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Apple Announces iPad Mini 4 for $399, Lowers iPad Mini 2 Price to $269

This is Apple's worst year ever for iPad sales, it's apparent that the Mini 4 will do little to reverse that trend.
It's little wonder that they're postponing the release of the Air 3. Tablets are a dying market...embrace it.
 
Mr. Donahue said:
You'd be surprised my friend! The future holds so many surprises.
Who would have thought the iPad would've been invented. I didn't! I said it would just be a fad and would flop hard and it's useless. Now they're everywhere.

I can see the Apple Watch just getting better over time. I can see I being s stand alone device in the future I can see it having cellular service and making phone calls and essentially replacing your phone. Maybe in the near future 5-10 yrs we'll be rocking apple watches and iPads only. Who knows.
Click to expand...

Actually I think the iPad was seen in the "slates" that were out before that. I'm not sure of the time line, but I think there were several slates well before the iPad. It seems Apple just waited until they got it right with the size/weight/thin...

As far as the watch goes, TBH, I just don't see it. It's far too small to do much. Apps will be very limited in function because of the limited screen size and ability to interact with the screen.

What we'll see is a cross-over of product functionality. Remember, Kodak had 770,000 employees and digital cameras, the functionality of the digital camera is not embedded into EVERY smart phone as standard equipment.

This is actually the same problem as the watch, the classic functionality of all watches have been embedded into most any entry level smart phone. From a product stand point, this is a very rare step into the past products.

The smart phone does everything the watch ever did, now they are trying to get some of the function into the old form factor. Huge risk. I can't see any compelling (beyond "me too") for any small form factor wrist device.

Just as much as the iPT/iPhone/Mini/iPad/iPadPro... overlap in function, difference in form factor. It's like someone owning 5 different cars, sports, compact, sedan, SUV, pickup... in the end, it's just too complicated. Esp from a company that used to focus on making life simple.
 
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Just preordered out iPad Mini 4s Sold our iPad mini 2s Can't wait to see all that performance on that little device
 
Ash Pole said:
This is Apple's worst year ever for iPad sales, it's apparent that the Mini 4 will do little to reverse that trend.
It's little wonder that they're postponing the release of the Air 3. Tablets are a dying market...embrace it.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure if it's a dying market or people not being offered what they want. Remember, the iPad knocked it out of the park at the birth of the market, proving there is a market. They've failed to dupe that since.
IMO, it's a combo of not offering what people really want and offering a "buy a new device every year" upgrade policy. In addition to larger phones stepping on the tablet market. Clearly there's was a market for a "right sized" mobile device, it's just hard to find the right size/price/feature combo.
 
Ash Pole said:
This is Apple's worst year ever for iPad sales, it's apparent that the Mini 4 will do little to reverse that trend.
It's little wonder that they're postponing the release of the Air 3. Tablets are a dying market...embrace it.
Click to expand...
No I think it's more to do with plenty being satisfied with their current iPads

I certainly am with my air 2
 
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KarlJay said:
I'm not sure if it's a dying market or people not being offered what they want. Remember, the iPad knocked it out of the park at the birth of the market, proving there is a market. They've failed to dupe that since.
IMO, it's a combo of not offering what people really want and offering a "buy a new device every year" upgrade policy. In addition to larger phones stepping on the tablet market. Clearly there's was a market for a "right sized" mobile device, it's just hard to find the right size/price/feature combo.
Click to expand...

iPads are great, but you don't have to change them every year or every other year like you do with iPhones.
So Apple cannot expect to sell high volumes of iPads, this was true at the beginning when nobody had a tablet but now there are tons of people with iPad 2 or iPad mini and they still work great for them, and still receive updates so why should they upgrade to a new model?
 
Since they added the anti-reflective coating, I will be getting one! It will be mounted in my truck as a GPS map and audio system.

Now I just need to figure out how to add wireless charging.
 
KarlJay said:
Actually I think...

As far as the watch goes, TBH, I just don't see it. It's far too small to do much...
Click to expand...

I see your point. I agree for now. But I really believe the watch will one day serve basic communication needs and perhaps serve as your "phone" or face time wrist communicator. And I think people will eventually just rock small and large wifi cell iPads.
I don't see a compelling reason to get iPhone anymore.
If they put all the latest in their iPad I would prefer that over the phone. Cuz as a phone I don't care for iPhone. It does everything well but make calls. I have issues all the time and their unrelated to carrier signal. It's the phone.
 
Mr. Donahue said:
I see your point. I agree for now. But I really believe the watch will one day serve basic communication needs and perhaps serve as your "phone" or face time wrist communicator. And I think people will eventually just rock small and large wifi cell iPads.
I don't see a compelling reason to get iPhone anymore.
If they put all the latest in their iPad I would prefer that over the phone. Cuz as a phone I don't care for iPhone. It does everything well but make calls. I have issues all the time and their unrelated to carrier signal. It's the phone.
Click to expand...
Interesting that you say "Cuz as a phone I don't care for the iPhone" ... This is supported by the data that the phone part of the iPhone is one of the least used parts. You're correct, it's really just a mobile computer, but called a phone.

As far as communications go, talking on a phone is very old tech. It's a one-on-one communication, where as posting/texting is one-to-many where you summarize your point such that it doesn't need a reply beyond confirmation.

I just read about how flagship phones aren't the big thing anymore because they lose so much value so quickly and the newest flagship phones aren't much better than yesteryear's flagship which can be had off-contract cheap.

How many people could live with their device if it only had a data plan and VIOP calling? Most wouldn't even notice the difference. The phones are bought on a monthly payment plan which hides the total cost.

The devices are really just small personal computers.
 
I nearly impulse purchased the iPad Air 2 last spring, but decided to hold out for the 3. Now, no 3 for awhile. And if I buy the 2, the 3 will be out early next year :)

If the Mini 4 has 2GB, even though it is slower than the Air 2, it is in a more convenient size for me. So I will order it.
 
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I`m going to be the odd one out and say I have to wait until there is a camera flash like other tablets.
 
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