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iPad mini Is the original iPad mini still usable?

V

viperGTS

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Nov 15, 2010
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I'm considering picking up an iPad mini for this Black Friday, and I wanted to know if it's still a good device for my planned uses. I plan on using it for Java coding, web browsing, watching videos, reading PDFs, playing GBA4iOS (if I can get lucky with an iOS 7 iPad) and playing an in-browser game called Pokemon Showdown (pretty fun, especially for competitive players). Also, does iOS 8 reduce the performance of the device by a lot?

Would the original Mini be good for these purposes? Thanks in advance :)
 
Yes iOS 8 will make it unpleasant to use if you like fluidity. Get at least the mini 2, you'll thank me later. (mini 2 and mini 3 share same performance).
 
It's usable on iOS 7. iOS 8 is a nono. For 50 bucks more you have a Mini 2. That's a 3 generation-leap, plus the retina screen. A much, much better deal.
 
Zwhaler said:
Yes iOS 8 will make it unpleasant to use if you like fluidity. Get at least the mini 2, you'll thank me later. (mini 2 and mini 3 share same performance).
Click to expand...

NorthSeaBeach said:
It's usable on iOS 7. iOS 8 is a nono. For 50 bucks more you have a Mini 2. That's a 3 generation-leap, plus the retina screen. A much, much better deal.
Click to expand...

Only $50 more? I guess that pretty much makes the Mini 2 the way to go. :) Thanks guys!
 
My girlfriend has a Mini she uses every day but I think it's stuck on iOS 7 but might be 8 I can't recall.

My Mini 2 blows it away with even simple side by side speed tests so if you have the option go for the Mini 2 if you can :)
 
mini2 is a value buy among the mini series...
but when it comes to pdf reading experience,
depending what is the size of the pdf that you read most frequently,
i.e. if u read a lot of pdf files which are generated at A4 size,
you might want to top up $ to get a full size iPad...
like iPad 4 (buckier) or iPad air...
if you have more budget, u can even consider iPad air 2, which is also a value buy cox of the huge leap in the specs & it is at the beginning of the product cycle.

it will be good if you can borrow ur friends' iPad for a while, try to do some of your daily tasks, see if you can withstand the lag in the those older generation of iPads...
 
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iPad Mini is a smalker 2012 iPad2 and they're both DRAM starved and obsolete. Best you go with Air 2 or wait until Mini 4 with the same internals.
 
Although if I were buying new I'd get a new one, I must say my mini runs fine on iOS 8.
 
I agree, the Mini 2 is a much better value. The original Mini has the same specs as the iPad 2 as has been mentioned. Having upgraded my iPad 2 to IOS 8 has made it very slow. In the product line, the original Mini and the Mini 2 are only one generation apart, but in terms of the specs they are 3 generations apart, basically the same difference between the iPad 2 and the iPad Air 1.
 
Works for me

I have an original Mini running iOS 8; there's a bit of a lag--I use Flipboard, Safari, Hulu+ and Netflix mostly--but I find it to be still quite usable.
 
Garbage tablet that's not worth $139. I tried a Mini @ $199 and took it back. The screen was poor, and it was slooooow. If you want to save money, buy a Mini 2.
 
Whatever
I have an original Mini and I use it every day on iOS 8 with no issues at all
I use it for email, iBook reading, Skype messaging, iMessage, calendars, Tweetbot, MyFitnessPal and more

It depends on your expectations and usage
I don't demand the retina display and I find my original Mini to still be awesome for me

I don't know the cost factors involved, so if you can get an upgrade for not much $$ that's fine
But the original question about being usable, yeah, it is, very much so for me
 
Mine is fine too. Would I buy another one? No, I'd move up to the 3 at this point if it suddenly gave up.

iOS 8 has issues across all devices right now. I jumped on the 8.1.1 beta and it made a huge difference compared to 8.1. The upcoming updates will continue to make it as good as it was on iOS 7.
 
mi7chy said:
iPad Mini is a smalker 2012 iPad2 and they're both DRAM starved and obsolete. Best you go with Air 2 or wait until Mini 4 with the same internals.
Click to expand...

I'm willing to bet that the Mini will be a generation behind as far as internals from here on out.
 
Usable, yes. But the almost-insignificant price difference between it and the 2nd gen makes buying a new first-gen very hard to recommend.
 
I still use my original iPad mini almost every day. It's kinda slow, and using more than 1 tab at a time in Safari causes reloads, but it gets the job done for basic tasks.
 
Please don't get the mini non-retina. The money you save will be inconsequential when you either upgrade in a year or two, or when you are forced to upgrade once the hardware truly becomes obsolete in a couple years.

I had one from day 1 release and tolerated it until this summer. Once I started playing hearthstone, I knew it was time to upgrade. The thing would struggle to run the game. I also have an iPad 4 so using it side by side, you really notice how much slower it is. The mini retina blows it away.
 
I think that the mini 2 is by far the best value mini at the moment. While the mini 1 is still very usable the mini 2 is significantly faster, has more RAM and has a much better screen.
I also feel that the mini 1 has maybe a year left of really useful life, assuming you want it to be running the latest software. While I think the mini 2 has maybe three years left.
While I wouldn't say to someone who had a mini 1 you need to update, I also wouldn't advise someone to buy one now.
 
Works very well if you can get one that's still on 6.1.3. Its ok with 7.1.2, slight hesitation between each action but tolerable. Haven't dared to update to 8.1.
 
I'm not sure the problem with the first iPad mini and ios 8.1

I'm running it just fine. Granted I want a new iPad but I like new things :)
 
The original iPad mini is still a "usable" device. Our household has one running iOS 8.1 and it is running just fine. We also have an iPad mini 2 and yes, the iPad mini 2 runs a little faster, but everything that I am able to do on the iPad mini 2, I am also able to do on the original mini.

That being said though, if I were buying new I would go with at least the iPad mini 2. If I were looking to get someone an inexpensive tablet to just read emails, go on the internet a little, use it for calendaring, maybe some note taking, task lists, e-book reading, etc I would get the iPad mini 1.
 
Hey guys, thanks for all your responses! I guess I'm set towards the iPad mini 2. I have to ask, has the 1 GB of RAM and the retina display proved to be an issue with performance, specifically with Safari browsing? Also, I hear that the screen quality on the iPad mini 2 is actually pretty bad compared to the Air because Apple used a lower quality screen in the mini; is this true?
 
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