I think people are looking at the value of the mini all wrong

[CTHarrryH]

A lot of people about what they would use this device for. When there was a lot of discussion about 8GB model(yesterday) I sat and looked at what I'd put on a tablet. I have a iPhone 4s which I would expect that I'd carry around all the time anyway since a tablet doesn't replace a phone.
So would I move my music to the mini - probably not because I don't need it in two place and it works and fits fine on my phone. I'd move any movies (and I never carry a lot) and books. Sure I'd like a bunch of my apps on the tablet but without a GPS that would eliminate the usefulness at least of a bunch - where is the nearest xxxx.
Other apps - most are .99 or free and if I had to re-buy I would.

So I'd love a mini but what I need a tablet for the Apple system isn't that critical and the extra cost is a lot.

But I'll accept one as a gift.

 

[WilliamLondon]

You missed the point. The screen real estate is 35% bigger, on a device that is almost the same size. If you need as big a screen as possible, then OBVIOUSLY the standard iPad is a better choice. But if you want a smaller form-factor (better for reading, better for putting in a pocket, worse for being productive on etc) then you get more on your screen with the iPad mini than the Nexus 7.

Personally, I'm still deciding what I want to do. I had the first iPad and recently sold the 3rd gen. I loved them, but with the MacBook Air I really want something just for reading and a little smaller and lighter. An ordinary Kindle isn't an option for me as I read a lot of academic papers and I'd like to read RSS feeds too, plus ordinary ebooks. The Kindle Fire makes no sense when you see the price of the Nexus 7. So for me, it's between the Nexus 7 and the iPad mini. I keep going back and forward. I'm in the Apple ecosystem, but there is a big saving. I know apps are generally worse on Android, but since all I'll be doing is reading really, the Google and Kindle apps are perfectly adequate on the Nexus 7.

What I'm thinking now is I should go for the cheapest of the decent options (probably the Nexus 7) and wait to see what happens with the iPad mini. A retina screen will surely appear at some point. Will it push up the price? Or will they sell it for the same price as non-retina, like they did with the standard iPad? If I'm reading on a smaller screen, I'd like a higher resolution. Nexus 7 beats the iPad mini for screen resolution, but has a smaller screen. iPad mini will probably be brighter and have better colours.

No impulse buying, that's the rule!

Excellent post, you're going through much the same as me. Only difference I think is that I'm such an anti-Google person (I refuse to directly give them any of my money), the Nexus 7 was never in the running, but both the Kindle Fire HD and B&N Nook HD are (were?).

Though the mini doesn't have a high res screen (which I wanted as I read lots of PDFs for school), it will at some point and I'll get it then even if I don't buy this version today. If that's true, then does it really make sense for me to go buy a device outside the Apple ecosystem (which I'm heavily invested in, given I had a gen 1 iPad and bought lots of apps for it), buy apps to support it, build processes to work with it, then abandon it all in a year (which is when I think it'll be updated, not before - this is just like they did with the iPad gen 1 all over again, it won't see an update for a year).

I'm leaning pretty heavily toward getting the mini today, but with a view that it'll be listed on eBay the moment the new mini HD is announced next year! You have to admit, it's a lovely device - I loved my first iPad, and to have all that (and a bit more) in a smaller form factor is not a terrible thing, right?

 

[brig2221]

I have never experienced any issues with only 512mb on my 4S or iPad 2?

Exactly. My iPad 2 is still running like a CHAMP, and in the approximate two years I've had it, it's NEVER checkerboarded that I can remember, or certainly not enough times that I would remember.

I think it's obvious that the mini will come standard with 512mb of RAM, which will be just fine for the device. If you are a serious hardcore gamer and like games that push the graphical boundaries of the iPad, then the mini isn't for you. Quite frankly, I don't think Apple ever wants to make the mini a powerhouse, as that would start to cannibalize their higher priced full size models with power users.

If you are like me and like to run apps, email, surf the web, and play an occasional game (think Angry Birds, Cut the Rope, etc.), the mini will pack more than enough power to do all this and retain that "snappy" response iOS is known for.

----------

I would just add that I think Apple will always keep the mini's internal specs a good generation or two behind the full size model on a forward basis as they are different products for a different sub-set of customer.

iPad 9.7"= Latest and greatest whizbang A-fill in the blank chip, highest amount of RAM, nicest screen.

iPad 7.9"= Re-use of previous generations internals.

So when Apple get's around to releasing an A7 chip, only then will Apple look at sticking an A6 chipset in the mini. When the full size iPad gets a RAM upgrade to 2Gb, only then will they look to upgrade the mini to 1Gb.

This is a good way to differentiate the market and their customers. All the gamers and power-users out there won't "downgrade" (in Apples eyes) to the cheaper mini as they will want and need the Retina display, faster chip, more RAM, etc. The mini will allow them to expand the market by opening up their product line to the more budget conscious crowd, not to mention that crowd typically doesn't need near the amount of horsepower that power users do, so it's a good fit.

 

[Peter Harrison]

Excellent post, you're going through much the same as me. Only difference I think is that I'm such an anti-Google person (I refuse to directly give them any of my money), the Nexus 7 was never in the running, but both the Kindle Fire HD and B&N Nook HD are (were?).

Though the mini doesn't have a high res screen (which I wanted as I read lots of PDFs for school), it will at some point and I'll get it then even if I don't buy this version today. If that's true, then does it really make sense for me to go buy a device outside the Apple ecosystem (which I'm heavily invested in, given I had a gen 1 iPad and bought lots of apps for it), buy apps to support it, build processes to work with it, then abandon it all in a year (which is when I think it'll be updated, not before - this is just like they did with the iPad gen 1 all over again, it won't see an update for a year).

I'm leaning pretty heavily toward getting the mini today, but with a view that it'll be listed on eBay the moment the new mini HD is announced next year! You have to admit, it's a lovely device - I loved my first iPad, and to have all that (and a bit more) in a smaller form factor is not a terrible thing, right?

Exactly, I completely agree. I am very tempted by the mini, even if it is a lower spec that the 3rd gen iPad I was used to. The only thing I'd add from my point of view is that moving to this form factor coincides with me using the device differently. Now that I don't need a tablet to really be a computer, I just want to read (but that includes pdfs etc) I don't think I agree about the problem of buying into a new ecosystem. If I got a non-Apple alternative now (e.g. Nexus 7) it does most of what I need it to do out of the box, or with free apps. Read ebooks, PDFs, RSS feeds, occasionally website visit etc. So it wouldn't cost me much after the initial purchase, and would be a handy reader until I could get my hands on a retina iPad mini.

But I think you feel the same way as me... still tempted by the mini today. The resolution might be better on the Nexus and Nook HD etc, but that little extra screen real estate would be useful for me academic PDFs (and presumably for your school ones). Some people reading this will probably point out that we might as well get a big tablet for PDFs, but that's not what I want now, not with the MBA as well. I just need a small reader, one that does PDFs decently.

 

[onthecouchagain]

For your consideration:

"At $329, it is believed that Apple will duplicate the 58% to 103% gross profit margin it enjoys on the third-generation Apple iPad."

-Phone Arena.

 

[tann]

so you've never got checkerboarding in safari and all your webpages are retained in memory and the ipad never has to reload pages... and it doesn't start to slow down when there's lots of apps in the task bar.

....right?

They didn't give us retina, they didn't give us A5x, A6 or A6x
but they could have at least just given us an extra 512mgs of measly RAM.

Just download the front page of "The VERGE" it's a 5 MB page. it's the size of a full MP3 track... the web is getting power hungry... you need RAM.

Of course I have had it reload stuff, but I don't find that a problem? It only happens if I keep flipping between a lot of apps and a few web pages, which I rarely am. The problem you speak of is NOT a problem or issue for most people and honestly 99/100 people probably won't even care.

Exactly. My iPad 2 is still running like a CHAMP, and in the approximate two years I've had it, it's NEVER checkerboarded that I can remember, or certainly not enough times that I would remember.

I think it's obvious that the mini will come standard with 512mb of RAM, which will be just fine for the device. If you are a serious hardcore gamer and like games that push the graphical boundaries of the iPad, then the mini isn't for you. Quite frankly, I don't think Apple ever wants to make the mini a powerhouse, as that would start to cannibalize their higher priced full size models with power users.

If you are like me and like to run apps, email, surf the web, and play an occasional game (think Angry Birds, Cut the Rope, etc.), the mini will pack more than enough power to do all this and retain that "snappy" response iOS is known for.

----------

I would just add that I think Apple will always keep the mini's internal specs a good generation or two behind the full size model on a forward basis as they are different products for a different sub-set of customer.

iPad 9.7"= Latest and greatest whizbang A-fill in the blank chip, highest amount of RAM, nicest screen.

iPad 7.9"= Re-use of previous generations internals.

So when Apple get's around to releasing an A7 chip, only then will Apple look at sticking an A6 chipset in the mini. When the full size iPad gets a RAM upgrade to 2Gb, only then will they look to upgrade the mini to 1Gb.

This is a good way to differentiate the market and their customers. All the gamers and power-users out there won't "downgrade" (in Apples eyes) to the cheaper mini as they will want and need the Retina display, faster chip, more RAM, etc. The mini will allow them to expand the market by opening up their product line to the more budget conscious crowd, not to mention that crowd typically doesn't need near the amount of horsepower that power users do, so it's a good fit.

Yup, sounds like they'll make the mini the ipod touch of the iphone, a version-2 behind on specs (various specs).

 

[Xanthos]

My only problem with the iPad mini is the lack of Retina Display.

I will not be preordering this time round. I will only decide after I have some hands on time with it in the store.

After using the iPad 3 for more than 6 months, it'll be dreadful to move to a non retina display.

All I'm hoping for is that it wouldn't be as bad because of the smaller screen size.

 

[RedRaven571]

Or if you own an iPhone5 that means you can do what I do: Buy the top of the line iPad3 (or, next month, the iPad4) but without any 4G-LTE, then use the iPhone as a wireless hotspot so you can get 4G LTE on the iPad wherever you go and save a truckload of cash while you're at it.

Same - this is what I am considering for my daughter, who has an iPhone 4S. Get a wifi iPad (or iPad Mini) and use the phone as wifi hotspot if she wants to use the iPad when not on a network. Save $170 upfront and no $10/month fee for the iPad on our shared plan. Win-win.

 

[Lindenhurst]

People keep comparing the mini's price to the Nexus 7, which is $200 for half the storage, with a 35% smaller screen on largely the same form factor, running blown up phone apps for the most part, outside the Apple ecosystem, on a screen that's a pretty awkward ratio (I know 16:9 is standard but I don't like how it feels on a tablet especially in portrait).

It's apples and oranges, or rather, Apples and ASUSes/Googles.

As someone that has had a Nexus 7 since it's release, I can tell you that the device is fast, works great, and is certainly worth the $199 I paid, especially before the $25 Google play credit and the free movie. For me, the apps on Google play are as good as the apps on Itunes, and I sync my Nexus 7 with itunes using google music manager, so I still get my itunes music on the device. The hardware is nice, and jellybean is smooth and fast.
Now heres the downside....ALthough I do have an S3 and enjoy Android, I find the Nexts 7 a bit uncomfortable to hold with the bezel so thin on the sides. My fingers or thumb keep hitting the screen and causing issues. I also find the viewing the web a bit awkward because I constantly have to scroll side to side and up and down to see the entire web pages.
I have really been an Android fan for about a year now, but when I use my sons Ipad, it is a totally different experience. I actually ordered a Retina Ipad ( last APril's edition) yesterday for $379 from the Apple refurb store.
If the mini's slightly larger size makes browsing a bit better, it would greatly help. If Apples "thumb" touch features prevent the thumbs or fingers that inadvertantly touch near the bezel from having issues, then that will be awesome. ALso, let us not forget this small device that will easily fit in a womans purse will also contain a decent camers, which the Nexus does not.

With that said, although the Nexus less $25 credit is about half the price of the Ipad mini, I do not feel the users experience will match the Ipad's.
SPoken by an Apple / Android fan who has used devices from both sides of the fence.

 

[mellofello]

Does anyone else use their iPads solely outside of the house? My iPad never even comes inside. I leave it locked in my truck charging off of the rear 12v port. The only time I use it inside is when I'm in a hotel on the road.

I have found as a purely mobile device it is one size to big. It is large enough that I feel ostentatious whipping it out in public, and it takes up a bit too much space in my bag.

I don't really see the point of using it around the house. I am lucky enough to have several macs to use. Even for those who use it as a kindle I think the mini will be a huge step up. Holding the iPad up while in bed gets tiring. Having it be so much lighter will be better.

To each their own after sleeping on it I'm definitely trading in my iPad 3 16 gb for a 32 gb lte mini.

 

[IFRIT]

Does anyone else use their iPads solely outside of the house? My iPad never even comes inside. I leave it locked in my truck charging off of the rear 12v port. The only time I use it inside is when I'm in a hotel on the road.

I have found as a purely mobile device it is one size to big. It is large enough that I feel ostentatious whipping it out in public, and it takes up a bit too much space in my bag.

I don't really see the point of using it around the house. I am lucky enough to have several macs to use. Even for those who use it as a kindle I think the mini will be a huge step up. Holding the iPad up while in bed gets tiring. Having it be so much lighter will be better.

To each their own after sleeping on it I'm definitely trading in my iPad 3 16 gb for a 32 gb lte mini.

The 7" form factor i feel personally is the sweet spot.

 

[mattopotamus]

Exactly, I completely agree. I am very tempted by the mini, even if it is a lower spec that the 3rd gen iPad I was used to. The only thing I'd add from my point of view is that moving to this form factor coincides with me using the device differently. Now that I don't need a tablet to really be a computer, I just want to read (but that includes pdfs etc) I don't think I agree about the problem of buying into a new ecosystem. If I got a non-Apple alternative now (e.g. Nexus 7) it does most of what I need it to do out of the box, or with free apps. Read ebooks, PDFs, RSS feeds, occasionally website visit etc. So it wouldn't cost me much after the initial purchase, and would be a handy reader until I could get my hands on a retina iPad mini.

But I think you feel the same way as me... still tempted by the mini today. The resolution might be better on the Nexus and Nook HD etc, but that little extra screen real estate would be useful for me academic PDFs (and presumably for your school ones). Some people reading this will probably point out that we might as well get a big tablet for PDFs, but that's not what I want now, not with the MBA as well. I just need a small reader, one that does PDFs decently.

If I get a mini, it will be to use it completely as a reader. I agree that is the market they are after.

 

[WilliamLondon]

Some people reading this will probably point out that we might as well get a big tablet for PDFs, but that's not what I want now, not with the MBA as well. I just need a small reader, one that does PDFs decently.

That's exactly why I think the 7" model is perfect for me - I've got an 11" MBA, and I want a tablet to complement it, not to replace its functionality in any way. Also, I bought the smallest MBA because I love portability (my big iMac at home is for when I need larger), so getting a full sized tablet sort of defeats the purpose and benefits of having the MBA.

 

[sineplex]

The problem you speak of is NOT a problem or issue for most people and honestly 99/100 people probably won't even care..

you think people on cellular with prices at $15/300megs in the USA don't care that it has to reload when u go back to a tab...

ok man. whatever.

 

[ixodes]

My only problem with the iPad mini is the lack of Retina Display.

I believe there's a high likelihood that there will be enough push back because it's non-retina, that Apple may cut the product cycle short & release a revised mini with retina in a matter of months.

 

[palpatine]

I believe there's a high likelihood that there will be enough push back because it's non-retina, that Apple may cut the product cycle short & release a revised mini with retina in a matter of months.

So true. Heck, the Kindle Fire puts it to shame (254 ppi). So does the Nexus 7 (216 ppi). This iPad Mini (163 ppi) is what Apple should have released a couple of years ago. It is not a 2012 product.

Apple staff had to be embarrassed about putting this thing up on the screen and trying to justify the outrageous price, and if I were someone who had worked on the beautiful body of the device, or on any other componentry, I would have been sad to have seen my work wasted with an outdated screen. This is a "beta," and I'd definitely wait for #2 if you plan to get one.

 

[tann]

you think people on cellular with prices at $15/300megs in the USA don't care that it has to reload when u go back to a tab...

ok man. whatever.

Well I don't live in the USA so can't comment on that.

But most people won't care. Watch it sell like hotcakes and watch people not mind.

 

[profets]

I believe there's a high likelihood that there will be enough push back because it's non-retina, that Apple may cut the product cycle short & release a revised mini with retina in a matter of months.

Yup, they could update it as soon as 7.9" 2048x1536 panels are feasible. After seeing the updates, we know they won't necessarily stick to a 12 month schedule.

I think the pricing surprised us a bit, but I bet a big reason for it is to keep a decent margin if in 2013 they update the mini with the A6X and retina display, and keep the original A5 1024x768 mini at a cheaper price like 229-249.

 

[mattopotamus]

Yup, they could update it as soon as 7.9" 2048x1536 panels are feasible. After seeing the updates, we know they won't necessarily stick to a 12 month schedule.

I think the pricing surprised us a bit, but I bet a big reason for it is to keep a decent margin if in 2013 they update the mini with the A6X and retina display, and keep the original A5 1024x768 mini at a cheaper price like 229-249.

A big reason for the price is that there is no way it could be cheaper than an ipod touch...and they start at $299. I think the poor pricing of the touch caused this slightly higher price for the mini. $199 or at most $249 would be better for the touch, and then so on.

 

[tsd71]

I have iphone 5, can I buy the ipad mini and be able to use the iphone as a wireless hotspot to get connected when not in WIFI areas.

I've read about this but how do I do it? I'm planning on buying the mini and I have an AT&T iPhone 5 with unlimited data.

Thanks.

 

[Rodster]

I think people are looking at the value of the mini all wrong

I decided against the iPad Mini for all the right reasons. There are better options for me. No need to rationalize why I should pay a lot more for less.

 

[mattopotamus]

I've read about this but how do I do it? I'm planning on buying the mini and I have an AT&T iPhone 5 with unlimited data.

Thanks.

you can't w/o a jailbreak. Att only allows hotspot with shared plans.

 

[Biscotti]

I just can't wait for all the early adopters of this ipad mini to turn around next year and cry because they updated next years version to the A5X. And in 2 years it will the A6 chip and 1gb of RAM. Apple has us all on a hook.

 

[CTHarrryH]

All this talk about protecting iTouch price - maybe that is the device that is very over priced at this point in the game. Why would anyone buy a touch after this announcement - both the touch and mini are overpriced, to me.

 

[palpatine]

I just can't wait for all the early adopters of this ipad mini to turn around next year and cry because they updated next years version to the A5X. And in 2 years it will the A6 chip and 1gb of RAM. Apple has us all on a hook.

Well-said.

I am feeling increasingly trapped in this environment with sub-standard and over-priced equipment. Of course, we've all been willing to pay the Apple tax in the past to get the latest and the greatest, but when the iPod Touch is lagging behind other Apple products in terms of specs, the iPad Mini is years behind, and the iPad is going to be surpassed this week (in terms of display quality) by the Google Nexus 10 (rumored), this is not looking like a very good deal to me. Even the MBA, which I love, is actually not that much better than its Windows competitors, and in several respects, is actually worse.

Of course, there is an overall experience to enjoy in the Appleverse, and that is why I am still here, but I wonder how much longer. I like my Nexus 7 a lot, I am curious about the upcoming (rumored) Nexus 10, and there are some very nice Windows computers coming on the market. I'm losing patience with Apple.

In the end, Apple designs this stuff, but it all gets made by the same underpaid labor in East Asia. Is OSX, iOS, and iTunes hundreds / thousands of dollars better than everyone else? It is increasingly difficult to say "Yes." Microsoft will be on stage in a few minutes for their big announcement and we'll see Google next week, so I am guessing that this outrageously priced device is going to look more and more like the uninspiring product it is.

Again, there are lots and lots of great design choices in the device, but the display, rumored Ram, and old processor ruin it all for me