" was a feature people would be willing to pay extra for. Rather than offer smaller size as a way to reduce the price below the budget model iPad (which would have undercut sales of the full-size budget model), with iPad mini they've aimed for the business market - situations where the compactness is a benefit and the purchaser is also looking for better-than-minimum features/specs.
I used to think of mini as a model for smaller children - smaller hands, smaller iPad. However, that was before mini began to show up frequently in the hands of restaurant servers, retail sales staff, home healthcare workers, and other non-desk-bound workers, as well as at point-of-sale, as menu substitutes, etc. All situations where compactness/easier handling can be worth paying for.
Consider the video in yesterday's Keynote; mini in the hands (and lab coat pockets) of physicians. After seeing my doctors toting laptops from one examining room to the next... not only is mini cheaper than those mid-quality laptops, but it's far easier to handle, and touchscreen/pencil input is closer in functionality to their beloved old clipboards - handwriting/touch input but with all the benefits of electronic medical records. What highly-paid employee wouldn't say, "Get me one of those?"
One of the factors affecting IT buying decisions is the egos of the workers to be equipped. A well-paid worker is not going to be happy with a bargain-priced piece of gear. They take it as a sign that they are not as important/valued as they prefer to believe. So for that market - yeah, mini's price point is right on target.
I used to think of mini as a model for smaller children - smaller hands, smaller iPad. However, that was before mini began to show up frequently in the hands of restaurant servers, retail sales staff, home healthcare workers, and other non-desk-bound workers, as well as at point-of-sale, as menu substitutes, etc. All situations where compactness/easier handling can be worth paying for.
Consider the video in yesterday's Keynote; mini in the hands (and lab coat pockets) of physicians. After seeing my doctors toting laptops from one examining room to the next... not only is mini cheaper than those mid-quality laptops, but it's far easier to handle, and touchscreen/pencil input is closer in functionality to their beloved old clipboards - handwriting/touch input but with all the benefits of electronic medical records. What highly-paid employee wouldn't say, "Get me one of those?"
One of the factors affecting IT buying decisions is the egos of the workers to be equipped. A well-paid worker is not going to be happy with a bargain-priced piece of gear. They take it as a sign that they are not as important/valued as they prefer to believe. So for that market - yeah, mini's price point is right on target.
Perfect and insightful assessment.
Apple is basically repositioning the Mini as a premium device.
It no longer made sense to keep it alive as an entry level device. Nowadays even young children have iPhones or £99 Kindle Fire Kids tablets. The mini can't compete with either and Apple especially doesn't like to compete on price in order for a device to remain relevant.
The iPad mini is now a Pro handled tablet that will be more practical to use in helicopters, surgery rooms while being pocketable.
If this is correct, the new Mini has 3GB RAM -
https://phonedady.com/model/apple-iPad-mini-(2021)_specs
I'd have to say there's just no way that is real. A lot of those sites have wrong information but I have nothing to back my statement up with other than past experience with these sites and their information on devices.
I would be beyond shocked if the new mini had 3GB of ram.