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Apple would probably raise the price to $429 with retina and more ram and still offer only 16GB space.

Would you buy in a flash?

Yes. Price was never the issue for me. I simply wanted something lighter and smaller, with all the same iPad magic.
 
I've posted this before in other threads. But hey this is a new thread so I'll post it again. :)

I plan on buying an iPad mini 32GB with LTE. But I am going to wait until after the holiday season is over.

I will just keep watching MacRumors.com to see if there are any rumors of an iPad mini 2 being released in the spring. If there are no rumors I'll look to purchasing one off of Apple's Refurb section. Apples products generally take between four to six months to show up in the Refurb section.

I much as I like the concept of the iPad mini, I just don't consider it a good value considering its current specs and configuration.

I really love the form factor, but the technology of the iPad mini is a step backward, not forward. I can't see paying Apple's current pricing for one.
 
iPad Mini 2 or The New iPad Mini won't be released this spring. There will be a revision in 12 months that will include retina, A6X, and 1 gb of ram. I currently have a 2010 Macbook Pro and an iPhone 5 and have never even USED an iPad. While the specs are a bit dissapointing, I have ordered a black mini as my first iPad and will ultimately sell and upgrade for a minimal price after a good years worth of use. I'm extremely excited to expand my :apple: ecosystem.
 
The tech is here but not available that small. If anything the retina display In its current form would have most certainly increased the thickness of the mini, alongside a bigger battery to power it (or suffer reduced battery life) and again issues of heat dispensation (the iPad 4 gets just as warm as the 3 when running intense applications according to many reviews)...

We all would have loved Retina, but practicality wise it just was a no for time being. In 12 months if they have managed to create thinner retina panels that require less power, a chipset that likewise offers increased performance with less power requirements and further improved battery technology, we will undoubtably see a revised mini. But those enhancements especially when micro-sizing things tend to cost more rather than less, so we can only hope with those refinements if they happen (no reason they couldn't in 12 months) then the price /cost of a mini doesn't increase too.

Then why is it that other Apple products (both larger AND smaller) have retina displays, some for multiple generations? No way this is a issue about the tech not being there. This has EVERYTHING to do with creating space between the mini and full size iPad. Once the full size iPad has some killer upgraded features, the retina tech will magically arrive for the mini.
 
If you'd use this one, just get it. The next one may or may not come out in 6 months, and it may or may not have a retina display. If we're on a yearly cycle now, it could be 2 years until there's a mini with retina.

And if it is released in 6 months and you really have to have it, sell this one and pay the $100 difference or whatever it will be.
 
Does somebody want to do some math? :)

How big would a display have to be at the same PPI as the iPhone 4,4S,5 in order to have the same resolution as the iPad 3,4? I assume it would be the same 7.9 inches as the iPad mini, but don't want to go through the actual math.
 
I pre-ordered the iPad mini 16GB WiFi. Wanted the cheapest entry price to a mini, as I definitely plan on getting maxed out iPad mini 2, 32 or 64GB w/ Cellular. If they update it in the spring, I will likely stay with the mini 1 until the 3rd gen releases.

I use my Apple devices as long as they remain useful to me. Still on an iPhone 4, a 4 year old MBP, etc. I will only upgrade from the 1st gen mini when it becomes obsolete either by my usage expectations, or by vast improvements in future generations/end of device support by Apple (it is after all using 2 year old tech).
 
I'm waiting for the next one and I have a feeling it will come out in 6 months. My thought is that the mini was rushed for the holiday season and much like iPad 3, it will get bumped quickly by the next release.
 
If it is a significant update, even without retina, I'd get one for myself and hand down the one coming tomorrow to my son. I think it'll be a while, though. Apple will want to get costs of the current model down, so that their margin is where they like it, long before moving forward with a refresh.
 
Then why is it that other Apple products (both larger AND smaller) have retina displays, some for multiple generations? No way this is a issue about the tech not being there. This has EVERYTHING to do with creating space between the mini and full size iPad. Once the full size iPad has some killer upgraded features, the retina tech will magically arrive for the mini.

The tech doesn't exist in an iPad mini size currently without sigificant sacrifices that would undermine the purpose of the ipad mini.

The iPhone & iPod Touch have retina displays, but ones which are vastly smaller to the 2048 x 1536 needed for the ipad Mini.

The power required to drive a display of that resolution clearly requires more space / dimensions as evident by the iPad 3 & 4's increased weight over the iPad 2.

Likewise the iPad 3 & 4's battery is more than double the size of the iPad mini's and yet because of the power needed to power the more powerful device means it achieves actually less battery life than the minis.

Remember the iPad 3 & 4 requires the A5X, A6X a more powerful processor than the ipad 2 or the iPhone 4s (A5) wth its 980x640 resolution or the 5 (A6) with its 1136 x 640 resolutions. In fact 1136 x 640 in the iphone 5 is 727k pixels which is significantly lower than the 1024 x 768 resolution in the ipad mini and ipad 2 which is 786k pixels.

This is why the ipad 3 and 4 required the X abridged processor to handle the massive difference in resolution 2048x1536 = 3.1 million pixels which is a massive amount more than in the currently available 4" iphone 5 and ipad mini.

These processors require more power, bigger batteries and yet you want it in the 7.9" mini.

I'm sure apple could engineer it into the mini - but it would be thicker than 7.9mm and weigh more, and chances have battery life half of the current mini.

Add to the fact no-one is actually manufacturing a 7.9" panel with 2048x1536 resolution at the moment.
 
I'm waiting for the next one and I have a feeling it will come out in 6 months. My thought is that the mini was rushed for the holiday season and much like iPad 3, it will get bumped quickly by the next release.

That may be the case and if so, I will happily upgrade and give my 32GB white mini 1st gen to a family member. I don't have a iPad currently to gauge it against and have held off because I wanted a smaller iPad, not an android tablet. Had there not been a mini announced I would probably be waiting for an iPad 4 right now because I use my 4s for way more than I ever imagined for Internet use and don't think I could wait another 6 months to a year for the POSSIBILITY of some type of smaller iPad to be introduced. Having held back from joining the initial iPad bandwagon for so long mainly because of the size, I have no hesitation here, even without the retina display and faster processor. Apple will do what they do and I will only give them my money if I have use for the product. Portability makes all the difference to me right now and is really only a starting point for more purchases if I find it does what I want.
 
On More Thing

I've learned, many years ago, to NOT wait on the next big thing from Apple. There will always be bigger, better, faster devices being released. I just "eye ball" them as they come out, make a decision then jump in. That sad . . . I will enjoy my new iPad Mini and will, most likely, buy another model in the future.

Oops, couldn't edit the subject line. It should be:
One More Thing
 
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Not that Apple needs to apologize/explain their update life cycle but I just can't see the switch to a retina screen in 6 months. This is supposed to be a new product category and based on adoption, I can see them offering a solution in a year or two. The "New" iPad is the top of the line. The iPad mini is the bottom of the line. By not offering a Retina, it ensure the likeliness that you have people buying both.

I know that the form factor is important to me. That's the only reason I want it. I don't need it but want it. If this is supposed to be what sways non iPad owners to enter the Apple eco system because of price point, that's what gets them there.

Now some will say.. .the iPad 2 is only $70 dollars more... yes it is... its the base model for the 9.7" option to draw non iPad owners to the ecosystem. The mini does the same for those who don't want a 9.7" and prefer the 7.9" base model. We consumers have to remember that the iPad mini is a Entry level iPad that is no different form its bigger brother. It's a scaled down iPad 2 plain and simple. Apple chose the 2 not the 4... its not an the "New" iPad mini. This is no different than what Apple is doing by offering the iPhone 4 free on contract or the iPhone 4s at a reduced cost. They can tap into different potential users budgets.
 
No. May as well get it now...a year until the Mini 2 is a long time. Buy now and sale it next year when the new one comes out.
 
Yep, I'm waiting for the next Mini. And while I'm waiting, I'll be using the one I receive tomorrow. Its $300... you'd probably be able to sell it for at least $200 whenever a new one comes out, so you are talking about $100 to use it for probably the better part of a year.
 
Not that Apple needs to apologize/explain their update life cycle but I just can't see the switch to a retina screen in 6 months. This is supposed to be a new product category and based on adoption, I can see them offering a solution in a year or two. The "New" iPad is the top of the line. The iPad mini is the bottom of the line. By not offering a Retina, it ensure the likeliness that you have people buying both.

I know that the form factor is important to me. That's the only reason I want it. I don't need it but want it. If this is supposed to be what sways non iPad owners to enter the Apple eco system because of price point, that's what gets them there.

Now some will say.. .the iPad 2 is only $70 dollars more... yes it is... its the base model for the 9.7" option to draw non iPad owners to the ecosystem. The mini does the same for those who don't want a 9.7" and prefer the 7.9" base model. We consumers have to remember that the iPad mini is a Entry level iPad that is no different form its bigger brother. It's a scaled down iPad 2 plain and simple. Apple chose the 2 not the 4... its not an the "New" iPad mini. This is no different than what Apple is doing by offering the iPhone 4 free on contract or the iPhone 4s at a reduced cost. They can tap into different potential users budgets.

Well said ;)
 
Yes.

Using an iPad 3 (RIP) until then, as tempting as switching to a mini may be, no Retina and an A5 kind of kill it for me.

I'll try staying strong.
 
The iPad will never work on a smaller form factor Who said this? Mini rumors have been around since the iPad 1.
The iPhone will never be bigger than 3.5" Again, source? People were calling for a 4" screen since the iPhone 4.
The iPad3 won't get an update this early Almost everyone WANTED an early update due to the issues and performance. It was also rumored.
The iPhone 4 couldnt possibly get thinner Another claim with no source. Everyone knew the 5 would be thinner and lighter. It's how Apple works.

Seriously, when are people going to stop being so definitive about what can and can't happen in technology.

While I agree with your point, the examples you used are terrible.
 
For those of you that have decided to wait for the 2nd gen iPad Mini in hopes of a retina display (or other high res display technology)...

If come next October Apple releases the 2nd Gen iPad Mini, and maybe they throw in a 32nm A6, and a gig of ram, maybe even a 20-hour battery, but the display goes virtually unchanged? Maybe they find a slightly better 7.9 inch screen to put in there, but nowhere near retina. Will you then wait another year for the Mini 3? Or will you just give up altogether and stick with the full sized iPad?
 
Yes, I think it could be my next iPad after my current iPad 2. I don't need to upgrade yet, but maybe when the next mini comes.
 
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