iPad Mini - Game Changer?

[tech_guy]

I think Apple have made the right decision to produce a smaller version of the iPad, despite the reluctance of Steve Jobs.

 

The price is a bit higher than I was expecting, but not signficantly so. It's going to be sold out for Christmas, there's no doubt about it.

 

What are you views? Let the discourse begin!

[Danp]

Stick to my Nexus 7 thanks

[X-13]

It's going to be sold out for Christmas, there's no doubt about it.

 

That doesn't mean it's good. Just look at the iPhone 5/iOS 6.

 

 

Or the Wii. Sold out for months and months... EVERYONE says it's crap. [i don't know why. I like my Wii.]

[pete]

Was hoping for a lower price. Also would need to check if it fits in a pocket. Probably going to hold out for the 32GB Nexus 7.

[localzuk]

I think it shows a significant shift in how Apple are operating - catering to customer demands. Which also indicates that they may end up in a confused mess again at some point (eg. their old Mac + normal lines, with internal competition). Bit of a washy prediction but I can see it happening.

 

Personally, I don't think its that important a device - they used to just go 'we're the best, no-one can say any different, and if we do, we don't care', now they're actively competing with people.

 

Me? I'll more than likely end up with a Surface of some sort at some point (yet to buy into the tablet world), simply because I'm used to the development style of working in Windows and making apps will be simple for me.

[sonofsanta]

It was inevitable, and it is the right move, but it is also symptomatic of how Apple has lost its confidence since Jobs passed on. Two years ago they'd have stuck to their guns and told people no, you don't want a 7" device, you want the better experience of a full iPad. Now they're bending in the wind somewhat and catering to what other companies are doing.

 

I think it may be a misstep on their part to have dropped numbering on the iPads as well; at a guess they're replicating the iMac way of doing things where it's just an iPad (iMac) and this is this year's model. Which is fine, but I think that numbering drives a lot of the Apple upgrades as people want the newest and shiniest and want everyone else to know it. You lose that somewhat now.

 

Doesn't bother me, of course, but I think it'll bother their bottom line somewhat.

 

Personally speaking, the Surface tablets look more interesting to me, got my wife a Windows Phone 7.5 mobile a couple of weeks ago and it's a brilliant little OS, if that design sensibility has carried through to Win8 then it'll be a delight to use. The industrial design looks a winner as well, the only problem is - I don't actually need a tablet, and I ain't buying one for no good reason

[Theblacksheep]

Meh, it's still got iOS on it.

 

Is it small because its made by unpaid 14 year olds?

Edited October 24, 2012 by Theblacksheep

[SYNACK]

My views, umm look at the timing. W8 tablet release date decided..... time passes, time passes, media picks it up... Oh look Apple has something 'new'. Bleyuck, premaddonas.

 

Oh and the device, they left an old iPad in the wash too long, big deal, shame they did not do the same thing to the price tag, they remembered to take that out.

[Sheepy]

I love my Nexus 7 and im glad that Apple have finally joined the party... Will I buy an Apple? Hell no... will it sell? yes there are millions of sheep out there that will pick one up that means the next bunch of Android tablets will be pushed that far forward again because they have some competition.

 

Android for me is the winner.. having the ability to download all my apps on to any Android device I own is the best ever... it doesn't matter if Samsung or HTC have the best phone at the time.. its me the consumer who wins because either way I still get my apps

 

Buy into iOs and your stuck with Apple.. who can price what they want for hardware because you want your apps on your next device...

 

Did you pickup on that I love Android?

[X-13]

Did you pickup on that I love Android?

 

Nope, that was super subtle.

[Guest Guest]

Resolution is a complete disappointment for me. 163ppi, come on apple, it was you who started knocking everyone else with their terrible displays. Now you bring out a device which goes straight to the bottom of the pile of branded tablets, yet put a price tag on it around £100 more than the competition.

 

I actually thought I might buy this one.

[localzuk]

Higher resolution means more processing power needed, and therefore the battery life goes down and the heat output goes up.

 

So, it makes sense they've done it this way. When they can miniaturise and improve the A5X chip and get that to the same power usage as the one in the mini/ipad 2 then they'll have a chance of introducing a retina display.

[X-13]

When they can miniaturise and improve the A5X chip and get that to the same power usage as the one in the mini/ipad 2 then they'll have a chance of introducing a retina display.

 

So, wait for that one.

 

Which, if Apple work like they appear to, will be next year.

[aerospacemango]

Please, please, please....someone send the Android S.W.A.T. team round to fly in through the window and execute the 2 fanbois in my office!

 

I've been in an hour and a half and their gushing over Apple is really getting on my nerves! They are already talking about which colour they will get....and THAT is the reason that it will sell millions. Because they've already admitted to me that they're scared of leaving the Apple ecosystem! Deep down they realise that their new shineys are falling behind the competition, but they cannot bring themselves to leave!

 

Help me!

 

Help!

 

P.S. Can you tell I love Android? The Jelly Bean ROM on my SGS is fantastic!!!

[X-13]

Can you tell I love Android?

 

You love Anne Boyd?

 

It's hard to hear you over rabid fanbois.

[rich_tech]

I felt sorry last night when I caught up on it all as I was offline until about 8pm, I know a few people, my sister being one of them, who just shelled out £479 about 6 weeks ago for a 32gb ipad (which she isnt unhappy about at all), but to me it seems that to supersede a device 7 months into its product cycle is a bit of a shabby thing to do I felt there, that probably could have been held off until at least a 12 month, it is a bit of a kick in the teeth I felt for people who do invest in their technology platform.

 

It seems to me that apple are a bit lost in the post Jobs era, though I do admire them in a certain respect for their admittance after seeing that the smaller tablets indeed had a future and a bustling market, it is only right that they should want to get in to it, that being said, they are priced quite high in the market compared to the likes of the Nexus, so it will be interesting to see how it performs, no doubt there will be people who will leap at the chance to get their hands on a mini and with education it offers a cheaper alternative to the current iPad, so that cant be bad either.

 

Personally for me, I will be going back to android after this contract is up on my iPhone and I will also be looking to get a Nexus 7 for myself around christmas I think, all going well, I would rather open source than ecosystem after seeing it first hand.

 

That being said, the new iMac and Mac Mini I both find strangely impressive as well here.

[tmcd35]

This is it! If we can get one for every student it'll be an education revolution! I pushing for it here, though if I mention 'Apple' or 'iPads' one more time this term the head might just sack me on the spot!

[localzuk]

This is it! If we can get one for every student it'll be an education revolution! I pushing for it here, though if I mention 'Apple' or 'iPads' one more time this term the head might just sack me on the spot!

 

The men in white coats are on their way with a straight jacket for you... Technology is not going to revolutionise anything. Good teaching is. IWBs were supposed to revolutionise education. So were laptops for teachers. At one point 'PDAs' were too. Then netbooks... See a pattern?

Edited October 24, 2012 by localzuk

[X-13]

if I mention 'Apple' or 'iPads' one more time this term the head might just sack me on the spot!

 

I know I would.

[tmcd35]

The men in white coats are on their way with a straight jacket for you... Technology is not going to revolutionise anything. Good teaching is. IWBs were supposed to revolutionise education. So were laptops for teachers. At one point 'PDAs' were too. Then netbooks... See a pattern?

 

Actually, I think tablets and IWBs are of the same ilk. Here every teacher has a laptop with a copy of powerpoint, every classroom has a projector and IWB, and it HAS dramatically changed how teachers teach - for the better. I'm convinced tablets on a 1:1 pupil ratio will have a similar effect. And this, the iPad Mini, is the device built just for that role.

 

Besides my job is safe - I heard the Head of PE and Assistant Head talking in the corridor - "have you seen the new iPad mini, it's on my Christmas list"

[SYNACK]

The men in white coats are on their way with a straight jacket for you... Technology is not going to revolutionise anything. Good teaching is. IWBs were supposed to revolutionise education. So were laptops for teachers. At one point 'PDAs' were too. Then netbooks... See a pattern?

 

+infinity, the new blue hammer will revolutionize hammering etc.

 

I have a deal with the staff, if they want to extoll the virtues I get a rebuttal. Hardware now has to make it on it's merits rather than the colour of gloss used.

[X-13]

Besides my job is safe - I heard the Head of PE and Assistant Head talking in the corridor - "have you seen the new iPad mini, it's on my Christmas list"

 

For personal use.

 

For education they're too expensive and [opinion] not fit for purpose. There are other things that can do the job better and are cheaper.

 

Plus, tablets aren't all that good at creating things. [Also opinion]

[aerospacemango]

I'd like to quote Roger Daltrey at this point....

 

"Meet the new boss, Same as the old boss"

 

Nothing changes..... Apple fans will rant and rave......Droid fans will extole the virtues of an open source system. The world will turn.

 

As an Android fan, I'm thoroughly sick of the "going round in circles" arguments. Opinions are indeed like a*seholes....everyone has one, but they're all full of sh*t!

 

Why would anyone buy this new iPad mini? It's all about the image!

[localzuk]

Actually, I think tablets and IWBs are of the same ilk. Here every teacher has a laptop with a copy of powerpoint, every classroom has a projector and IWB, and it HAS dramatically changed how teachers teach - for the better. I'm convinced tablets on a 1:1 pupil ratio will have a similar effect. And this, the iPad Mini, is the device built just for that role.

 

Besides my job is safe - I heard the Head of PE and Assistant Head talking in the corridor - "have you seen the new iPad mini, it's on my Christmas list"

 

IWBs didn't change anything at all. Proper interactive use of them is rare in my experience - especially in secondary schools. Can you safely say that the £1k+ per board was worth it in every room? I've got nothing against projectors, they have made life different in teaching (whether its any better is a different matter). Again, laptops - what's changed? Staff marked and updated markbooks before, they did planning on paper etc... Now they just type it instead.

 

Interestingly, Peru has basically said their country wide 1:1 OLPC project is an abject failure - it hasn't made any difference to education at all, for a cool cost of $225m. The reason? They just dumped laptops on everyone. No integration into curriculum etc... - ie. it was technology first, education second.

 

If someone can show me a proper thought out curriculum and a way to properly use ipads in a 1:1 system, and also show an increase in outcomes, then I may change my view, but until then I'll continue to see it the same - people being amazed by shiny things.

 

Can you say that the cost, which here would be about £138k just for the devices, add in repairs, replacements, software, wireless network etc... and you're looking at £250k, is worth it? They still can't do everything you need to do in a school, so you'd need to maintain some systems to deal with them (admin, media related stuff, word processing, etc...).

 

Add in the fact that they'll have about a 3 year life expectancy at most, with a non-replaceable battery, and you're then spending £250k every 3 years. On top of a slightly reduced existing spend.

 

Or would that money be better spent on 20 TAs, or 8 or so new teachers?

Edited October 24, 2012 by localzuk

[tmcd35]

Why would anyone buy this new iPad mini? It's all about the image!

 

No No No No No

 

For education they're too expensive

I wrote a business plan for the head, adds about £100k per year to the ICT budget for a school of 850 pupils (assuming 3 year replacement cycle and buying 1 year group at a time). That was for the iPad 2, the mini is cheaper. When a schools budget is a couple of million a year, finding £100k if it's the right thing isn't that difficult. It's up to the head where his priorities lay.

 

and [opinion] not fit for purpose.

An argument I could never win until at the very least every pupil in 1 year group had one. Then I think people will be able to see their benefits and how to best make use of them.

 

There are other things that can do the job better and are cheaper.

Like?

 

Plus, tablets aren't all that good at creating things. [Also opinion]

Our ICT, Art, Media, Drama, and Music teacher would all disagree with you. We have 10 iPads, one for each department, for teacher to experiment with. Just today I passed some students wondering around the school creating a video with the ICT department one. And I'm having to slow the music teacher down somewhat - she wants to dump all her PC's for iPad with Garageband, and is looking to buy guitar adapters for her current department one.

 

 

To my mind the iPad mini is (almost) the right price, the right size, and the app store has the right apps available. No other device I can find matches the form factor with the price and, more importantly, the range of quality apps.