It’s not just the price point that’s old, some of us love the mini because of its portability and the ability to put it in a coat/jacket pocket
Please Apple - new mini, new mini, new mini!!!
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iPad Refresh in March Likely as Apple Receives Certification for New Tablets in Eurasia
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It’s not just the price point that’s old, some of us love the mini because of its portability and the ability to put it in a coat/jacket pocket
Please Apple - new mini, new mini, new mini!!!
I'm in the market for a tablet and this is the one thing stopping me from buying an iPad (I have a Samsung phone). I really don't want yet another charger.
And No...No...No...Apple says it is not going to happen ! lol !! Everybody knows and agrees Mini is a dead product !
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Unlikely but I'm with you. My perfect next iPad would lose the bezels (faceID) to get a larger OLED screen with close to the same footprint as the mini (slightly wider to keep the aspect ratio).
I don't remember Apple really "announcing" the end of a product unless you're including press releases like the Apple TV Gen. 1. If the mini isn't updated at all I could see it just quietly being discontinued. If for no other reason than the process is now significantly slower than the rest of the lineup and that will hold back iOS.
The good news here is that Apple has abandoned its 'people only upgrade every few years, so we don't need to bring out a new model every year' policy that saw the biggest drop in iPad sales ever! NOBODY is going to pay good money for a 2 or more year old device… witness Mac Pro or the 'dark years' of MacBook Pro, when Apple tried charging new prices for outdated technology… and paid dearly for such idiocy.
Actually, it was (and is) the sales of larger-screen iPhones cannibalizing sales of the iPad mini.
The iPad (2017) has been discounted off and on so much that it would be hard to imagine getting it for better specs and a lower price. If they really do bump the specs and lower the MSRP, I predict the end of $220-$250 special pricing at Target and others.
Yes. Lightning is capable of it, but only on devices updated with "Lightning 2", like the 12" iPad Pro. As I understand it, it makes full use of all 16 connectors, rather than just duplicating 8 of them on both sides. Just as it negotiates orientation regardless of how it's connected, it would do the same, but for all 16 pins instead. So it should remain compatible with "Lightning 1" devices and cables. Some of those original cables may even be "Lightning 2" compatible, in that they support 16 discrete signals.
Any news on this topic? It's 1/2 way through March now and not a peep. Right now the iPad 128GB WIFI only models are about $350 at retailers so that's not a bad price. But if the March launch has some crazy new CPU or features or something super enticing, I would prefer to wait.
I guess I could buy the current, do not open until the new ones come out, and return it (unopened) if I have to.
I guess I could buy the current, do not open until the new ones come out, and return it (unopened) if I have to.
I am wondering why people want/believe the iPads should be USB-C. What advantage does it give over Lightning?
The reasons NOT to change from Lightning (at least now) are:
- Lightning cable is fast enough for any transferring of data. The drive inside the iPad (and iPhones) is slow. It takes me far longer to copy 25 songs onto my iPad than it does to dump them to my external hard drive.
- There are a trillion Lightning devices already...so we're just expected to toss them all out (we already did this a few years ago when Apple switched to Lightning). People are not going to toss their accessories without some huge advantage or multiple advantages.
- Lightning is basically the same thickness/bendability as USB-C...so the cable isn't physically a pain to use.
Going back to #2...I think that's a huge turnoff for people. They will think long and hard about plunking down another $900 for an iPhone or $600-$900 for an iPad if they know their Accessories, chargers, etc. are basically worthless now.
In a way, Apple is fearful of USB-C as it does everything (and more) that Lightning can do. It seems Apple is in a catch-22 regarding deploying USB-C on iOS devices...if they deploy USB-C, Apple annoys all of its customers, loses all the licensing revenue from Lightning, annoys all its Partners (manufacturers of Lightning accessories), and gives up tens of millions of dollars in accessories (especially cables) that people believe can only be purchased at the Apple Store. You would not believe how many people go and buy a $19 Lightning cable at Apple when they do not know they can buy a $7 generic on Amazon. USB-C cables are already $8 on Amazon. If Apple does not deploy USB-C, they are looked at being very proprietary, trying to get more money from licensing and accessories, and being too closed boxed.
I want a new iPad...but I don't NEED one. If the next iPad switches to USB-C, I'll wait at least 1 more refresh...I'm not dumping all my accessories right now for an iPad I don't actually NEED. And, if the iPad is just a minimal upgrade with the addition of USB-C, I might as well buy a current iPad for a nice sale price.
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The only thing to back that up is 'anything newly added by Apple always gets onto other devices eventually..'
It may not be intimidate, but it it will happen at some point.. The have already started this off on 12 Mac having USB-C, so all it will take it the rest to follow from there..
Its just an intrim as you now currently have adapters available to transiting from one to the other...
Weather you talk iOS features, start from the latest iOS device, Mac's or Apple TV. EV=very single thing has always come to other devices and ports.. one way or another.
It's just a matter of time.
I think Apple's only using adapters not as a permanent solution, but as an lead up to a change. over, but by using adapters *while* that change is happening, they won't leave anyone out in the cold.
Maybe lightening could just be the way it is,, Perhaps i'm wrong,,, but USB-C is on Apple TV and Mac's, so that tells you something. And its not just because they had to do it, but purely by design and convenience for the user..
Who's to say that same trend can't cross over to iOS as well?
It may not be intimidate, but it it will happen at some point.. The have already started this off on 12 Mac having USB-C, so all it will take it the rest to follow from there..
Its just an intrim as you now currently have adapters available to transiting from one to the other...
Weather you talk iOS features, start from the latest iOS device, Mac's or Apple TV. EV=very single thing has always come to other devices and ports.. one way or another.
It's just a matter of time.
I think Apple's only using adapters not as a permanent solution, but as an lead up to a change. over, but by using adapters *while* that change is happening, they won't leave anyone out in the cold.
Maybe lightening could just be the way it is,, Perhaps i'm wrong,,, but USB-C is on Apple TV and Mac's, so that tells you something. And its not just because they had to do it, but purely by design and convenience for the user..
Who's to say that same trend can't cross over to iOS as well?
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I'm not spending money on an iPad Mini using a 4 year old processor. I have small hands, so I prefer the smaller form factor. I love the tight pixel grouping of the Mini. I ending up buying a Fire HD8, to hold me over until Apple introduces an update to the iPad Mini. (yeah, the Fire display isn't as nice as the iPad Mini)
It basically allows you to charge all your devices using one cable. As it stands, you need usb C for your MacBooks and lightning for iOS devices.
That said, I do agree that Apple should stick with lightning. USB-C currently seems like a mess, so Apple at least has some degree of QC with lightning. I think Apple will sooner drop the lightning port altogether than switch to USB-C.
Lighting is going away. It will be replaced by wireless charging and data transfer. Apple might even remove the Lightning port on the next model iPhone this year, or next, as new high speed wireless protocols become commonplace. The Apple Watch already does everything wirelessly.
Given that, in order for Lightning to handle USB-C data and speeds, they'll need Lightning 2, which in many cases will require new cables. Strangely Apple introduced it with the iPadPro 12" but did not included it in the 9" model. That suggests Apple may be rethinking the move to USB-C.
With wireless charging as a reality, eliminating most of the need for Lightning with over a billion iPhones (the iPad doesn't even come close), then there's no need for multi-device compatibility. Add to that the iPad will likely get wireless charging at some point too. So a physical port will only be needed for data purposes. If the iPad becomes the successor to the Mac, or Apple wants it to, then it makes sense that a device that needs direct compatibility with the PC community, and no other specialized needs, then it makes sense to migrate it toward Mac compatibility. 10 years after the iPad was introduced is not so bad a run for cables and accessories, which are likely concluding their useful lifespan anyway. I'm not one of those people who complains about how bad Lightning cables are, as I've never had one fail on me. However, I have had one from my 6 year old iPhone 5 fray at the connector, after daily use. That's just the reality of any mechanical part.
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The day lightning/any external port goes away is the day I stop buying Apple devices.
Using Apple Watch as an example for why ports would vanish is a bit crazy - the watch is suppose to be worn, plugging something into it would be silly - you’d end up tethering yourself to whatever it’s plugged into. As far as I’m aware, the watch also does have an external port, yes its not lightning, but it’s required for Apple to debug and/or restore the device.
There are so many more uses to the lightning port than just charging and data transfer. Apple earn a premium on the licensing too - besides what are they going to do, bundle wireless chargers in every product sold?
FYI - ‘lightning 2’ is on both iPad pro models now and even in the 8/X (usb 3 speed/fast charging).
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The Apple Watch does not have a user accessible port. There's no reason Apple couldn't put a similar port inside the iPhone which is designed to be easily opened by a technician, which is the only person authorized to access the Apple Watch port -- something Apple emphasized when they shut it down for use by third party watch bands. Further, something like Apple's Smart Connector could supply almost any hard wired feature currently required by most consumer oriented devices.
And of course the Apple Watch is the perfect example for ports being removed from the iPhone. It too is a highly mobile device which makes no sense to be tethered to peripherals, as it's practically worn, being slipped in and out of pockets and such. The point of the comparison is that watch is totally sealed, not that someone would want to plug something into it when in use. And nobody wears an Apple Watch while being charged or being debugged or restored. Aside from a wired set of headphones, what are all of these other uses someone needs to plug lightning into an iPhone while in use, that can't also be handled by wireless?
As for wireless chargers bundled with each phone, that's not necessary if they offer something like the Smart Connector for the phone -- then they can keep going like they have been. Yup it's a cable change, but nobody will care because no one will want to charge it that way, choosing to buy the much more profitable for Apple wireless charger. The iPhone X uses a wireless charging standard that's fast becoming ubiquitous. Still 2018 might be a bit too soon to remove the lightning port but 2019 is not to far fetched.
While all the iPadPros now support USB 3.0 speeds, I wasn't aware the iPhone 8/X supports USB 3 data transfer speeds. Apple doesn't list it under compatibility with their USB 3 speed Lightning devices as they do with the iPP 10" & 12". Fast charging via USB-C is not the same thing as fast data transfer via USB 3. As far as I know, none of the iPhones have 16-pin Lightning ports that the iPad Pros do in order to support the higher transfer rates -- which goes to my original point: Apple does not seem to think the iPhone needs the same data transfer speeds as a Mac, or iPad Pro. USB-C likely supports higher bandwidth than even 16-pin Lightning, so it therefore makes the most sense to eventually upgrade such a device to an industry standard, once the primary driver behind the use of the Lightning cable -- the iPhone -- is no longer necessary.
Please could you now ask Apple to make a similarly designed iMac? Your post seemed to have the magic touch
Doode, right?!Please could you now ask Apple to make a similarly designed iMac? Your post seemed to have the magic touch
Sure! Do you want it to look straight identical, or just bezel-less? Maybe something like the design in the guide for the new Mac Mini (via 9to5Mac)?
Oh man, that Apple display (or iMac) looks gorgeous!Doode, right?!
Sure! Do you want it to look straight identical, or just bezel-less? Maybe something like the design in the guide for the new Mac Mini (via 9to5Mac)?
Maybe we'll have some few more surprises before the year ends...