iPad mini Did You Recently Buy One For $199?

I bought one from Target for $199 (two weeks ago) and returned it yesterday. It was simply too slow for many if the games I wanted to play and even streaming video was problematic on it. Speed in the OS was fine, but it quickly went downhill once I got into apps and websites with embedded videos.

I picked up an Air for $369 from Staples. This should do much better and let me use the thing without getting frustrated.

I bought a Mini a couple of months ago at $199 and took it back. It's not worth $99 given the competition. I have several iPad's already but the Mini was a HUGE disappointment for me.

I would not waste $199 on the original Mini when there is the Retina Mini or Air.

Can you all explain a little more? I bought my Mini when it came out for $329 and still using it with zero issues.

12vElectronics said:

Can you all explain a little more? I bought my Mini when it came out for $329 and still using it with zero issues.

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If it works for you, then great. I had problems with most streaming websites with Safari, Hearthstone, Star Wars Commander, some other games I can't remember, and Chrome was repeatedly closing down due to low RAM. Even Spotify didn't seems to work as reliably as it does on my phone. The low resolution screen looks positively Stone Age to me so that didn't help either. I have an iPhone 5 and I wouldn't ever used it if it messed up as often as that iPad Mini did. Overall tablet performance was worse then a Kindle 7 inch that I bought on sale for $89.

JackieInCo said:

I would not waste $199 on the original Mini when there is the Retina Mini or Air.

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I wouldn't buy the original as it is 2 years old now.

Ocellaris said:

If it works for you, then great. I had problems with most streaming websites with Safari, Hearthstone, Star Wars Commander, some other games I can't remember, and Chrome was repeatedly closing down due to low RAM. Even Spotify didn't seems to work as reliably as it does on my phone. The low resolution screen looks positively Stone Age to me so that didn't help either. I have an iPhone 5 and I wouldn't ever used it if it messed up as often as that iPad Mini did. Overall tablet performance was worse then a Kindle 7 inch that I bought on sale for $89.

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I would also say it depends on what you're using it for.

My (original) iPad mini is used mainly for my Kids watching Netflix and me watching the Yanks on the mlb.tv app.

It's been perfect, and I'd definitely consider buying an older, cheaper version for just those uses. Especially so my kids aren't fighting over iPads.

it was solely due to the $199 price that i bought it for my dad. he just wanted something small that he can browse the web, read the digital replica of our local newspaper, watch movies, listen to music, etc. he doesn't play games at all. he thinks the iPad Mini 1st gen is wicked fast since it's his first tablet.

he would have to pinch to zoom anyways so going with a Retina screen is pointless. the only benefit for the Retina model is the A7 which will make it more future proof. but in all honesty, if it gets 2 yrs out of it that's great. i'll just sell it on ebay. remember what people were getting for the iPad 1 even after it stopped being supported?

Hold off if you can, the 2013 iPad Retina Mini should retail for $299 soon enough with the 2014 update!

What others have said. The only way I could justify recommending the first gen mini (at pretty much any price point above 100$) would be if a parent or older first-time user wanted a tablet for light tasks like e-mail / weather / quick checking up of things online- or for a kid that will be using it lightly and for a small range of fairly light tasks like casual / learning games and picture books.

I wouldn't recommend it to any other type of user.

My friend did. She cared about the price, didn't care about what it could do. But even for her, all she needs is netflix and messaging so its enough for her.

I got the retina iPad mini for double that price but just the retina display alone on it is worth way more to me that what I bought it for. The fact that it uses the same incredibly fast processor as the iPad Air, same resolution, etc. is an even better bonus. I absolutely love the retina iPad mini, I am super impressed with it. For my personal needs I wouldn't waste $50 on the original iPad mini.

I have the original iPad mini and its good for various things. Web browsing, book reading, light games (tapped out, angry birds), spotify, note taking, ect. Its still a very nice piece of hardware. The screen may not be retina but it still has excellent vibrantly rich colors and text isn't terrible to view on it either. For a lower resolution screen Apple sure does a great job. And you get the entire app ecosystem.

Well you have to remember that it might only be 2 model years old, however the technology in it debuted in 2011 with the iPad 2. In fact, the orignal iPad mini really is a smaller iPad 2, it even has the same exact screen resolution (although because it is smaller it does have a higher PPI). Unfortunately, I believe that all A5 devices will no longer be supported after iOS 8 which is why everyone is clearing them out IMO. The current Retina iPad mini will jump in as the low-cost iPad mini and the 3rd Gen mini will be released.

Now this isn't necessarily a bad thing. I know a few people who have and enjoy their iPad mini, however all they use it for is light browsing and ebook reading. Its does a great job. In fact, I also owned an original iPad mini at one point, however after one year the non-Retina display and small 512MB of RAM was really driving me nuts. I ended up selling that iPad and getting the Retina iPad mini back in May and I love it. I knew it was nearing the end of its lifecycle, however the A7 being such a huge jump over the A6 of the iPhone 5 I thought it was worthwhile. Plus it was my first ever Retina iPad (I went from the 1st Gen iPad to the iPad 2, then the 1st Gen mini) and I could not beat the deal I got on it.

Now I only recommend the iPad mini 1st Gen in limited circumstances. I would not recommend at all at the $300 price, however $200 ain't bad considering it is a full featured tablet. In fact $200 is the same price as the 5th Gen iPod touch, however your getting a screen that is twice the size (but a lower resolution).

I never advocate getting older models of iPads, iPhones, etc. A 3 year old device will get the job done so to speak, but in a year it will definitely start running into trouble. Kids, casual users, or old people will definitely notice when they try to get an app and it says "This app requires iOS 9" and they are denied access to it.

XTheLancerX said:

I never advocate getting older models of iPads, iPhones, etc. A 3 year old device will get the job done so to speak, but in a year it will definitely start running into trouble. Kids, casual users, or old people will definitely notice when they try to get an app and it says "This app requires iOS 9" and they are denied access to it.

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I do advocate getting older models of iPads if they are inexpensive enough, and it's best to keep the iPad on the yearly numerical iOS release that it came with. This will prevent the iPad from slowing down. And in a few years, if an app requires the next iOS, one has the option to download an older version of the app.

In this scenario, Apple won't force people to get new iPads unless they need new features.

In a few years, if one needs to update their iPad to the latest iOS in order to get a new app update that they must obtain, the trade off would be a slowdown and less RAM for everyday operations due to the more intensive OS.

I bought one from Target 2 weeks ago, and returned it a few days after purchase. The price is right, but the hardware is not. Ordered myself a like new iPad Air with smart case for $385 on eBay yesterday, and I'm positive I'll be much happier with it.

Love my original mini. So much so that I influenced my sisters to get them one for themselves. We love ours so much, my mother went and got one for school. I guess you could say we're a mini family. All jokes aside, I'll probably update at some point in '15, maybe when the mini 3 refurbs come to the Apple store.