Apple probably still has some stock of 45nm A5s left, so the iPhone 4S is a way to get rid of those. I wouldn't be surprised to see a switch to 32nm A5R2s in the 4S once they run out of stock, similar to what happened with the iPad 2.
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iPad Mini Confirmed to Run 32-Nanometer A5 Chip from Samsung
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Apple probably still has some stock of 45nm A5s left, so the iPhone 4S is a way to get rid of those. I wouldn't be surprised to see a switch to 32nm A5R2s in the 4S once they run out of stock, similar to what happened with the iPad 2.
Any confirmation yet on the clock speed of the A5 used in the mini. There was some speculation it may be clocked higher than it was in the iPad2 based on data pulled from that SN checking service ( can't remember the name of the service)
Yes thats fine for now, but whos to say future apps wnt use more memory. 512mb IS NOT the future. Heck even my phone has 2gig.
That isn't my point. Sure 512 is enough... but it's still an obsolete amount for a tablet released a day ago. If the mini had Microsoft or Google attached to it then folks around here would have been laughing as soon as the price was released to the public.
That's a ridiculous thing to say because essentially 1GB IS NOT the future, neither is 2GB neither is 3GB...see where I'm going with this?!
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I guess that depends whether the people you're referring to are spec junkies and they fully understand how memory works or not as the case is normally.
That's because Android/Windows RT are known to take way more RAM because of how their multitasking work, as well as having way more interactive stuff on the homescreen and poorer optimization.
The number of tablet-optimised apps on an iPad mini is also way higher than the competition.
Of course having 512MB of RAM on a $329 Android/Microsoft tablet would suck, but it doesn't only have to do with the brand attached to it.
It's not just apps...
When 50% of a web page loads up blank on my 512mb ipad 2 whilst my 1gb iPad 3 can load it completely let's me know that 512mb is already woefully inadequate for a winter 2012 device.
Yes I see whereyou are going, but if i buy an ipad (which I have) i expectit to last a few years, i dont buy a new one every year I have no need to. All im talking about is the near future like 1, 2 years. And no i would not buy an ipad mini with 512mb ram.
Ha. So you acknowledge Samsung isn't exactly a saint - actually they are a pretty corrupt bunch.
For now. No worries, the transition away from Samsung will be complete sooner or later.
LOL. Tell that to TSMC and Digital Foundries. You are really over-estimating Samsung here.
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I would agree with your point of view if you're looking to keep your iPad for a number of years. I wasn't suggesting you would buy an iPad Mini....
Hahaha, well Nick, you've probably got that right.
My comment was just a joke on there being a product with max specs ... it's the 4th gen. The Mini seems to be a blend of size plus cost conscious specs - that makes a lot of sense for the market they're pursuing in the short term (that I still believe is more driven by price vs. size).
At some point, there will be the market for size as the primary driver, i.e., a Mini sized tablet that's within $30-50 of the 4th gen price - that's when we'll see a no-price-concern Mini with the an A6 derivative (maybe even the next gen), retina, etc.
I totally understand where you're coming from, I have a friend who indicated they would buy today, a Mini form factor, with 4th gen specs for the same price at the 4th gen.
Peace out!
Why would this be? My wife has had her iPad2 since launch day and it hasn't become sluggish in that year and a half time span. Why would the mini suddenly become slow after 90 days of usage?
Yep. That's all I'm saying. For a tab that was released this week it is a disgrace to only have an A5 chip and 512 of memory. If it were 2010 then I probably wouldn't have an issue with it. This is nothing more than a cash grab by Apple. Those trying to justify it by telling others they don't know how iOS uses system memory is a joke.
The mini is effectively a shrunk down iPad 2 and about at the same price. The iPad 2 is still selling for some reason, don't see why the smaller, lighter and cheaper mini won't.
...and those making assumptions that an A5 and 512MB of memory is not enough is a joke. If you understood how iOS uses memory you wouldn't be making such comments.
Nah..Apple will just make the masses mad again by Releasing IPad Mini RETINA in 6 months...lol!
Sure they will. Actually, they surely could have done it now. Cash grab...
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Do you program iOS or, at least, did you read what programmers say about detecting memory full situations and acting on them? Then, you do know it's indeed a joke compared to OS'es with better memory / crash protection. A very bad one, no matter what some iFanboys say - people that have never tried to code, say, a multitab Web browser for iOS and, therefore, don't know much of ow iOS handles memory.
Samsung is a huge conglomerate. I would venture to say that most people are disenchanted with the consumer electronics division, not component manufacturing, which is an entirely different beast. That division actually does some really good work and is a part of the company that can innovate and deliver products in volumes needed by their customers. The CE division, however, is notorious for copying competitor's products and flooding the market with them.
Apple only needs Samsung at this point because that's who they chose to partner with years ago. Fab'ing SoCs is not a trivial process, it can take years to shift production to another company. It took Apple over two years to design the cores in the A6 and another year for Samsung to get the fabrication up to par to deliver yields Apple required.
IBM, TSMC, TI, Intel, etc.
Apple could partner with any of these companies... It's not hard to imagine that Apple is already working with another company to 'tool up' for the A7, which would explain the amount of money they're spending on manufacturing.
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Yes I'm a developer and have a very good understanding of memory and that's why I'm debating the point. The only reason an app would crash is due to the developer misunderstanding memory management which causes all sorts of leaks or they have a particularly memory intensive app, and it's only the likes of EA who push memory to its limit.
All apps as time progresses will use more and more memory to create bigger and better apps but that will always be the case...it's never ending. But currently there isn't an issue and to suggest a web page uses half a gig of RAM is hilarious.
Hahaha, well Nick, you've probably got that right.
My comment was just a joke on there being a product with max specs ... it's the 4th gen. The Mini seems to be a blend of size plus cost conscious specs - that makes a lot of sense for the market they're pursuing in the short term (that I still believe is more driven by price vs. size).
At some point, there will be the market for size as the primary driver, i.e., a Mini sized tablet that's within $30-50 of the 4th gen price - that's when we'll see a no-price-concern Mini with the an A6 derivative (maybe even the next gen), retina, etc.
I totally understand where you're coming from, I have a friend who indicated they would buy today, a Mini form factor, with 4th gen specs for the same price at the 4th gen.
Peace out!
Apple is not the only company doing this, they all do, android, windows etc.. If you want the top of the range you have to buy the largest.
With mobile devices, it's not memory that becomes the bottle neck, it's more than likely the processing power that'll eventually hold you back.
My original iPad has a paltry 256MB. Is it a little slow? Of course, but it works and I still use it everyday.
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Source? Because everything I've read sure seems to state the opposite: Windows (all versions, WP, WinRT, and even Windows 8) is great on RAM usage, and especially on Windows Phone 7 where it'll run flawlessly with just 256mb's of RAM.