iPad Apple Releases new IPad Air and iPad Mini with Apple Pencil Support

[leebase]

Small improvements? The A12 is the most badass mobile,processor in the planet and it’s in a $399 tablet. I will be getting one over the summer. I don’t remember ever worrying about what a computer looked like when we went from 80286, 80386, 80486, Pentium....etc.

It’s a glass slab and they did add the Pencil which some people might like. The A12 is the story...the processor in a $1000 iphone in a $399 tablet that will keep this tablet relevant a good five years.

Just wait until the really cool AR apps come out to take advantage of the power.

I like FaceTime better than touchId...but can do just fine with TouchId and am happynthere is no notch and that Apple can deliver this for less money than if they put that tech in.

I have an aging full size iPad Air2 that I’ve been waiting to upgrade. It still performs well in everything but battery life. I now have to charge every night. Sure, I’d like an iPad Pro...but hard to justify the price for how I use my iPad...which my Air 2 handles well.

The new mini....it’s calling out my name. I save $100 over the price of the new iPad Air, and have a better ebook reading size.

[leebase]

Originally Posted by maximus83

I have a Q for veteran iDevice users in this thread, which will influence my Mini buying decision.

I'm not hearing a lot of love for Apple Pencil Gen 1, it looks expensive and not awesome, and also I'm not really a "creative" so I don't do a ton of drawing/sketching. I would only use a stylus for basic things like note-taking in certain contexts.

If I get the Mini, would I be able to do just as well with a reasonable quality 3rd party stylus device, vs getting the Pencil Gen 1?

Imthink there is a Logitech Crayon you might consider

[graycyn]

Originally Posted by OtinG

Have you contacted Apple CS? Even if it is out of warranty they sometimes make free repairs or give replacements for unpublished flaws and what not. It might be worth the trip to a local Apple Store to let them look at it and tell you what can be done to fix the issue. Many years ago I had an iPad 1 which suddenly had the display go bad, it displayed random color patterns all over the display, and even though it was out of warranty by a few months they exchanged it for a new one for no charge. It never hurts to ask them.

A trip to the 'local' Apple store involves a 420 mile or so drive. With gas, hotel and meal expenses, um no, can't justify that.

I guess I could try and contact them, see what they say, but it doesn't really affect the day to day use. I just feel that it's annoying when I do notice it and would have to be disclosed if I sold it. And flaws usually mean a lesser price.

It's a 2017 model, so out of warranty by over a year now. It is my first Apple device.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Well bummer they lost my business--too bad as I wanted to try the Mini. But I needed something today, as tomorrow I'm starting an online training and operating mobile as my work laptop is being worked on. So at this point I needed to get something and didn't feel like lugging my heavier personal laptop. Amazon's whole "March 26th" thing in Amazon evaporated, now their reps are saying they have no idea. Costco still indicating at least 10 days out, probably more. Called 2 local Apple stores within driving distance--no Minis in stock, no idea when. They say order online.

So I have the Samsung Android galaxy tab s4 which was on my short list of 4 devices. Not the ideal 8" form factor I wanted. But, this will be a good thing too. Gives a chance to try out the larger form factor and see what I can do with 10.5" of screen real estate: it's a nice first world problem to have.

This tablet has a few advantages too. The S Pen that comes with it (nice not having to spend $129 extra for a stylus :-) ) is impressive. Works great with OneNote, which is where a lot of my personal digital life is stored. Also the Tab S4 has enhanced capabilities for syncing with my S10 phone--something I wouldn't have had with an Apple tablet. Amoled screen is impressive, for sure. Battery life is supposed to be excellent for a tablet this size (Samsung indicates 16 hours), but I'll hold off commenting until I've wrung it out. After using for a week or so, probably will write a review in the Android forum.

[peaceridge]

Have you tried Best Buy? Even the little town of Florence, SC had several yesterday.

Originally Posted by maximus83

Well bummer they lost my business--too bad as I wanted to try the Mini. But I needed something today, as tomorrow I'm starting an online training and operating mobile as my work laptop is being worked on. So at this point I needed to get something and didn't feel like lugging my heavier personal laptop. Amazon's whole "March 26th" thing in Amazon evaporated, now their reps are saying they have no idea. Costco still indicating at least 10 days out, probably more. Called 2 local Apple stores within driving distance--no Minis in stock, no idea when. They say order online.

So I have the Samsung Android galaxy tab s4 which was on my short list of 4 devices. Not the ideal 8" form factor I wanted. But, this will be a good thing too. Gives a chance to try out the larger form factor and see what I can do with 10.5" of screen real estate: it's a nice first world problem to have.

This tablet has a few advantages too. The S Pen that comes with it (nice not having to spend $129 extra for a stylus :-) ) is impressive. Works great with OneNote, which is where a lot of my personal digital life is stored. Also the Tab S4 has enhanced capabilities for syncing with my S10 phone--something I wouldn't have had with an Apple tablet. Amoled screen is impressive, for sure. Battery life is supposed to be excellent for a tablet this size (Samsung indicates 16 hours), but I'll hold off commenting until I've wrung it out. After using for a week or so, probably will write a review in the Android forum.

Ordering online is an option there too as with all the others, but local one didn't have them in stock yet, I actually go to that store fairly regularly to get stuff and recently, to compare devices.

ETA: FWIW, I'm no longer bummed. This is one of those 'serendipity' things where sometimes you find an unexpected bonus. I was thinking that a 10.5" device would be kind of second best, but on getting it, I actually loved it! I think I was wrong about the 8" form factor for this tablet, I can see more flexibility and more of a variety of ways I can use this device. The S Pen--which does not have to be charged, I like that--is a significant part of the tablet's effectiveness for me. The note-taking and pen control capabilities nicely integrated throughout the whole tablet, along with the tight Android integration with my phone and existing apps, makes this thing a win. And at only a pound with comfortably rounded edges, I didn't find it excessively heavy to use if propped on legs, chest, or pillows. Obviously I won't be doing any one-handed reading with it, but I have a phone and small e-ink reader for that. Didn't expect it to happen, but I'm actually glad Amazon and my local stores failed on delivery of the Ipad Mini. :-)

[OtinG]

This might be a bit off topic, but it does relate to the new iThingies just released in the sense that many of us try to sell our old iThingies before buying the latest versions. So this is a word of caution if you list your iThingy on eBay.

Just an FYI for those who might be considering listing their Apple iPhone or iPad on eBay. Beware of using the "Make Offer" option along with the "Buy Now" option. There are some scams associated with it, namely with non-eBay members masquerading as actual eBay members and sending you bogus offers and then wanting to know your Paypal email address so they can send a payment. Obviously that is phishing in an attempt to hack into it. I've had to report several such attempts in the past few months. One tell tale sign is they usually have a new looking membership. Another tell tale sign is they sometimes make you an offer that is way above the Buy Now price. A third tell tale sign is that their email inquiries are often difficult to read due to their native language being different from yours. eBay is not very good at all in filtering out these bogus members. So use caution.

Yesterday I listed my iPhone 7 using Buy Now and enabled the Make Offer option. The listing was for CONUSA only, yet I got 6 offers from countries including Austria and Russia. Apparently buyers can be located in another country and list a USA address that is bogus and easily fool eBay's monitoring and filtering system.The guy in Russia was able to buy my item as he offered $50 above my Buy Now price and triggered the auto accept offer amount I had set. When a buyer makes an offer and you accept it either manually or automatically, they do not have to make an immediate payment. If they use the Buy Now button, I have it setup to require an immediate payment. So they make an offer and ask for your Paypal address so they can send a payment, which is against eBay policy and makes your Paypal account vulnerable to hacking if you give it to them. They hope to get your Paypal address, but this bozo bid so high that the eBay system marked the item as sold and removed it from the Selling list. The result is I got no payment but he got no information from me. However it was a PITA as I had to phone eBay CS and get them to cancel his purchase and then re-list the iPhone, plus I asked them to investigate him and a few others who made offers under suspicious circumstances.

So just beware of these kinds of bogus purchasing in an attempt to phish your Paypal account information. They are a PITA and even when you thwart the attempt you might still have to spend time putting the listing back into the system without getting dinged by eBay. I re-listed the iPhone 7 with Buy Now activated but with NO Make Offer option. Re-listing meant I lost the members who were watching my listing. Hopefully they and others will find the new listing. eBay does try to filter out these guys, but the bad guys tend to stay at least one step ahead of eBay. So be cautious.

ETA: 29 March 2019, yesterday I re-listed the iPhone 7 and listed my iPad mini 2 on eBay using the Buy It Now option with the Make an Offer option disabled. By this morning both items had sold at my asking prices. With the Make an Offer option disabled I had no scamming attempts perpetrated and the transactions went through very smoothly. So definitely keep that darn Make an Offer option disabled! Unfortunately, eBay had automatically turned it on when I submitted my listings. I didn't notice the first time, but yesterday I did and I quickly disabled the option for both listings. eBay is bad about turning on/off certain options, and each listing seems to be different, so be vigil and review your listings with a magnifying glass!

[WestCactus]

Great advice. Try to ignore the too good to be true deals. They usually are scams.

Originally Posted by OtinG

This might be a bit off topic, but it does relate to the new iThingies just released in the sense that many of us try to sell our old iThingies before buying the latest versions. So this is a word of caution if you list your iThingy on eBay.

Just an FYI for those who might be considering listing their Apple iPhone or iPad on eBay. Beware of using the "Make Offer" option along with the "Buy Now" option. There are some scams associated with it, namely with non-eBay members masquerading as actual eBay members and sending you bogus offers and then wanting to know your Paypal email address so they can send a payment. Obviously that is phishing in an attempt to hack into it. I've had to report several such attempts in the past few months. One tell tale sign is they usually have a new looking membership. Another tell tale sign is they sometimes make you an offer that is way above the Buy Now price. A third tell tale sign is that their email inquiries are often difficult to read due to their native language being different from yours. eBay is not very good at all in filtering out these bogus members. So use caution.

Yesterday I listed my iPhone 7 using Buy Now and enabled the Make Offer option. The listing was for CONUSA only, yet I got 6 offers from countries including Austria and Russia. Apparently buyers can be located in another country and list a USA address that is bogus and easily fool eBay's monitoring and filtering system.The guy in Russia was able to buy my item as he offered $50 above my Buy Now price and triggered the auto accept offer amount I had set. When a buyer makes an offer and you accept it either manually or automatically, they do not have to make an immediate payment. If they use the Buy Now button, I have it setup to require an immediate payment. So they make an offer and ask for your Paypal address so they can send a payment, which is against eBay policy and makes your Paypal account vulnerable to hacking if you give it to them. They hope to get your Paypal address, but this bozo bid so high that the eBay system marked the item as sold and removed it from the Selling list. The result is I got no payment but he got no information from me. However it was a PITA as I had to phone eBay CS and get them to cancel his purchase and then re-list the iPhone, plus I asked them to investigate him and a few others who made offers under suspicious circumstances.

So just beware of these kinds of bogus purchasing in an attempt to phish your Paypal account information. They are a PITA and even when you thwart the attempt you might still have to spend time putting the listing back into the system without getting dinged by eBay. I re-listed the iPhone 7 with Buy Now activated but with NO Make Offer option. Re-listing meant I lost the members who were watching my listing. Hopefully they and others will find the new listing. eBay does try to filter out these guys, but the bad guys tend to stay at least one step ahead of eBay. So be cautious.

[OtinG]

I just read on MacRumors that Apple has officially cancelled AirPower. They admitted defeat in trying to develop it and decided to shut down the entire project. Maybe they should have hired some of Tesla’s engineers.

[OtinG]

Has anyone gotten an iPad mini 5 yet? I’m still on the fence and won’t be ready to purchase for about two weeks, so plenty of time to make a decision. Will be good to get some first hand comments though.

[peaceridge]

Originally Posted by OtinG

Has anyone gotten an iPad mini 5 yet? I’m still on the fence and won’t be ready to purchase for about two weeks, so plenty of time to make a decision. Will be good to get some first hand comments though.

I've had one for a couple of days and am really liking it. I changed from an Android tablet and the Mini is so much cleaner to work with. Actually I like it better than my new 11" Ipad Pro. On the Pro, I have to keep tilting the screen to get it to recognize my face and downloading apps the same. On the Mini I just touch the home button and all works just great. It is much quicker than my LG Android 8.4 tablet.

[pwalker8]

I looked this morning and they are accepting pick up orders, but the pick up date is the same as the delivery date for delivery. Like I say, I'm willing to wait until it's actually in the stores and available for pick up.

Originally Posted by pwalker8

I looked this morning and they are accepting pick up orders, but the pick up date is the same as the delivery date for delivery. Like I say, I'm willing to wait until it's actually in the stores and available for pick up.

I may have stumbled across a way that folks in my area who are eager to grab a Mini could get one soon--despite not even local Apple stores having them. If willing to spend the coin for LTE version, Verizon Wireless promises to ship you one within 2 days. Of course that comes with the beloved 2-year ball and chain. :-) And of course, Amazon is once again making promises about dates--the latest I saw was next Tuesday or something--but we all know how I'm feeling about Amazon's date predictions this week.

The Apple Mini looks like a GREAT device, and I look forward to reading your review. I'll probably regret not getting one, when I read all the rave reviews. But I think this whole turn of events is a sign from the ebook gods that I am supposed to stay on Android and be content with my lot in life, enjoying my open source software, my 2nd rate hardware, and the fact that MY device actually has a real USB-C port. Life is good!

[kyteflyer]

After a great deal of thought, I have decided to sell all my iPads, and just get the new 10.5. I never use my mini, the air2 has been replaced by the Pro 12.9 and the 12.9 is too big. So It makes sense to sell the lot and get the 10.5 which should work for me. I'm just going to wait and see if Logitech ever release a decent keyboard case for it. I won't get it until/unless.

[OtinG]

Originally Posted by kyteflyer

After a great deal of thought, I have decided to sell all my iPads, and just get the new 10.5. I never use my mini, the air2 has been replaced by the Pro 12.9 and the 12.9 is too big. So It makes sense to sell the lot and get the 10.5 which should work for me. I'm just going to wait and see if Logitech ever release a decent keyboard case for it. I won't get it until/unless.

I made a similar decision as far as waiting for a specific case to be released before/if buying the mini 5. I like the Otterbox Defender cases, and for me it is a must have case for protection as well as for added thickness so my hand doesn't cramp when trying to hold something that is too thin. Arthritis is a b****! I checked the Otterbox website yesterday and they have the page up for the Otterbox Defender case made for the mini 5, but it says coming soon (or words to that effect). So I figure there is no need to get the mini 5 until that case is available.

This is the main reason I have never bought a "just released" Apple device. The third party accessories usually take a while to reach the market because Apple is so secretive about new devices, therefore most of the third party manufacturers have to wait until Apple releases the new device before they can finalize their designs.