Uncertainty Remains Over Whether Retina iPad Mini Will Ship Alongside iPad 5 in 2013

[MyopicPaideia]

you are assuming that we will get user profiles. Since they were not released with iOS 7, and there has been no hint of user profiles either through the rumor mill or devs going through the source code, I am pretty sure we won't be getting separate user profiles in iOS 7.

Absolutely I am just making an assumption based on nothing - wasn't trying to claim that they were going to come out with it now, but just stating my opinion that they should.

However, user profiles are much less useful on a smart phone than on a tablet. This is one reason to not have implemented or announced it yet. People typically don't use a phone as a home phone anymore, that paradigm shift has already passed us by. When you call a mobile number you expect to reach a specific person, not their house anymore.

But you are 100% right, we haven't heard a sniff of it yet, so it most likely won't be coming now, even though it really should.

 

[MyopicPaideia]

As far as cloud, it is not a panacea. You are still dependent on having a robust network connection. And plenty of wireless carriers are throttling speeds, or limiting monthly access past a set amount. Even home ISPs are throttling certain types of data.
I rely on cloud stuff only for lightweight things like bookmarks, contacts and smaller text and spreadsheet docs.

This is true, you have a point, but I am talking a stay at home iPad here. With networks and cable and satellite providers across the globe moving more and more to HD streaming services and live sport streaming, the industry is moving towards this sort of use case - and if the ISP's in the US are trying to then tighten up data at the same time, something will have to give. All the big hitters in media are moving to audio and video streaming on demand - Apple, Google, HBO, Netflicks, NBC, ABC, Sky, BBC, Viasat, etc...you would think that ISP's trying to cash in by limiting data now after decades of unlimited usage would be suicide. They missed the boat that mobile network providers took advantage of, limiting data from day one. Now we all accept that mobile data has caps, whilst we take for granted that residence ISP providers do not.

 

[xxBURT0Nxx]

Absolutely I am just making an assumption based on nothing - wasn't trying to claim that they were going to come out with it now, but just stating my opinion that they should.

However, user profiles are much less useful on a smart phone than on a tablet. This is one reason to not have implemented or announced it yet. People typically don't use a phone as a home phone anymore, that paradigm shift has already passed us by. When you call a mobile number you expect to reach a specific person, not their house anymore.

But you are 100% right, we haven't heard a sniff of it yet, so it most likely won't be coming now, even though it really should.

I agree it would be cool, but the iOS 7 for iPad has been released, and if it was going to come out you would think someone would have found something in the code referencing to it, like how we heard about the fingerprint scanner in the code before the 5S was announced. Since nobody is really saying it will come out or finding anything in the code, I just highly doubt we will see it in the new iPads. Who knows though, they could release 7.1 and have user profiles, but typically we would have heard a rumor or something about it by now. Apple does sometimes still sneak surprises in on us, I just wouldn't hold my breath for it.

 

[hleewell]

A Mini Retina is what everyone wants but as far as sustainable business model is concerned, the premature release of such model will erode sales of the regular iPad. Apple needs to distinguish the iPad from the Mini before giving the consumer the Mini Retina

 

[PBG4 Dude]

A Mini Retina is what everyone wants but as far as sustainable business model is concerned, the premature release of such model will erode sales of the regular iPad. Apple needs to distinguish the iPad from the Mini before giving the consumer the Mini Retina

iPad - 32 - 128 GB RAM, A7X, Touch ID
mini - 16 - 64GB RAM, A6X, No Touch ID, No Gold color option


I'm thinking this may be how Apple splits the two models this year.

 

[xxBURT0Nxx]

A Mini Retina is what everyone wants but as far as sustainable business model is concerned, the premature release of such model will erode sales of the regular iPad. Apple needs to distinguish the iPad from the Mini before giving the consumer the Mini Retina

umm, they are distinguished..??

iPad - 10" w/ high end processors (up to 128gb memory)

iPad mini - 8" w/ older processors. (up to 64gb memory)

They are not going to cannibalize each other because almost everyone is going to base their purchasing decision on which size they want. Some others are going to prefer the best specs available and will purchase the iPad 5.

Just because the mini gets a retina screen does not suddenly mean everyone is going to stop buying the full size iPad. Some people are going to prefer the larger screen and better specs.

iPad - 32 - 128 GB RAM, A7X, Touch ID
mini - 16 - 64GB RAM, A6X, No Touch ID, No Gold color option

iPads do not have 64 and 128 gb of RAM....

Even macs don't come with that much RAM.

 

[elensil]

iPad Mini's screen was embarrassing on Launch!

Indeed, but you can't compare devices that were just released to something that hasn't been announced (even though we know it's coming sooner or later). To say apple needs to step their game up because it's embarrassing that devices released a year later have better screens than the mini, is a little unfair. How do you expect something to compete with the specs of devices 11+ months later. Obviously the tech world moves very fast, I would hope that competitors would better the mini's specs, especially so far after release. Wait and see what the new mini has to offer before you call the old mini's screen an "embarrassment" Last time I checked there were no "retina" displays in 7"-8" tablets in 2012... not in the nexus, not in the mini, not in the kindle fire, not in any of them. The mini screen is not "embarrassing" because it is bettered a year after it was released IMO...

As to the touch id, yes it uses the secure enclave, but nothing that I have seen says that requires an A7... I'm sure that apple could revise the A6 as they have done with the releases of the A5X or A6X to add a secure enclave if they wanted. They could probably even add the A7 to the mini if they want to turn it into a "flagship" device.

Although I can agree that I don't think touch ID is as beneficial on an iPad. Most people probably don't use passcodes on their iPads, and when you use an iPad the home button is not the first thing you touch and your hands don't rest on the area. Most people use smart covers, which kind of conflicts with the use of touch id imo.

Original Nexus 7 and Kindle HD, both had better screens than iPad Mini.

 

[PBG4 Dude]

iPads do not have 64 and 128 gb of RAM....

Even macs don't come with that much RAM.

To be pedantic, the storage ("memory" as you called it in your post), is NVRAM, so while not the same as volatile operating RAM, is it definitely RAM.

 

[John.B]

nope

I LOLed!

 

[xxBURT0Nxx]

To be pedantic, the storage ("memory" as you called it in your post), is NVRAM, so while not the same as volatile operating RAM, is it definitely RAM.

yes, but people label it as NVRAM, not RAM.

 

[hleewell]

As was pointed out above, there are already 300+ ppi devices on the market (including Amazon's new Kindles).

IMO, there is no reason not to roll out a retina iPad mini, especially when you consider the mini is the last non-retina iOS device in Apple's product lineup.

In Apple world, especially in US, a mini Retina would erode the higher margin iPad. It's juts business. Asian tablet models & Kindle have little influence on existing Apple fans/users/buyers. Still, Apple would could release the mini Retina just because.