iPad mini If the Mini 4 has 2GB of RAM, Do You Think It Will Get Split View?

IMO yes. I believe that's the current limitation with why the current iPad minis don't have it. CPU and GPU-wise they're already fast enough.

 

Yes and yes

 

Agree with both yes responses.

 

Yes.

 

UNFORTUNATELY, the mini 4 will only have the A8 chip with 1GB of RAM.


1. Why no A8X ? The A8X chip has two separate RAM modules, mini's logic board is too small for that

2. Why no A9 ? Tim Cook, the beancounter, doesn't want the mini to compete with their higher-margin products

 

I really hope you're wrong. One of my biggest pet peeves in the tech industry is the idea that the "mini" or smaller version of the original should have lesser internals. For example, the HTC Mini phones have terrible processors and lesser quality screens compared to the original HTC One.

Sony does it the right way. Their Z3 Compact has a lower resolution screen, but pretty much the same internals as it's bigger brother. The same processor is in the smaller version, which is the most important part.

 

That also is why people were so mad about the mini 3. JUST touchID? Otherwise identical to the iPad mini 2? I hope that the iPad mini 4 isn't robbed...

 

I recently bought my wife an iPad Mini 2 for that exact reason. It was $170 less expensive than the Mini 3 and the only real differences were Touch ID (which my wife doesn't use), and the gold option. I'm hoping the Mini 4 gets a serious spec update.

It's part of the reason I haven't updated my iPad 4th gen. The Air 2 was a great improvement, but I never really use my iPad. With the additions in iOS9, I'm getting curious. Especially if the Mini 4 gets to use these features.

 

Though the iPad mini 2 was kinda surprising, using the same A7 the iPhone 5S and iPad Air got that year.

 

Erm...you do realise that every single iOS device has two modules. And the iPad Air and the iPad Mini aren't even supposed to compete with each other. The vast majority of people who choose the Air choose it for the extra real estate, not for the extra specs.

 

Smartest purchase I've made from Apple so far since it's still currently the newest hardware available for the mini, bar the TouchID.

 

Apple lost 1000 dollars on me last year with the frivolous upgrade of the Mini. They did it right the first time with the iPad Air 1 and the retina iPad mini, but have dropped the ball since then.
The rMini is my go to for everything. I also have an Air, love it, but don't use it except to read music when preforming. The rest of the time it waits patiently by my throne.
Do I think Apple will upgrade the mini to allow a split screen? I hope so, but won't hold my breath. I think this mini will be what the last one should have been. At this point, my favorite and most used Apple device is a stepchild.

 

Well, actually because of the jarring difference in specs, I went from the Mini 1 to the Air 2 rather than the Mini 3. Other than cases like that, I would agree that people would choose between screen size of the two lines. But, I don't know that I'll return to the Mini line just because I have now grown used to the extra real estate.

 

This is a tech forum though. I think you will find a greater proportion of users who care about specs here than anywhere else.

 

source: ifixit.com

• RAM
• flash memory

only "X" SoCs (iPad 3, iPad 4, Air 2) have RAM outside the package

 

I'm not sure if the mini would have a large enough heat sink for an X series CPU either.

 

After owning a Note 2, Note 3, Note 4 and 2012 Note 10" I have a little experience when it comes to multitasking on mobile OS'es. The best experience I had when it came to multitasking was on the larger 10" display. So even if Apple does the iPad mini 4 justice this year I pretty much know that the experience will be better on the larger tablet.
Apple basically gave the 10" iPad a second life. Even with a heavy duty case on my iPad Air 2 it still feels pretty portable. But that's my preference and people may like 2 apps on a smaller screen. I personally wouldn't buy a iPhone plus if it gains the feature; I already have a iPad that will do it better.

 

I believe the iPad Mini 4 will be exactly like an iPad Air 2, so yes.

 

Although it would be a better experience on the full sized iPads, it would still be great on the iPad Mini. The other three on your list are all phones, and the multitasking experience on phones are poor. Completely different on an 8-inch tablet.

 

I always thought that the Mini 4 would have the A8, until announced the split-screen only for the Air 2. It would make sense to put 2GB for that reason. They'll probably put a 1.4GHz A8X with memory modules inside the chip, kind of the same way they differentiated the A7 in the iPad Air and the A7 in the iPhone 5S/iPad Mini 2/3, but seeing the X would give me an OCD attack since the Mini has never had an X chip.

 

It is very likely that the next iPad mini will get the feature, because IMHO it is very likely the iPad mini will get the A9 processor this fall.

The iPads are due a chassis redesign this time around according to the normal cycles and I think they will be getting the iPhone 6/6S design treatment. The iPad mini was the first chamferred edge design iDevice, followed by the iPhone 5, and then the iPad Air. Pretty unprecedented for an iDevice to go three updates without a chassis redesign, actually - can't recall another, not even the iPod touches have ever gotten that neglected, IIRC.

Now the iPads will get the rounded curved glass edges, and see a thinness bump along with it. The A9 will have 2GB on the chip, and it is likely that both the iPad Air and iPad mini will use this chip. If the iPad Pro does in fact get released, which I have a gut feeling is actually doubtful - given my interpretation of how WWDC has gone and what I've read about iOS 9 so far - then it will probably be the only one to get get the 'X' variant with extra CPU/GPU cores.

If Apple can make the A9 a better performer than the A8X while making it more efficient (remember it will be on the new 14nm process as well) then they don't need to make an 'X' variant this time around and can save even more on scaling up use of the A9 across all the 2015 iDevice range - iPhone 6S/6S Plus, iPad Air "3", iPad min "4". Maybe upclock the CPU on the iPad Air version due to better thermals with the larger chassis. This year, Apple is going to make one chip, the A9, and put all of its new device capacity into making it.

I just think that there was a particular reason (that we are obviously not party to) Apple did what they did to the iPad mini 3, and that parity will be restored this year. I actually have a hunch that it was the A8X itself that was to blame. With the A8's all going to the iPhones as fast as they could possibly make them, and using remaining capacity resources towards producing a lot of A8X's for iPad Airs that the iPad mini couldn't use for packaging or thermal reasons, it may have been forced on them to continue using the A7 for the iPad mini. Remember, according to usage data, the mini accounts for only about 5-7% of iPad sales. But even given that, I don't think Apple are going to have the mini be a lower end iPad long term. Like I said, I am of the strong belief that 2014 was a blip rather than an indication of future direction.

It will also simplify things for them to keep iOS versions and feature sets as simple as possible. As long as the iPad mini and iPad Air have the exact same screen resolutions, I think Apple would like to keep them on feature parity as well. They already have a half iPhone/half iPad Frankenstein feature set of iOS for the iPhone 6 Plus, and this latest further feature set fragmentation with the iPads can't be what they are aiming for. When both have the same RAM in addition to CPU/GPU, they will both have the same feature sets.