Apple Rumored to Discontinue iPad Mini

[firewood]

It would be Cannibalization.

We have a $329 iPad now, how to continue with Minis? How much could Apple charge for a new mini with that larger iPad priced at what it is?

Apple could charge the same for an upgraded Mini as for the larger iPad, and people who prefer that form factor would still buy it. A Mini fits my coat pocket (and in many women's purses), and is much better as a book reader than my iPhone.

Given a Mini could be built using less materials, it would likely cost less and thus be even more profitable for Apple to keep selling than the larger iPads. Thus little reason not to keep selling it.

 

[robeddie]

It would be Cannibalization.
.....

So how would the 10.5 inch ipad not be even worse 'cannibalization' when the 9.7 inch one is closer in size than a 7.9 inch one?

Apple will just be losing sales from folks who only want that smaller size in an ipad and nothing else. So you're saying then, that apple would rather have less sales of ipads overall raher than one size not selling quite as much because people are choosing a different size they offer?

Makes no sense.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

It would be Cannibalization. We have a $329 iPad now, how to continue with Minis? How much could Apple charge for a new mini with that larger iPad priced at what it is?

Only Apple's choice in history implies the Mini must be priced lower than the bigger-screened version. Simple solution...

Continue to offer the mini at the same cost as the full size iPad.
Done.

If that doesn't quite hit the profit target, price it a little higher than the bigger-screened version. Spin it as miniaturization costs more and many here would jump right on that train to shout down anyone complaining that it should cost less. Personally, I- for one- would not mind paying a bit more than a larger-screen iPad to get a Mini loaded with up-to-date tech.

so Steve Jobs was not wrong about 7 inch tablets after all? what a visionary man

...and...

Steve: Smaller iPad would not work
*Steve dies*
Cue: Let's launch a smaller iPad because I had the idea rejected by Steve
Tim: Sure lol
*5 years later*
Tim: Who had this terrible idea? Kill the Mini.

Don't rewrite history. Jobs explicitly approved an iPad Mini before he died. Look it up.

Jobs putdowns was just Apple standard procedure- put down what you don't have for sale now, then develop a competitor for it, then roll it out and pretend like you never slung those putdowns in the past. See bigger-screened phones, NFC, even the iOS app store, etc.

I guess the Plus sized iPhones may be eating into the sales. I own a second generation Mini and its been a good tablet, no complaints but I find my usage of it non-existent at this point

Or the lack of updates in so very long is simply hurting sales. I've been waiting about a year+ to replace my Gen 2 Mini with a Gen 5 loaded with "latest & greatest": money in hand, ready to buy. Per other posts in this same thread, it looks like I'm not the only one.

Could bigger-screen phones be taking some share from Mini? Sure. But I think it's as good of a guess to assume the lack of tangible updates for so very long could be to blame too. Personally, I'm also ready to buy a variety of Macs to replace aging ones- just waiting on modern technology Macs instead of those with tech from 2+ years ago.

My own guess is that Mini doesn't yield a satisfactory profit for Apple and Apple can't bring themselves to price it at or even above the bigger-screened version to get their target profit out of it. So they'll just kill it instead, leaving only the more profitable sizes available for sale, and expecting anyone wanting a new Mini to buy the bigger-screened version from Apple.

 

[DNichter]

Highly doubt it. This is the #1 selling iPad currently, as they're used for POS systems.

I don't recall seeing anything validating this claim. I can't see them discontinuing their "#1 selling iPad".

 

[cube]

There's a reason the gigantic Kindles didn't sell and the current size persists. It may just be inertia from growing up with the paper book format, but I don't think so? Specifically the amount of text in front of you at a given time and the sense of progress in turning (electronically or physically) to the next page just feels better with a smaller page. More words on a page isn't necessarily superior, and obviously blowing up the font isn't the answer.

Turning the large iPad sideways and getting two pages at a time is what I did for years before getting the mini... but I always hated it and don't think I can go back

I guess Jobs also said people don't read books anymore... so maybe I'm in a minority that isn't worth serving. God I really would like an iPad mini Pro

I bought a 12" Samsung to read PDF books and documents before Apple had anything like it.

The text is still smaller than on paper.

I wanted to buy a DX but they never made a new version.

 

[redscull]

This is the perfect size for kids though. At least do one more rev of it with a A9/10. The A8 is slow.

Slow at what? Genuinely curious. My kids have A8s (mini 4s). My primary iPad is an A7 (Air 1). None of them seem the least bit slow at anything we use them for. Neither the new iPad nor the iPad Pro is sufficiently compelling to replace my Air 1, and the only reason I'm considering the Pro 2 (whenever that finally comes out) is because my Air 1 is 16GB, and that was a mistake. Even the A5 in the iPad 2 is still useful for some tasks (and I think its limited RAM is holding it back more than its chip). I don't think anything before an A12 will be the least bit compelling for most A8 users.

 

[MacFather]

Deleted.

 

[patbon]

This seems to tell the story

https://www.aboveavalon.com/notes/2017/3/29/apple-is-pushing-ipad-like-never-before

Wonder how much of this could be attributed to the stale line. Not shocking anyone on this forum by saying people hold off buying apple products anticipating a new version (a key feature of this entire website is obviously tracking this phenomenon). Idk that it would make up for the gap, though

 

[robeddie]

Just buy an iPad mini 4. I've been using one since launch and it's still absolutely great, awesome screen and just as fast as I need it to be. That'll do you for at least another 5 years. Bar Apple's intentional slow downs of old devices in new versions of iOS - yes a conspiracy, but a conspiracy all the same.

Agreed. The mini 4 is fine. Having a faster processor at this point, given the inherant limitations of ios and how 99.9% of people use their ipads (surfing, sending emails, etc), anything faster is pointless.

Maybe apple realizes this and they just continue selling the mini 4

 

[patbon]

I bought a 12" Samsung to read PDF books and documents before Apple had anything like it.

The text is still smaller than on paper.

Are you saying your opinion is just that a bigger screen is superior regardless? That's cool, just saying for me and at least some folks on the thread the form factor feels better specifically for consuming books (i.e. novels)

 

[MrGimper]

BGR state what members on here have said since the mini 4 launched, and it suddenly becomes news.....

If Apple stop selling an iPad mini of some description, be it behind in spec or whatever, then they are fools. They will lose a lot of people who want one instead of a kindle, preferring the small form factor.

 

[masotime]

BGR is not a credible source. They are a clickbait website.

I'm beginning to seriously question what MacRumors considers a credible source. 9to5mac had a very credible rumor regarding the 10.5" iPad but it was ignored until 9to5mac got a quote from Ming-Chi Kuo. And yet here we have, for some inexplicable reason, a BGR rumor getting quoted as a reliable source.

 

[routine_analyst]

Apple phases out iPad Mini.
Apple introduces iPad Nano.
Apple remains courageous.

 

[MrGimper]

I keep reading this sort of comment and still cannot for the life of me understand it. How is less choice good news?

Perhaps if it avoided fragmentation, but does their dropping this item do this?

Certainly not from a screen size/resolution perspective, as it has the same as the 9.7"

 

[zhang96]

Steve was right.

 

[rGiskard]

If true, then my Mini 4 is the last iPad I ever buy.

 

[Guy Clark]

Simple arithmetic.

Apple can generate more profit from the iPad and iPad Pro.

They no longer give a damn what the consumer thinks and thats all down to Tim Cook.

Steve Jobs would be turning in his grave if he knew what was happening. The MacBook Pro is an overpriced pile of junk not to mention the iPhone that they copied from Samsung they want to charge $1099 for that has been put together by underpaid, mistreated workers in a sweatshops.

The modern Apple is an utter sham. Fortunately I use Apple products from the pre Tim Cook era.

 

[spinedoc77]

That's a shame given that they are not releasing a plus size iPhone 8. We've yet to see how they incorporate the function bar, but if some of the rumors are true that leaves us with just a 5.3" screen. There is a huge gap between 5.3" and 7.9" IMO. The ipad mini is almost pocketable, I do wish they would go to 16:9 so it was more pocketable like my Mipad 2 which slips into my back jeans pocket.

 

[sblemmy]

When the iPad mini was announced five years ago, I posted (in response to a CNN story): "If you visited the Apple website over the weekend, the Steve Jobs tribute video began with Jobs quoting Wayne Gretzsky: "I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it's been." For Apple, the iPad Mini seems to contradict that statement."

In 2012, the iPad was the undisputed king of the tablet market, but there seemed to be increasing competition particularly from smaller offerings. However, it was also clear that the market wanted larger smartphones, and it was likely that phablets would supplant small tablets over the next couple of years. Additionally, the small tablets that Apple feared would cut into its flagship iPad sales never really posed a viable threat. Sure, the small tablet market was growing, but customer satisfaction for these devices was relatively low because, much like netbooks, these tablets were just slower, cheaper iPad wannabes.

So, I don't think it should be any surprise that the iPad mini is not being aggressively developed and is likely of being discontinued.

 

[djlythium]

I highly doubt this will come to pass.

 

[d5aqoëp]

Apple's 2017 and future lineup
4.0" or 4.5" iPhone SE 2
5.7" iPhone 7S
5.5" iPhone 7S Plus
5.8" iPhone 8 Plus
9.7" iPad (The new crappy iPad Early 2017)
10.5" iPad Pro
12.9" iPad Pro (Even this one might be dropped. Size too big)

 

[Val-kyrie]

Actually, I went the opposite direction. I started with a 6+ and went down to an SE which I love. Paired with my iPad Mini 2, it is the perfect portable combination for me. I use my phone for work and my Mini for content and a light business app on the go.

I too was hoping for a Pro (Pencil support) version of the Mini. Maybe?

And while I liked the first mini when I got it, I think that was largely because iphones were still too small.

Now I enjoy a large phone with a large iPad. Perfect pair for me.

 

[cdmoore74]

Now it's time for Google to release a 2017 Nexus 7 for $230.

 

[robeddie]

The Mini is likely going to continue to be cannibalized by large-screen smartphones. I almost opted for an iPad Mini about a year ago, but I decided to go with the 9.7" Pro instead, and I'm glad I did.

I'm amazed by how much horsepower is under the hood of the 9.7" Pro. For example, installing iOS 10.3.2 yesterday on both my iPhone 7 and the iPad Pro, I started the download and install on the iPad Pro about a minute after I started it on the iPhone 7; and the iPad Pro finished the install a good four minutes ahead of the iPhone 7.

Well at least you found the one benefit of a faster processor ... faster software updates! How useful!
Too bad its hard to come by many other benefits of extra horspower on any inherantly limited ios device.

 

[BMcCoy]

Current iOS devices sizes (diagonal in inches):
4 / 4.7 / 5.5 / 7.9 / 9.7 / 12.9

Sizes after 2017 rumoured updates:
4 / 4.7 / 5.5 / 5.7 / 9.7 / 10.5 / 12.9

Seems odd. More compression of sizes. More differentiation of the products I guess.

For a while, it looked like they were heading to a product line-up that is essentially "iOS device at every inch size from 4 to 13". You pick the size(s) that suit you, and otherwise the devices are identical.

But no, these tweaks, pro models, different technology roll-outs suggest maintenance of iPhone and iPad as separate products without overlap.

For me, iPhone SE and iPad Mini is my line-up, and suits me just fine. A small form factor phone, to use mainly as a phone and sat-nav. And easy in-pocket device. And iPad Mini for internet, email, word/powerpoint, games, etc on trains/buses/couch.