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Incredibly Disappointed with iPad Mini

zachlegomaniac

zachlegomaniac

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Sep 20, 2008
806
370
I bought a first gen iPad Mini because I really enjoy the size. I know there has been a lot mentioned about this as I was finally baffled enough to Google it to see how widespread the problem is. iOS 8 (or from that point in time on) crippled my iPad Mini. I restored it, and started it as a brand new device. I didn't even download any apps, or add any of my own media. When that did absolutely nothing for a long time I decided to beta test iOS 9 (a couple weeks ago) as I heard people say this would be a fix. I understand it's still a beta, and that iOS 9 could make it operable again, but I'm not banking on it.

All I want to use it for is to browse the web. Right now it lags so bad even when I'm typing I can barely use it for Safari.

The Mini hasn't even had it's third "birthday" yet (I think November). Do you think it's acceptable that an Apple device like this work smoothly for two years and then become garbage? Maybe you have suggestions. Not looking to get another iPad if it's life is two years at what they charge for it. Thanks for reading this rant.

P.S. - I've had great experiences with my other apple computers and devices.
 
Cooee! said:
Yea it has iPad 2 Specs from 2011 (A5 + only 512 MB RAM). You should've bought iPad Mini 2 which is a huge jump in performance cause it has A7
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So anyone who bought the iPad Mini Gen 1 should have not bought it, and waited for the iPad Mini 2? I totally appreciate your comment, but that's my point. No one should have bought the Mini 1 (I guess) that wanted to use it for more than two years. It seems kind of like a lousy move on Apple's part. Definitely my biggest waste of money on an Apple product to date.

Thanks again for the reply.
 
T'hain Esh Kelch said:
iOS9 should hopefully make it better, but lets see.
Click to expand...

Yeah I currently have the latest beta, and there have been no improvements. I tried this after starting with a fresh reset on the device with 8.4.1 as mentioned with no luck. Here's to sincerely hoping the GM, or any version thereafter, will make the device usable for one more year.

I couldn't even sell it in it's current state (since fall 2014), and the great thing about my Apple products (iDevices and computers) is the awesome resale value I get in selling my old one to upgrade to a new one.
 
zachlegomaniac said:
So anyone who bought the iPad Mini Gen 1 should have not bought it, and waited for the iPad Mini 2? I totally appreciate your comment, but that's my point. No one should have bought the Mini 1 (I guess) that wanted to use it for more than two years. It seems kind of like a lousy move on Apple's part. Definitely my biggest waste of money on an Apple product to date.

Thanks again for the reply.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately the iPad mini is unique in being not particularly powerful when it was released, so it doesn't have the life span most other iOS devices have enjoyed. Depending on the model upgrading to a used mini 2 is probably about $100.

If you're worried about longevity of a device in terms of performance and software updates I'm not sure a Galaxy Tab is going to serve you any better, but if you're pissed at Apple... ;)
 
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I too own a 1st Gen iPad Mini and yes iOS 8 has seemed to have killed it really and i all i have on my iPad is apps as everything else is ran via the cloud.

I am disappointed with it all, as like you i do prefer it for the size value, plus the other half had a iPad 2 Gen so i thought why not got a mini.

So my thoughts are keep until iOS 9 and most likely a bug update few weeks after it comes out and take it from there. If all else failsI'll CEX it.
 
I actually have a first gen mini (though I bought it recently for really cheap) that I use as a Roomie remote... There are still a lot of ways you can repurpose them if they're no longer a great daily driver...
 
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OP, you said : "iOS 8 (or from that point in time on) crippled myiPad Mini." so it mean you updated your iPad to iOS 8 right ? What version it was before the update ?
 
zachlegomaniac said:
So anyone who bought the iPad Mini Gen 1 should have not bought it, and waited for the iPad Mini 2? I totally appreciate your comment, but that's my point. No one should have bought the Mini 1 (I guess) that wanted to use it for more than two years. It seems kind of like a lousy move on Apple's part. Definitely my biggest waste of money on an Apple product to date.

Thanks again for the reply.
Click to expand...

Mine, the same generation as yours, works pretty well on iOS9. It completely killed the "an error has occurred, safari has to reload the page" issue that made iOS 8 nearly unusable on it.
 
Apple shouldn't have even released the iPad mini until the Retina display model. Especially since by the time it was released, the larger iPads were already getting a Retina display.

People with a first gen mini basically bought an iPad 2. It's a shame how many people I know who bought this thing thought they were getting current gen hardware.
 
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zachlegomaniac said:
So anyone who bought the iPad Mini Gen 1 should have not bought it, and waited for the iPad Mini 2? I totally appreciate your comment, but that's my point. No one should have bought the Mini 1 (I guess) that wanted to use it for more than two years. It seems kind of like a lousy move on Apple's part. Definitely my biggest waste of money on an Apple product to date.
Click to expand...
I experienced the same problem with mine. Yet I have other newer iPads, so I'm fine. The issue at hand is Apple's planned (but very secretive) obsolescence practices. It's a wonderful way to benefit the company and sell more product as most people once they encounter a problem will not have the knowledge or desire to troubleshoot, trying to make it work. Apple knows that and counts on it as a way to get people to just scrap it and buy new product. One look at the massive reserve of cash Apple has, proves it's working wonderfully. That's simply the power Apple has over the market.
 
blackcrayon said:
I actually have a first gen mini (though I bought it recently for really cheap) that I use as a Roomie remote... There are still a lot of ways you can repurpose them if they're no longer a great daily driver...
Click to expand...

I did do a full restore on it, and started it as a completely new device (not from a backup). I using native apps almost exclusively except for a few games for my toddler. I would like to use Podcasts and Safari mainly. Any advice on how I can get these (especially Safari) to work without tremendous amounts of lag? Thank you.

iOSUser7 said:
OP, you said : "iOS 8 (or from that point in time on) crippled myiPad Mini." so it mean you updated your iPad to iOS 8 right ? What version it was before the update ?
Click to expand...

The version I had prior to the iOS 8 release was iOS 7, and it's subsequent updates. When I had problems with 8.0 the Genius at my local store told me to hang tight for an update, and that it should perform without a problem (with an update to the original iOS 8). My iPad Mini 1 worked from it's release in November 2012 until whenever iOS 8 came out (I think that was September of 2014).

arcite said:
Installing betas on older hardware will always bring grief. Perhaps do a hard reset.
Click to expand...

Agreed, but both MacRumors members, and even an Apple employee told me to try the iOS 9 beta, as the performance of my iPad Mini 1 couldn't really get any worse than it was on 8.4. So far I'd say it's about the same. It was nearly inoperable so trying a beta didn't seem like a bad idea. They ran diagnostics on it at the Genius Bar and they came back saying it was in tip-top shape for an iPad Mini 1.
 
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Couldn't agree more, I have the mini 1 and its pretty terrible these days.

I'm going to upgrade to either the 2 or the 4 after Wednesday depending on how much better and expensive the 4 is.
 
Just got back from the Apple Store. I asked for a manager, and she set me up to meet with Genius to run diagnostics an hour later.

I came back and the Genius straight up told me diagnostics weren't worth it, and that the iPad Mini 1 is cashed out as a product. He said he has one as well, and has tried everything I have tried (see above) PLUS jailbreaking so that it can perform basic functions and maintain a decent user experience. He told me none of it had worked for him, either.

The crux is that Apple put out a product with less than a two year shelf life. He said if he could put iOS 7 on it for me it would work again, but, as we know, he can't.

I told the manager I'm a client rep for the business I work for, and this type of situation would never fly at my place of employment. She basically said good for you, and I walked out of the store shaking my head.

It's clearly time to cut my loss and move on, but it's hard for someone who has had great experiences with Apple products since I became an adult and bought my own laptop from them 15 years ago.
 
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The original iPad mini was only discontinued this last June. I guess for people who bought it then, it had a lifetime of less than three months?
 
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joeblow7777 said:
I've been looking into the Tab S2, but from what I hear, the battery life is awful for a premium tablet. I'll probably just stick with my 2nd gen Nexus 7.
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8+ hours after first charge with the best performance and multitasking so if you complete 2 tasks at the same time it's equivalent to 16+ hours on a non-multitasking device. As you can see in the 2nd screen shot I had 6 apps actively running at the same time (two browsers, file manager to copy files between my laptop over WIFI, Nokia HERE offline maps, Twitch.tv in window and movie playing in window). I had Nexus 7 2013 in the past and in comparison it's barely adequate running one thing at a time. Galaxy Tab S2 is about 10 times better and I paid about the same with Best Buy promo.

Screenshot_2015-09-05-20-08-18a_zpsq9zhacqs.png
 
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Depends on the site. Some get paid by companies to put competing products in a negative light. Best way is to try for yourself like I did.
 
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mi7chy said:
Depends on the site. Some get paid by companies to put competing products in a negative light. Best way is to try for yourself like I did.
Click to expand...

Oh, come on. I'm not getting into the old bribery debate. There are user comments too, but I guess those could also be paid plants.

Battery life is a tricky thing though. It can vary widely depending on one's usage. There is no denying that S2 packs a notably smaller battery than last year's model though. Battery life is always going to take a hit as companies keep pairing thinner, lighter batteries with super high res displays.
 
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