Apple Announces New Fifth-Generation iPad Mini With Apple Pencil Support, Revamped Retina Display and A12 Bionic Chip

[Zdigital2015]

Really, Apple? Can't you apply your bezel-shrinking prowess to this device? I mean, take off the bezels and you have a jacket-pocket-sized device that will be hugely useful to lots of people! Thing is, I'll probably buy one because I need a device in this form factor, but what a missed opportunity to do something truly exciting.

The new iPad mini retains the exact same dimensions as the iPad mini 4 and I am sure there are many out there in the world who are grateful that they will not need to buy another $50-$200 worth of accessories, mounts, etc to accommodate yet another new form factor.

The mini is a niche product (compared to the 9.7” iPad) and there are many vertical markets where having the consistency in form factor will make it easier to sell into those vertical markets and into corporate accounts. This is Apple’s way of tacitly accommodating Enterprise customers and IT departments who are ready to deploy new iPads (not Pros) en masse, but whose budget will not allow for new cases, stands, third party and specialty add-ons that could be needed if Apple had changed up the chassis and/or moved to USB-C. I view the new mini, new iPad Air and existing 9.7” iPad as those devices likely to meet 90% of the demands of consumers, vertical markets (dining, hospitality, equipment monitoring, utilities, etc) and Enterprise (sales and marketing, mostly).

We lament Apple not caring about Enterprise to grow their market share, which requires a slower pace and more rigid sales and lease cycles, but then complain that they missed an opportunity to create something truly exciting, which they did already - the 2018 iPad Pros. Thankfully, Apple has a lot of smart people who can separate the signal from the noise. If they didn’t, they would be curled up in the fetal position after reading the majority of the post on these forums.

 

[Greenmeenie]

I might get a mini for home automation. Should be supported for a solid 3-5 years.

I agree. With the 12 bionic chip, it definitely will be supported for awhile. Some were saying it’d only get a 9 or 10. So this was a nice suprise. I will definitely be getting one to update my dying mini 2. Wish it had apple pencil 2 support since i already have one for my ipad pro. Maybe in a few years when they update it again.

 

[Shin-Ra]

Nice to see the mini finally get a proper color gamut, the last one was so ridiculously washed out.

And highest pixel density of any iPad? 326 is a nice upgrade from the old 264.

326ppi is unchanged since iPad mini 2.

 

[TheShadowKnows!]

This is a perfect Mini for my lovely wife and myself. We use them when traveling across the pond.
Perfect!
[Will await patiently for Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales for the usual $50 to $100 drop in MSRP.]

And even includes the 3.5mm headphone jack which I use to connect to my 1965, very-analog, classic car to pair the mini (and my playlists) with the in-car radio/speakers.

 

[AppleMad98004]

Argh....
The price again!!

Apple usually raises prices with this massive sort of spec bump. So keeping it the same is very unlike Apple.

 

[[AUT] Thomas]

Order placed.
Only 6mm thickness and 10g heavier... that's one high density tablet... Let's hope it doesn't bend.

Rather expensive for the size. At least I think so.

That logic sickens me... seriously... what has size to do with the price?

iPad Pro Mini please

I doubt that ever happens. Much like the SE, the mini 5 is likely the last refresh of an EOL product.

 

[psac]

Apple usually raises prices with this massive sort of spec bump. So keeping it the same is very unlike Apple.

Coming from a Mini4 with just the 128GB option for a while, if you actually use that much storage, technically it is a price increase for the equivalent new device (since you have to go up to the 256GB), but yes, with the spec bump being what it is, there really isn't too much to complain about (pending RAM reveals.)

 

[aapl owner]

A12 and same price tag? Well, it's rare for Apple to be this generous...

"Generous" you must be kidding. This thing is overpriced by $100-$150. Was interested in the new iPad mini but this price is just outrageous and I will pass.

 

[Greenmeenie]

Not just the magnets. Pencil 2 has to be wirelessly recharged to so the induction charging system has to put inside the Mini also for it to work. Apple's quest to make the Mini as small as possible runs into conflict that that ( as the rest of the design's objective to so toss as much internal volume as they can ).

Pencil 2 roll out to the rest of the iPad line up is going to be a long extended problem. It costs more in both materials (induction charging in both devices ) and internal space.

The other "problem" now is the moment that Pencil 1 has in deployed units. Once it went into the cheapest iPad the volume of capable deployed system when way up. There also is an alternative Logitech Crayon if on a tighter budget also. There is probably not a Pencil 2 alternative for at least 1-2 years.

I will be buying this new ipad mini to replace my 5yr old ipad mini. I am glad to see it finally got apple pencil support...but really wished it could support the new apple pencil. I know that would require a redesign. But after using the Apple pencil 2 with my ipad pro...the first gen pencil charging method seems so ancient and frankly...un-Apple like.

 

[deconstruct60]

I'm good with this one. But disappointed with it still having the Lightning port... Intentionally putting differences on how to charge basically the same types of devices (iPads) is showing the bean counters in Apple are getting more and more influence in the design of devices.

Or not.
The iPad Pro may be just moving up to same port as the MacBook so those two can share the same System on a Chip.
Each have one USB Type-C port. Apple doesn't have as good a match for the rest of the Mac line up but if they wanted to experiment with a ARM macOS device or an iOS "iBook" those two systems overlapping exactly on ports makes that a much easier experiment to do.

The vast inertia of the iPad (and iPhone) is still firmly rooted in Lighting port. That port allows thinner devices ( this mini is yet another iteration on thinner).

Pencil 1 is entirely dependent upon Lighting and the growth of those units sold has been trending up. ( again inertia and sales ). Folks that already have a Pencil 1 can use these new devices. The Pencil 2 devices cannot.

It isn't just bean counters at Apple. There are many millions of dollars spent on Lighting charging already out there. As long as the hones don't change, that inertia just builds.

 

[UbuntuFu]

Disappointed the $499 iPad Air 3 does not come with quad speakers and 120hz ProMotion.

 

[aapl owner]

Really happy for the mini but it's quite expensive, so is the new Air

Apple is really making a mistake by overpricing these devices. They are both $100-150 too high. I do not think Apple gets it yet on pricing. These along with >$1k iPhones is not a plan for future success. The market has moved to lower cost and high quality but not at these prices Apple.

I was very much in the market for a new iPad mini but at $399 they are just gouging us.

 

[bpeeps]

This is what happens when they don’t have enough time to refresh a model.

What are you even talking about. They've had all the time in the world to change the design. They simply don't want to, likely because they want you on an iPad Pro 2018 if you want the latest and greatest.

 

[Zdigital2015]

You’re right- I just checked and it’s the original mini.

Man, I don’t even know what to do with those. They are super slow and apps are not supported.

Depending on the model (capacity), you can get up to ~$40 on trade-in with Apple Give Back. Not much, bu then again, that poor old mini (I have one) is just not useful on a day in day out basis any more...IMHO.

You can even trade in your iPad at an Apple Store if you have one located near (enough) to you.

 

[Greenmeenie]

Or not.
The iPad Pro may be just moving up to same port as the MacBook so those two can share the same System on a Chip.
Each have one USB Type-C port. Apple doesn't have as good a match for the rest of the Mac line up but if they wanted to experiment with a ARM macOS device or an iOS "iBook" those two systems overlapping exactly on ports makes that a much easier experiment to do.

The vast inertia of the iPad (and iPhone) is still firmly rooted in Lighting port. That port allows thinner devices ( this mini is yet another iteration on thinner).

Pencil 1 is entirely dependent upon Lighting and the growth of those units sold has been trending up. ( again inertia and sales ). Folks that already have a Pencil 1 can use these new devices. The Pencil 2 devices cannot.

It isn't just bean counters at Apple. There are many millions of dollars spent on Lighting charging already out there. As long as the hones don't change, that inertia just builds.

I dunno. I ditched my macbook for a new 2018 ipad pro. Love the usb-c & new apple pencil 2. However, i also love having an ipad mini for when i wanna be creative, but go light. So in that sense I disagree with you. Having an ipad mini that compliments my pro with usb-c & apple pencil 2 support would really help my work flow. Being able to share the same pencil & cables would be much more convenient.

 

[Zdigital2015]

This thing has thicker top and bottom bezels than the original iPad mini from 2012. It's a damn shame.

View attachment 826977

The new iPad mini 5 has exactly the same length, width and thickness as the iPad mini 4 that was released in 2015, which was nominally larger than the iPad mini 1, 2 and 3. The wight is slightly more at 0.66lbs to the mini 4’s 0.65lb.

I am mystified as to the obsession over bezels, be it an iMac, iPad or MacBook Pro on these forums. Who cares?

 

[Crowbot]

Still rocking an iPad mini 2 on iOS 12 here. With 16 GB. It gets crowded, but between allowing podcasts to stream and iOS automatically cleaning rarely-used apps, it works.

Sure, I wouldn’t buy a new one with this capacity, but the new minimum is four times that at 64, so…

I think the reason they're going with a minimum 64GB is so they don't get caught in the trap they faced a few years ago when the OS update was too big for people with devices with only 16GB to download for upgrade. Flash RAM is dirt chap now so it makes sense.

 

[Cashmonee]

So let me make sure I got this right.

We have a new product that uses the old way of authentication, the old accessory, and the old port. Apple's whole deal is a cohesive ecosystem. They made fun of the "toxic hell stew" of Android and its splintered ecosystem. Having two different UI's isn't splintered? Two different ways to charge on essentially the same product lines isn't splintered? Two different styluses isn't splintered?

They have a chance to have a single charging cord across all of their product lines. They have created a situation where if I have a new iPad Pro, it will be harder to add a mini. Not to mention the frustration of going between a TouchID device and FaceID device (if you have done it, you know it is rather frustrating).

Apple's product lineups are an inconsistent mess! Which is a damn shame for a company whose calling card used to be simplicity and interoperability.

 

[AnotherOpinion]

This thing has thicker top and bottom bezels than the original iPad mini from 2012. It's a damn shame.

I also think it's a shame. Sure, it's nice to get spec bumps, but why keep the touch ID and lightning port? It's like they just don't want to innovate. It's very confusing to step back with their iPad line

 

[ssl0408]

I will wait for a special when it drops to $300 and then purchase one. It is quite overpriced at $400.

 

[TheShadowKnows!]

Coming from a Mini4 with just the 128GB option for a while, if you actually use that much storage, technically it is a price increase for the equivalent new device (since you have to go up to the 256GB), but yes, with the spec bump being what it is, there really isn't too much to complain about (pending RAM reveals.)

Correctamundo:
The mid-2015 Mac Mini 4/WiFi had 64GB (not 128GB) and was priced at $500 retail, $400 discounted.
(I know, I bought two.)

[MSRP for the Mini 5/WiFi is in line with that -- esp. will see better pricing after the typical discounts on Black Friday/Cyber Monday from B&H, BB, Target, et al.]

 

[Zdigital2015]

So, if I read the comments correctly - Putting USB-C on a non Pro device (iPad, iPad mini, iPad Air) is good, but removing USB-A on a Pro device is bad?

 

[Greenmeenie]

The new iPad mini 5 has exactly the same length, width and thickness as the iPad mini 4 that was released in 2015, which was nominally larger than the iPad mini 1, 2 and 3. The wight is slightly more at 0.66lbs to the mini 4’s 0.65lb.

I am mystified as to the obsession over bezels, be it an iMac, iPad or MacBook Pro on these forums. Who cares?

Well, thinner bezels on the mini would enable the device to remain 7.9” but become smaller...or increase the screen size to 8.5” but retain the same footprint. Both kinda cool. So in that sense, i can see why people would like slimmer bezels.

 

[dcpmark]

The new iPad mini 5 has exactly the same length, width and thickness as the iPad mini 4 that was released in 2015, which was nominally larger than the iPad mini 1, 2 and 3. The wight is slightly more at 0.66lbs to the mini 4’s 0.65lb.

I am mystified as to the obsession over bezels, be it an iMac, iPad or MacBook Pro on these forums. Who cares?

The bezels are perfect for holding it in landscape without covering up the screen, or using handprint rejection, etc.

 

[TVreporter]

Kids use the original mini for games - tempted to get this one for myself.

No iMac update??