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Apple Announces iPad Mini 3 With Touch ID Home Button, Gold Color Option

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MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
63,445
30,651



Today at its media event in Cupertino, Apple announced the iPad mini 3 with Touch ID Home button and a new gold color option. These updates appear to be the only significant changes over the previous generation, with the new model continuing to use the A7 chip from the original Retina iPad mini.

ipad_mini_3_hand.jpg
In addition to gold, the iPad mini 3 also comes in the previous space gray and silver color options. The pricing will start at $399 for 16 GB Wi-Fi version, with 64 GB and 128 GB variations priced at $499 and $599 respectively. As usual, Wi-Fi + Cellular models of the iPad mini 3 will be priced at a $130 premium over the Wi-Fi only models.

iPad mini 3 will be available for pre-order tomorrow, October 17, and will begin shipping next week.

Alongside the iPad mini 3, Apple is continuing to sell the iPad mini 2 in 16 GB ($299/$429) and 32 GB ($349/$479) variants. The original 16 GB non-Retina iPad mini is also still available for ($249/$379).

Article Link: Apple Announces iPad Mini 3 With Touch ID Home Button, Gold Color Option
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2014/10/16/ipad-mini-3-touch-id/
V

Ventilatedbrain

macrumors regular
Nov 22, 2012
201
68
Why ??? Why no anti reflective coating and why no a8x???

Apple please say it ain't so !!!

I was waiting to update my 1st gen mini, looks like I'll wait till next year :(
 
R

Razeus

macrumors 603
Jul 11, 2008
5,348
2,030
The Mini is still being treated like the red heading stepchild. Apple purposely gimps these devices so you have reason to get the more expensive, larger versions.
 
Tankmaze

Tankmaze

macrumors 68000
Mar 7, 2012
1,707
351
I wanna know if it has the same display as the air?
the previous mini that has same spec but lower colour gamut. Which is a shame.

Edit : it's basically the same spec as previous mini, they just add touch id. This is really a terrible update, just don't bother updating Apple, really.

Edit 2 : my crazy theory is that apple doesn't want the mini to compete with their new iphone 6 plus,
If it has better spec, people would surely get the 3g mini. Again, just my wild thoughts on it.
 
Last edited:
fruitpunch.ben

fruitpunch.ben

macrumors 6502a
Sep 16, 2008
599
174
Surrey, BC
Razeus said:
The Mini is still being treated like the red heading stepchild. Apple purposely gimps these devices so you have reason to get the more expensive, larger versions.
Click to expand...

Indeed. Very disappointed. For one year only the mini is a worthwhile investment, apparently.
The best thing they ever did was make it feature-wise identical to the Air.
I guess what they have done is forced me to buy an air, which I'm annoyed about.
The Air update was much more extensive than I would have thought, had they done that same thing with the mini it would have been the perfect tablet. But no. :mad: :apple:
 
C

cdmoore74

macrumors 68020
Jun 24, 2010
2,413
711
I'm confused. So it's $100 more just for touchID and camera's? Otherwise it's no different from last years model! WTF

And to add insult to injury I never use a camera on a tablet. Why should I when I have my phone by my side?

Edit: What the ****. The camera's are not even updated. You're paying $100 for freaking touchID.
 
Last edited:
psac

psac

macrumors 6502a
Jul 6, 2009
904
718
fruitpunch.ben said:
Indeed. Very disappointed. For one year only the mini is a worthwhile investment, apparently.
The best thing they ever did was make it feature-wise identical to the Air.
I guess what they have done is forced me to buy an air, which I'm annoyed about.
The Air update was much more extensive than I would have thought, had they done that same thing with the mini it would have been the perfect tablet. But no. :mad: :apple:
Click to expand...

Agreed, just like the iPad 3 is known as the redheaded stepchild, the rMini may go down in history as the opposite -- a positive blip that wasn't repeated.
 
B

bandrews

macrumors 6502a
Jul 18, 2008
887
2,204
All I wanted was a laminated screen on the mini. Ah well, better wait it out another year.....
 
fruitpunch.ben

fruitpunch.ben

macrumors 6502a
Sep 16, 2008
599
174
Surrey, BC
New page is up: http://www.apple.com/ipad/compare/#comparison-chart

Check it out.
For $100 extra (over last year's model), quite literally the ONLY THING THEY HAVE DONE is added touch ID.
For a hundred dollars!!!!!

Apple this is just unbelievable :mad: :(
Cook and co, you should be embarrassed

- no anti-reflective display
- no A8 chip, let alone A8X. It's A7!
- no AC wifi
They have literally just wacked touch ID on the front and are selling it as a new model. I am speechless!
 
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C

camnchar

macrumors 6502
Jan 26, 2006
434
415
This may be the worst update in recent memory. Basically Tim Cook is saying (to customers who gave the Mini a 100% customer satisfaction rating), "You people are screwing my margins. Buy an Air instead."
 
Wayfarer

Wayfarer

macrumors 65816
Jun 15, 2007
1,225
601
iPod Touch 6 Plus?

Edit: More like iPod Touch 5s Plus, since it still has the A7 chip and only gained Touch ID :(
 
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F

firewood

macrumors G3
Jul 29, 2003
8,107
1,345
Silicon Valley
It's not really much of a new model. It's just a place-holder so they could drop the price of last year's Retina Mini by $100, and have something to fill the hole.

Thus, Huge price drop! is the real news.
 
J

justinhu8

macrumors regular
Apr 18, 2013
124
106
Seriously? Now the iPad air is thinner than the iPad mini. No A8. No better camera. No better screen. No more RAM. No better WiFi. What the **** is this Apple? $100 more for a $5 Touch ID sensor? 99% of the ****ing features are from last year!
 
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A

AgentElliot007

macrumors 6502a
Mar 22, 2010
570
315
Very disappointing. I thought they were done with this game after last year. I'd get it if they just clocked down a bit like last year, likely due to heat concerns of some nature, but this is just about as lame of an update as they've ever done for an iOS device.
 
nepalisherpa

nepalisherpa

macrumors 68020
Aug 15, 2011
2,258
1,330
USA
They probably had enough finger-print sensors laying around, slapped it onto iPad Mini 2, and called it an iPad Mini 3. This is pathetic, Apple!
 
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