They did say 3.5 Gbps ideal situations. I’m not sure if mid-band 5G can do that. 🤔
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Cellular iPad Mini Doesn’t Feature mmWave 5G Support, Unlike iPad Pro
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It will be a while until mmWave is rolled out in a big way so there's really not much point in paying a premium for it if will rarely get used, or get used at all depending on where you live.
Might as well wait until mmWave is more ubiquitous and get a newer generation device with matured mmWave radio technology.
Might as well wait until mmWave is more ubiquitous and get a newer generation device with matured mmWave radio technology.
I have yet to see my iPhone 12 Pro use mmWave since I got it last year. It may be more widely available in a few years, but by then the iPad Mini will be in need of an update for other reasons. Lacking support for something that is not widely available to begin with is not a deal breaker for me. For those worried about future proofing their investment, the software will probably show its age long before you notice you are not getting the most out of 5G. Also newer 5G modems will probably work better and offer better mmWave range when it’s more widely deployed making today’s mmWave supporting modems a waste of time and money.
Because some want a larger screen (and much better aspect ratio) that is still sort of pocketable?
I ordered one to use almost exclusively with my drones. There are many niche and very specific use cases for the mini that make it a better solution than the phone or full size iPad
Thank you for the Talkatone tip! I think watch step counting can be done without the phone. This could really work with very little compromises. Well..it all comes down to how it looks in my pocket 😂👍 thanks again for the tips
GV is still a pita sometimes. I use my GV number for the vast majority of my calls, only my family and close friends have my "real" number. I don't believe you can change the default phone app, at least on the iPhones, so anytime you hit a link it uses your real number. On a tablet this may work differently, not sure. You also have to use the GV app to field calls, text messages, call history, etc. I've also run into apps and/or sites not accepting my GV number for authentication, forcing me to use my real number.
Personally I would have considered the mini as a primary phone if they had made it smaller, down to the same size screen it had with the mini 5, that would have been a VERY portable package. As it is now it's just way too big to put up to my ear, I'd feel like that old show where the dude with a gigantic phone answered it very loudly in public.
You can do everything you can do at home on Wi-Fi outside. So no regular phone calls or sms. Of course, something like google voice would help you take care of that if you can live with it.
When it was first released, the mini was less expensive than the main iPad. Of course, the iPad lineup has changed considerably since then. It’s been updated so sporadically that there have been rumors in the past that Apple would drop it from the lineup, but it seems more securely positioned now.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Agree on those GV issues. iPhone pretty much forces the use of Apple's default VOIP app for phone functions. That's not included with Mini (wish it was) so any VOIP app becomes "default" phone app on Mini. I don't know what happens if I click a phone link on a web page- I usually just copy & paste any numbers I want to call into GV and that works fine for all numbers.
Yes, GV fields calls because it is the VOIP app I'm using for Mini. However, in your case, you can set up GV to auto-forward to your "real" number and then share your GV number. People who dial either will ring your phone in your Apple VOIP app. Those who don't have your real number will simply assume your GV number is your real number. If I use a different VOIP app like Talkatone then it fields the calls and texts. On the mini, I just leave GV app open and it makes Mini function as a phone: calls ring and texts and notifications "just work."
I still use Messages/Facetime/Mail/etc too. iPads without iPhone can use an email address like a phone number. So I can text/facetime/mail Apple people in Apple apps just like anyone using an iPhone. Since I don't have an iPhone, the sole difference is that an email address shows up where a phone number usually shows. Otherwise, Apple apps work exactly the same. The vast majority of my texting is with the Messages app unless I am texting with non-Apple people and then those are via GV app. I simply have both GV and Messages in the Mini dock for quick access.
Yes, some sites/apps won't cell-phone-number authenticate using a GV number. No problem. I use free Talkatone for those occasional situations. Works just fine without using my real number. Furthermore, if authenticating leads to text SPAM, I can kill that number at any time to cut off the SPAM. Since they don't have my real number, that fully resolves that issue.
I never "put it up to my ear"- though speakerphone uses work just as well. Instead, I use buds just like many iPhone users who want to also see their screen while talking.
Certainly, there are scenarios that do NOT work as seamless as iPhone. Most can be solved by simple iOS options and/or doing something a little different (like copy & pasting a phone number instead of clicking a number link on a web page). In turn, I carry only ONE device instead of two and I save somewhere between about $1000 and about $2000 per year vs. going iPhone or iPhone + iPad route.
This way is definitely not for everyone. But it works great for me and I don't really feel like I'm making significant compromises to save $1K-$2K/yr. Since iPads don't really beg for annual or bi-annual upgrades, I seem to get 4-6 years out of a MINI before really needing another. 5 times $1K-$2K = $5K-$10K. I expect to get 4-6 years out of this new 6.
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It is basically a mini iPad Air, except it has 5G and a faster GPU but minus keyboard support.
I am sure the iPad Mini is the perfect tablet for many people, but the marketing for it is alienating an entire generation. Who under 25 will read the word “mini” as illustrated here?
Apple this week debuted the sixth-generation iPad mini, cellular models of which can connect to 5G for the first time. However, it's worth noting that cellular connectivity on the new iPad mini does not extend to support for faster mmWave 5G.
Apple doesn't maintain a cellular compatibility page for iPad models like it does for its iPhones, so the lack of mmWave 5G support on the iPad mini could surprise some Apple customers. Currently, Apple's mmWave 5G support is limited to the iPhone 13 lineup, iPhone 12 lineup, and the cellular variants of the 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro.
On the plus side, like the new iPhone 13 models, the iPad mini does support more 5G bands overall than iPhone 12 and cellular iPad Pro models, according to Apple, so the iPad mini does have greater 5G coverage around the world than the iPhone 12 and iPad Pro.
Despite rumors suggesting iPhone 13 models would support mmWave 5G in additional countries, support for mmWave remains limited to iPhone and iPad models sold in the United States, so its absence in the new cellular iPad mini is only likely to concern customers who are based there.
mmWave is a set of 5G frequencies that promise ultra-fast speeds at short distances, making it best suited for dense urban areas. By comparison, sub-6GHz 5G is generally slower than mmWave, but the signals travel further, better serving suburban and rural areas. All four iPhone 13 models support sub-6GHz outside of the United States, and sub-6GHz networks are more common in countries that have rolled out 5G.
Starting at $499 for the 64GB Wi-Fi-only model, the redesigned sixth-generation iPad mini is available to pre-order now on Apple's online store. Cellular models are available for $150 more over the base price of each configuration. iPad mini shipping begins Friday, September 24.
Article Link: Cellular iPad Mini Doesn’t Feature mmWave 5G Support, Unlike iPad Pro
That’s a good point. I still have my first generation iPad Pro, and it works just as well as it did when first out of the box. It’s slower than the one I’m using to write this, and the display isn’t quite as technologically advanced as this 2021 iPad Pro. I like that it still earns its keep, and currently costs 45¢ per day. I’ll keep it like I keep my F150: use it forever, it seems, because they both wake up and go like I do each morning.
Buy a new iPad or new truck annually?
No.
It actually isn't when you think about it, YAL. When the Mini 4 (the best of the Mini's up till now) launched in September of 2015, it was priced at $399. When we factor for inflation, in today's money that is $460. So for 39 dollars more you get a much more capable device compared to that masterpiece, including Pencil support which itself is going to be a game changer on this form factor. I moved from the Mini 4 to a 2018 Pro because I needed the improved functionality, but my Pro went onto eBay an hour after the Mini 6 was announced. All the same capabilities (minus Face ID, because Apple gotta Apple) in the much easier to transport and manipulate Mini size? About time.
As for this "limitation," MmWave won't be available anywhere near where I will be using this device anyway. I'm sure this matters to the hundred people or so that live near a MmWave tower somewhere in NYC, but for the rest of us?
Nope. I decided to not go with the Cellular version this time because frankly what is the point of two cellular modems in my pack when one would work just as well for both devices? It's so easy to toggle HotSpot connections now that it is barely a chore.
I used an iPod touch as my phone for a couple of years. I kept it in my shirt pocket. So small and lightweight. I’ve been missing it!
Yeah that's how I use GV on my iPhone, but to make calls out with my GV number I still have to initiate them from the GV app. Initiating a call from the dialer will route the call through my regular Verizon number. Incoming GV calls are seamless though. I can also forward GV texts to my email, but that's far different from actually receiving and managing them in iMessage, same with MMS, video, pictures, etc. So basically I still have to use different apps depending on who I am communicating with. Using my GV for calls AND texts, pictures, video, etc is a must because these are business contacts, it would be cumbersome to have them take any actions outside of my phone number, such as having them text to my email.
Another huge caveat is Carplay. Since the phone defaults to Verizon it's a pain to make calls, all the hands free stuff in my car only connects through Verizon and to make a GV call I have to open and use the GV app. Again the linked numbers rears its ugly head, for example I get a text with a phone number and hit that and it dials with my Verizon number, but I wanted to use my GV number. I'd have to pull over, copy and paste the number from texts and into the GV dialer and then manually dial. I'm assuming that's not the case with a tablet as there is no stock dialer.
Thanks for the Talkatone tip, I'm definitely going to use that one. The biggest issue I've had is with Ticketmaster who refuses to accept my GV number, and I know giving them my real number means that number is going to be sold to anyone and everyone. Will be interesting to see if Talkatone works. I actually used to use Talkatone exclusively before GV became usable, even before GrandCentral.
I never use headphones and rarely use speakerphones, I just feel more comfortable and confident using the earpiece, but that's just me. Sure I swap over to speakerphone if I need to access something on my phone during a conversation, but it's just that and I swap back when I can as I find using the phone itself to be the best in terms of clarity on both ends.
I don't know, I still think it's a pita, but that's just my personal tolerance level. I still use GV as my main number on a daily basis, but it's far from ideal. It's much MUCH better on Android and I do miss the tight integration GV has with Android.
That's not a defense of the 25% price increase.
Apple put in the current "good stuff" at this time -- that shouldn't mean a price increase, especially with no base storage bump.
By your logic, every single product replaced with the latest internals should just keep bumping the price endlessly each time.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Again, I use just ONE device- Mini 2 (until the 6 arrives)- as both tablet and phone... so I can't really identify with GV wonkiness when you try to use it on iPhone. All incoming and outgoing calls are through GV and that all works great for me. If I'm missing something, I can't tell it... nor can those who I call or text.
Yes, if texting with non-Apple people, I have to use GV. If communicating with Apple people, I use iMessage. Yes, I would rather iMessage cover all bases but that's a sacrifice made by using Mini this way vs. paying the extra money for iPhone and iPhone cell service. Apple could actually fix this by allowing iPads with cellular to use iMessage for everything- it does have a phone number associated with it- but they choose not to.
For the "cumbersome" texting thing, I simply don't experience that. In my experience those who regularly text with me-whether business or pleasure- simply keep a texting conversation open. So they tend to be replying to an open conversation. However, so that they can initiate a new texting session, I simply give them my GV number. If I get a text from them that way, I answer them by starting a new texting session from iMessage (or reply to the conversation I was already having with them that I've left open on my device) and they don't seem to notice or don't say they do.
CarPlay and Watch seem to have very strong dependencies on iPhone. So anyone interested in doing what I'm doing should know that CarPlay & Watch seem to just about NEED iPhone. However, again, in my case, my car came with a not-quite-Carplay control system. Bluetooth connections between it and Mini do everything that I would want to do with CarPlay: phone calls work, maps voice guidance uses car speakers, music stored on Mini plays, etc.
Yes, for making calls from Mini, there is no phone number issues. To simplify that problem you describe, I simply imported key contacts I would want to call hands free into the car's contact system. Obviously not every car is going to work as well but the one I have does. But yes, when calling a number NOT loaded into the system, I do exactly what you describe: pull over, copy & paste it into GV, dial. Then I communicate through the car's speakers & mic and can hang up with the car's buttons. While a personal thing, I generally don't want to call or text while driving anyway... and rarely is any call so important that it can't wait until I'm stopped somewhere.
Ticketmaster is ANOTHER that wants to confirm via cell number. I think they are much more interested in that for text SPAM purposes. So Talkatone WILL very likely resolve that issue for you as it does for me. Hard to say based on the wonkiness Verizon real number substitution but maybe try that with cellular turned off so that Talkatone is using your wifi-only and see what happens? If iPhone temporarily is cut off from Verizon cellular, I would think the substitution won't be able to happen.
Other than the need for an occasional speakerphone convo, I always use buds/headphones (or the car's system) for making phone calls. If I was given an iPhone, I would probably keep doing that. It seems like every conversation I have leads to me wanting to look at the screen for something. Buds, etc facilitate that nicely.
However, that said, I do also have the Obihai device working with landline and portable phones at home and many phone calls I make/take are on those phones. I work from home most of the time too, so I am very much using phone-to-ear much of the time exactly as you do- just dedicated phones instead of Mini+Buds. Obihai connects landline jacks to GV too, so I'm still using the same system for calls. When someone calls me, both Mini and home phones ring.
I can support some argument for PITA. This is definitely not as all-around convenient as an iPhone. I do jump through a few extra hoops that an iPhone user doesn't have to replicate in certain situations. BUT, in turn, I am not paying up for a new iPhone ever year or two... and not paying up for ongoing cellular service every single month. I still have the old fashioned kind of watches as I'd rather use apps on the Mini screen than try to do much of anything on a watch-sized screen. And I don't have CarPlay because the stock control system seems to cover key benefits of that good enough.
Those are tangible tradeoffs I choose to make... saving me about $1K-$2K/yr. Are they worth $1K-$2K/yr? To each his own in deciding.
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Yes mmWave is a bit of a joke right now. In downtown Chicago, if I'm standing right underneath a tower I can sometimes get gigabit 5G. If I walk across the street I drop down to regular 5G speeds.
This URL has the bar graph that illustrates the small percentage of the major carriers that offer mmWave 5G compared to sub 6GHz 5G, and 4G. It backs up your comments.
AT&T scores a win over Verizon in mmWave 5G | Light Reading
'AT&T mmWave 5G users on average spent a lower amount of time connected to mmWave 5G compared to our mmWave 5G users on Verizon, but when they did connect to mmWave 5G, they consumed a much larger amount of data,' according to Opensignal.