All iPads Anybody still going to buy the Mini 3?

[cityhopper]

Really, really wanted Touch iD

As much as I wanted Touch iD and a real update, I cannot make the numbers work to justify purchasing a refreshed rMini. I owe more on Next than what I could resell the mini for.

At least now, I'll upgrade the iPhone and rMini in alternating years..

 

[sahnjuro]

no.

may be refurb mini 2 with 64 gb

 

[amrabari]

I have have iPad mini 16GB and I was waiting for the mini 3 to come out so I can go with 64GB, I also wanted faster CPU .. Was disappointed by the announcement yesterday.. I think I will go with Air 2 because of all the new features that I don have with the mini 1

 

[sracer]

If it's your first iPad Mini, go for it. If you own the previous Mini with Retina, you are a fool for purchasing this.

This makes no sense to me. If it's a person's first iPad Mini why should they spend $100 more for the same device (sans TouchID)?

The only reason would be if the Mini 3 has 2GB RAM.

 

[big samm]

nope i will pass on this one i already have the ipad mini 2 wifi+lte,with apple care + i dont need to spend more money solely for touch id... Sorry apple maybe next year

 

[Cool Pup]

The iPad Mini 3 (or Mini Touch ID) is without a doubt the worst Apple product refresh ever.

 

[cdmoore74]

Just get the Air 2 but not from Apple. The market is over saturated with iPads and I'm pretty confident you're going to see $479 in the fist week at Wal-Mart and Target and during Black Friday it should be around $425 to $450 after gift card.
It's the same thing that happened last year. My local Microcenter have been under cutting Apple for the past 2 years. Should actually see the mini 2 fo $279 pretty soon. Just wait. It's all about supply and demand and supply is beating demand.

 

[nj1266]

I hope that those who sold their rMini before the new mini came out learned their lesson: Apple is an unpredictable company, so you should hang on to what you have and sell after the new idevice comes out. I know you want to get more money from selling before the announcement of a new idevice, but if money is an issue for you, then quite honestly, you should not purchase these devices.

I bought my 64 gig rMini last year with the intent of holding on to it for at least 3-4 years. I am a professor who paces in class, so I need a smallish device to lecture from. I also do not carry a briefcase; I walk to class with my rMini and my iPhone. I wear cargo shorts with pockets that perfectly fit my rMini.

I hope Apple does not discontinue the rMini, but I will cross that bridge when I come to it in about 2-3 years from now.

 

[Nive]

They should've just replaced the Mini 2, with the Mini 3 and kept last years pricing

 

[maclove4life]

Was curious to find out if anyone will still buy the Mini 3. I'm still thinking I'm gonna. I love the size of it and the addition of Touch ID. Yes I'm disappointed they didn't upgrade to A8 at least but I think I'll still buy it. Anyone else feel the same?

you do know they use a7 chip, right? are you going to get it?

 

[dannyyankou]

This may be one of their biggest flops ever. The only people that will buy it are people who need 64gb+

 

[jjahshik32]

The internals are the same as last year, minus the GPU right?

 

[rbrian]

I said a little while ago that Touch ID alone would be enough to make me upgrade from my 128gb retina mini. Turns out I was wrong! I didn't know I wanted a laminated screen...

I did wonder why they made such a fuss over the retina mini getting a 100% customer satisfaction score - now I know.

 

[Kariya]

The internals are the same as last year, minus the GPU right?

Even the GPU. Only upgrade is Touch ID and Gold option.

 

[DSTOFEL]

I hope that those who sold their rMini before the new mini came out learned their lesson: ................

I certainly learned my lesson. I sold my R-Mini 3 weeks ago while the prices were still high. Now I can use the proceeds to replace it with a premium tablet.

 

[nj1266]

I certainly learned my lesson. I sold my R-Mini 3 weeks ago while the prices were still high. Now I can use the proceeds to replace it with a premium tablet.

What is there in the market that has the same size as the rMini and is considered premium? I ask because I do not know of any

 

[DSTOFEL]

What is there in the market that has the same size as the rMini and is considered premium? I ask because I do not know of any

I'll take the iPad Mini size of the equation first. I've owned both previous models (i.e. original and Retina). I used both extensively for the past 2 years. The Original had inferior screen resolution and gamut (suffered through). The Retina still had inferior display...muted colors and 63% gamut (suffered though another year). That the display issue has not been addressed in the Mini 3 is a show stopper for me. So, the Mini in any form is not an option for me.

Personally, I'm going with the Nexus 9 (at 8.9 inch 4 3 aspect ratio...sits in between the mini and the air). I pre ordered it on the 17th after watching the Apple announcement. I "may" decide to go with the Air 2 instead, if it turns out to have 2GB RAM (although I much prefer a smaller tablet). If not, I'm sticking with the Nexus for the next year as Apple will have left me with no solid options (i.e. based on my needs and what I value).

 

[stretch80]

you do know they use a7 chip, right? are you going to get it?

I didn't end up getting the Mini 3. I went with the Air 2 instead. Maybe next year they'll upgrade to a more current chip. I love the size of the Mini but couldn't justify it with the lack of upgrades.

 

[maclove4life]

I didn't end up getting the Mini 3. I went with the Air 2 instead. Maybe next year they'll upgrade to a more current chip. I love the size of the Mini but couldn't justify it with the lack of upgrades.

this is a sign of Apple want to screw people over.

 

[nj1266]

I'll take the iPad Mini size of the equation first. I've owned both previous models (i.e. original and Retina). I used both extensively for the past 2 years. The Original had inferior screen resolution and gamut (suffered through). The Retina still had inferior display...muted colors and 63% gamut (suffered though another year). That the display issue has not been addressed in the Mini 3 is a show stopper for me. So, the Mini in any form is not an option for me.

Personally, I'm going with the Nexus 9 (at 8.9 inch 4 3 aspect ratio...sits in between the mini and the air). I pre ordered it on the 17th after watching the Apple announcement. I "may" decide to go with the Air 2 instead, if it turns out to have 2GB RAM (although I much prefer a smaller tablet). If not, I'm sticking with the Nexus for the next year as Apple will have left me with no solid options (i.e. based on my needs and what I value).

The Nexus 9 is larger than the RMini. At 228.2 mm it is 28.2 mm wider than the mini (can it be held with one hand like the mini?), made of plastic casing, the screen has lower ppi (we do not know what the gamut looks like until there are reviews), has only 32 gigs (the mini has 64 and 128), and has less battery time.

The battery time and the storage are very important to me.

I really doubt that the Nexus 9 is similar to the rMini.

 

[RoadWarrior56]

I have had an original Mini for nearly two years and love it. I take it everywhere. It has 32GB, but I have almost maxed it out. My middle-age eyes also have a bit of retina-envy. Plus I made the mistake of installing iOS 8 on it, which slowed it down.

So I had held out for a Mini 3, 64 GB, hoping it had a spec bump over the current model. When it was announced, I was disappointed, since is basically the same model as the Mini with Retina but with the touch ID. I was at Costco today and noticed they had 64GB Mini Retina's left marked down to $384, which is considerably cheaper than the $499 for the new model with the same storage. So I bought the Mini-Retina at the discount. I just got what I wanted and saved a bunch of money.

 

[DSTOFEL]

The Nexus 9 is larger than the RMini. At 228.2 mm it is 28.2 mm wider than the mini (can it be held with one hand like the mini?), made of plastic casing, the screen has lower ppi (we do not know what the gamut looks like until there are reviews), has only 32 gigs (the mini has 64 and 128), and has less battery time.

The battery time and the storage are very important to me.

I really doubt that the Nexus 9 is similar to the rMini.

I see your point. There are no other 7.9 inch 4/3 aspect ratio tablets on the market...however, the Nexus 9 is very comparable to the Mini. The Nexus 9 (at 8.9 inches in 4:3 aspect) sits almost right in the middle between the Mini and the Air and the size is very compelling. Neither the Mini or the Nexus 9 can be "effectively" held in one hand (i.e. palmed). Maybe Sasquatch could pull this off...but not us mere mortals. Plastic casing is on the Nexus? Fantastic...means I won't have to buy a back case, which I've always had to purchase for the Mini. No, we don't know what the gamut looks like yet on the Nexus, but we know with almost certainty what the display will look like on the Mini 3....same 63% gamut and muted colors. Nexus having only 32GB....works for me! Battery time on the Nexus is stellar as with the Mini.

However, my point is that Apple has left me with no viable option based on my needs and what I value in a tablet. I'm not going one more round with Apple by purchasing the Mini 3 when they are not even trying! I'd rather go with someone who is at least making an attempt to deliver best in class technology. Now, this is from a person who has a 27 inch iMac, 15 MBP Retina (for work), iPad Air (my Wife), iPhone 6 plus, multiple other apple devices and services (ie Nano's, Shuffles, iTunes matching, etc, etc..etc...). The point being, it's not an easy escape to make from the Apple eco system. But I'm willing to make the escape if I see the better value elsewhere (i.e. which I do at the moment) and am left with no viable options to stay!

Now, if the Air 2 ends up having 2GB RAM, I may go that route, even though I much prefer a more portable tablet, as it will give me at least one viable option to stay in the Apple Eco system (i.e. Extra Ram would add longevity). We'll know the answer to this early next week.

 

[SandboxGeneral]

So I had held out for a Mini 3, 64 GB, hoping it had a spec bump over the current model. When it was announced, I was disappointed, since is basically the same model as the Mini with Retina but with the touch ID. I was at Costco today and noticed they had 64GB Mini Retina's left marked down to $384, which is considerably cheaper than the $499 for the new model with the same storage. So I bought the Mini-Retina at the discount. I just got what I wanted and saved a bunch of money.

Yeah, that's exactly what a lot of us are doing.

Though I doubt we'd ever see the numbers, but after a while I bet the Mini 2 will outsell the Mini 3 by a large margin.

 

[bumblehat]

This makes no sense to me. If it's a person's first iPad Mini why should they spend $100 more for the same device (sans TouchID)?

The only reason would be if the Mini 3 has 2GB RAM.

TouchID is a major convenience - to some, it might be worth $100, and at least will increase the resale value of the iPad Mini come the iPad Mini 4 (if we ever see one). It's especially convenient for those of us who use the iPad for work -- my company requires a long, non-simple passcode for anything that has work email, so TouchID is a godsend.

That said, for the average consumer looking for an iPad mini, the iPad mini 2 is a no-brainer.

 

[RickTaylor]

I see your point. There are no other 7.9 inch 4/3 aspect ratio tablets on the market...however, the Nexus 9 is very comparable to the Mini. . .

Whether by luck or by design, Apple got the form factor of the mini perfect as I'm concerned. If it were half an inch taller or wider, it wouldn't fit easily in a suit jacket pocket the way it does now. Any smaller and for me at least it wouldn't be comfortable for reading PDF's. I've kept an eye out on similar size Android tablets, but so far I haven't seen one I'd want to use instead, and on top of that, I don't know if the software support for viewing and annotating pdf documents on Android would be as good. I choose a tablet based on how well it meets my needs and requirements, not necessarily if it's on the cutting edge. For now at least that's still the iPad mini, though I try to keep an open mind.