iPad Air and iPad Mini with Retina

Any non-Apple users planning on buying either of the new ipads?

Ipad mini with retina prices start from $479 for the 16GB version and $598 for the 32GB version($119 for and extra 16GB! and I though memory was getting cheaper) It is a touch heavier and a little thicker but it has the usual upgrades all tablets do(better cpu, gpu, wifi and display)

For comparison the Nexus 7 2013 has been on sale for $279

Of course many users in the Apple ecosystem will flock to it and Apple knows it which is why they raised the prices by quite a bit.

Nothing to do with the Apple, but you gotta admit this is the best looking tablet ever

Comments

  • +3

    Any non-Apple users planning on buying either of the new ipads?

    www.instantostrich.com

    • -3

      Instant Rich?

  • Love my iPad Mini but won't upgrade. Any increase in weight and thickness puts me off. The best thing about the current iPad Mini is that it's light and thin and manageable to carry with you. The current screen is fine for what I need.

    • The funny thing about making it lighter and thinner, is that some people still go and buy these massive cases for their ipads (/mini's) that is almost another 50% heavier ….

      • +4

        Same reason as you use a condom knowing it does not make you feel better?

    • +2

      Yeah because <25 grams difference in weight and .3 mm is such a huge difference…

  • +4

    I held off on buying a Surface because of leaks and rumours about a new iPad. Now that I have seen them and the prices, including the cost of the iPad 2 remaining the same, I think I'm better off just going with the Surface.

    I still have the first iPad which works fine, but I've been wanting an upgrade for almost a year.

    • +4

      iPad 2 is more expensive than it was when it released over 2 years ago.

  • +5

    I was looking to move from my ipad 3 to the retina mini but for $479 just isn't worth it, shame they couldn't keep the older pricing. The new Nexus 7 at $299 has a considerable lead in price now.

    • I've never been a big fan of Android's interface, but now that $479 has been slapped onto the mini's price tag, I'll have to move to Android.

      Btw, I thought Officeworks could beat the price for 10%? o.O so $279 should be the price of the Asus Nexus 7?

      • Yeah you're right on the $279, I was going off Google RRP

      • I owned both an iPad and a nexus 7. The only problem I find with nexus 7 is the capacitive buttons at the bottom. I feel its a really waste of space considering it has a really small screen. App wise I am more than happy with android store. Of course I wouldn't say that android is better, but for its price its a no-brainier.

    • Android devices have always had a considerable lead, that's nothing new really

    • your free Maverick OS upgrade got to come from somewhere. But don't worry the iPad Mini Retina is already selling by the truckload. It just shows Apple still got lot of market pull.

  • +13

    Don't forget that iPad Mini and iPad Air both received the A7/M7 upgrade as well — same 64bit processor from iPhone 5S. Also the display 2048×1536 (same as iPad 4) and 324ppi — 1ppi more than Nexus 7 2013's 323ppi. Worthy upgrade for mini I think, and some would argue that it's a better iPad than iPad Air (which replaced iPad 4), due to even lighter weight. Personally I also prefer 7/8 inches form factor than 10 inches.

    I still won't buy it, but that's due to philosophical reason rather than the tablet itself.

    • +1

      Out of curiosity, what are these philosophical reasons?

      • +28

        OzBargain philosophy — "not good enough bang for the buck"??

        Oh, not to mention that I much prefer a more open ecosystem than being restricted to one single vendor.

        • +1

          OzBargain philosophy — "not good enough bang for the buck"??

          But OzBargain philosophy is also about getting quality gear for cheaper than retail, so moot point…

        • +1

          I would have thought the OzBargain philosophy was to prize value above quantity AND quality. I wouldn't care if I could get an awesome tablet at %10 off if I could get a dodgy low end one at %80 off or better yet 3 dodgy low end ones to dispose of as they break.

        • -3

          Apple != Value in ANY segment whatsoever

    • The huge thickness reduction is another kick in the face that they heavily hold things back to milk you.

    • So. How the the 64 bit processor give the tablet an advantage over 32 bit processors? Do you know?

      • +3

        there is zero advantage at the moment

        • +2

          EXACTLY.

          I hear this way too often these days. I always ask the person to explain why he/she thinks the 64 bit is of any use. They always come up with some Apple crap explanation. One was "Cause 64 bit is better than 32 bit and 64 bit is the future".

          facepalm

          Most people do not understand what 64 bit entails..

        • +3

          I don't think Scotty was implying the processor is better cos it's 64 bit. That's not how I read it. It's a superior chip and processor in any case by today's standards.

        • +3

          Yeah. 64bit is definitely not that useful for the current apps and 1GB RAM they installed on iPhone and iPad, but you do need to have the hardware ready first before migrating your software. Not to mention future products with 4GB+ memory. Android is getting closer there, with SGN3 and some upcoming models with 3GB RAM.

          However it's what camelgrass said. Not that the 64bit matters now, but in fact it's an A7/M7 that's the latest chip from Apple and quite a performer. Quite an upgrade comparing to A5 on last year's mini.

        • I want to know if having identical specs to an iPhone 5S will be enough to power the tablet? It is pushing as opposed to 2048×1536 pixels as opposed to 1,136×640. That's more than 4.3 times more pixels than the iPhone 5S. Will it still be enough to run everything smoothly? If so, then it sounds like the 5S processor is overkill for a phone.

        • Apple has been pushing that many pixels on iPad since iPad 3 with A5X chip. A7 is 3 generations further down in Apple's SoC.

        • +1

          iPad 3 could not handle it very well…

        • +1

          http://www.mikeash.com/pyblog/friday-qa-2013-09-27-arm64-and…

          Have a read of this article by a Mac developer, the article is about the iPhone 5s but most of it is applicable to the iPad.

          It's extremely long, but a quick summary for those playing at home is that yes, there are in fact small improvements to the 64 bit processor beyond RAM addressing. Most people probably base their transition experience off x86 to x64, but ARM32 to ARM64 is slightly different.

          Main improvements are:

          • new instruction set which accelerates certain tasks compared to ARM32 as well as deprecating outdated instructions
          • small improvements such as tagged pointers and more registers
          • smooth transition to 64 bit.

          Do most of these improvements matter to end users, not really. The main benefit is still the smooth transition in 2-3 years time. But to say that there is 0 advantage over a 32 bit version is not accurate.

  • +4

    I was really looking forward to this release. When they announced the iPad mini 2 would have a retina display, I was ecstatic but then they announced the price… I can't believe the iPad mini has risen by $100 of last gen's release price. With technology, you'd expect the iPad with retina would be cheaper.

    I'm ditching the iPad mini 2 this year in favour of the $270 Nexus 7 (2013) tablets. My friend has 2 Nexus 7s bought from the Officeworks sale, one unopened, so I'll just pay him.

  • +2

    I am interested in the ipad air! it is great.
    I will buy it if and only if it can install Android OS in it!

    • +4

      Nexus 10 2013 should be announced next week. Hopefully it looks a bit better this time.

      • +1

        But is it an iPhone?

  • +13

    Look at this stupid price for Ipad Mini,

    32Gb WIFI = $598???? Seriously? that is more than double price for a all new nexus 7 with same configuration.

    Not for me.. I will go get the 2013 nexus 7 today.

    • +2

      Just got my nexus 7 32G from officeworks for $294. Now happy.

      • +1

        I sold my iPad 3rd gen because I was feeling it was a little slow and was planning on getting the mini but the price is crazy.. What are your thoughts on the nexus 7?

        • +11

          nevermind, went and bought one today and am loving it

        • +2

          I'm loving the screen! I got one about 2 weeks ago. You should check for the following as ASUS doesn't have the best reputation for quality control:

          Download "Yet Another Multitouch Test" and check that when you have multiple fingers touched it's registering properly and no ghost touches.

          Check for dead pixels. There's generally a little lightbleed in every one I've tested so make sure that's acceptable.

          Go to "About Tablet" and tap on "Build Number" 7 times in a row to turn on developer settings, and under input select "show touches". This will show a white dot where ever you touch it. As you use your tablet it will show you how responsive it is, as well as when times it gets "sticky" and doesn't register that you lifted your finger.

          Also under Developer Options, turn on force GPU rendering. This will make PDF reading less choppy, especially for Adobe and Mantano, almost as good as ios.

          Turn your speaker volume low (1 or 2) and play something. Check for a crackle.

          I paid 270 for it and will get the TRS back, so I'm relatively happy with it at that price.

          As a fellow iOS user though, there are things inevitably it isn't as good for, like app selection, overall design, simplicity etc, but I have decided they are built for different purposes. Just like I have windows and mac at home, windows is for my do everything/try everything - if it stops working I just reformat it, and mac is for everything I rely on and keep neat and organised.

        • +1

          I paid 270 for it and will get the TRS back, so I'm relatively happy with it at that price.

          Needs $300 minimum spend in one transaction

        • +1

          You can have multiple receipts now (and it's 60 days!)

        • Thanks~~

        • +2

          You are allowed to add up transactions with 1 retailer as long as it's within 60 days of departure, doesn't have to be a single transaction. New rules as of 17 April 2013.

      • +15

        You don't need a branded store to return an item in Australia..
        Australian Consumer Law allows all of us (even Apple users) to return a faulty item to the place of purchase.

        Which is great for the vast majority of Apple buying consumers who don't live or work anywhere near the few Apple Stores that exist across the country.

        • You do have to deal with the policies for specific stores though. I've heard officeworks can give on the spot replacements?? but generally you'd be looking at waiting at least a week.

        • Does Apple give on the spot new replacements?

        • They do if you return within a certain time frame, but so do many big retailers. Of coarse they need to have a replacement on hand. Also doesn't really help if there's no apple retailers near you like around most of the country. Ow has an excellent return policy.

        • What's the time frame? A week?

        • 14 days I believe with apple.

        • Meh. You get that with any product if it's faulty when brand new.

        • +2

          I can see you've never taken anything back to MSY

        • I actually have. They replaced it with a brand new one on the spot.

  • +3

    I wasn't expecting the Mini to go Retina this year, so this is a pleasant surprise. I actually got rid of my old iPad 2 a couple of months ago and kept my Mini, so with the lighter, thinner iPad Air form factor, now I'm not sure which one to get.

    For those upset about the price, 1) don't buy it, or buy it later when there's a sale on; 2) Apple makes its money from hardware, Google doesn't; 3) this happens with every Apple hardware release, so why the surprise and outrage? Come on.

    As scotty mentioned, these new iPads have pretty serious horsepower, and you're in the iOS ecosystem, they represent a very good upgrade.

    • +3

      As they are doing with the iPhones they are filling each price tier with a product by lowering the price of the old tech. It's an ok strategy unless as a consumer you buy something like the ipad 2 for still quite hefty a price not knowing you're a few years behind. This gives the leeway to offer their new products at a higher price point making it look justified.

      Apple price gouging isn't new and taking the uniformed customer for granted isn't either.

      • +3

        I find what I call Apple's third tier of rorting you, by making new OS's slow down older version, thereby compelling you to buy new faster version.

      • +2

        As they are doing with the iPhones they are filling each price tier with a product by lowering the price of the old tech.

        The problem is that they're not doing this with the iPad… They're filling the lower price tier with old tech at a HIGHER price (sure, the dollar has dropped, but so has the value of the iPad2)!

        iPad prices were quite reasonable to start with.. So reasonable that other manufacturers couldn't compete, they had inferior product (both Hardware and Software) at the same or higher price!
        Now the tables have turned significantly and there is competition both in terms of hardware and software quality and price, Apple appear to have given up competing!

        • What was Apple's website price for the iPad 2 and 4 before the release of the new Air?

          Thanks.

    • Just out of interest, how much did you get rid of your ipad2 for? Thinking of getting rid of mine (16GB wifi+3G) but haven't a clue.

  • +2

    this happens with every Apple hardware release, so why the surprise and outrage? Come on.

    Not this much of an increase in the price, especially for the 32GB version.

    • +4

      That's true – about 40% of the increase would be because of the weaker dollar. The rMini is a hell of a lot more current tech than the original "shrunken iPad 2" Mini, though.

  • +7

    Who actually buys these things at these prices??

  • I think the price for the new ipad mini is expensive but fair. It's a shrunken down ipad air, so you'd expect it to come with a hefty price tag. What's ridiculous though it costs an extra $119 for a 32gb model. I'm sure plenty of people will line up to get it despite the prices. I am glad I went with the nexus 7 and didn't wait around for this, though I don't like 8 inch form factor regardless.

    I'll buy the ipad air though.

    • +7

      I really have no idea why this is negged so much, considering nothing particularly inflammatory was mentioned. Lighten the hell up, people, they're just tablets.

    • +1

      I think people were expecting it to be the same price as the previous model, but since they're keeping the previous model on the market, they can't without dropping the price of the previous model significantly, which they aren't doing.

      You might say yes the specs are much better than the old model so of course it should cost more. But so is the iPad Air's, and it's the same price. Most tech when refreshed come with better specs for the same price.

      • Most tech updates only get a minor improvement, not jump 3 generations in one go over previous version like the mini retina. If the ipad mini original version was a shrunken down ipad 4 your example would be right, but it wasn't. So basically you are getting an ipad air in a smaller package with a significant saving.

        • Depends which way you look at it. You could argue that it should have only been a jump of 1 generation, but the ipad mini 1 was 2 generations outdated.

          The saving is $100 and you get a smaller screen. You want the top model it's still going to cost $900 for an 8 inch tablet.

          Most tech updates only get a minor improvement

          Do you consider the 64 bit A7 a minor improvement over the A6?

        • It was outdated compared to the top of the range ipad, wasn't outdated compared to other portable tablets out on the market at the time.

          The mini retina must be around 1 generation ahead of the nexus 7 2013 model. The A7 crushes the snapdragon 800, while the n7 is still stuck with an underclocked snapdragon 600. So yeah you obviously have to pay a more now to stay ahead of the competition.

          I consider the improvement between the A7 over the A6 to be the norm. Like comparing most yearly updates, double the performance is what normally happen with perhaps a slight price increase, which was around $100 in this case of the air. You never see 8 times the performance in one generation without a huge jump in price like the mini retina has over the mini.

        • The mini retina must be around 1 generation ahead of the nexus 7 2013 model. The A7 crushes the snapdragon 800, while the n7 is still stuck with an underclocked snapdragon 600. So yeah you obviously have to pay a more now to stay ahead of the competition.

          $300 better?

          I consider the improvement between the A7 over the A6 to be the norm.

          You said most get a minor improvement.

          Like comparing most yearly updates, double the performance

          I doubt the "double" performance translates into real world terms. Battery tech is not improving at anywhere close to this level.

          is what normally happen with perhaps a slight price increase, which was around $100 in this case of the air.

          Last I checked, the Air is the same price as iPad 4. In our case it went up due to the fall in our currency, not because of better hardware.

          If it kept going up a little bit every year we'd some day be paying $2000 for a tablet.

          You never see 8 times the performance in one generation without a huge jump in price like the mini retina has over the mini.

          8 times sounds so massive, but only because the base was so outdated already to begin with.

  • +4

    At these prices, I'm not gonna buy anything from Apple. I'd rather have Nexus 7 - best bang for my hard earned dollar. I reckon, they reason behind iPad Mini 2 price hike is because they want to be viewed as premium products and don't want too big gap of pricing between their products.

    • -2

      I reckon, they reason behind iPad Mini 2 price hike is because they want to be viewed as premium products and don't want too big gap of pricing between their products.

      Nope – it's simply because of the dollar

      • +1

        0.97 vs 1.03 a year ago. Massive.

        • -1

          That's a silly way of looking at it. It was 0.97 for a short period, and been lower than 0.90 only months ago.

          And not only that, 0.97 vs 1.03 IS massive. That's almost 6%. People go crazy when interest rates move half a percent. Currency risk affects everything, especially in any product that you make today and sell 3 months from now. They buy components, manufacturing contracts, and even transportation months/years in advance, only to receive revenue after you pay for it in a store. So yeah, while it would be nice for everything to be done at spot prices, it isn't.

        • -1

          And not only that, 0.97 vs 1.03 IS massive. That's almost 6%. People go crazy when interest rates move half a percent.

          Of course they would. When you borrow 500k, a fraction of a percentage of that is huge. If it's a tablet that's a few hundred bucks, it's loose change.

          Currency risk affects everything, especially in any product that you make today and sell 3 months from now. They buy components, manufacturing contracts, and even transportation months/years in advance, only to receive revenue after you pay for it in a store. So yeah, while it would be nice for everything to be done at spot prices, it isn't.

          So what you're saying is, it takes time for a currently high exchange to be reflected into prices since it's based on exchange rates months before (lowest it's been is high 80s btw). But if the dollar dropped even lower than it was months before, do you think they would take the spot price, or the higher rate based on the few months preceding it?

  • to be fair the nexus 7 is using an underclocked midrange processor and gpu… The ipad mini retina is using arguably today's best hardware in a tablet. People expect apple to sell what is arguably today's best hardware for a similar price to their overpriced ipad mini first gen which was just a shrunken down ipad 2? No way that's going to happen. lol Apple had two choices, make it good and expensive (like most claim they want) or make it crap, but a little less expensive like the ipad mini first gen. So they decided on keeping the crappy first gen in production with outdated hardware and bring out the shrunken down ipad mini air. They'll probably make a killing despite what the people here think. I am happy to see apple continue to lose marketshare, I just wish that developers would hop on board android and the ones on there do a better job at optimising apps.. It pisses me off no end that I have to use ios because apps like skype are crap on android…

    • +4

      Skype was crap, which is what drove me to use Hangouts :D I don't think Microsoft has any incentive to optimise skype for android.

      • Yeah Hangout is great. However for many uninformed (i.e. like my parents), Skype seems to be the synonyms for "video chat". A bit hard to get them to change :( On the other hand, Skype is probably my dad's most used app on his 2012 Nexus 7. It's actually not bad.

        • +2

          I beg to differ, I've tested skype on various android devices including the nexus 7 2012. In all cases, call quality isn't clear and often experience dropout. Switch to an ios device on same internet connection, call quality is crystal clear and no dropouts whatsoever. Skype isn't the only app that is inferior on android over ios. And there's also other stuff that pisses me off about android that work on apple but don't on android, such as miracast vs airplay for instance. Miracast is a disgrace, drop $70 on a miracast receiver and welcome to the world of artifacts, lag and dropouts. These are the little things where Apple stay ahead and why people are willing to shell out more for apple device.

        • Skype still has one of the best video compression algorithms around; when on crappy wifi connections overseas Skype seems to hang in there the most. May not have the best apps on each OS but the video and audio quality is top notch.

        • I haven't used skype for a long time, but I know it has gotten a few updates. It seems quite good now but too little too late. Even my parents have finally adapted to using hangouts.

    • -1

      Really? I've found skype to be much better now.

  • -1

    no thanks for a unproductive over priced mini. ill just wait either for nexus 7 or most companies will be coming out with windows 8 8 inche tabs which will come with sd slots and usb ports so you can actually do something with your tablet. and for the air, again i would put my money into a surface (if you are using it as only a word/internet processing unit) by far better option again with word included and options.

  • -3

    all are personal preference, afterall, it comes down to whether you like Android or iOS.

    I personally prefer itunes over google play. I used HTC ONE before, and the google play is just not 'nice' to look at.

  • +5

    bear this is mind. I just came back from the apple store at castle hill and they replaced my ipad 3 under warranty even though my son put in a bucket of water and destroyed the screen. you can't get better service than that and that's what you pay for.

    • +1

      You must have a VERY good relationship with your Apple Store!
      I don't think you could expect to be able to replace a deliberately misused/damaged anything if you were someone who bought their item elsewhere and just walked in off the street.

      • I am just a normal customer with no special relationship. I wasn't expecting a new ipad at no cost but that's what the offered me. it was going to cost $329 but they guys were very nice. I have heard of similar stories where people have dropped the iphone and cracked the screen and they have replaced them as well. these items were under warranty and it's a one off good gesture.

        • +5

          Hmmm… well sucks for me I guess. I had to pay $260+ for a cracked screen for my 4S one month in. No pity, no remorse. I think these "acts of kindness" are 1 in a million.

        • Should have just gone into town where one of the countless shops can replace the screen for 50/100 bucks aftermarket/original

  • With Apple, there was a balance between high prices and high quality, which I believe doesn't exist anymore. I love my Ipad but I won't invest in Apple anymore: bugs at each release of OIS, put back the add tracking with IOS 6 (unforgivable), screen lock issue with IOS 7 and slow, etc.

    I prefer to have a OS less nice (Android) but the freedom of rooting it and install whatever application I want (including AddFree).

    Have you noticed there are new products but no innovation anymore?

    Also, you can't replace the battery… it means 2 years or life max (~300 cycles).

    Oops, I started a debate… sorry MOD

    • -2

      Ok. Suggest some innovations please. Name an innovation (industry changer) that an equivalent tablet has made this year. thanks.

      • +1

        Price. Price is the game changer that means while one tablet will be mainly avvailable to relatively well off people in first world countries, another will be available to people everywhere.

        • So you consider price to be an innovation? you are correct that it It would change the market. But on a serious note, I would really like to know what innovations people are demanding for?

        • Sex robots!

  • +6

    I've always been more of a fullsize iPad user, and so have a lot of apps and content tied to my iTunes account. I love the build of the Mini but the crappy screen always given me pause, so I bought a Nexus 7 a month ago, intending to see what Apple would offered. If it lived up to my expectation, I'd give my Nexus 7 to a relative and buy it.

    The Mini was everything I wanted and more but… I just can't stomach that price. The 32GB is $598. I paid half ($300) for the equivalent Nexus 7. I refuse to choose 16GB, since some larger apps are now topping 1GB installs, and for some reason, Apple thinks the jump from 16GB to 32GB in this model justifies a $120 hike. Even the cellular radio options are laughably overpriced. It costs another $150 if you want to put a SIM card in, so a 32GB LTE Mini is 750 bucks.

    Yeah… there are things that are unquestionably better in Apple Land. The exclusive apps, nice build quality, unmatched customer service but IMO, I don't think it's worth DOUBLE. Leaving Paper, Ridiculous Fishing, and Infinity Blade will suck but I'm not going to pay $300 for the pleasure. Plus, the Nexus 7 is a great little tablet. The screen is still gorgeous, it's built very well, I don't feel like I need to baby it like my iPad for fear of scratching, it's about as perfect a reading device as I can ask for (Pocket, Kindle, Comics, Flipboard).

    • You have pretty much summed up my thoughts. I'm after a 32GB/LTE tablet and $439 (Nexus 7) vs $749 (Ipad Mini 2) is substantial. $310 buys a lot of apps/music/movies/etc.

      If the price gap wasn't so big I would get the iPad - I think IOS and the iPad hardware is better. But it is hard to justify especially when I will likely replace it within 3 years.

  • +1

    i have a 3rd gen ipad that have been using for more than a year, bought it first day, its a great tablet, smooth as OS just like any other apple IOS, i used a friends nexus tablet and its just so damn laggy and the response is nowhere as good as the ipads, (im talking about the first gen nexus), and no im not a fanboy my phone is a galaxy s4 and smooth as.

    • I had the same experience. My 1st gen Nexus 7 got very laggy until the 4.3 update, then it felt as good as new.

    • I have an iPad 3 as well. Just don't upgrade to iOS7 though, my parents did and there is some tiny lag.

      It's amazing how much we pay for zero lag… phones, tablets, video cards… it always comes at a premium with little regard to bang/buck.

      That A7/M7 chip is a MONSTER by the way. I'd almost say too fast for any current requirements.

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