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MarkDeMoss

macrumors member
May 24, 2012
40
65
I haven't had a mini since I guess the 1st or 2nd version. These rumored specs would make me seriously consider getting one especially if it got a M1 chip. There would be no question about buying it if it had a folding feature. To me, the mentioned upgrades in this article PLUS folding is too many upgrades for Apple. Apple likes to do small incremental updates with their products to keep the revenue flowing. We can hope though for folding.
 

ct2k7

macrumors G3
Aug 29, 2008
8,369
3,436
London
I suspect it'll be small generational updates this time round, which is unsurprising yet slightly disappointing after 3 years. Pricing is atrocious, however and I don't believe it'll be better.
 

MarkDeMoss

macrumors member
May 24, 2012
40
65
I feel like the time has come for Apple to make an iPad Mini where you can make the iPad be your iPhone as well. I think the melding of the tablet functionality with the phone hardware (relying mostly on your Airpods to talk on the phone) might be a compelling device for some folks. I'm thinking of business professionals, and perhaps Baby Boomers in an old folks home (who would love the larger screen) who might want the portability of a tablet device along with the phone functions. Sort of one device to rule them all! I'd love to see something like this.
Best comment here as far as I'm concerned. When I was in my 20s and 30s, I always had tiny computers. OQO, Sony, etc... For older folks, they'll have heard of the company Dynamism that use to import rare Japan only models for a premium. People would always come up to me in coffee shops and say how in the world do you see such fine print. For computers, I had 4K monitors (IBM T221 - yes they existed two decades ago).

I'm Gen X. I have 20/20 vision with contacts but I can't focus like I use to be able to.

I first got rid of the idea for a Mini when iPad OS offered split screen for two apps. Now that I'm almost half a century old, larger the better for my mono vision.

I was hoping they'd upgrade the iPad Pro to 14" this year, but it looks like I'll stick with my M1 iPad Pro.

Upgrades from iPhone pro to Pro Max. It helps a lot.

Will be upgrading my 13.6" MacBook Pro to the upcoming 15" MacBook Air.

Part of getting older...and definitely will be going back to mini if it folds, especially if it is a phone.
 

sublunar

macrumors 68020
Jun 23, 2007
2,099
1,414
Best comment here as far as I'm concerned. When I was in my 20s and 30s, I always had tiny computers. OQO, Sony, etc... For older folks, they'll have heard of the company Dynamism that use to import rare Japan only models for a premium. People would always come up to me in coffee shops and say how in the world do you see such fine print. For computers, I had 4K monitors (IBM T221 - yes they existed two decades ago).

I'm Gen X. I have 20/20 vision with contacts but I can't focus like I use to be able to.

I first got rid of the idea for a Mini when iPad OS offered split screen for two apps. Now that I'm almost half a century old, larger the better for my mono vision.

I was hoping they'd upgrade the iPad Pro to 14" this year, but it looks like I'll stick with my M1 iPad Pro.

Upgrades from iPhone pro to Pro Max. It helps a lot.

Will be upgrading my 13.6" MacBook Pro to the upcoming 15" MacBook Air.

Part of getting older...and definitely will be going back to mini if it folds, especially if it is a phone.
Is a Pro Max or Plus sized phone too small?

I wouldn't be surprised if the folding technology being tested by Apple isn't there for the obvious applications but maybe something to do with Apple Watch to make the screen size a bit bigger.

The one thing that the 11" and 12.9" iPads lack is portability, which is what makes me think that an 8-9" thinner iPad Pro coming into the range could make it interesting purchase for people who might want to take such a device on their travels. Remember if the mini remains as a more basic model we'd only get to see a 256Gb storage tier at best, taking it into the Pro arena opens up the chance of selling high capacity SKUs for people who want that bigger screened device that's light enough to take on the road.

Keep everything else the same (cameras, thunderbolt port, battery life) but use a top of the line A-series processor in it.

I doubt it will see true phone capability though - got to protect the iPhone.
 
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Denzo

macrumors 6502a
Sep 10, 2009
737
1,056
Australia
Even if it is just the A16 and 6 GB ram I think I'll probably pick one up. My 5th gen Mini is showing it's age and I've contemplated getting a Mini 6 a few times, but while the A15 is plenty fast and the A16 isn't much of an upgrade, I think the 4 GB of RAM will limit it's useful life so in my case it's worth waiting for a Mini with more RAM. Doubling the RAM from my current iPad Mini sounds a lot better than 33% more.
That is a bit of a soft take.
It's technology. We are enthusiasts.by all means, pay an arm and leg for the latest and greatest. But to say, take my money even with average specs. Mate, by an old ipad.

Let's be real, they all do the same thing. You wouldn't notice a difference.

Personally I'm getting over this time where we are drip feeding advancements to ensure stable massive, bottom lines.
 

Ray2

macrumors 65816
Jul 8, 2014
1,131
457
I’ve had a 6 twice. And I’ve returned them twice. First as a normal upgrade to my functioning 5. Results: uncomfortable to hold with the squared edges, shorter battery life, poor screen rendering with its unique aspect ratio. When the 5 finally died, I bought another 6. Same experience. Took a lot of searching to find a new 5, ended up dealing with a B-class merchant but found one. Returned the 6.

I use my mini almost exclusively in landscape mode. If the jellyroll now moves to landscape another nail in the coffin for versions 6 & 7.

At least refurb 5’s pop up regularly these days. Plus I now have 2 and can probably wait, and hope for a viable version 8.
 
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bodonnell202

macrumors 68030
Jan 5, 2016
2,516
3,299
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
That is a bit of a soft take.
It's technology. We are enthusiasts.by all means, pay an arm and leg for the latest and greatest. But to say, take my money even with average specs. Mate, by an old ipad.

Let's be real, they all do the same thing. You wouldn't notice a difference.

Personally I'm getting over this time where we are drip feeding advancements to ensure stable massive, bottom lines.
And you didn’t really read my post did you? Basically I’m saying as long as they upgrade it to at least 6 GB of Ram I’ll probably upgrade as the 3 GB of in my current (old iPad that I already have) is starting to show its limits. I like the mini form factor for reading in bed.
 

Originalblez

macrumors member
Aug 30, 2021
88
147
The company has grown to nearly a 3 trillion dollar value under his watch but he's a failure in your eyes. Says a lot about someone, not him though.
Apple is indeed wildy successful and I suppose part of that is making hard product decisions. it's also true that Apple sometimes neglects its super-users as part of that profit/prioritisation trade-off.

The scale of its decision-making can also surprise us as individuals - only selling a couple of million iPhone Minis = failure.

So at its current scale it's going to be hit and miss whether they make products that delight specific individuals or groups - they are aiming for the masses now.
 
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Originalblez

macrumors member
Aug 30, 2021
88
147
I’ve had a 6 twice. And I’ve returned them twice. First as a normal upgrade to my functioning 5. Results: uncomfortable to hold with the squared edges, shorter battery life, poor screen rendering with its unique aspect ratio. When the 5 finally died, I bought another 6. Same experience. Took a lot of searching to find a new 5, ended up dealing with a B-class merchant but found one. Returned the 6.

I use my mini almost exclusively in landscape mode. If the jellyroll now moves to landscape another nail in the coffin for versions 6 & 7.

At least refurb 5’s pop up regularly these days. Plus I now have 2 and can probably wait, and hope for a viable version 8.
Until the screen is as good as the pro iPads then somebody is going to lose out. I never used a mini in landscape, so I'm obviously rooting for the switch around. I use my iPad Pro 12.9 exclusively in landscape. We are all different I guess.
 

JeanInTN

macrumors newbie
Dec 2, 2023
7
2
Great article! Lots of good hints about both the upcoming mini 7 and beyond. And I appreciated how the author made it very clear these were all rumors and speculation. I know one should expect that on a rumor site, but it seems a lot of people forget about that and argue about a device before it's released.

My mini is my favorite iPad, it's very convenient for reading in bed. But I am surprised that the actual improvements may be minimal, or at least not really needed in my environment. And as I almost always have it in landscape mode, 'jellyroll' doesnt bother me at all. A tad worried if Apple rotates the screen as you describe that I will have to deal with it then. So perhaps this might be a generation to skip (for me). At least now I know what to watch for.
I use mine in bed also, but always in portrait mode. This is why I have resisted buying the mini 6, even though my mini 2 is now extremely outdated and no longer works with several websites. There are even now a couple of features on the Facebook app that no longer work. So I'm hoping for the mini 7 to come out very soon! (I do also have an iPhone that's current, but I prefer the iPad mini for using while in bed. I can prop up the iPad on pillows instead of having to hold it up like I would with a phone.)
 
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JeanInTN

macrumors newbie
Dec 2, 2023
7
2
I had an iPad Mini „competitor“ Android tablet many many years ago with this functionality and it was a really cool feature. It was especially great in the car. Kinda like Android Auto/ Carplay before it even existed 🤣 but the overall performance and Android OS weren‘t great.
My WiFi-only iPad mini can be used as a phone via the Facetime app when my iPhone is connected to the same WiFi network. It rings when the cell phone rings and I can answer calls using the microphone and speaker. I'm sure it would work with a headset, too, if one was connected. I can also make voice-only calls using the Facetime app.
 
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JeanInTN

macrumors newbie
Dec 2, 2023
7
2
I hope the iPad mini 7 comes out sooner this year rather than later! I'm still using a mini 2 which is stuck on iOS 12, and it can't do everything that it used to do. I desperately need a new iPad mini, but I have resisted buying the mini 6 because of the jelly scroll problem. I normally use it in portrait mode, so they need to fix the problem before I buy a new iPad mini. A larger iPad would be ok for taking on trips; however, I also like to look at the iPad while in bed and a larger one would be too big. My phone is too small for that purpose; I can prop the iPad mini up on a couple of pillows but would have to hold the phone, and the phones get heavy.
 

JeanInTN

macrumors newbie
Dec 2, 2023
7
2
That might be why I perceived the screen quality to be slightly worse than the 5 - a subjective graininess due to scaling differences rather than an absolute LCD hardware issue.
My old iPad mini 2, which I'm now still struggling with (waiting on the mini 7 to hopefully fix the jelly scroll problem with the 6), has small, fine text, too. Adjusting it to a larger size helped somewhat, but it's not as clear as on my iPhone. The phones have an extra accessibility setting to make the text "bold," and that helps a lot. That setting is not in my mini 2; I don't know if they added it to future versions or not. I hope they have. It's surprising that the text on the phone is easier to read than it is on the larger screen of the mini.
 

G5isAlive

Contributor
Aug 28, 2003
2,654
4,606
I hope the iPad mini 7 comes out sooner this year rather than later! I'm still using a mini 2 which is stuck on iOS 12, and it can't do everything that it used to do. I desperately need a new iPad mini, but I have resisted buying the mini 6 because of the jelly scroll problem. I normally use it in portrait mode, so they need to fix the problem before I buy a new iPad mini. A larger iPad would be ok for taking on trips; however, I also like to look at the iPad while in bed and a larger one would be too big. My phone is too small for that purpose; I can prop the iPad mini up on a couple of pillows but would have to hold the phone, and the phones get heavy.

have you tried the mini 6 for yourself? Sincerely curious. the often talked jelly roll problem can only be seen if you scroll so fast back and forth you couldn‘t meaningfully read the text anyway… ie it’s a manufactured issue for the most case. In real use, it’s not there. At least not for me. I’ve happily owned my iPad mini 6 since release.
 

JeanInTN

macrumors newbie
Dec 2, 2023
7
2
have you tried the mini 6 for yourself? Sincerely curious. the often talked jelly roll problem can only be seen if you scroll so fast back and forth you couldn‘t meaningfully read the text anyway… ie it’s a manufactured issue for the most case. In real use, it’s not there. At least not for me. I’ve happily owned my iPad mini 6 since release.
No, I haven't tried it. I didn't want to buy something and then have to return it if I didn't like it. I have read that the problem doesn't affect everyone, but it seems as if there are a lot of people complaining about it. Maybe you got lucky and yours doesn't have much of a problem. If Apple doesn't come out with a new mini 7 pretty soon, I am going to have to buy something! I use my mini mostly for streaming radio, looking at Facebook, playing solitaire at night, and reading my devotions when I wake up. All of those apps are still working good, except I can no longer report spam content to Facebook. I have a Windows laptop that is my primary device for home, and have a new iPhone that I can use on trips to access anything that the little iPad can't do.
 

G5isAlive

Contributor
Aug 28, 2003
2,654
4,606
No, I haven't tried it. I didn't want to buy something and then have to return it if I didn't like it. I have read that the problem doesn't affect everyone, but it seems as if there are a lot of people complaining about it. Maybe you got lucky and yours doesn't have much of a problem. If Apple doesn't come out with a new mini 7 pretty soon, I am going to have to buy something! I use my mini mostly for streaming radio, looking at Facebook, playing solitaire at night, and reading my devotions when I wake up. All of those apps are still working good, except I can no longer report spam content to Facebook. I have a Windows laptop that is my primary device for home, and have a new iPhone that I can use on trips to access anything that the little iPad can't do.

If by lucky you mean I don’t go looking for problems you’d be right. There are a lot of participation trophy winners that expect life to be perfect to their picky standards that include creating artificial problems. Yes I CAN see ‘jelly scrolling’ but only if I force it by scrolling up and down really fast in ways I would never use it. Same way if I stick my head under water my water proof kindle becomes blurry. No rationale person uses it that way. Some people prefer to complain than just get on with life. Especially here.
 

JeanInTN

macrumors newbie
Dec 2, 2023
7
2
If by lucky you mean I don’t go looking for problems you’d be right. There are a lot of participation trophy winners that expect life to be perfect to their picky standards that include creating artificial problems. Yes I CAN see ‘jelly scrolling’ but only if I force it by scrolling up and down really fast in ways I would never use it. Same way if I stick my head under water my water proof kindle becomes blurry. No rationale person uses it that way. Some people prefer to complain than just get on with life. Especially here.
From what I've read elsewhere, some people seem to have a problem with it and some don't. I've decided not to take a chance. I don't like having to return things I buy. I also like to keep things a long time and not trash them when they're still working just because a newer model comes out. I'm from the older generation and was raised that way. My mini 2 was great for a long time, and I'm still getting by with it, for now. But I will most likely be replacing it with SOMETHING else later this year. Hopefully it'll be a mini 7 which will perform great for several years. Have a great day! :)
 

Originalblez

macrumors member
Aug 30, 2021
88
147
If by lucky you mean I don’t go looking for problems you’d be right. There are a lot of participation trophy winners that expect life to be perfect to their picky standards that include creating artificial problems. Yes I CAN see ‘jelly scrolling’ but only if I force it by scrolling up and down really fast in ways I would never use it. Same way if I stick my head under water my water proof kindle becomes blurry. No rationale person uses it that way. Some people prefer to complain than just get on with life. Especially here.
You only had to scroll down a site at moderate speed. It wasn’t a laboratory conditions problem. Whether it’s a nuisance or not is subjective. Apple has made a rod for its own back with such a focus and reputation on great screens that it looks jarring. Your mileage may differ.
 

G5isAlive

Contributor
Aug 28, 2003
2,654
4,606
You only had to scroll down a site at moderate speed. It wasn’t a laboratory conditions problem. Whether it’s a nuisance or not is subjective. Apple has made a rod for its own back with such a focus and reputation on great screens that it looks jarring. Your mileage may differ.

Describe moderate? at any speed I could actually read by, even if just to peruse, I could not generate the effect. to generate the effect I had to scroll at speeds that I don't think qualify as useful for any reason other than getting far down a list.

Whether one wants to obsess on things is also subjective. But I find the mini's screen is great. no jarring included.

Edit: And in case you are going down the 'it might bother others more than some', in any video I have seen where people are making the point, they are scrolling at a high speed. Shrugs. The reason I feel the need to express my opinion is that too many people have been talked out of getting one because of the people claiming this to be a fatal flaw. The person I was replying to is a case in point.
 

Lioness~

macrumors 68040
Apr 26, 2017
3,050
3,768
Sweden
I have 5 & 6 mini's - I will pass 7 and might go for an Air next iPad purchase.
I definitely don't need a new mini now, the 6 is all I need in that categoey now, and the 5 is still a good backup.
 
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Boil

macrumors 68040
Oct 23, 2018
3,294
2,916
Stargate Command
All I want is an:
  • iPhone Pro Max
  • That unfolds into a
  • iPad mini (Pro)
  • Capable of running Stage Manager
  • With a M3 SoC
  • 2TB storage
  • 24GB RAM
  • 9" (unfolded) OLED screen
  • Runs a hybrid iPadOS/macOS
  • Apple Pencil 3
Is this too much to ask...?

;^p
 

djsmith83

macrumors newbie
Dec 17, 2015
13
8
2026 to 2027 for a foldable? way to innovate, Apple. Why we are all still in possession of an iPhone and an iPad in 2024 when the folding screen tech is clearly available is one of the frustrations of being an apple user. Have the devices really changed that much since the iPad was introduced, same product line, same tires form factors.

If I wasn’t to invested in the ecosystem (will always be a Mac user!) I’d jump to android and a foldable. Looks like I’m going to have to wait for a iPad mini and use 2 separate devices 👊🏻
 

djsmith83

macrumors newbie
Dec 17, 2015
13
8
..and to add to this, I bought the current iPad mini and returned it, it’s just too old to compete.
Bezels are too fat, screen is poor quality (come on, nobody seriously thinks the iPad mini screen is decent by today’s standards, it was introduced in 2021!). Not an impressive device anymore.

Apple can surely do better?!
 

Originalblez

macrumors member
Aug 30, 2021
88
147
Describe moderate? at any speed I could actually read by, even if just to peruse, I could not generate the effect. to generate the effect I had to scroll at speeds that I don't think qualify as useful for any reason other than getting far down a list.

Whether one wants to obsess on things is also subjective. But I find the mini's screen is great. no jarring included.

Edit: And in case you are going down the 'it might bother others more than some', in any video I have seen where people are making the point, they are scrolling at a high speed. Shrugs. The reason I feel the need to express my opinion is that too many people have been talked out of getting one because of the people claiming this to be a fatal flaw. The person I was replying to is a case in point.
I owned one when it came out - it bothered me when scrolling to find a place in a site for example. You’re right that if you scroll slowly at reading speed it doesn’t occur - but for me the scrolling experience was too weird. It’s purely subjective - and only a problem because Apple has gotten us used to great UXs.
 
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