This is the only thing that realistically could have (and should have) changed. I'm *NOT* entirely sure how the A5 is manufactured though, so it is possible that the mini is using the same exact motherboard as the iPad 2 making it more difficult to retrofit those with new RAM.
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
The iPad Mini
- Thread starter Radec
- Start date
This is the only thing that realistically could have (and should have) changed. I'm *NOT* entirely sure how the A5 is manufactured though, so it is possible that the mini is using the same exact motherboard as the iPad 2 making it more difficult to retrofit those with new RAM.
nhlducks35
Member
Well, it is clocked higher, so it isn't using the exact same motherboard.
If so then I will wait till Friday I guess... the impulse might wear off by then though haha.
Is this a software change? It is possible the A5 was under clocked for power consumption reasons, and the different battery in the mini allows it to be regular/overclocked and still use the same hardware.
I'm not really an expert on Apple iDevice hardware though.
I can see myself caving and getting a mini, even though I really don't need one. I have a TouchPad (piece of shit), a MacBook (on the verge of breaking after almost 6 years of heavy use), and a desktop. Yet having my Kindle be so available has really made me want a full functioning device with the same form factor. I can afford it too. I just hate buying stuff without a real need.
Argh decisions.
Argh decisions.
You pretty much described the winter holiday season.
The memory isn't a separate module on the board (like the retina iPads are), it's a package on package design. It would require a new SoC, which would mean a manufacturing change.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Package_on_package
Same clock speed.
http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench2/1220215
Oh, I didn't even realize the retina iPads were that different internally. I had a hunch all iDevices were SoC but wasn't sure. The more you know.
nhlducks35
Member
Well that's dissapointing
I think that it's fairly evident that it's a step sideways or even forward. There are people, myself included, who are thinking about switching from their retina iPads to the mini. I think that the device on a whole is a great step forward for portability and usability and that could absolutely not have been accomplished with a retina display at this stage.
fluffydelusions
Member
++ I use my girlfriends iPad but often find it too big at times. This looks to be a nice size.
fluffydelusions
Member
Is this accurate?
Yeah, I'm going on Friday and I'll play with one and have a feeling I'll walk out with it. Then I have 14 days to decide which iPad to keep
Baconsammy
Banned
Screen-wise only, it's a huge step backwards for me. I'm still getting one, but it's still a step backwards. For people I know, it was the sole reason they now will buy something else. I'm pretty sure Apple's goal with the Mini wasn't to make other tablets more attractive, but it seems that it did (price and screen tech being the two biggest reasons). Fit and finish don't mean the same as price and image clarity. And as much as we love the App store, it's not that big of a deal in the real world. My mother wants a tablet, but doesnt give a damn about 700,000 apps. She cares that it has a browser, it has email, it has Netflix, and it allows her to read her Kindle purchases. For her screen tech matters because she's older and her eyes arent that great, but mostly its a price issue. I imagine this is the same with a lot of people.
It was either Verge or Engadget that listed the Mini's performance above both the iPad 2 and 3.
chronos4590
Member
I kinda want one of these for its size and school despite the resolution and power but oh well.
How easy is it to ge a majority of College text books on a tablet/iPad for Cheap....
.
I don't want to keep carrying my laptop (2010 Macbook pro) to school if i don't have to since I commute to NYC for school and it can get bothersome and if i can get something that I can type notes and have a textbook all in one slim device, then im down for this
How easy is it to ge a majority of College text books on a tablet/iPad for Cheap....
even free?!?! 
I don't want to keep carrying my laptop (2010 Macbook pro) to school if i don't have to since I commute to NYC for school and it can get bothersome and if i can get something that I can type notes and have a textbook all in one slim device, then im down for this
Baconsammy
Banned
Dan Gruber summed up nicely why I'm getting one:
I contemplated a Vita, but this ends up being cheaper when I factor in the 32 gig card for the Vita plus the huge difference in game prices. I don't want a console experience on my handhelds, and the library of quality iOS games is insane now. Especially the kind I prefer - puzzle and word.
I contemplated a Vita, but this ends up being cheaper when I factor in the 32 gig card for the Vita plus the huge difference in game prices. I don't want a console experience on my handhelds, and the library of quality iOS games is insane now. Especially the kind I prefer - puzzle and word.
Yes. Don't get caught up in the 30 point difference between the mini, 2, and 3rd gen. All three have the same CPU.
iPad mini: http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench2/search?utf8=✓&q=ipad2,5
iPad 2: http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench2/search?q=ipad2,4
iPad 3: http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench2/search?utf8=✓&q=ipad3,3
iPad 4: http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench2/search?utf8=✓&q=ipad3,4
I kinda want one of these for its size and school despite the resolution and power but oh well.
How easy is it to ge a majority of College text books on a tablet/iPad for Cheap.....even free?!?!
I don't want to keep carrying my laptop to school if i don't have to since I commute to NYC for school and it can get bothersome and if i can get something that I can type notes and have a textbook all in one slim device, then im down for this
Get a macbook air or a surface
Napoleonthechimp
Member
I'm tempted to get the iPad 4.
That is all.
That is all.
BuggyDClown
Member
So what will we see next year? Will this be like the touch? keep the A5 for another year then get a large upgrade to the A6 in 2014 when we are at quad core chips on the phones/big iPad ect. Get an A5x next year with retina? Who knows.
The Real Abed
Perma-Junior
I'm hoping, like everyone else, that the next iPad mini will be what the first one should have when the technology is at that point. Problem is the price is the way it is because that's just how much it costs for the quality and technology in the device. (Rather than cheaping out and using plastic and low-end components) Maybe the A6 and a Retina screen will be cheap enough by the next October. Or maybe the one after.
I mean we can all dream that the components become so cheap that they can lower the price for a later model to $250. But not while Apple is all about design and quality.
I mean we can all dream that the components become so cheap that they can lower the price for a later model to $250. But not while Apple is all about design and quality.
Baconsammy
Banned
The feedback from a lot of the reviewers is that the Mini is the iPad size they've always wanted, and now prefer. I'd hate for Apple to miss that message and treat the Mini like the red headed stepchild when it comes to future iterations.
fluffydelusions
Member
Yep...I said the same thing before announced officially.
virtuoso88
Member
Hopefully they stuff the retina into the mini next iteration too.
Baconsammy
Banned
I wouldn't say 'always'. There's a chance the mini form factor becomes far more popular than the larger iPad.
yeah, if it sells well enough, the mini might become the ipod mini/ nano compared to the ipod classic: the most popular model
I would certainly hope that the mini doesn't always have one year old guts. Hopefully after this year, they get them in lockstep with the mainline ipad.
we'll see.
I would certainly hope that the mini doesn't always have one year old guts. Hopefully after this year, they get them in lockstep with the mainline ipad.
we'll see.
I think this is a given at this point. Bare minimum, probably based roughly off the specs of the 3 I'd bet. I'm sure by October it will be feasible cost-wise.
Probably. I don't see this as a huge issue though, based on how 99% of iOS devs operate in regards to how they are "targeting" their applications. Once the Mini gets Retina and a RAM boost, there will be very little to complain about beyond the realm of performance bar charts.
Ken Masters
Banned
Is this accurate?
ipad 4 is a beast
I see the iPad mini always being a generation behind in chip (A5) so it won't trivialize the larger iPad, which I feel will be beat out in sales by the mini
Ken Masters
Banned
I want to buy a 7" tablet, but i already have a galaxy note 2 (5.5" screen) and a ipad.. i need to justify my purchase . Also looking at nexus7 which would be better for my daughter watching movies. Or if i should buy both.. hm
I see zero reasons for you to get a 7' tablet, and isn't the point of owning a note is that it's a phone/tablet hybrid?
I got to play with a coworkers today...and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. What a turd.
My decision on an iPad Mini first-gen will come down to whether I think a putative retina iPad Mini will use A5X or A6X, and whether retina will require the iPad to be thicker and heavier. I really prefer lightness and thinness to retina.
Anyway, iPad 3 and 4 are stopgaps, as you can tell from the lack of Jonny Ive video, lack of diamond-cut chamfers, lack of laminated display, being heavier and thicker than iPad 2, etc.
Anyway, iPad 3 and 4 are stopgaps, as you can tell from the lack of Jonny Ive video, lack of diamond-cut chamfers, lack of laminated display, being heavier and thicker than iPad 2, etc.
So are you telling me to wait for iPad mini retina or iPad 5 then?
Jayayess1190
Member
Well, expect a weight reduction and IZGO screen on the 5 and retina and A6 on the Mini, so...
Wait so the mini has 512MB ram not 1GB? Now that just makes it even more dumb for the ipad 2 to not have Siri. That's some bullshit apple, even by there standards.
Freestyler
Member
Woohoo! I'll be picking up my iPad mini in approx 15 hours time. One of the stores here (New Zealand) is opening at 8am to sell them. I love being a day ahead!
My only concern is whether I go black or white. I love the front of the white but prefer the back of the black.
My only concern is whether I go black or white. I love the front of the white but prefer the back of the black.
It's a chip/microphone thing I think. I guess the Nuance tech can't be implemented retroactively.
God damn the iPad 4 is so temping.
PhoncipleBone
Banned
I am still rocking my iPad 1, and am on the fence about what to upgrade to.
I want the raw power of the iPad 4, but damn I love the size of the mini. I am just worried about the mini performing that well whenever there are new iOS updates. Because once I updated my iPad 1 to iOS 5, it started to really stutter.
I want the raw power of the iPad 4, but damn I love the size of the mini. I am just worried about the mini performing that well whenever there are new iOS updates. Because once I updated my iPad 1 to iOS 5, it started to really stutter.
I don't think the mini will lag as shipped, I suspect Apple has enough sense to make sure of that. It could have a worse lifespan for update support though. Either way, performance should be better than the iPad 1 and the screen will be sharper.
I think not having an iPad 3 will make the mini feel even more like an upgrade then it actually is.
My iPad 2 runs iOS 6 like a beast.
PhoncipleBone
Banned
That is my thinking as well. Anything will be an upgrade from my iPad 1. Hell, the jump from my iphone 4 to the 5 was huge.
Before the mini I was seriously considering one of the new Nook HDs, because I mainly only do web browsing on my iPad. But then I thought about all the games I already bought, and syncing everything easily with my iPhone, and decided to keep it in the ipad family.
Too tempting, but I will admit, I would be perfectly content with an iPad 4 even with its current shape.
My only qualm about the 3rd Gen was the lack of lightning bolt cable (and I guess its sluggishness due to the insane res which the A6X has remedied).
I'll probably buy a wifi only 64GB iPad 4th gen in December or January to go with my 64GB iPhone 5.
I thought I read that the new Touch was on par with the iPhone 5, basically an iPhone sans the phone.
PhoncipleBone
Banned
Touch has same screen, but the A5 processor. iPhone 5 has the A6.
Yeah. I used my uncle's original iPad and it defintely stutters on iOS 5.
My iPad 2 was perfect on iOS 5 and 6.
The mini will be a nice speed upgrade for you.