Sketchy Report Claims Apple May Discontinue iPad Mini to Focus on 'iPad Pro'

hmm, what if the ipad mini was updated with the same internals as the air 2 or with an A8?

what is the difference in experience with an iphone 6 plus? Well if you own an iphone 5, there won't be much difference with handoff, continuity, and instant hotspot.

i sure hope they won't discontinue it. I'm kinda over the standard ipad thing 2 years ago.
 
rGiskard said:
If true, this would be quite an indictment of Apple's leadership. They priced the Mini as the highest of high end 8" tablets, gimp it with one of the worst displays of any quality tablet on the market, and then can't figure out why sales suck?

My hope is that the Mini 3 sucks because TSMC couldn't fab enough A8/A8X SoCs, and Apple will introduce the "true" Mini update in 6 months or so when yields are up. I really hope this is true, because if they terminate the Mini there will be no high pixel density iPads to buy :( Come on Apple, it's 2014, I shouldn't be able to see the pixels on your mobile devices that cost more than anything else on the market!

Raise the Air 3's pixel density to over 325 ppi, and I'd be fine with it. Drop in 3X display (2304 x 3072 @ 396 ppi) and I'd wait in line overnight to buy it at an extra $100 over today's prices.
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Bean-counter CEO is less than Visionary CEO.
 
yeaaaaah, i don't think so...portability is a major staple these days, the mini isn't going anywhere anytime soon..
 
"You can only do so many things great, and you should cast aside everything else."

Tim Cook

"We're not in it for the money"
 
sracer said:
Maybe they're pulling an "iPod Classic" on the iPad mini? Y'know, don't offer a substantial upgrade that doesn't give customers reasons to buy it and then claim that they're discontinuing the product due to lack of sales.

Similar to someone who murders their parents and then asked the judge for leniency because he's an orphan. ;)
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Or they didn't give it a substantial update because they're hedging their bets considering the full size iPad is a lot lighter and there's the 6 Plus now. I have a feeling the iPad Air weight reduction really ate into mini sales.
 
I think we will see them keep the mini and the air with updates staggered to every other year. I believe the push to get everybody to update every year has run its course.
 
Lucky I got the "last" Mini3 ... It would be a better companion for an upcoming iPad pro; size wise. Mini and air to much identical; air and pro too; gap from mini to pro: meaningful
 
rrrahu1 said:
To all those people saying that the iPhone 6 Plus has effectively become a replacement for the iPad Mini: what are you smoking?

First of all, the devices do not serve the same function, whatsoever. You cannot read books or newspapers or browse the web comfortably on an iPhone, period. Forget about any kind of productivity apps.

Secondly, and more importantly, why would Apple essentially be encouraging us to merge our two devices (iPad Mini and iPhone 5) into just one device, the iPhone 6 Plus?

As a result, Apple's reasoning would be that the average customer will opt for just one device instead of two. Does that not just mean less money for them, or am I seriously missing something here???
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Hogwash. I read the entire GRM Ice and Fire series on a 3.5" iPhone. Not to mention probably 20-30 other books. iPhones are fantastic ereading devices due to their easy portability- its always with you. The web surfing, no, it's not a desktop, but neither is my wife's 13" macbook air compared to my 27" home monitor.

YOU may not use an iPhone for that way, but a LOT of people do.I do agree with you though, I can't see Apple killing off the mini unless the sales are just flat out in the dumpster.
 
saying ipad mini is now being replaced with iphone 6+ is like the ipad pro being replaced with Macbook Air. which i think makes more sense.
 
Sketchy is right

It all depends on sales figures. I doubt there will be a big demand for a large iPad Pro, outside of artists, etc. slaes for the Mini are pretty good.
 
JarScott said:
That's exactly what Apple said during the keynote, though. Although just one person being unhappy with their iPad mini would nullify that statistic. Certainly a bold claim.

I guess it means the iPad mini has 100% customer satisfaction, on average.
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I don't think averages do what you think they do. Averages don't matter with 100%, since there can't be anything over 100%.
 
I'm going to say...

I'm going to say that they will NOT discontinue the mini. As long as it's selling, I think they would keep it for some time. However I think that they want the mini to be more cost-competitive against what the "other guys" are offering. To do that, they need to change the tick/tock cycle compared to the Air and/or Pro.

To do this, they need to keep this version about the same in regards to processor. Keep in mind that Apple has increased the speed of this version even though it uses an A7, added much more storage for the same price PLUS Touch ID. What Apple is doing is to add value.. something that competitors are not doing. Instead, they are reducing prices, trying to gain some kind of marketshare.

Once the original models sell through (at $249 and $299), then Apple will be able to drop the price on this and simply pop a faster processor in for it's mini-flagship model.

I think the other thing to consider here is this... Apple has just created a new processor that is shipping in three of it's major products... iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and iPad Air. There could also be a supply constraint in place with how many A8 processors can be produced. You don't want to constraint your supply, so by keeping the A7 in the mini (a popular tablet line) then you place focus on the iPad Air and iPhone lines without killing yourself. Once you can stock pile more A8, then you can make the switch.

So that's my thoughts... increase value, decrease prices and make sure you can make enough product for the holidays.
 
I loved the first Mini and I love the retina Mini even more. I sold my iPad Air a couple months ago because I hardly ever used it relative to the iPad Mini with Retina Display. But I was extremely disappointed by the many iPad Air 2 updates that didn't make the move to the iPad Mini. It does make me wonder if the Mini might not go the way of the iPod Touch in that it rarely gets major updates. If so, that'd be disappointing. I really have come to love the form factor. I still might buy an Air 2 for work, but chances are the Mini will still dominate my usage. I'll wait for a deal before I upgrade to a Mini 3 though, considering how minor the update is. 64 GB and Touch ID will be nice to have, but in light of what they could've done relative to the iPad Air 2, it's a very disappointing upgrade and I don't think it's a sign of good things to come.
 
If I was in the market for a new iPad, undoubtedly I would choose the iPad mini. Simply the best iPad to pick up and start using. I like the Air, but it's just not for me anymore.
 
The iPad Mini is like the iPod now... it has it's own market but that market is diminishing or not growing, bad in the stockholders' eyes.
 
I have my first iPad and that's the air! I would never see me buying the mini but the pro, definantly would be all over that! Especially in the music business! But it has to have some serious muscle and desk top skills! Maybe running both system would be nice!
 
saintforlife said:
You can't be serious. The iPad mini's size allows it do certain things that are much easier than on the full sized iPad..for example reading magazines or articles when on the subway, or eBooks and such. There is no reason why you couldn't have the iPad mini, iPad Air and the iPad Pro with the same internals. Give people the choice to pick the size they want without having to compromise on internal specs.
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hah?! reading is much nicer on the air - bigger screen. and it's light enough now so there is no difference in portability. I'll take air over mini for reading anywhere including public transit.
darcyf said:
The mini kind of lost its lustre as the lightweight iPad with the arrival of the Air.

I would sacrifice screen real estate in favour of a lighter device, but when the Air gives you both then the reasons for going smaller become less compelling.
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that's exactly what I was thinking. IMO, there is really no good reason to keep mini around anymore. its main advantage over the full-size ipad was the weight. but ipad air is now light enough that this is no longer an issue. mini is too big to be as portable as even iphone 6+. you won't be stuffing it in a pocket - you need a bag to carry either mini or air. I just don't understand why anybody would take mini over air now.
if you want a phablet get 6+, if you want an ipad get air.
 
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Guys I know a lot of you are mentioning sales.

Think from a corporate point of view, its not sales which is important, its the profit margins, markup, contribution etc.

Just because a product is selling well, does not automatically make it better or worse necessarily.
 
Apple will not discontinue the iPad mini, it's just that they may refresh the line every 2-3 years instead of every year, which makes perfect sense. Most people keep an iPad much longer than iPhone, so what are they going to do for iPad Air 3? Make it even more insanely thinner? That'd be too boring. They have to make a new form factor or change the game in a different direction.
 
And now we may have a Maxi Pad....This ranks up there when they ditch the 32 gig and keep the 16 gig for the iPhone 6 and 6+. Does this mean they will drop the price of the Air for this?
 
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