I like William's response...it's exactly the way I feel. There's always something 'newer and better' on the horizon...however, spending time waiting for a piece of gear you'd enjoy in the interim (if the money is available) is a sad, lonely existence
Buy it, enjoy it....and drop it when the new model hits the shelves. With year old Apple/iOS gear, you're going to loose 20-30%, maybe. Especially the low end model...so if it's 4 months between now and release...that means 5 or 6 before you'll
actually get a unit (shipping date/demand, et al), you'll be paying 10---maybe 20 bucks a month for 'ownership'...you'll easily be able to turn the 16GB WiFi model for 200 bucks when the new one drops, and if you can pick it up refurb or on C/L for $250-270, you're going to be looking good!
Wait. Retina + more ram = much better experience.
I own a Mini and, surprisingly, its the lack of ram that really bites.
I, too, own a Mini and an iPad 4 as well as an iPhone 5. The retina difference is noticeable but not at all a deterrent for usability in my world. More RAM? Other than repopulating more than two or three tabs, I haven't noticed any memory crashes....or apps unusable because of the lack of RAM. Keep in mind, there are more iOS devices on the market with 512mb (iPad 2 & Mini/iPhone 4/4s) then any other 'configuration'....there are benefits to the extra RAM in my iPhone 5 and iPad 4, but other than population of 'loose' tabs (not currently in use tabs in any browser)....I've seen absolutely no difference. Is there a chance the GPU is utilizing some of the physical memory for the retina display devices?
I think way too much is made debating the A5/512mb of RAM. The iPad original with 256/3gs DID absolutely suffer from lack of memory...since the iPad 2 though, everything seems significantly better 'fluidity' wise.
Obviously, faster proc, more RAM...and the elusive retina/high resolution display will
someday make it's debut....why spend that time without the unit? To me, having the iPad mini, regardless of it's shortcomings...is much better than 'not' having it. As always, YMMV
i'd say buy it couple months ago, but now, you should wait, it might be fast enough, but it's still not fast enough, and especially the screen. wait at least until the next gen.
I don't get it?
It is a great a piece of kit, but the refreshing that bugs be is beyond just tabs. I typically use Safari, Alien Blue, Downcast and Mail interchangeably. If I switch between more than two or three, the initial app is forcibly refreshed. I'm kind of spoilt by my iPhone 5, and even my iPad 3, which does none of these things unless you've dipped into lots more apps.
Like above poster's have said, a few months ago I'd say buy buy buy, but its really not long now to a likely refresh and, maaaan, a Mini with retina & more ram will be utterly brilliant.
Perhaps those are RAM hungry apps? Again...it IS tough to recommend buying now. Though there are plenty of open box deals and refurbs, discounts at big retailers, as well as second hand items available through sites like Craigslist. This will save some duckets and allow for decent resale and the ability to recuperate some of that lost cash IF Apple indeed does release a high rez version this year...which I'm not convinced of, yet. The re-sale of iOS devices remains very strong...and hence the 'argument' of buying when you need. Typically...when it's time to upgrade, unlike so many other pieces of technology...you can easily re-sell your Apple Gear. I saw a 32GB iPad original sell the other day on Craigslist for $220. To me, that is amazing. I actually tried to pick it up because it's the only model that fits 'snug' into our Alesis control package for sound production....and it works just fine doing what we need to do with it. The guy listed for $250...said he had a half dozen emails/calls within a couple hours. Dropped it for $225. That's a loss of 60% over 3 years...try that with any other OEM's laptop, tablet...or even smart phone.
given iOS7 i think the A5 and 512 megs of ram will be pushed to its limits therefore WAIT.
but that's if you accept a decline in battery life which may or may not happen mind due, or even an increase in weight and size...
Apple has been 'smart' about what they do and don't include in the OS updates to older devices. Again...considering the 'populations' of A5/512 devices on the market, Apple won't abandon them. They may lack a couple of 'features', but they'll still be viable devices for at least another two years.
J
