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Nooooo. Don't discontinue the mini. It's by far my favorite iPad of all time, and very, very, very high on my list of all time favorite Apple devices too.
 
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I love my mini - it's the perfect size for reading books on!
I personally find the 9.7 an awkward size - too big to use as a reading device and too small to do any serous work on.
Also, the mini has full iPad functionality while the iPhone plus really is just a big phone!
My iOS devices are an iPhone SE, an iPad mini and a 12.9" iPP, which I feel gives me the most flexibility with the least duplication of functionality
 
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This makes very little / no sense at all. 10.5 inch and 9.7 inch models have almost the same screen size but thats the future according to the analyst. Then the analyst goes on saying that iPad Mini with its 7.9 inch is too close iPhone Plus 5.5 inch screen. WHAT?!?! Sure, there is a possibility that there are two mid size iPad's but that would mean 10.5 is wide screen device and 9.7 will see no more development and is just left hanging there. More likely Apple will have iPad Mini as entry device, then the new wide screen 10.5 and finally the maxi pad.
 
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To those analysts who keep saying a 5.5" iPhone can substitute for an 8" Mini? Please just shut up, you don't know what you're talking about. A hatchback isn't a substitute for a pickup.

I also question their prediction that if Apple offer a 10.5" iPad they will EOL the 7.9" Mini, which would leave a gaping hole in their mobile device lineup from 5.5" to 10.5" while introducing a clusterfck from 9.7" to 12.9".

The more sensible and likely course is for Apple to EOL the 9.7" iPad Pro. But that's the most popular one, you say? Indeed, but it must go to make way for progress! Consider the current lineup (area and ppi calculated with this groovy website):

pre-update.png


First, appreciate the vast increase in display area of the iPad Mini over the iPhones; at over twice the display area of a 6+ the iPad Mini's web browsing and photo/video experience is in another class.

Next, consider the next logical upgrade to the 9.7" Pro: pixel density. All of Apple's devices below it exceed 300 ppi, so it's the next economically feasible tablet to boost to a glorious 325 ppi. Fanboys argue that if you hold the 9.7" Pro at arm's length like some old geezer in need of new reading glasses then a higher pixel density doesn't matter. They're full of bullpuckey. When viewing an image or graph it's natural to lean in to scrutinize detail so according to experts there are benefits up to around 500 ppi. Compare the detail on the 5.5" iPhone to the 4.7" iPhone and ppi difference is rather obvious under close but not abnormally close viewing.

So why not just bump the 9.7" Pro to ~326 ppi and call it good enough? Because Apple like to keep it simple for developers. The Apple way is to borrow a pre-existing screen resolution for the pixel density upgrade as they did when the Mini was jacked to the same resolution as the iPad Air. Thus the prediction writes itself: the upcoming iPad will feature the Pro's 2048 x 2732 resolution with ~326 ppi, which results in a display size of 10.5", exactly the size reported by those analysts with supply chain sources. The new lineup is thus:

post-update.png


A nice separation of iDevice sizes with consistently high pixel density on all but the top end. All with a bigger iPad but no new resolution to which developers must adapt their apps. The only remaining question is whether Apple also jack the price of this 9.7" Pro replacement. No, wait, the question is how much do Apple jack the price of this Air 2 replacement? If the 9.7" Pro takes the current place of the Air 2 then figure the 10.5" Pro will start at $700 or even $750 for the first year or two, then drop to $700 for a sneaky permanent increase of $100 on the midrange iPad. If Apple sell a 10.5" 325 ppi iPad for $600 I'd question who kidnapped Tim Cook and replaced him with a clone.

About that iPad Mini - do Apple continue to use it as a dumping ground for obsolete SOC inventory and give it the runt of their litter of iPad displays? Or do they finally take it seriously by dropping in a current SOC and the same display tech as the larger iPads, all at a more serious price?
 
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This might not go down well on here but all my Apple and colleagues are getting Microsoft Surface Books. Seriously IT geeks who have been championing Apple in meetings for years (i work in the NHS in the UK) are now turning up with Surface pro 4's.

Personally i love my iPad Pro large - i previously had a pre touch id model that i dropped! however - it needs a USB and SD slot and possibly a HMDI. The number of times I've been to a conference to give a talk and had to transfer the talk to the conference computer - of course - with no way of doing it without email.

I've also seen the usual has anyone got the right adapter chaos. I get that Apple might want to make more money from selling adapters. I get that they might want as few parts as possible so nothing goes wrong - however in a PRO model - look at what PROs do. We interact with the real world its VGA and HDMI out there not AirPlay. We need to use memory sticks occasionally - if only when other people give them me. I recently attended a whole day conference - you got all the slides for the day on a USB stick. Everyone with a laptop loaded it up and read along. I sat there asking someone to email me them! ARGGHH! Being a PRO isn't just using a pencil (though i do like it!)
 
Apple makes the best tech out there and the software on the whole is great as far as I am concerned but there are issues and the iPad is one of them.

I really hope that the 7.9" is not phased out as it is a wonderful tablet and a great e-reader. In my work I have a lot of elderly learners who all have the iPad mini as it is small, light and manageable but yet they still get a full web experience and it is big enough to read and see what they are doing. As much as an iPhone tries to be the same even getting nearer in size, it is not an iPad.

the 9.7" for almost everything feels like the perfect size device apart from drawing where the larger Pro really comes in to its own as you have that larger canvass to work with.

I don't see any call for a 9.7" and a 10.5", they are so near each other in size the only thing I can think of is the phasing out of the 9.7" in favour of the 10.5". But as to why I am not sure.

The 12.9 is lovely to work on but it feels like a waste. I can deal with it being cumbersome if more use of it was made. The home screen is really bad with just a stretched version of regular iOS being used. I don't want a version of OSX / MacOS, but I do want a custom build of iOS to be able to integrate more options and make use of the space made available.
 
Thus the prediction writes itself: the upcoming iPad will feature the Pro's 2048 x 2732 resolution with ~326 ppi, which results in a display size of 10.5", exactly the size reported by those analysts with supply chain sources.

Excellent deduction Holmes! I totally agree, this is by far the simplest and easiest solution for Apple and for developers. I will be genuinely surprised if they don't do it this way.
 
This might not go down well on here but all my Apple and colleagues are getting Microsoft Surface Books. Seriously IT geeks who have been championing Apple in meetings for years (i work in the NHS in the UK) are now turning up with Surface pro 4's.

Personally i love my iPad Pro large - i previously had a pre touch id model that i dropped! however - it needs a USB and SD slot and possibly a HMDI. The number of times I've been to a conference to give a talk and had to transfer the talk to the conference computer - of course - with no way of doing it without email.

I've also seen the usual has anyone got the right adapter chaos. I get that Apple might want to make more money from selling adapters. I get that they might want as few parts as possible so nothing goes wrong - however in a PRO model - look at what PROs do. We interact with the real world its VGA and HDMI out there not AirPlay. We need to use memory sticks occasionally - if only when other people give them me. I recently attended a whole day conference - you got all the slides for the day on a USB stick. Everyone with a laptop loaded it up and read along. I sat there asking someone to email me them! ARGGHH! Being a PRO isn't just using a pencil (though i do like it!)

I agree, the I.T team at our company which changes every few weeks have decided now that Apple is out and Surface Pro's, Windows 10 Phones and Windows 10 are all in. I have never used so much junk in all my life really. But you are totally right if Apple really wants PRO devices then connectivity is essential as I never have a job where it is ok I will just log in to your server and download the required files. nope. It is always memory stick or physical connections. you cant rely on emails and even the old days of Bluetooth the files is not an option.

The Problem we have is Apple wants to make the Pro 2 thinner, and they need to make it lighter. Adding more internal hardware and ports will have the opposite effect on both those things.
 
The fate of the iPad mini remains uncertain, but it is presumable that Apple could discontinue the 7.9-inch tablet
Not going to happen unless the 9.7" iPad is reduced in price due to iPad minis being a popular choice for kids
 
Quote;

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo previously said Apple will release a 10.5-inch iPad Pro model next year alongside a 12.9-inch iPad Pro 2 and a "low-cost" 9.7-inch iPad model. The fate of the iPad mini remains uncertain, but it is presumable that Apple could discontinue the 7.9-inch tablet due to its lack of Apple Pencil support and relatively close proximity in size to 5.5-inch Plus-sized iPhones.

10.5-inch to 12.9-inch = 2.4" bigger
5.5-inch to 7.9-inch = 2.4" bigger.
 
I agree, the I.T team at our company which changes every few weeks have decided now that Apple is out and Surface Pro's, Windows 10 Phones and Windows 10 are all in. I have never used so much junk in all my life really. But you are totally right if Apple really wants PRO devices then connectivity is essential as I never have a job where it is ok I will just log in to your server and download the required files. nope. It is always memory stick or physical connections. you cant rely on emails and even the old days of Bluetooth the files is not an option.

The Problem we have is Apple wants to make the Pro 2 thinner, and they need to make it lighter. Adding more internal hardware and ports will have the opposite effect on both those things.

thats perhaps why they need to split their consumer thin.... from their PRO - does what it needs to lines.
Btw I agree Windows 10 is horrible. however it has some nice features. My daughter has an iPad mini (no phone for her so the size is perfect) and a Windows 10 Lenova Yoga hybrid device (which is actually quite nice and dispels the myth that you never want to use a touch screen laptop - you do all the time over the trackpad) The family controls built in are amazing. On the iPad - nowhere near as good and help me if we are ever out and she wants my iPhone to play with! Why cant i swipe into a locked out child zone that keeps her out of my work apps?
 
No, people still own older iPads. That work great and are waiting for a real good excuse to upgrade.

The 'excuse' will be "something mysterious and unexpected" that Apple will secretly implement to make the older iPads to stop working (a time-delayed bug, a loose connector, a 'Touch Disease', etc), that will force the user to buy a new machine... :)))))
 
On the iPad - nowhere near as good and help me if we are ever out and she wants my iPhone to play with! Why cant i swipe into a locked out child zone that keeps her out of my work apps?

General>Accessibility>Guided Access

Just found this myself. It locks your iDevice to one app. So you can pass it on to someone else without them browsing around.

Just a FYI
 
That is some twisted logic there. Make a 12.9 model, as well as one that is 2.4" smaller, followed by one that is .8" smaller than the middle model but discontinue the 7.9" model because it's "relatively close" (2") to the iPhone Plus' size?

Honest, as an iPad user, seems smarter to either make 10.5 OR 9.7 the mid model. Leave the Mini. Not everyone has/wants a iPhone Plus or a bigger screen iPad.
couldn't agree more. I don't want huge iphone but I might wanna have small ipad mini at home or for travelling when I decide. I don't understand this obsession with phablets phones. 5.5" iPhone? No thanks!
So keep the line as mini, mid (either 9,7 or 10.5) and then pro 12.9. 3 models only and keep the updated all together! Is it really that difficult Apple to have your products up to date?
 



ipad_apple_pencil_duo.jpg
Apple is planning new hardware and software features for iPad that cater to professional users, according to Bloomberg, including a new iPad with faster display technology that allows for smoother on-screen zooming, panning, and scrolling.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo previously said Apple will release a 10.5-inch iPad Pro model next year alongside

Article Link: New iPad Pro With Faster Display and Wider Apple Pencil Support to Launch Next Year


Next year???? Will apple still be here then? Because after the EU the Dutch gouverment is now starting talks about fining them too! :-D They have an "office" in Holland too! 30 by 25 cm big! The size of a mailbox!
 
General>Accessibility>Guided Access

Just found this myself. It locks your iDevice to one app. So you can pass it on to someone else without them browsing around.

Just a FYI

thats useful thanks - reminds me of all those stories of bill gates congratulating the team for adding features that had already been in office - but no one could find.
 
I'd be still interested in the Pro iPads if they only wouldn't vibrate so bad when playing music... It feels like holding a tinfoil and have a loudspeaker behind it and makes the "Pro" experience so much less pro but more Samsung like.
[doublepost=1472566279][/doublepost]Oh great, thanks, now I get "keep your children out of the dark zone of the internet" ads on my computer for this comment...
Educating is more helpful than keeping them out, IMHO, because a child will find a way to access things forbidden.
 
I don't believe an iPad is capable of dragging a little child through the canal of a gorilla exhibit... at least not the iPad Mini, anyway.
A Pro mini could do those things.

I can't believe the market has changed so quickly that there isn't still a huge market for iPad mini.
 
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