The iPad Mini

It's pretty straightforward.

It's not going to have as big an appeal for people who are just looking for a cheap tablet.

It is going to be a bigger deal for people who wanted an iPad but thought it was too expensive or too big/heavy.


I would not be surprised if there are a lot of people in that second group.
 
Al-ibn Kermit said:
I'm just not getting what the iPad mini does for Apple. It can potentially steal a higher margin iPod Touch or iPad sale but it's simply priced too high to be considered by someone who was looking at the $200 tablets.
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It's not going to steal an iPod Touch sale when iPods run different apps from iPads. If anything, it will steal iPod Touch sales since the upsell justification is $30 more for a device that runs iPhone/iPod and iPad apps, instead of being shut out of the iPad apps. From there, the upsell to higher storage, LTE, smart covers, and Apple Care+ (which isn't available for iPods) begin.

I don't think iPod Touches are high margin anyway. It has all the tech of an iPad Mini except it has a better screen, double the storage, at a lower price.

The majority of iPad sales are outside the US, where Nook and Kindle are nowhere to be seen, and Nexus is only doing a bit better availability-wise. It will do very well in countries that have price-sensitive consumers.
 
Just transferred the money to my credit card. I am SO ready to pre-order tomorrow. Will it be first come first serve principle? I wonder if they'll open up for pre-orders at midnight, that is in 4 hours here in Denmark.
 
Al-ibn Kermit said:
The 8.9" Fire and 9" Nook are also $50 cheaper and have 3X the pixels, of course you would expect trade offs. I'm saying that either Apple should have priced this around $250 or they should have upped the resolution to compete with the others in it's price tier, and I'm guessing the latter was unrealistic until the tech catches up next year or the year after.

I'm just not getting what the iPad mini does for Apple. It can potentially steal a higher margin iPod Touch or iPad sale but it's simply priced too high to be considered by someone who was looking at the $200 tablets.

If Google does come out with a half-decent $99 tablet, then that will probably pull all the other 7" tablet prices down even more and make an even bigger delta between the mini and the androids.
Click to expand...

Growth. There is a large market of people who want iPads but don't want to pay $500. They will happily pay $330 for a comparable experience.
 
Al-ibn Kermit said:
The 8.9" Fire and 9" Nook are also $50 cheaper and have 3X the pixels, of course you would expect trade offs. I'm saying that either Apple should have priced this around $250 or they should have upped the resolution to compete with the others in it's price tier, and I'm guessing the latter was unrealistic until the tech catches up next year or the year after.

I'm just not getting what the iPad mini does for Apple. It can potentially steal a higher margin iPod Touch or iPad sale but it's simply priced too high to be considered by someone who was looking at the $200 tablets.

If Google does come out with a half-decent $99 tablet, then that will probably pull all the other 7" tablet prices down even more and make an even bigger delta between the mini and the androids.
Click to expand...

Many have been predicting the Mini and it's smaller price will be heavily marketed towards educational institutions. My girlfriend's class just got 10 normal iPads and so far they've been a hit; if she was able to kit out every kid with their own iPad Mini I can only imagine the opportunities. Plus it's a better size for elementary school kids with smaller hands.
 
Anastacio said:
Just transferred the money to my credit card. I am SO ready to pre-order tomorrow. Will it be first come first serve principle? I wonder if they'll open up for pre-orders at midnight, that is in 4 hours here in Denmark.
Click to expand...

Curious about this as well. I'm in the UK and wondering whether I should wait it out until midnight.

Tobor said:
Growth. There is a large market of people who want iPads but don't want to pay $500. They will happily pay $330 for a comparable experience.
Click to expand...

Agreed. For all the talk of the iPad mini's price being higher than other 7" tablets, $330/£269 is actually a pretty reasonable entry point into iOS. I've owned iOS products before but am taking advantage of the sub £300 price point to get back on the horse. I wouldn't have bought a £399 iPad this year but am pre-ordering a mini
 
jedivulcan said:
It's got the same pixel density as the iPhone 3GS. I think of the screen as less of a condensation of a full-sized iPad 2 and more of a larger 3GS. That's just my two cents.
Click to expand...
That doesn't make any sense. None whatsoever. It's a smaller iPad 2, because it's the same performance and has the same number of pixels in a smaller space. If you enlarged the 3GS to iPad Mini size, the pixel density would reduce further. If you maintained the pixel density and increased the resolution, it would be nothing like a 3GS. And it would be painfully slow.
 
jedivulcan said:
It's got the same pixel density as the iPhone 3GS. I think of the screen as less of a condensation of a full-sized iPad 2 and more of a larger 3GS. That's just my two cents.
Click to expand...

The iPad mini is 100% an iPad 2 but smaller. Same resolution and hardware, but better pixel density because the same number of pixels are in a smaller screen. And it runs iPad apps.
 
Anno said:
Many have been predicting the Mini and it's smaller price will be heavily marketed towards educational institutions. My girlfriend's class just got 10 normal iPads and so far they've been a hit; if she was able to kit out every kid with their own iPad Mini I can only imagine the opportunities. Plus it's a better size for elementary school kids with smaller hands.
Click to expand...

I still don't get the appeal for education to be honest: it's next to impossible to take notes with an iPad in my opinion since it's not feasible (or possible) to have more than one window open and handwriting recognition leaves much to be desired.

As far as the mini goes...I love it aesthetically speaking but will hold off 6 months for a retina model to be released.
 
Alchemy said:
The iPad mini is 100% an iPad 2 but smaller. Same resolution and hardware, but better pixel density because the same number of pixels are in a smaller screen. And it runs iPad apps.
Click to expand...

Also MUCH better cameras, LTE, and can use Siri. (Navigation as well?)
 
dallow_bg said:
Also MUCH better cameras, LTE, and can use Siri. (Navigation as well?)
Click to expand...

Forgot about the camera. LTE and Siri are a non-factor for me though, but I guess I can play around with Siri just for kicks. Otherwise I will just tether to my phone, grandfathered data plans ftw.
 
MrMephistoX said:
I still don't get the appeal for education to be honest: it's next to impossible to take notes with an iPad in my opinion since it's not feasible (or possible) to have more than one window open and handwriting recognition leaves much to be desired.

As far as the mini goes...I love it aesthetically speaking but will hold off 6 months for a retina model to be released.
Click to expand...

How is it not feasible to take notes on the iPad? I have a first gen, and took notes on it for class for about 3 months (till I graduated), worked great. You get the hang of typing soon enough. What's the other window you need open for?
 
MrMephistoX said:
I still don't get the appeal for education to be honest: it's next to impossible to take notes with an iPad in my opinion since it's not feasible (or possible) to have more than one window open and handwriting recognition leaves much to be desired.

As far as the mini goes...I love it aesthetically speaking but will hold off 6 months for a retina model to be released.
Click to expand...

To not see the appeal in education is to lack scope and vision.

It's not about arming every child with a replacement note-taking device. It's about exposing children to the technology that will be the standard in omputin iftheir generation.

When I was a kid, we had some apple iis in class - not because it was a better tool for anything, and we certainly didn't use them for anything practical in replacement of anything, we just had exposure.

For young kids classroom, you can teach them with a bit more interactivity and fun. Pull out the class iPads and have kids do an interactive session. Or a networking session. Teach them Internet, the opportunities and dangers therein.

Can't this be done on a computer? Yes. But touch-based tablets and interfaces are the future, so why not start there?

It is my opinion that this kind of learning is the future of education. The current situation of kids and wrote learning is actually a pretty prohibitive style of learning. What we want is to stimulate thought and creativity - higher executive functioning.

The iPad is a great tool for this, because it sparks the imagination when learning is interactive and fun.
 
Vyer said:
It is going to be a bigger deal for people who wanted an iPad but thought it was too expensive or too big/heavy.

I would not be surprised if there are a lot of people in that second group.
Click to expand...

Pretty much this. Among the consumer base, there are large swaths of people who (for better or worse) only want an iPad and won't consider anything else. For them, the attraction is obvious: It's not an expensive 7" tablet, it's a cheap iPad, and those are the people who Apple wants to poach. Everybody else already bought a Kindle or a Nexus 7, or a $99 TouchPad.
 
ivedoneyourmom said:
How is it not feasible to take notes on the iPad? I have a first gen, and took notes on it for class for about 3 months (till I graduated), worked great. You get the hang of typing soon enough. What's the other window you need open for?
Click to expand...

On a Macbook, say if an instructor has supplementary powerpoint slides or an excel spreadsheet you can just open up either the program or a doc to type simultaneously: can't really do that with the iPad. Don't get me started on ebooks, it's a pain to just highlight a section and not have a really easy way to thumb back through the material.

mrkgoo said:
To not see the appeal in education is to lack scope and vision.

It's not about arming every child with a replacement note-taking device. It's about exposing children to the technology that will be the standard in omputin iftheir generation.

When I was a kid, we had some apple iis in class - not because it was a better tool for anything, and we certainly didn't use them for anything practical in replacement of anything, we just had exposure.
Click to expand...

Same could be said of my school. IPads are great toys and can enhance the learning experience in some respects I'll agree but they're not any more of a substitute for a text book than Math Blaster and Oregon Trail on the Apple II E were substitutes for multiplication tables and a history book. When school budgets are tight we need to invest in boosting teacher pay and quality not buying cool tech. Just MHO. If anything invest in iMacs.
 
MrMephistoX said:
On a Macbook, say if your teach has supplementary powerpoint slides or an excel spreadsheet you can just open up either the program or a doc to type simultaneously: can't really do that with the iPad. Don't get me started on ebooks, it's a pain to just highlight a section and not have a really easy way to thumb back through the material.
Click to expand...

Not sure why they wouldn't have the slides up when giving their lecture, but yeah, it would be nice to be able to pull up something why typing your notes.

Apple mostly solved that last problem with their iBooks 2.0 Textbooks. It even has flash cards generated for things you highlight. Ebooks have one really great advantage over real books - search-ability. Typing a term in a search field is much nicer than looking up things using an index. This thing will be a hit in schools.
 
ivedoneyourmom said:
Not sure why they wouldn't have the slides up when giving their lecture, but yeah, it would be nice to be able to pull up something why typing your notes.

Apple mostly solved that last problem with their iBooks 2.0 Textbooks. It even has flash cards generated for things you highlight. Ebooks have one really great advantage over real books - search-ability. Typing a term in a search field is much nicer than looking up things using an index. This thing will be a hit in schools.
Click to expand...

I love that aspect of them too but most e-textbooks are still little more than PDF's for most publishers. Don't get me wrong it's clearly the future but iPad is just not as a good of a medium as a Macbook IMHO.
 
Greyface said:
[citations needed]
Click to expand...
Pretty easy to find out yourself. If you check the wiki for the A5, you'll see that both it and the A5X have the same dual core A9.

If you want benchmarks, you know where to turn to. Similar Geekbench and Javascript bench scores. If you compare the GPU at their respective resolutions (A5X at 2048x1536 and A5 at 1024x768), you'll see mostly a similar score there as well.

So really, in real world situations, the A5 and A5X are mainly separated by 512MB of RAM.
 
MrMephistoX said:
I love that aspect of them too but most e-textbooks are still little more than PDF's for most publishers. Don't get me wrong it's clearly the future but iPad is just not as a good of a medium as a Macbook IMHO.
Click to expand...

It's not about replacing textbooks, at least in the early years. It's about letting them experience models like the weather cycle or the galaxy as an interactive model rather than something on paper or a movie. So far she's broken them up into teams of 3/4 to study interactive models of the weather/water cycle; going just by test scores kids are already substantially ahead of her class last year, not to mention better grades on papers/homework and a more interactive and inquisitive class.
 
I just want to add to the ipad mini as educational tool discussion:

iPads have been incredibly helpful in educating populations with special needs. Children with autism, in particular, have shown amazing results.

Anything that lowers the cost of iPads will allow for more widespread use.. This is a good thing.
 
outunderthestars said:
I just want to add to the ipad mini as educational tool discussion:

iPads have been incredibly helpful in educating populations with special needs. Children with autism, in particular, have shown amazing results.

Anything that lowers the cost of iPads will allow for more widespread use.. This is a good thing.
Click to expand...

Pshh. How are they supposed to learn without retina???
 
Vyer said:
It's pretty straightforward.

It's not going to have as big an appeal for people who are just looking for a cheap tablet.

It is going to be a bigger deal for people who wanted an iPad but thought it was too expensive or too big/heavy.


I would not be surprised if there are a lot of people in that second group.
Click to expand...

I have an iPad 2 and live in NYC. I never really take it with me because it's too big to fumble around with on the subway. As such, a Mini might be right up my alley and I can imagine myself using it much more often while on the go.
 
Nexus 7 has tegra, higher resolution, higher PPI. Nexus 7 wins in the comparison chart.
SeanR1221 said:
No doubt it's going to sell like crazy. Nintendo should be worried this holiday season. Honestly, if I had a kid I'd buy them a mini over a Wii U easily.
Click to expand...

You must really hate kids.
 
Pazuzu9 said:
That doesn't make any sense. None whatsoever. It's a smaller iPad 2, because it's the same performance and has the same number of pixels in a smaller space. If you enlarged the 3GS to iPad Mini size, the pixel density would reduce further. If you maintained the pixel density and increased the resolution, it would be nothing like a 3GS. And it would be painfully slow.
Click to expand...

Look at what Apple did with the iPhone 5 and the iPod Touch 5 this year. They kept the pixel density the same (326PPI) and added 176 vertical pixels and moved from 3.5" -> 4" screen dimension diagonally.

Under the same concept, if you take 480x320 screen (at 3.5" with ~163PPI) ... and add 544 vertical pixels and 448 horizontally, you're going to get 1024x768 at around 7.9". The pixels are physically the same size as the pre-retina iPhone and iPod Touch.

Alchemy said:
The iPad mini is 100% an iPad 2 but smaller. Same resolution and hardware, but better pixel density because the same number of pixels are in a smaller screen. And it runs iPad apps.
Click to expand...

Except it's shrunk. Pixel density is a bit higher than the iPad 2, granted, but the actual size of the buttons on the home screen and probably custom graphics on many apps, are going to be slightly smaller if you pull out a ruler.

dallow_bg said:
Also MUCH better cameras, LTE, and can use Siri. (Navigation as well?)
Click to expand...

I only used my iPad once in an actual moving car. I can't remember for the life of me if it actually spoke to me or if I turned off the volume because it was too annoying.

I wish they'd include HDR and panorama photography in the iPad. The PhotoBooth app (at least on the iPad 3) isn't updated with the same camera interface as the default camera app. Shutter button is at the bottom of the screen instead of the side. It's pre-iOS 5 interface.

The unlocked SIM slot is a nice feature although the Mini uses nano-SIM, so you'll have to either order or try your luck cutting down a micro-sim if you swap SIM cards.

I really like the fact that the Verizon LTE version is also compatible with AT&T and T-Mobile SIMs. It's got the most broad choice of carriers (even though the latter two are locked at either HSPA or EDGE speeds and not LTE because of different bands).
 
I think I'm gonna hold off on the 4th gen and just get a Mini. And I'm pissed I waited so long to sell my N7, hope I can get $100 for my 8gb post price-drop.

CyReN said:
Do they go on sale at 3am est?
Click to expand...

I think so. It appears Apple hasn't given an official time though.
 
Pazuzu9 said:
That doesn't make any sense. None whatsoever. It's a smaller iPad 2, because it's the same performance and has the same number of pixels in a smaller space. If you enlarged the 3GS to iPad Mini size, the pixel density would reduce further. If you maintained the pixel density and increased the resolution, it would be nothing like a 3GS. And it would be painfully slow.
Click to expand...
Yeah, it does. You're not taking his thoughts literally enough. Imagine the 3GS screens as many screens cut from a giant slab of screen, but instead of cutting them at 3GS size, you cut them at an 8" diagonal size. That is the iPad mini's screen. It is the same pixel density as the iPhone 1, 3G, and 3GS.
 
Zeth said:
I think I'm gonna hold off on the 4th gen and just get a Mini. And I'm pissed I waited so long to sell my N7, hope I can get $100 for my 8gb post price-drop.



I think so. It appears Apple hasn't given an official time though.
Click to expand...

I might be in for your N7 for $100 in a few days.
 
Man the only thing that is making me debate upgrading my iPad 2 to an iPad Mini instead of a 4 is the weight (important for bed reading/surfing) and the style on the back.

I will probably still get the iPad4 but I wouldn't need to debate if they reduced the weight back to iPad2 levels and stylized the back the same.
 
Tabris said:
Man the only thing that is making me debate upgrading my iPad 2 to an iPad Mini instead of a 4 is the weight (important for bed reading/surfing) and the style on the back.

I will probably still get the iPad4 but I wouldn't need to debate if they reduced the weight back to iPad2 levels and stylized the back the same.
Click to expand...

You should get both!!! Fuck it!
 
Tabris said:
Man the only thing that is making me debate upgrading my iPad 2 to an iPad Mini instead of a 4 is the weight (important for bed reading/surfing) and the style on the back.

I will probably still get the iPad4 but I wouldn't need to debate if they reduced the weight back to iPad2 levels and stylized the back the same.
Click to expand...

Im in the same position :/
 
Ok. After reading more the mini can do turn by turn and do the whole 3D flyover thing as well.
Poor iPad 2. :(

I noticed it has two speaker grills on the bottom which is new.
I'm assuming it's still mono sound though as it's not mentioned anywhere. The tech specs at Apple's site don't specify it as a second mic either.
 
Appleman said:
Of course Apple could have made a mini with retina, but at what cost? It would be heavier, hotter, and most importantly, more expensive. Maybe even more expensive than the iPad 3/4. The large iPad at least has the room for such a large battery, the mini doesn't have that luxury and it would have to be even thicker than the full size iPad.

I don't personally think they could market a thick, heavy, expensive iPad mini. It just wouldn't make sense at this time
Click to expand...
I don't buy it. I think Apple created the product that they thought would sell without impeding too much on the other iPads. They know that people will eat up the Mini, retina display or not, so they didn't include one. This way they have a clear road map of improvements for the future.
Liu Kang Baking A Pie said:
Yeah, it does. You're not taking his thoughts literally enough. Imagine the 3GS screens as many screens cut from a giant slab of screen, but instead of cutting them at 3GS size, you cut them at an 8" diagonal size. That is the iPad mini's screen. It is the same pixel density as the iPhone 1, 3G, and 3GS.
Click to expand...
That is an amazing analogy. I understood the original statement, but the visualization accompanying your explanation was perfect.
 
Are the majority of you guys getting the 4G+ WiFi model, or just the Wifi model?

Currently, an university student but im not sure which model to splurge on. :(
 
Liquid_015 said:
Are the majority of you guys getting the 4G+ WiFi model, or just the Wifi model?

Currently, an university student but im not sure which model to splurge on. :(
Click to expand...

I got an iPad2 just WiFi and Im doing the same for my iPad Mini. Im a university student as well and the two places I use it most, school and home, have wifi. Not to mention coffee shops and a million other places that have WiFi
 
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