Deals: iPad Mini 4 Sales Continue, Exclusive Discount on iPhone/iPad USB Wall Outlet, and More

[MacRumors]

Best Buy this week has launched a sale on Apple's iPad mini 4, mirroring the $100 discount that Target placed on the 7.9-inch device late last week. You can get the 128GB iPad mini 4 from Best Buy in Space Gray, Silver, and Gold for $299.99, down from $399.99. There are also a few markdowns for the tablet on its cellular versions, depending on which carrier you choose.

Most notably, Best Buy is offering shipments to your home, unlike Target's sale which required in-store pickup. Free two-day shipping is available for the device as well, and anyone who buys one of Apple's smaller tablets during the sale will gain a six-month subscription to Trend Micro Internet Security for three devices. Furthermore, students can save an additional $20 on their total order if purchasing an iPad mini 4 with two years of AppleCare+.

In other discounts, we've partnered with Top Greener to offer MacRumors readers an exclusive 15 percent discount on the company's Dual USB Wall Charger Outlet at Amazon, priced at $19.29 with promo code RUMORUSB, down from $22.69. The accessory is rated at 2.4 amps per USB port with a maximum output of 24W, which should provide quick charge times for iPhones and average charge times for iPads.

There are also three interchangeable face covers in white, black, and light almond that come with Top Greener's accessory, but the wall plate that surrounds the outlet is not included. There are many simple and cheap solutions on Amazon, however, like Leviton's standard wall plate for $2.58.

To purchase the Top Greener Dual USB Wall Charger Outlet on sale at Amazon, select the "15A Dual USB Outlet" style on the Amazon page, add the item to your cart (making sure it specifies "Sold by Top Greener Inc."), and then type in the promo code "RUMORUSB" at the final stage of checkout. You have until Thursday, October 26 at 11:59 p.m. PDT to take advantage of the discount.

Also running this week only is an Aukey sale at Amazon, which ends this Saturday, October 21. Each Aukey accessory with a discount is listed below:

[*]Aukey 20,000 mAh Portable Charger - $31.99 with promo code AUKEYPY4, down from $39.99
[*]Quick Charge 6-Port USB 3.0 Charger - $24.89 with promo code AUKEYPAY, down from $29.99
[*]Alarm Clock Radio Bluetooth Speaker - $41.99 with promo code AUKEYSK7, down from $49.99 If you're looking for sales on smart door locks, The Home Depot's Special Buy of the Day is worth checking out today as well. The retailer has taken a variety of smart locking systems and marked them down by 48 percent, including the Schlage Sense Smart Lock in numerous colors and finishes for $179.00, down from $344.00.

Otherwise, be sure to check out our full Deals Roundup to stay up-to-date on the latest sales going on throughout the week.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors

Article Link: Deals: iPad Mini 4 Sales Continue, Exclusive Discount on iPhone/iPad USB Wall Outlet, and More

 

[Kabeyun]

At some point we’ll have to call these USB-A chargers legacy. But not quite yet. Be nice if it had an A and a C though.

Btw, have the Aukey 6-port charger, and it’s excellent.

 

[acorntoy]

At some point we’ll have to call these USB-A chargers legacy. But not quite yet. Be nice if it had an A and a C though.

It'll actually be kinda awesome to just use a single cord plugged into a usb-c port in the wall to charge a big laptop

 

[CarpalMac]

Btw, have the Aukey 6-port charger, and it’s excellent.

Agreed, I have 6 of them, dotted about the home/work/travel bag.

 

[Zaft]

Maybe apple is planning on making a mini 5.

 

[mr.bee]

Don't buy an iPad mini 4, it’s already stuttering with iOS 11. Very disappointed

 

[joueboy]

I’ve been considering this USB outlet for years but I cannot really justify the pricing. I already replaced a couple of outlet in my house. I can can get a regulat outlet at Lowe’s or Home Depot for less than $5. But when I check the USB version it $30, not really a lot of benefits of having one. My lightning cable always attached to the plug anyway and I can bring it anywhere in my house.

 

[tkukoc]

Don't buy an iPad mini 4, it’s already stuttering with iOS 11. Very disappointed

Really? Interface or applications? Only thing I've seen is the interface itself, but applications run perfectly. I keep thinking of buying another one.. but holding out Apple will release version 5.

 

[BrettApple]

Mostly the interface. Played with one at Best Buy before purchasing one for my wife. It was on 11.0 and did stutter quite a bit navigating around the UI. Had Best Buy price match the $299 Target price before they dropped it themselves.

Been waiting for a Mini 5 with at least an A9 chip for two years and it never came so I just bit the bullet and got the Mini 4 with the discount. 2GB RAM is the more important factor here than just raw CPU power.

The one I bought came with 10.3.2 installed and I told her to not update it. It runs completely smooth, no lag, stutter, frame drops or anything that I could sense. So it's on 10.3 at least until I see iOS 11 running better on older chips.

We have a fleet of Air 1's at work and they're horrid on 11. I turned on reduce motion on all of them and it helps with the UI quite a bit. The Air 2's are fine though, but they have an extra core and a much better GPU.

 

[IJ Reilly]

Really? Interface or applications? Only thing I've seen is the interface itself, but applications run perfectly. I keep thinking of buying another one.. but holding out Apple will release version 5.

Not having a problem with mine on iOS 11.

 

[jayducharme]

I keep thinking of buying another one.. but holding out Apple will release version 5.

I wonder if Apple will keep the Mini around. The 8 plus and X have screens nearly big enough to be considered mini tablets. IMO the Mini should stick around as their "budget" tablet. Right now the antiquated Mini is more expensive than the regular iPad. Who is it being marketed toward?

 

[RMo]

In other discounts, we've partnered with Top Greener to offer MacRumors readers an exclusive 15 percent discount on the company's Dual USB Wall Charger Outlet at Amazon, priced at $19.29 with promo code RUMORUSB, down from $22.69. The accessory is rated at 2.4 amps per USB port with a maximum output of 24W, which should provide quick charge times for iPhones and average charge times for iPads.

There are also three interchangeable face covers in white, black, and light almond that come with Top Greener's accessory, but the wall plate that surrounds the outlet is not included. There are many simple and cheap solutions on Amazon, however, like Leviton's standard wall plate for $2.58.

Not a bad price for an outlet with USB ports that is well reviewed (at least on Amazon) and has fairly high output. Terrible price for a wall plate, however--go to your local hardware store and buy one for about 65 cents.

I do have to wonder why the iPad mini 4 sales keep happening. I know there have been rumors that Apple is discontinuing the line, but you'd think retailers would still be able to sell them for full price until that's officially announced (and possibly even then...).

 

[mabhatter]

Don't buy an iPad mini 4, it’s already stuttering with iOS 11. Very disappointed

That’s like an iPhone 6 level device. Good for now but with the push for AR it’s going to have a short lifespan if you get one now. I loved my Air 2 and it was still performing great when I handed it down for an iPad pro 9.7 up until recently there was no need to replace it even but I wanted Pencil. That AR only being A9 and above is probably going to be the next “break point” in iOS devices and they put A8 in a lot of stuff.

 

[Michael Scrip]

At some point we’ll have to call these USB-A chargers legacy. But not quite yet. Be nice if it had an A and a C though.

USB-A or USB-C doesn't really matter... you just get the proper cable with the appropriate ends.

I imagine most people on Earth use a cable with a USB-A plug on the charger-end... then either a Lightning, Micro-USB or USB-C plug on the device-end.

I am curious to see how USB-C takes off over the next couple of years, though.

That said... I have tons of USB-A to Lightning cables for my iOS devices. And all of my chargers are USB-A.

So I'm not really excited about USB-C chargers... as I would need to buy new cables in addition to new chargers.

 

[Kabeyun]

USB-A or USB-C doesn't really matter... you just get the proper cable with the appropriate ends.

I imagine most people on Earth use a cable with a USB-A plug on the charger-end... then either a Lightning, Micro-USB or USB-C plug on the device-end.

I am curious to see how USB-C takes off over the next couple of years, though.

That said... I have tons of USB-A to Lightning cables for my iOS devices. And all of my chargers are USB-A.

So I'm not really excited about USB-C chargers... as I would need to buy new cables in addition to new chargers.

USB-C will be the industry standard. It’s symmetrical, conducts high power, and transmits data at 10gb/s via the USB 3.1G2 spec. Even Apple has recognized this, killing the Thunderbolt form factor and adopting Thunderbolt via a USB-C plug. FireWire is dead and SCSI, well...

USB-C matters to me because iDevices (like my new iPhone 8) only support fast charging through a USB-C cable, which can carry up to 5A.

 

[Michael Scrip]

USB-C will be the industry standard. It’s symmetrical, conducts high power, and transmits data at 10gb/s via the USB 3.1G2 spec. Even Apple has recognized this, killing the Thunderbolt form factor and adopting Thunderbolt via a USB-C plug. FireWire is dead and SCSI, we’ll...

USB-C matters to me because iDevices (like my new iPhone 8) only support fast charging through a USB-C cable, which can carry up to 5A.

That's why I said I'm curious to see how USB-C takes off in the near term.

I agree... USB-C will be the industry standard... but there are billions of USB-A ports and cables out in the world that are the current industry standard.

And I don't see that changing for a while.

I own ZERO devices with USB-C ports on them... so I'm using cables with USB-A on one end and either Lightning or MicroUSB on the other. And I'm not alone.

Yes... if I had an iPhone 8 or X I'd start getting into USB-C fast chargers. But I don't yet.

It's a shame Apple doesn't include the "good" chargers with these new phones. You still get a USB-A cable and crappy 5W USB-A charger in the box with these new phones.

Usually Apple loves to cut old standards and starts pushing new standards. Makes you wonder why Apple isn't including USB-C chargers and USB-C to Lightning cables with every new iPhone. That would start the ball rollling...

 

[SoN1NjA]

Don't buy an iPad mini 4, it’s already stuttering with iOS 11. Very disappointed

Yup, I see frame drops when opening the Control Center "platters"

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Maybe apple is planning on making a mini 5.

Timing would be right for a surprise refresh, right into the holiday buying season.

I'm buying if they roll out an up-to-date "5"

 

[code-m]

Timing would be right for a surprise refresh, right into the holiday buying season.

I'm buying if they roll out an up-to-date "5"

iPad Mini would benefit from an A9X or even an A10. It’s not going to get the same processor as the recently introduced iPad Pro. Though the AppleTV 4K has the A10X, strange.

An edge to edge display in the same physical package would provide a 8.5-9” display, add TruTone and ProMotion with Pencil support and call it a Mini Pro. Instant sale from me for 3 orders.

 

[B4U]

Don't buy an iPad mini 4, it’s already stuttering with iOS 11. Very disappointed

Thank you. Glad to know that before I am firmly decided about whether or not to downgrade to iOS 11.
Now this mini tablet is going to be in iOS 10 forever.

 

[dampfnudel]

iPad Mini would benefit from an A9X or even an A10. It’s not going to get the same processor as the recently introduced iPad Pro. Though the AppleTV 4K has the A10X, strange.

An edge to edge display in the same physical package would provide a 8.5-9” display, add TruTone and ProMotion with Pencil support and call it a Mini Pro. Instant sale from me for 3 orders.

If Apple releases a successor to the iPad mini 4 (a big "If"), it would probably be next year. I'm keeping my mini 4 on 10.3.3 for now and if Apple decides to give us a iPad Pro 7.9-9.0" with an A10 or A11, 3-4GB RAM, 3D Touch, FaceID, ARKit support, pencil support, etc., I'll get one within days of release.

 

[purplehaze0]

.

 

[Westside guy]

Don't buy an iPad mini 4, it’s already stuttering with iOS 11. Very disappointed

I had been holding my Mini 4 at 10.3.3, but (after the WPA2 wifi vulnerability news came out) I decided to try it on 11.1 beta 3. I gotta say... it's pretty smooth. I am not seeing any "stuttering" or lag whatsoever. Despite my concerns going in - it's working really well.

I'm still not happy about losing my 32-bit apps though.

 

[earthTOmitchel]

Really? Interface or applications? Only thing I've seen is the interface itself, but applications run perfectly. I keep thinking of buying another one.. but holding out Apple will release version 5.

Running fine even on my mini 2 from 2014, besides the occasional piece of touch input lag. Guess if they really discontinue the line I'll just have to jump on one of these sales ;-;

 

[magbarn]

Don't buy an iPad mini 4, it’s already stuttering with iOS 11. Very disappointed

It was outdated already when it came out. Sad to say but even a $150 (frequently discounted price) iPhone SE kills it. iOS 11 has not been kind to A7-A8 devices.