iPad mini iPad Mini 4

[nj-morris]

I've seen a lot of talk about the iPad Air 3, but not much about the Mini 4. Here is my prediction. This is not by any means a wishlist. People are probably going to hate me for saying some of these things:

-iPhone 6 design (unique to Mini)
-Same thickness or thinner than iPad Air 3 (probably over the top, but still)
-Lighter. The Air 3 was a bit of a disappointment in the fact that it didn't make it much lighter.
-A8 with vastly reduced power consumption, so we can actually get good battery life
-1GB memory (I know, I know. Let's hope that it's optimised in iOS 9)
-Better display. They don't need to increase the resolution, but give it a display similar to the LG G4
-Better speakers. Ones that sound as real as possible, without any vibration. Same applies to the Air 3.

There are of course 2 other schemes, which are a shrunken down Air 2 and a shrunken down Air 3. But the iPad Mini should be a consumer iPad. This is the point I'm trying to make. The iPad Air should continue trying to be a creation device, as keep trying to convince everyone, and the Mini should focus on what the average consumer actually wants.
Let me know what you think of my schemes, and what you want to see with the Mini 4.

 

[soupcan]

Why A8? Why stay a generation behind? With the Mini 2 Apple did something brilliantly: put everything on the same gen chip. Hell, they didn't make an A7X because there was no need for it since it was so bloody powerful. Then the mini 3 came out and whaddaya know, A7 instead of A8. It makes no sense for a smaller device that's brand spanking new to have an old processor. Sure, it won't get an AXX chip, but there's no reason to not give it the A9.

 

[clovehitch]

I'd rather have a mini equivalent to the Air2, but would be happy with your Mini4 configuration. Speakers I don't care too much but anything less, and I'll probably either wait for iPod touch 6+, or look for a good used iPhone 6+.

 

[nj-morris]

Why A8? Why stay a generation behind? With the Mini 2 Apple did something brilliantly: put everything on the same gen chip. Hell, they didn't make an A7X because there was no need for it since it was so bloody powerful. Then the mini 3 came out and whaddaya know, A7 instead of A8. It makes no sense for a smaller device that's brand spanking new to have an old processor. Sure, it won't get an AXX chip, but there's no reason to not give it the A9.

Power efficiency. If they made it 14nm and did some other things that I don't understand like they do to the new chips every year, it would be super efficient. They would have to make this happen if they were to make a super-light device. Plus, an average consumer doesn't want the latest chip. The Mini and the Air have different aims. The Mini's is to be great to be able to use as a casual device. The Air's is to catch up with laptops. A bit like the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro. That said, I don't really know where the alleged Pro would fit in. 15-inch MacBook Pro?

 

[IFRIT]

I'd be happy if they just improved the CPU/GPU and included 2GB of RAM.

 

[nj-morris]

I'd be happy if they just improved the CPU/GPU and included 2GB of RAM.

I'm hoping for 2GB as well, but I kind of fear that it's not going to happen. I mean, look at the original Mini, with 512MB.

 

[XTheLancerX]

I would be super satisfied if they gave us a mini 4 with an A8X, and display with the color gamut of the current devices. Yeah, it's a generation behind but the A8X is so powerful it will last for years. It's even a few steps ahead of the current iPhones!

 

[clovehitch]

I would be super satisfied if they gave us a mini 4 with an A8X, and display with the color gamut of the current devices. Yeah, it's a generation behind but the A8X is so powerful it will last for years. It's even a few steps ahead of the current iPhones!

That and 1GB RAM, right?

 

[XTheLancerX]

That and 1GB RAM, right?

I'm sorry? A8X has 2GB of RAM and actually handles the translucency of iOS 8 perfectly fine unlike the A7 in iPad Air 1 and mini 2 which stutter in nearly every animation. The A8X seems like it will be able to handle things fine for many years to come, so that's why I would be satisfied with an iPad mini 4 with an A8X chip. Again, that has 2GB of RAM. Not 1.

 

[Ludatyk]

IMO, I don't think that there will be many improvement to the iPad Mini model this year.

The fact they introduced the iPad Air & iPad Mini Retina display with the same specs... I think the market chose the iPad Air primarily for the screen estate. And Apple just updated the iPad Mini with TouchID shows what they think of the iPad Mini. Heck, they shoulda just left it as is.

If someone was to pay for the iPad Mini just for the convenience of TouchID does not make sense. I think Apple mindset is to push people toward the Air.

 

[Che Castro]

This thread is all over the place

The iPad mini 4 will be a shrunken air 2 , same internals

Apple wants you to get the air

 

[clovehitch]

This thread is all over the place

The iPad mini 4 will be a shrunken air 2 , same internals

Apple wants you to get the air

I'd like to think so but Apple has been trending towards dumbing down their smaller models lately. The new rMB being an exception, although with the Mini not really in a comparable position.

 

[nj-morris]

IMO, I don't think that there will be many improvement to the iPad Mini model this year.

The fact they introduced the iPad Air & iPad Mini Retina display with the same specs... I think the market chose the iPad Air primarily for the screen estate. And Apple just updated the iPad Mini with TouchID shows what they think of the iPad Mini. Heck, they shoulda just left it as is.

If someone was to pay for the iPad Mini just for the convenience of TouchID does not make sense. I think Apple mindset is to push people toward the Air.

don't care about the Mini? Rubbish. They made a huge deal out of the original, and then the second one they made equal to the Air. They only gave the Mini what people were asking for with the Mini :, because people liked it as it was.
All I want is for to treat the iPad Mini like they have been treating the MacBook Air, (and I guess the new MacBook kind of counts as a MacBook Air?) for the last few years.

 

[Ludatyk]

All I want is for to treat the iPad Mini like they have been treating the MacBook Air, (and I guess the new MacBook kind of counts as a MacBook Air?) for the last few years.

Well, the Macbook Air hasn't received a Retina display for the years people have pleaded for it. Yet, Apple decided to just create a new category.

Think about it, plenty of talk has been about this rumored iPad Pro with a stylus. The fact phones are getting big is what's been a detriment for the iPad Mini, heck... iPhone 6 Plus has diminished any desire for the iPad Mini.

I do agree the market demanded the iPad Mini, but I just don't see it lasting that long now that we have bigger phones.

 

[nj-morris]

Well, the Macbook Air hasn't received a Retina display for the years people have pleaded for it. Yet, Apple decided to just create a new category.

Think about it, plenty of talk has been about this rumored iPad Pro with a stylus. The fact phones are getting big is what's been a detriment for the iPad Mini, heck... iPhone 6 Plus has diminished any desire for the iPad Mini.

I do agree the market demanded the iPad Mini, but I just don't see it lasting that long now that we have bigger phones.

Fair enough. But bear in mind that it's still a tablet. It still runs the full iPad apps. Not to mention that they are a lot cheaper.

 

[xsquid]

I do agree the market demanded the iPad Mini, but I just don't see it lasting that long now that we have bigger phones.

I disagree unless they start making a 7 inch or above iphone. The 6 plus is closer in size to the 4" iphone 5 than to the 8" ipad mini. The 6 plus in no way replaces the ipad mini except for someone that didn't want a tablet in the first place, just a larger phone.

Not even close, the 6 plus is a decent sized phone but not in the ipad mini area remotely. As nj-morris mentioned the ipad has better apps and compare the price to a plus at over 700 dollars and over 800 if you want over 16gb. The mini is 400 dollars and 500 if you want over 16gb. Getting rid of the mini and forcing them to get an almost twice the price for a phone that does not take the place of the mini would be a mistake.

The android 7" ers were filling this spot before the mini came out, the mini brought back a ton of people. I don't see apple giving that up unless they lose their minds or something. That would be akin to dropping larger phones to go back to the 4".

In reality since the plus is closer in size to the 4 inch phone than to the ipad mini one could just as well say that the 4 inch will replace the plus, but that's just a comparison and not a serious statement. I see phones replacing phones and ipad's replacing ipad's but not phones replacing ipad's.

 

[jamesjingyi]

I think it would be nice if they did what they did with the original Air and the iPad mini 2, just kept them with the same specs with a smaller profile mini. I would hope that when the Air 3 comes out, the Mini 4 will have the same processor and RAM. I really thought the mini 3 was a let down. Only Touch ID for an extra $XX? They should have just replaced the mini 2 with that and kept the original mini as the baseline model.

 

[pacorob]

I think it would be nice if they did what they did with the original Air and the iPad mini 2, just kept them with the same specs with a smaller profile mini. I would hope that when the Air 3 comes out, the Mini 4 will have the same processor and RAM. I really thought the mini 3 was a let down. Only Touch ID for an extra $XX? They should have just replaced the mini 2 with that and kept the original mini as the baseline model.

I agree with you 100%. I also hope that they will still launch an iPad mini4 with similar specs as the new iPad Air.
I also don't hope that Apple will stop with the iPad mini size. It such a great form factor (size, weight). I love my iPad mini2.

I also love my iPhone 5s and don't want the bigger size of the iPhone 6 or even 6+ also because of size (not handy when riding a bike or using with one hand when you have small hands like me). I hope that we also get a iPhone 6s with 4inch screen / size. Bigger is not always better in my use case scenarios.

 

[terryk]

I've seen a lot of talk about the iPad Air 3, but not much about the Mini 4. Here is my prediction. This is not by any means a wishlist. People are probably going to hate me for saying some of these things:
-iPhone 6 design (unique to Mini)
-Same thickness or thinner than iPad Air 3 (probably over the top, but still)
-Lighter. The Air 3 was a bit of a disappointment in the fact that it didn't make it much lighter.
-A8 with vastly reduced power consumption, so we can actually get good battery life
-1GB memory (I know, I know. Let's hope that it's optimised in iOS 9)
-Better display. They don't need to increase the resolution, but give it a display similar to the LG G4
-Better speakers. Ones that sound as real as possible, without any vibration. Same applies to the Air 3.

There are of course 2 other schemes, which are a shrunken down Air 2 and a shrunken down Air 3. But the iPad Mini should be a consumer iPad. This is the point I'm trying to make. The iPad Air should continue trying to be a creation device, as keep trying to convince everyone, and the Mini should focus on what the average consumer actually wants.
Let me know what you think of my schemes, and what you want to see with the Mini 4.

Power efficiency. If they made it 14nm and did some other things that I don't understand like they do to the new chips every year, it would be super efficient. They would have to make this happen if they were to make a super-light device. Plus, an average consumer doesn't want the latest chip. The Mini and the Air have different aims. The Mini's is to be great to be able to use as a casual device. The Air's is to catch up with laptops. A bit like the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro. That said, I don't really know where the alleged Pro would fit in. 15-inch MacBook Pro?

Apple A8 has a very similar performance with apple A7, and 1G ram means even the latest ipad mini 4 can't get the function of multi-tasking as ipad air 2.

I just suggest after the ipad air 3 and ipad mini 4 published, if the ipad air 3 still keep the price of $499, it's quite possible that the last generation ipad air 2 got $50-100 price drop to $399-439. If the ipad mini4 is keep the price of $399, it means the mini4 is the same price as ipad air 2. Unless mini4 have a very similar performance with ipad air2, or most people might choose air 2 as a same price.

 

[nj-morris]

Apple A8 has a very similar performance with apple A7, and 1G ram means even the latest ipad mini 4 can't get the function of multi-tasking as ipad air 2.

I just suggest after the ipad air 3 and ipad mini 4 published, if the ipad air 3 still keep the price of $499, it's quite possible that the last generation ipad air 2 got $50-100 price drop to $399-439. If the ipad mini4 is keep the price of $399, it means the mini4 is the same price as ipad air 2. Unless mini4 have a very similar performance with ipad air2, or most people might choose air 2 as a same price.

That's fair enough. On second thoughts, I wouldn't mind a smaller Air 2, maybe with Force Touch, like the Mini 3 was a smaller Air with Touch ID.

 

[Ludatyk]

I disagree unless they start making a 7 inch or above iphone. The 6 plus is closer in size to the 4" iphone 5 than to the 8" ipad mini. The 6 plus in no way replaces the ipad mini except for someone that didn't want a tablet in the first place, just a larger phone.

Most people who had a 6 Plus decides to get rid of their iPad Mini or upgrade to the larger iPad. Bigger phones are known to be called Phablets... Apple even provided stock apps specifically for the 6 Plus.

And with the rumored iPad Pro coming at 12"... Apple will be pushing people toward larger screens for the iPad. I wouldn't be surprise that they don't update neither Air 2 or Mini 3, and just do some major features for the iPad Pro. The fact that they are bringing SplitView will most definitely get people in stores for the Air 2.

Why would anyone want a Mini when the Air 2 is capable of doing much more?

 

[TechnicallyTee]

Most people who had a 6 Plus decides to get rid of their iPad Mini or upgrade to the larger iPad. Bigger phones are known to be called Phablets... Apple even provided stock apps specifically for the 6 Plus.

And with the rumored iPad Pro coming at 12"... Apple will be pushing people toward larger screens for the iPad. I wouldn't be surprise that they don't update neither Air 2 or Mini 3, and just do some major features for the iPad Pro. The fact that they are bringing SplitView will most definitely get people in stores for the Air 2.

Why would anyone want a Mini when the Air 2 is capable of doing much more?

Some people want the mini because they find the form factor to be too big for what they want to use it for. Me personally would opt for the Mini because I like the form factor and its a little more portable. I never cared for the large iPads design. If the mini had the same specs are the Air 2, I would go for mini everytime.

 

[ACG12]

There's no way that Apple will move forward on any new device without more than 1gb of RAM. People are going to want to use split screen just like the Air 2.

 

[xsquid]

Most people who had a 6 Plus decides to get rid of their iPad Mini or upgrade to the larger iPad. Bigger phones are known to be called Phablets... Apple even provided stock apps specifically for the 6 Plus.
Why would anyone want a Mini when the Air 2 is capable of doing much more?

Ridiculous speculation, do you have proof? Of course not, if so post proof to back it up. Most people are NOT getting rid of their tablets because of the 6 plus. Again, the 6 plus is much closer in size to the iphone 5 than to the mini, it's not close to being tablet size no matter if it's called a phablet, that's just name. The iphone 6 plus is tiny in comparison to the mini and costs a whole lot more. Did you even see the comparison pic I posted, the 6 plus in no way takes the place of a tablet.

Why would anyone want a macbook air when the macbook pro is capable of doing much more? Why would anyone want a mac mini when an imac is capable of doing so much more? Why would anyone want an imac ehen the mac pro is capable of so much more? Explain to me what the air 2 is capable, the so much more, than the mini. Back that up.

Very ridiculous comment, hold both the ipad mini and the ipad air and see why. Portability. I in no way want an ipad air 2 when the mini is perfect in size for me. You do know at least at one point the ipad mini was outselling the full size ipad, right? I don't know if the same is true after apple did not upgrade the processor in the mini, but before that it certainly was.

Here is a thread.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/iphone-6-worth-it-when-owning-ipad-mini-retina.1840286/page-2

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/iphone-6-plus-owners-w-ipad-mini.1807457/

keep in mind that everyone is not alike and like different form factors. The 6 plus in no way replaces an ipad mini, it's just too small. Not everyone wants a huge ipad, to me the mini is the perfect size, if not for it I would have an android.

 

[Ludatyk]

keep in mind that everyone is not alike and like different form factors. The 6 plus in no way replaces an ipad mini, it's just too small. Not everyone wants a huge ipad, to me the mini is the perfect size, if not for it I would have an android.

I understand that people are different and different form factors helps to find what an individual want.

I'm not stating that the iPad Mini doesn't have a market, but with the introduction of the 6 Plus has in effect cause a decline for the iPad Mini. And what I'm indicating doesn't imply to you, but the 6 Plus definitely is a capable tablet replacement.

Think what a tablet is known for... Browsing the web, productivity, consuming content whether it be reading or watching content. The 6 Plus more than able to provide a replacement for anyone willing to replace their tablet.