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I have an original iPad mini and I don't think I would recommend it at that price. My mini is at the latest iOS version, I have no music or photos on the device and only a handful of apps, yet it still lags quite a bit. Loading Pinterest or even just a safari page is pretty slow. It could probably handle the stuff you suggest but it wouldn't be a fluid experience, and I only imagine it getting worse going forward.
 
I've been using my original Mini for the past 3 years. After IOS 7 it became slow and now with IOS 8 it is downright unpleasant.

I just ordered my Mini4 today and wouldn't give my original to anyone, even as a present.

Don't buy it!

I started a thread a couple of weeks ago that reiterated this experience, and how I felt the Mini was a bad purchase because I received under two years of good performance out of it. Do you think it performed to your expectations, or was too short lived? Just curious.

Someone posted that the iPad is a two year device, and I genuinely wonder if that's a correct assumption to make when I go out to buy my next one.
 
An iPad Mini 1? Maybe if they were $49 each. No way those are worth $199, especially with much more capable models within a day's wage.
 
I started a thread a couple of weeks ago that reiterated this experience, and how I felt the Mini was a bad purchase because I received under two years of good performance out of it. Do you think it performed to your expectations, or was too short lived? Just curious.

Someone posted that the iPad is a two year device, and I genuinely wonder if that's a correct assumption to make when I go out to buy my next one.
My mini served me for almost 3 years. With the exception of the infamous "A problem occurred with this page so it was reloaded" error after upgrading to iOS 7 and constant crashes with the Angry Birds 2, the original Mini is still useable if you can put up with its slow performance.

I think iOS 7 really brought it to its knees and iOS 8 nailed its coffin. Its 1GB memory also doesn't help matters, but overall I think expecting more than 3 years from an iOS device is a little optimistic.

In that sense, I don't think it was too short lived but if it wasn't for the planned obsolescence, it could have lived at least a couple of more years.
 
My mini served me for almost 3 years. With the exception of the infamous "A problem occurred with this page so it was reloaded" error after upgrading to iOS 7 and constant crashes with the Angry Birds 2, the original Mini is still useable if you can put up with its slow performance.

I think iOS 7 really brought it to its knees and iOS 8 nailed its coffin. Its 1GB memory also doesn't help matters, but overall I think expecting more than 3 years from an iOS device is a little optimistic.

In that sense, I don't think it was too short lived but if it wasn't for the planned obsolescence, it could have lived at least a couple of more years.


Thanks for the reply. Updating to iOS 8 was a major failure on my part and took a year of good use out of the device IMO. Something I'll keep in mind in the future. I feel comfortable with a solid three years from a tablet. 2 kind of stinks.
 
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