Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Will we see another Mini?

ddublu

ddublu

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jun 26, 2011
1,370
75
Really love my Mini 4 but made the mistake of picking up a Pro 10.5. I primarily use it for my display during aerial photography shoots and there's no question - the 10.5 is better in every regard except size. Do you think there will be another Mini released?
 
  • Like
Reactions: ShaunAFC3 and RBmacin'
I currently use an ipad mini 2 and was hoping the mini would get an update when the 10.5" was announced. There was a rumor that it was, but that mever panned out. I will get the 10.5", but was going to wait until the iphone ios event in september. I think that there is a small chance Apple could quietly announce a new mini then. If not, i will definitely nab a 10.5" right away. Rumor has it a radical ipad redesign is coming in 2018. Perhaps that is when Apple will release an ipad mini pro along side new 10.5" & 12.9" models. Perhaps all without bezels like the upcoming iphone 8? Who knows. All i know is that i can't wait until next year to upgrade.

Love the mini form factor. More viewable & usable for web surfing than an iphone plus and more portable than any other ipad and macbook. But there are also rumors that Apple is phasing the mini out. I think that'd be a mistake. Guess we will find out eventually. Don't know how well or if ios 11 will run on an ipad mini 4.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ShaunAFC3
The mini 4 will be 2 years old in the fall, so I hope it gets an update soon, even if it’s just a spec bump.

If a new mini comes out with the “radical redesign” then it better be worth the wait.

But I am honestly losing hope unfortunately.
 
To be honest I think Apple will kill it off, since they have the 9.7" iPad, 10.5 iPad Pro & 12.9 iPad Pro. I do hope that apple does a update to the mini but I don't think it will happen since if they were do it they would have done it by now.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ShaunAFC3
I have loved the form factor of the iPad mini since the day it came out. (And remember, the iPad Air 1 wasn't out yet at the time, so the mini was unique in form factor for a little while.) I got the first gen model for my wife shortly after it came out, and she quickly ditched her Kindle and hasn't looked back. I also owned my own mini for a while--it now also belongs to my wife--but once I started looking into making the iPad my main computer, the mini just wasn't going to do it for me any more.

There are a lot of theories out there that the decline in sales of the iPad for the last few quarters has been largely due to demand for the iPad mini drastically shrinking. People may or may not agree with that, but there are definitely numbers to back it up. I think there are two main groups of people who have stopped buying the iPad mini: 1) People like me who want the iPad as their main or only computer, and 2) people who have switched to Plus model iPhones and think those are biggER enough to not need a mini any more. (Yes, I realize the mini is actually way bigger than a Plus iPhone, but the perception in the market is that they're close to the same size because that's what the media constantly tells people.)

I had been on the fence lately as to whether or not Apple would "kill" the mini, but I'm not so on the fence any more--I think they're clearly signaling that the mini doesn't have much place in the product line any more. My theory is this:

If the fall product launch comes and goes with no iPad mini announcement, we will know that mini sales have either fully tanked or have mostly been replaced by sales of the 2017 9.7" iPad. If there is a mini 5, or maybe a 2017 mini that's just a shrunken down 2017 iPad 9.7", we will know that mini sales have hit a bottom, but not enough of a bottom where Apple doesn't think they'll still sell loads of them during the holidays, which is usually when iPad minis sell really well.

Just my opinion, but I think the writing is on the wall here.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ShaunAFC3
My wife has a 'new' iPad and I have both a Mini2 and a 10.5" iPad Pro... I far and away prefer the Mini2 in every way and while I'm holding out as long as I can, I will buy a new Mini whenever makes an official statement one way or the other (eol Mini4 or new Mini5). It makes absolutely no sense for Apple to cede the 7" tablet market to Android.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ShaunAFC3
comptr said:
To be honest I think Apple will kill it off, since they have the 9.7" iPad, 10.5 iPad Pro & 12.9 iPad Pro. I do hope that apple does a update to the mini but I don't think it will happen since if they were do it they would have done it by now.
Click to expand...

Why you think that? They have made 4 versions of the mini, it must have sold pretty good to keep it this long. I see a new one coming. There is no way the 9.7 is the new old mini. lol

Also the 10.5 and 12.9 aren't marketed for the mainstream user.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ShaunAFC3
The mini 4 will be 2yrs old when iOS 11 is released this fall. I would imagine that if there is going to be an update to the mini, it will happen this fall. Otherwise, the last hope for the mini would be when the entire iPad line gets it's rumored radical redesign in 2018. But I would at least expect a speed bump to the iPad mini's internals with the iOS 11 release this fall if Apple does plan to keep it around.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ShaunAFC3
Act3 said:
Why you think that? They have made 4 versions of the mini, it must have sold pretty good to keep it this long. I see a new one coming. There is no way the 9.7 is the new old mini. lol

Also the 10.5 and 12.9 aren't marketed for the mainstream user.
Click to expand...

Well, So far Apple has not done any updates in a while for the Mini & also with the + sized iPhone the Mini is sort of redundant. But everyone is different and we don't know what apple will do with the mini, but I am guessing that they will kill it off unless apple has some plans. Also quite a few apple retailers like Best Buy & others are selling the Mini 4s at good deals so some news will come out soon I am guessing.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ShaunAFC3
The new iPad mini is almost certainly coming! :D


In my opinion it will definitely get a larger screen size to distinguish it more from the plus sized iPhones.

If there will be a new mini this year I think it will get a slightly larger display and smaller bezels like the 10.5-inch iPad Pro.

And if there won't be a new one until at least November it might get a completely almost bezel-less redesign next year with an even larger OLED screen by keeping or reducing the case size to match the new iPhone's design and won't be released before the 2018 iPhone.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ShaunAFC3
Erdbeertorte said:
In my opinion it will definitely get a larger screen size to distinguish it more from the plus sized iPhones.
Click to expand...

The screen size difference between the mini (7.9) and the standard iPad (9.7) is 1.8". Not a lot of room for it to get bigger. I don't think it would make much sense for Apple to have an 8.5(?)", 9.7", and 10.5" iPad. 3 iPads within 2"?

If anything, it would make more sense for the mini to get smaller since the biggest size gap in the lineup is actually between the 5.5"(16:9) and 7.9"(4:3).
 
Erdbeertorte said:
If there will be a new mini this year I think it will get a slightly larger display and smaller bezels like the 10.5-inch iPad Pro.
Click to expand...

That won't happen this year. We would know about it by now if it was going to happen.

The only thing that can happen this year is a minor spec bump that may or may not warrant 10 seconds of the keynote - anything more than that just isn't going to happen, they have too many other products to talk about.

While I don't think it's dead if it goes silent this year, if we get past April and there's still no news, I unfortunately think it will be a goner. It was already a year old when it launched spec wise.

To me it makes sense to bump it to an A10, let users gain the new features of iOS 11 (HEVC/ARkit etc). It also justifies the higher price over the iPad 2017. But I just don't know if they'll bother :( March/April for this also works if they plan on releasing another SE I guess.

Once bezel-less screens have completely taken over - it also makes sense to me to get the 9.7 inch down in overal size and leave that as a middle point and get rid of both 9.7/7.9 form factor.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: ShaunAFC3
007p said:
Once bezel-less screens have completely taken over - it also makes sense to me to get the 9.7 inch down in overal size and leave that as a middle point and get rid of both 9.7/7.9 form factor.
Click to expand...

Even a "bezel-less" 9.7 would be too big to be considered a "mini" - it wouldn't fit in my coat pocket.

I think a "bezel-less" iPad Mini Pro would be absolutely awesome! Keep the 7.9" screen and give me Pencil capability and I'm happy!
 
  • Like
Reactions: ShaunAFC3 and sracer
I think they should have went with an 8" screen for the mini and keep it the same size as the mini 4 and a 10" screen for the pro and keep it the same size and weight as the air 2.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ShaunAFC3
I don't know why they didn't just bump the mini up to an A9 when they released the 2017 iPad. I really want a mini but I begrudge paying £400 for two years old tech.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ShaunAFC3
Shanghaichica said:
I don't know why they didn't just bump the mini up to an A9 when they released the 2017 iPad. I really want a mini but I begrudge paying £400 for two years old tech.
Click to expand...

Yeah it's annoying - I can't see them putting an A9 in it now as that would be two years old. Hopefully an A10 now the iphone 7 won't be the latest phone but that might be asking too much.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ShaunAFC3
Shanghaichica said:
I don't know why they didn't just bump the mini up to an A9 when they released the 2017 iPad. I really want a mini but I begrudge paying £400 for two years old tech.
Click to expand...

I look at it as less "what's inside" and more "does it do what I want it to do". All iPads have "old" tech - they're not the fastest processors or the most amount of RAM, but they don't need it to do what you need it to.

It's more about the device doing what you need/want in the form factor that you want it in.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ShaunAFC3
I thought it was an odd choice to have a 9.7 and a 10.5 sized iPad. I feel it might make more sense to have a mini, either a 9.7 or 10.5 model, and the large 12.9 device. That would cover the tablet market fairly well.
 
Mivo said:
I thought it was an odd choice to have a 9.7 and a 10.5 sized iPad. I feel it might make more sense to have a mini, either a 9.7 or 10.5 model, and the large 12.9 device. That would cover the tablet market fairly well.
Click to expand...

I agree. That would be an ideal line up. There is still a chance that Apple will release an updated ipad mini this fall. I hope it is a pro version. I'd really like to be able to use the Apple Pencil with a mini ipad. Regardless, strong rumors indicate that the ipad line is going to get a radical redesign in 2018. Does this mean a bezel-less design with an OLED screen like the upcoming iphone 8? I dunno. But Apple could wait to incorporate the mini update for this redesign. I really do hope that Apple doesnt abandone the mini, and contrary to popular belief on this board, I think there IS a strong demand for the mini. Its more portable than bigger ipads, yet so much pleasurable for websirfing & other tasks than the iphone plus.
 
bensisko said:
I look at it as less "what's inside" and more "does it do what I want it to do". All iPads have "old" tech - they're not the fastest processors or the most amount of RAM, but they don't need it to do what you need it to.

It's more about the device doing what you need/want in the form factor that you want it in.
Click to expand...
I agree to a certain extent but I also have to think about future proofing and how much longer it will be supported with software. I estimate that the mini will only get one more update after iOS 11. Therefore if I buy it today it's good to go for another 2 years, however I don't know how well iOS 12 will run on the mini 4.
 
Shanghaichica said:
I agree to a certain extent but I also have to think about future proofing and how much longer it will be supported with software. I estimate that the mini will only get one more update after iOS 11. Therefore if I buy it today it's good to go for another 2 years, however I don't know how well iOS 12 will run on the mini 4.
Click to expand...

Not to mention the new features from iOS 11 are limited without the A9/A10 - e.g. ARKIt & HEVC/HEIF
 
Shanghaichica said:
I agree to a certain extent but I also have to think about future proofing and how much longer it will be supported with software. I estimate that the mini will only get one more update after iOS 11. Therefore if I buy it today it's good to go for another 2 years, however I don't know how well iOS 12 will run on the mini 4.
Click to expand...

"Futureproofing" is a complete myth. You never know what may or may not work well on future iPads or not and what factors are going to decide that. Nobody has any idea what future revisions of iOS (beyond 11) are going to have in store. It may very well be that the mini 4 will continue to run well through iOS 15 or iOS 12 might such a major change that only New iPads will run it.

The point is don't worry about what might or might not happen in 2 or 3 years for a device that works wonderfully right now.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back