^^^ this
The base price increasing by 25% is ridiculous given no storage change and basically no display change other than a slight aspect ratio switch
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
New iPad Mini Has Downclocked A15 Chip Compared to iPhone 13
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
^^^ this
The base price increasing by 25% is ridiculous given no storage change and basically no display change other than a slight aspect ratio switch
All chips from every vendor in every standardized product are pre-emptively throttled to the bottom of the accepted statistical yield curve, which has a non-zero variance. So, nothing different from standard practice.
my 4 y.o. iPad Pro has a superior display (ProMotion and 600 nits) so they are clearly cutting corners when they jack up prices and skimp on such critical features as the display. It is not like we are asking for micro led, which is cutting edge stuff. 120hz or brighter displays are nothing new so yes, it’s purposely crippling a device to fatten the bottom line and avoid cannibalisation.
No base price increase is ridiculous if a vendor can sell a boatload of units at that price.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
With all due respect, iPad Pro (line) seems positioned at the top of the heap of iPads. This is iPad Mini, not iPad Mini Pro. For much of its existence, it has competed as the "cheapest" iPad.
Certainly, Apple could have built an iPad Mini Pro and loaded it with all of the latest iPad Pro features. If we imagine a miniaturized iPad Pro 11 with cellular, the maxed out version of that is $2099. If I chop it down to be optional feature matching with the 6 I just purchased, it is $1099.
If Apple had also rolled out that iPad Mini Pro, I would have paid that difference for it. In my head, that's EXACTLY the Mini I would like to own. It sounds like that's what you wanted too. But alas, they rolled out only an iPad Mini with fewer features for a few hundred less than $1099. Feature relative, this is certainly not a Pro. Apparently with you, I too wish it was.
If I was accustomed to an iPad Pro and didn't believe Apple would ever roll out a Mini pro, I'd probably buy a new iPad Pro. If I really wanted a Mini Pro, I'd also let Apple know that I (and at least HobeSoundDarryl) would pay UP for one if they make it.
Last edited:
I’m not looking at it from their perspective
With the way the apple cult behaves they should triple all their prices
people seem to justify and defend basically everything they do (other than photo scanning - ha)
is that an assumption? Like the non-zero variance? Are statistical yield curves ever accepted?
What are you trying to say, or calculate?
But it can be ridiculous in a subjective kind of way?
His point is that it’s a four year old pro that still has better display specs than a brand new iPad mini.
At some point it’s reasonable to be frustrated that even the entry-level devices aren’t up to the standards of four-year-old pro devices.
I think you know what he meant
I'm not either. If Apple can offer a new product that causes X customers not buy (because they think it's overpriced or crippled), but that also causes 2X new customer buy (because they find it better than any alternative, including buying nothing), then the total customer base is better off from the perspective of that aggregate customer base.
Your description sure sounds like looking at it from the Apple perspective.
I’m a customer. Nothing else (not a Dev or Apple or stockholder). I only care about absolute pricing and changes to the value I’m getting, etc
Not here to argue about it.
cheers
I do miss the days when Apple had basically 1 version of their new product, instead of 4 or more versions.
This segmentation allows Apple to short-change literally any iPhone, Mac or iPad that isn’t designated as the “Pro” version.
So they’re saying if you want the ideal version of that product, it has to be Pro. Otherwise you’re met with compromises. So they jack the prices up on those Pro versions and now we’ve even seen prices climb on non-Pro versions.
I don’t necessarily think the new Mini should start at $399. $449 would’ve been a decent compromise, but I agree that they need to increase the base storage like they did with the new iPhone 13 non-Pros.
It’s weird to have a downclocked version of the 13 Pro chip, instead of just giving it the 13 non-Pro chip. I don’t get it.
This segmentation allows Apple to short-change literally any iPhone, Mac or iPad that isn’t designated as the “Pro” version.
So they’re saying if you want the ideal version of that product, it has to be Pro. Otherwise you’re met with compromises. So they jack the prices up on those Pro versions and now we’ve even seen prices climb on non-Pro versions.
I don’t necessarily think the new Mini should start at $399. $449 would’ve been a decent compromise, but I agree that they need to increase the base storage like they did with the new iPhone 13 non-Pros.
It’s weird to have a downclocked version of the 13 Pro chip, instead of just giving it the 13 non-Pro chip. I don’t get it.
It could be binning, battery life, and/or a desire not to have it outperform the iPad Air (which still has the A14 chip).
No, I don;’t know what he means. The four year old pro also has better display specs than new non-pros.
But this isn't advertised or priced as an iPad Pro. It's more like a mini iPad Air.
Given the chip production issues lately, this would be my guess. No sense spending money on higher binned chips when these will sell like hotcakes anyway.
I’m sorry, did u not notice that I’m comparing with a 4 year old device? In technology matters that’s ancient.
Sure, but then don’t jack up the prices like it was a pro device, right?
Total nonsense! The iPad mini 5 was $399, and the upgrade to the 6 is incremental just with a redesigned look. The Air is also overpriced at $599. Both have been stuck with slower USB 3.0 speed USB-C ports, so its not as great as it sounds. Copying files to and from a Samsung T5 to my iPad Air 2020 yields speeds that are only 1/3 the speeds of copying files to and from the same T5 to my 2014 MacBook Pro with USB 2.0 ports. Plus a lackluster iPadOS definitely hamstrings all of the iPads.
Last year they also increased the price of the Air. It uses new technology, new camera's, new screen, usb-c so yeah a price increase is not that strange.
It's a new iPad Mini, and the mini has been a smaller "Air" for a few years now.
Also this is compared to the iPhone 13 Pro, which is at least 2x the price of the iPad Mini. You can't expect them to put the fastest chips in the Mini. It doesn't work like that. Also it's still faster than last year's iPhones and a lot faster than previous Mini. You are not going to notice the reduction.
It's a new iPad Mini, and the mini has been a smaller "Air" for a few years now.
Also this is compared to the iPhone 13 Pro, which is at least 2x the price of the iPad Mini. You can't expect them to put the fastest chips in the Mini. It doesn't work like that. Also it's still faster than last year's iPhones and a lot faster than previous Mini. You are not going to notice the reduction.