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iPad mini The Future of the iPad mini

I find it difficult to speculate on this because I personally struggle with the whole "phablet" concept and am slightly dubious about the long term success of the 6+. I get that there has been pent up demand for it but I'm not convinced it's going to run away with the whole market for a smaller iPad.

At the end of the day there's a difference between wanting an iPad and finding the smaller size of the mini convenient, to wanting an iPhone and finding the larger size of the 6+ a good compromise. Personally I have an Air and will chuck that in a work bag and carry it most places, but my phone is an iPhone 5 and even the regular 6 has me wondering if it's a bit on the large side; for a phone I absolutely want something small that I can pocket in any situation and always have with me; the iPad is optional and I'm fine with that.
 
Dented said:
I find it difficult to speculate on this because I personally struggle with the whole "phablet" concept and am slightly dubious about the long term success of the 6+. I get that there has been pent up demand for it but I'm not convinced it's going to run away with the whole market for a smaller iPad.

At the end of the day there's a difference between wanting an iPad and finding the smaller size of the mini convenient, to wanting an iPhone and finding the larger size of the 6+ a good compromise. Personally I have an Air and will chuck that in a work bag and carry it most places, but my phone is an iPhone 5 and even the regular 6 has me wondering if it's a bit on the large side; for a phone I absolutely want something small that I can pocket in any situation and always have with me; the iPad is optional and I'm fine with that.
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You have six different sizes of common computing devices. Most people have a maximum of three, yet a case can be made for all of them:

1. Smartphone (Phone/Pocket Device with a screen <5.2")

2. Phablet (Phone with a screen of 5.5" or greater)

3. Mini Tablet (Tablet with a screen of 7.0" to 8.4")

4. Full-sized Tablet (Tablet with a screen of 8.9" to 11")

5. Laptops (Portable Full Computer with a screen size of 11" to 17")

6. Desktop Computer (Stationary full computer with a display of 19" to 30")

You're either going to have 1 or 2, and from there, you're either going to have 3 or 4, and from there 5 or 6 (but most likely 5). If 5 is small enough, you won't find yourself wanting 4 over 3 (instead of the inverse), and if you go with 2, odds are, you won't go with 3 nor will you care about 1. 6 is probably the only one that doesn't popularly exclude any of the others.

Anyway, the point there is that while 1, 4, 5, and 6 are all well-established. 2 and 3 are not and they're competing with each other as well as 1 and 4. Apple sees the iPhone 6 Plus as an expansion of the iPhone line. The iPad mini was an expansion in the opposite direction of the iPad line. The iPad mini was always, at best, a watered down full-sized iPad experience. The iPhone 6 Plus is an iPhone 6 on one or two steroids (camera and software tweaks). It makes sense that when pit against each other, the iPhone 6 Plus would be favored over the iPad mini 3 in terms of development. How that translates and develops over the long haul is the point of this discussion.
 
petvas said:
What future? I don't think it has a very bright one. Phablets are definitely replacing mini tablets. You can find 6" Android phablets and people seem to like them.
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I agree. I can see the mini becoming the iPod touch of the tablet line and always lagging behind other devices regarding updates and stuff like that. Apple will sell them for a while but the novelty has clearly worn off.

And, those pesky giant cell phones are killing it....
 
yes there is clearly almost no difference between the iphone6+ and the ipad mini... :rolleyes:

LJkjGtM.png
 
Yebubbleman said:
The following suggests that the iPad Air is actually selling MORE than the iPad mini:

https://www.macrumors.com/2014/10/15/ipad-air-2-supply-constrained/

Also, the following story on the front page seems to lend to the idea that the iPad mini line might be in trouble:

https://www.macrumors.com/2014/11/03/sketchy-report-apple-to-discontinue-ipad-mini/
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Well of course it's selling more, Apple didn't really "update" the iPad Mini line. People aren't going to rush out and buy last year's tablet again.

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Nozuka said:
yes there is clearly almost no difference between the iphone6+ and the ipad mini... :rolleyes:

Image
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Exactly.

It's significantly larger than the 6 Plus and also $350 cheaper for the entry level cost.

This cannibalization talk is interesting. The iPad Air is only 2" larger than the Mini, this rumored iPad Pro is only 2" larger than the Air and the iPad Mini is a ~2.5" larger than the 6 Plus.
 
CEmajr said:
Well of course it's selling more, Apple didn't really "update" the iPad Mini line. People aren't going to rush out and buy last year's tablet again.
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The quoted text was stated PRIOR to the Air 2/mini 3 reveal suggesting that the second generation iPad mini (the first generation with retina and the same A7 processor from the iPhone 5s) was not selling as well as the original iPad Air back when those two were the latest models of their respective product lines.


CEmajr said:
Exactly.

It's significantly larger than the 6 Plus and also $350 cheaper for the entry level cost.

This cannibalization talk is interesting. The iPad Air is only 2" larger than the Mini, this rumored iPad Pro is only 2" larger than the Air and the iPad Mini is a ~2.5" larger than the 6 Plus.
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Personally, I see valid separate uses for the iPad Air, the iPad mini, and the Plus-sized iPhone (and hell, if you throw in a TouchID and A7/A8 into a 4.7" iPod touch, I'd probably get that too), but I'm an extreme case.

Most people will own one phone, one tablet, and one computer at the most. Would you own a 6 Plus and a mini 3? I'd imagine most would subconsciously (if not consciously) opt against that combo in favor of a 6 Plus and an Air or Air 2.

There has been a demand for a 5.5" iPhone more than there seems to currently be for a 7.9" Tablet, and if you buy the 5.5" iPhone, odds are you're more likely to NOT also buy the 7.9" Tablet (iPad mini). Whereas if you buy the 5.5" iPhone, you aren't any more or less likely to still buy a 9.7" tablet (iPad Air).

Again, Google's recent announcements regarding the Nexus line are similarly telling.

Rather than making a third generation Nexus 7 (which was just as much, if not more of a hit product in the 7.0" to 8.4" tablet market than the iPad mini), they opted to discontinue it in favor of a 5.9" Phablet (Nexus 6) and an 8.9" full-sized tablet (Nexus 9).

Anyways, the iPad Air/Air 2 seem less likely to be in a combination deemed awkward (i.e. 6 Plus and mini 3) and I could see how Apple would also see that.
 
Nozuka said:
yes there is clearly almost no difference between the iphone6+ and the ipad mini... :rolleyes:

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My thoughts exactly.

My plans are to sell my iPad Mini and get an iPad with a larger screen. I also plan on getting the next generation iPhone 6 Plus. Oh, and an Apple Watch and a Partridge in a Pear Tree.
 
Apple effectively upscaled their price points on the iPhone by making the iPhone 6 Plus 100 dollars more. Great move. They did the reverse on the iPad Mini. Terrible move pricing wise, and they realized it. Still, I would hope Apple isn't all about pricing and realizes having a high spec Mini makes sense.
 
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Yebubbleman said:
Most people will own one phone, one tablet, and one computer at the most. Would you own a 6 Plus and a mini 3? I'd imagine most would subconsciously (if not consciously) opt against that combo in favor of a 6 Plus and an Air or Air 2.
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Some of us would opt for a combo in favor of a 6 or even a 5s and a mini. :)

I do agree with you though, that the adoption of the larger iphone will result in some erosion of interest in the mini-tablet, and perhaps even some in the full sized Air.
 
I have an iPhone 6 and love the mini. When the retina mini came out I felt that Apple had finally made the perfect iPad (for me). It's so much easier to use every day, especially when traveling and reading, compared to the full size iPad. I plan on sticking with the mini for some time and I hope Apple keeps it in their product line.
 
rkuo said:
Apple effectively upscaled their price points on the iPhone by making the iPhone 6 Plus 100 dollars more. Great move. They did the reverse on the iPad Mini. Terrible move pricing wise, and they realized it. Still, I would hope Apple isn't all about pricing and realizes having a high spec Mini makes sense.
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They really should've done a full redesign of the mini and charged $450 if they wanted to market the size as the only difference between the iPads.
 
If they release an iPod Touch the same size as the 6 Plus, I'd say there isn't much more need for the mini.

It seems to me I see the most using an mini are kids who don't have an iPhone yet. An iPod Touch, size as the 6 Plus, would kill that demographic off. It would be just as good, and way more portable.
 
Jzo said:
If they release an iPod Touch the same size as the 6 Plus, I'd say there isn't much more need for the mini.



It seems to me I see the most using an mini are kids who don't have an iPhone yet. An iPod Touch, size as the 6 Plus, would kill that demographic off. It would be just as good, and way more portable.
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No, i think unless you have detailed market research at your fingertips (as presumably apple do) it's useless to make kind of speculation. I know quite a few people with the mini, precisely none of them are kids and most of them also have an iPhone. And I say this as someone with an air and no interest in the mini myself.

The people I know who have chosen a mini were quite clear that they wanted an iPad - a bigger than phone device to use around the house and occasionally on trips etc, but not as a replacement for their phone. A phone like the 6+ is still significantly smaller than the iPad mini while being a very big and, for many people, entirely impractical phone to lug around.
 
Yebubbleman said:
The recent announcement of the iPad mini 3 was unarguably underwhelming.

The iPad Air received a sizable overhaul in terms of specs and a slight design change, whereas the iPad mini remained virtually unchanged save for TouchID, support for AppleSIM, a slightly different shape of the rear camera, and lastly, a gold color option.

A couple facts:

1. This is the weakest update that the iPad mini product line has ever been given.

2. The iPad mini was first introduced two years ago to combat a then-growing market of 7.0" to 8.4" tablets, which, today, seems to be shrinking in terms of popularity.

3. The rise of 5.5" and larger Phablets appears to be successfully cannibalizing said market for 7.0 to 8.4" tablets.

4. Case in point (for points 2 and 3) Google's current Nexus line-up; the Nexus 7 (Google's long-standing competitor to the iPad mini as well as the iPad mini's closest competition) was completely discontinued in favor of a Nexus line-up featuring a 5.9" Phablet and a 8.9" Tablet (more closely set to compete with the iPad Air 2 instead).

5. Amazon appears to be putting most of their strength behind larger Kindle Fire tablets (rather than ones more close to the iPad mini's size).

6. The iPhone 6 Plus has many features that would render owning an iPad mini pointless for most; plus it has several tech features (faster processor, better camera, 802.11ac, etc.) that Apple didn't give the iPad mini 3

Given these observations, what do you guys think is in store for the iPad mini product line? What about the 7.0" to 8.4" tablet market at large?
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the ipad mini is an 8" tablet and it's here to stay. apple won't abandon it.
 
Thing is if Apple decide to stop making the Mini then they will, no amount of speculation or rationalising for or against it will make a difference.

Apple is a business, if they can profit more from the iPhone 6/6+ and the Air 2 and potentially the iPad Pro then they can probably afford to drop the Mini.

Yes the Mini was a great bit of kit and with the Mini 2 it offered full iPad experience but in a smaller form and at a lower price. Hence I bought one alongside my iPad 3 and it still impresses me today.

The thing is there will be an element of people who will want the Mini, even a fair few on here that will but if Apple don't see profit in producing it, then they won't.

I suspect the iPhone 6+ for many (non-techy!) types will be considered enough of a rival for the Mini for them to not even consider the it. Side by side they're not that close in size but for many the 6+ will be a all they'd need. I'm sure Apple are aware of that.

Also, with the iPad Air now being lighter and thinner, the weight and size of the iPad is less of a consideration plus I'm sure the Air 2 is more profitable.

Either way, as much as some of us (me included) can see a want for the iPad Mini if they dropped it from the range, would it leave a gap or would that be filled with easily with the 6+ and the Air 2 meeting somewhere in the middle to make up for it? I think to most customers (as in the everyone not on here) they would make do with what Apple offers and if the Mini goes, it's a shame but we're not exactly left short of choice either way.
 
Alex225 said:
.



I suspect the iPhone 6+ for many (non-techy!) types will be considered enough of a rival for the Mini for them to not even consider the it.
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But that's the thing - how many "non techy" types are actually going to opt for the 6+ as their phone and be happy lugging that everywhere they currently take their existing mobile, and are those really the same people that - when shopping for a tablet - chose the mini over the full size iPad?

It seems implausible to me that the same people who shied away from buying a big iPad would be happy carting around a huge phone..
 
The Future of the iPad mini

Could be right mate I couldn't say.

Thing is people will be determined by money too so they could think, 'I'm due an upgrade so I'll just go for the 6+ as I won't need a tablet then'

Have guys at work doing just that.

Could be thinking, why spend on another device when the 6+ will do?
 
I never felt like Apple really gave the Mini their all.

1st gen Mini had no retina screen and the outdated A5 chip - really?

2nd gen Mini got the retina and the A7, but had a restricted gamut. Still, I thought Apple was trying.

3rd gen Mini - Shameful. It isn't right to change one detail of a product and rebrand it as the "next generation."

I think the Mini will eventually sink. Apple was late to introduce this form factor, handicapped it from the start and is now keeping it on life support. I don't see why they wouldn't want to make a good 8" tablet, but we'll see.
 
I don't understand all this talk about the mini being on life support. It sold better than the larger iPads. Apple is just trying to edge people to pay for more for the larger ipad. But I seriously doubt they would ever discontinue the mini. It really is the best portable ipad they make. I. Sorry, the iphone 6plus is NOT an ipad. Nice screen, but no dice. Its a phone. A large phone, but a phone.

I am sure apple just had too many things on its plate this fall. The mini will get nice update to the A8X chip. If not this spring, the def next fall. Count on it.

Whoever floated the story about them being discontinued is out of their minds.
 
MacDarcy said:
.........But I seriously doubt they would ever discontinue the mini.......
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Unfortunately, I think the writing is on the wall for the Mini. It started with the memorable 29 second update Phill Schiller gave for the Mini 3 during the recent iPad unveiling:

Phill: "uh....it now comes in gold and....oh yea, it has Touch ID. Did I mention the 100% satisfaction thing? Never mind, Tim already mentioned that! Next product...."

.......and continues with the recent rumors of Apples plan to discontinue the Mini.

The tea leaves are not hard to read. This story does not have a happy ending!
 
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Apple makes 5 categories of iPad they sell (mini, mini 2, mini 3, Air, Air 2). Yet somehow the pundits here have decided the mini is doomed. :rolleyes:

I guess all the products Apple makes that don't have the same specs as the top product (MBP 13" vs MBP 15" for example) are all doomed also? Yeesh. :rolleyes:
 
I think the ipad mini is going to stay around for awhile yet , but to be honest I think tablets are fading away because of the bigger phones . People are realizing that there smart phones are basically a mini computer or tablet and they really only want one device and smart phones especially bigger smart phones usually are good enough for most peoples computing tasks .
 
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J232022 said:
I think the ipad mini is going to stay around for awhile yet , but to be honest I think tablets are fading away because of the bigger phones . People are realizing that there smart phones are basically a mini computer or tablet and they really only want one device and smart phones especially bigger smart phones usually are good enough for most peoples computing tasks .
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I really don't agree with this at all. I think that yes there is a class of user who wants to carry around a bigger phone and do absolutely everything on that one device but equally there are a large number of people who want and need their phone to be as small as it practically can be but who are still in the market for a tablet. They are two different things and the fact that some people was to combine them does not mean everyone will.

Honestly I think there's a use and a market for all these devices, and while the mini may have taken a back seat this year, it still has a place in the lineup.
 
Dented said:
I really don't agree with this at all. I think that yes there is a class of user who wants to carry around a bigger phone and do absolutely everything on that one device but equally there are a large number of people who want and need their phone to be as small as it practically can be but who are still in the market for a tablet. They are two different things and the fact that some people was to combine them does not mean everyone will.

Honestly I think there's a use and a market for all these devices, and while the mini may have taken a back seat this year, it still has a place in the lineup.
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Not everyone , I agree but look at the sales of tablets they have gone down . It may be that people are happy with there current tablets and don't want to upgrade but who knows . I just think phones are more interesting to people . I actually don't like tablets or smart phones I prefer a traditional computer desktop but that's me everybody is different . I like the keyboard and mouse and I'm going to keep on using it .
 
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