Btw, the only real reason why the Mini got a usb c instead of lightning is so that it wouldn’t vandalize Pro max sales.
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Redesigned iPad Mini Has Increased 4GB of RAM, iPad 9 Remains at 3GB
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It also uses a down clocked A15 which performs similarly to a stock A14. https://browser.geekbench.com/v5/cpu/compare/9851750?baseline=9851461
Yeah that’s three consecutive iPad’s at 3GB from the 7th, 8th, and now this one.
What was more shocking to me was 6th Gen’s A10 to 7th Gen’s A10. I thought they could have at least thrown in an A11/12 that year. I just bought a 8th Gen 32GB iPad in great shape for $200 and not regretting it one bit with the 9th Gen being announced.
I am sure a fair amount of people would use an iPad mini as their infotainment if a GPS chip was included in the wifi only model. They want you to have to pay for a cellular connection to do so.
Doesn't the price explain it well enough ?
Same deal with windows laptops, base models might have 8th or 9th gen processors and top of the line will come with 11th gen.
The point is that for a mobile, content consumption device competing with Kindle Fires and cheap Android tablets, it's WAY overpriced. Not because Apple cares about giving their customers great value, but because they've perfected their multi-device, anti-consumer, marketing strategy. Apple is a 2-trillion-dollar company, but I'm sure they appreciate you shilling for them for free.
The Brydge keyboard for the current Minis is popular among users, the next gen will be even more popular. It is not being marketed as a purely content consumption device by Apple, but its size will be a barrier to productive work. Apple's trick is to sell people a bare device for $500-700+ that isn't more useful than an iPhone, Macbook or full-sized iPad for most people.
Ahh bummer... I'm currently using iPad Pro 10.5, and seeing it being almost exclusively a content consumption device (your typical YouTube, internet surgfing, ebook reading) I started to feel this common itch to get the Mini as it would be lighter and more portable around the house and even commute.
But seeing often reloads on my 10.5 with 4 gb of ram I begin to question my idea. I don't use my iPad for anything demanding but still, I would love to have some substantial upgrade over what I have currently. Yes Mini has modern SoC which should make everything run smooth as butter, but 4 gb... iPhone 12 Pro with 6gb runs me circles, I hoped to get similar performance in a bit bigger package. I'll probably wait and see the reviews because I would really love to get this mini and give my old 10.5 to my relatives.
But seeing often reloads on my 10.5 with 4 gb of ram I begin to question my idea. I don't use my iPad for anything demanding but still, I would love to have some substantial upgrade over what I have currently. Yes Mini has modern SoC which should make everything run smooth as butter, but 4 gb... iPhone 12 Pro with 6gb runs me circles, I hoped to get similar performance in a bit bigger package. I'll probably wait and see the reviews because I would really love to get this mini and give my old 10.5 to my relatives.
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I would do a test to confirm if it’s SW before drawing big conclusions
1) back up the whole pad, with encryption
2) restore the pad with the latest updates
3) don’t restore any configuration
4) reload the same apps giving this behavior
Does it still happen?
I realized that there's no substitute for the portability of an iPhone, which can always be in your pocket, so I got the 12 Pro Max recently (not interested in iOS 15 and the coming spyware) to have something similar to my old 6+, my favorite reading device (I never got used to the narrower X). It doesn't look like iPads are going to catch up to Macs performance and utility-wise anytime soon because of the artificial limitations of iPad OS. While the idea of a new Mini as an e-reader and web-browsing device is appealing, the $500 base price for a paltry 64GB is a buzzkill for what is a fourth or fifth Apple device for many. The entry-level iPad needs this treatment, instead Apple will throttle every dime they can out of consumers with the 64GB/256GB storage tiers (128GB is the sweet spot for most people) and missing features that encourage you to get numerous i-Devices instead of 1-2.
This review was pretty good: https://www.cnet.com/tech/computing...ellent-2021-upgrade-but-still-a-niche-tablet/
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It only mirrors, so it’s not ideal. However I do have the mini hooked up to a 15 inch monitor in vertical orientation right now and it seems to be working pretty well. I have it on an HDMI switch from my Mac Mini so when I’m not reviewing documents I’m using it with the iPad Mini as basically a dedicated Microsoft Teams device.
I really, really wish they would let the resolution shift to occupy the entire monitor. I also really wish with my 12.9 Pro that I could have a fully functional second monitor as it’s as powerful as my MacBook Air. I know it’s on the radar, but not when. Maybe 2024?
It would actually be super useful for me. I have a magnet mount for it so it sits right under my stereo display. I really don’t know why it’s not allowed, seems very arbitrary. Kind of like how they won’t let Apple Watch, etc pair with it either.
I have a Mac Mini too. I pocket my iPad Mini everywhere but when I’m home I pair it with the monitor/keyboard etc and use it as a dedicated Microsoft Teams hub. Camera is great, audio is great, etc. I plug in a monitor so I can see screen shares easier.
I pound my Mac Mini’s memory - even at 16gb it barely runs. I’ve considered switching back to an intel version so I can go back to at least 64gb of memory but when M1 launched I ran headfirst into the “upgrade” only to have most publishers decide to disallow their apps from running on the M1 platform. In retrospect, I should have stuck with intel for a few years but the promise of iOS apps on my Mac desktops was too appealing.
So... offloading teams is a great use case as a value add for my Mini.
Yes, I use an external monitor with both my iPad Mini and iPad Pro via USB-C. Works great, but sticks to the iPad aspect ratio so you end up with black bars.
For certain apps (not many) they can display something different on the external monitor (like a preview of a video you’re editing) but nothing I use regularly does that so it’s just a straight out screen mirror.
I have, but unfortunately the Android App ecosystem is still a bit of a dumpster fire. I’ve played with some of the Samsung tablets and even purchased one with Dex, which I liked… but only a few of the apps I use regularly offer a remotely comparable user experience and many simply aren’t available on Android. Those that are would require me to purchase them again or maintain multiple subscriptions to use.
To make an Android tablet work I’d have to be satisfied with not getting my text messages on my tablet, not getting shared photos, having to switch podcast clients and a few other less than ideal things. Workable, yes. But not ideal and with lots of compromises.
While I love Pixel phones for their Call Screening feature (my backup phone is a Pixel in fact) the Android ecosystem still has a long way to go - particularly with tablets. I would *LOVE* to be able to exist in both ecosystems, but that’s just not an option for my workflows. I would go with a Chromebook running Android apps over an Android tablet at this point (I have one, but rarely use it except for occasional testing). Dex is super compelling, but it’s hampered by the app ecosystem.