All iPads iPad mini vs iPad 4, Resale value down the road?

If the Mini 2 gets retina it will have as much of an impact on resale as the redesigned ipad 5. Just assume both will suffer the same percentage loss in resale and decide how much money you are willing to loose.

It is not worth guessing the resale value of electronics, if you just keep buying and selling you would end up losing money. You have to know the
usefullness of the product, is it worth buying.

I do not see why with the 4th gen for $499 starting price one would not get a very good price selling it especially in excellent condition. iPads hold their value pretty well. $400 I would not even be surprised.

JoEw said:

iPad mini vs iPad 4, Resale value down the road?

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There's no way to tell and not enough history on the Mini to even make a reasonable guess. Buy what you need. Tech isn't an investment. These are depreciating assets.

I think with either one you will get pretty good resale value. Buy the one you want, not the one you think will have the best resale value.

I think if ipad 5 is a repackaged ipad 4 but not jail breakable 4 will retain resell value well.

Regardless 1G mini is gonna go for some deals. Mini 2, It'll have to be a6 of some type and retina. But it's also a cheaper device and if mini 2 with retina is more expensive then you'll be alright. And jailbreak could work favorably towards price (it's ability to, that is being on these golden versions,)

It all just depends on certain climates and what's in store for the updates.

The only way mini 1 will be resell value proof is if 2nd gen has same screen and a6 bump.

ramram55 said:

It is not worth guessing the resale value of electronics, if you just keep buying and selling you would end up losing money. You have to know the
usefullness of the product, is it worth buying.

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takeshi74 said:

There's no way to tell and not enough history on the Mini to even make a reasonable guess. Buy what you need. Tech isn't an investment. These are depreciating assets.

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These are some wise statements, follow the advice!

I would only add that if you're buying a device based on its resale value, what's the point? It's a depreciating asset, treat it as such. That train of thought is better spent on real investments versus hunks of transistors and plastic.

You should still definitely get the one that better suits you now.

The mini.
IMO if the mini gets retina it will be slightly heavier.
Folks will still want the original lighter version.

The ipad4 will be horrible for re- sell.
It's not much different than an ipad3 and used buyers look to save $$ and will go for the 3.
You will take a much bigger hit on the iPad.

Not sure about that that wasn't really the case with 4S when 5 came out.

BenTrovato said:

These are some wise statements, follow the advice!

I would only add that if you're buying a device based on its resale value, what's the point? It's a depreciating asset, treat it as such. That train of thought is better spent on real investments versus hunks of transistors and plastic.

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Pretty much this.

JoEw said:

It is mostly finding a balance between resale and enjoyment of the product. If I can get a a piece of tech enjoy it for 6 months then grab the next gen for 100 dollars I think that is being a smart consumer.

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Not really because there's no need to replace a product every 6 months and still enjoy it. And you never know what the resale market will do over time.

In the 2 cases you're asking about the rumored changes to both the iPad 5th gen and Mini 2nd gen could cause the prices of previous generations to be nowhere as good as expected. Of course since they're only rumors, not all of those rumored changes may occur.

I do see the point of the OP.

For example, I have the iPad 3. I am tempted to go out and buy the mini, and then once the mini 2 comes out, hopefully with retina display, I'll sell both the 3 and the mini 1 and have the mini 2 with hopefully some cash to spare.

However, and this is a big however, my wife doesn't see the point of having 2 iPads and will give me grief about spending money foolishly. Yes, this will only last a day or two, but believe me, it's not really worth it. So I'm thinking of buying the mini and selling the 3 now, but then I think about "well, if the mini 2 comes out this summer or fall and it's got retina, and I have to sell the mini 1 and then still pay out more cash on top of it, that will suck."

Because, you see, I must have the latest and greatest if it means having a significant upgrade. Once the ipad 4 came out, I didn't care TOO much because the screen resolution hadn't changed. But the mini with retina will be a big upgrade to the mini without, so. . .

. . . . . . .And now I'm aware that I just rambled and no one read this, so I'll just slink back into the shadows.

This is easy. The ipad mini. Why? Demand is stronger. The floor is lower.

What would take the most hit? A 128gb LTE ipad. At 929, it'll sink.

What takes the least hit? The ipad mini 16gb wifi. At 329, there's not much room to fall. If you look around, you can already get the Mini on discount for the more storage/LTE models. Check Macmall. But not the base model.

I'd anticipate any retina Mini, if it indeed arrives this year, to start at 399-429 anyways which will helpthe current Mini's resale. Which means the current Mini will still be offered by Apple for 299-329.

That all said, I'm not sure why the OP sold his ipad 3 if he's eager to buy another ipad right now and lose money on it later this year. But if he gets the ipad 4, he won't really realize anything "new" because it's really the same experience. The ipad mini's form factor would be better in this regard as well.

Buy what suits you now & accept that you are going to lose money no matter what you choose.

I wouldn't see the iPad 4 fetching much less than $400 when the 5th generation comes about. The mini will probably drop to around $270 or so. Just go with the iPad that suits you better!