Hey guys, it’s Greg with Apple Explained, and today we’re going to explore the history
of the iPad mini.
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So the iPad mini is a device that’s had a tumultuous history right from the start,
and every model has been met with some level of criticism, both from the public and from
within Apple itself.
Many have wondered where the iPad mini stands in Apple’s tablet lineup and how it compares
with other competitors, especially since it hasn’t received a significant update in
almost three years.
So in this video I’m going to talk about the history of the iPad mini line, then talk
a little bit about what the upcoming years may hold for this device.
So, the first iPad Mini was announced on October 23, 2012 in San Jose, California at a special
event held at the California Theater.
Rumors had been circulating for a while that a smaller iPad was in the works, so it was
no surprise when Phil Schiller revealed the new device alongside new releases of the MacBook
Pro, Mac Mini, and iMac.
Now, in the few years prior to the announcement, competitors to the 9.7-inch iPad had started
to creep up.
Android-based devices, most measuring about 7 inches, were slowly starting to find their
place in the market.
But Steve Jobs believed pretty strongly that Apple had an advantage with the 9.7” iPad,
since the larger display was necessary for a comfortable internet browsing experience.
So where did the idea of a smaller iPad come from?
Well it came from Eddy Cue, the senior vice president of Internet Software and Services.
Cue tried to convince Jobs and Cook that it would be necessary for Apple to develop a
smaller iPad and sent out emails to a other administrators at Apple, citing his own experience
as evidence for why a 7-inch iPad was a good idea.
In 2011, he sent a particularly pointed email to Cook, Scott Forstall, and Phil Schiller
with the subject line “Why I Just Dumped the iPad (Hint: Size Matters)”.
Cue, and many others, apparently felt that as long as competitors were successfully selling
smaller tablet devices, Apple could carve out a place in the market.
While Jobs was hesitant, the potential to compete with the Amazon Kindle and Barnes
and Noble Nook for book sales was a compelling thought, and the iPad, while revolutionary
in its own right, couldn’t fill every niche on its own.
Eventually, all of Cue’s efforts paid off.
And Cook, Apple’s acting CEO, agreed to develop a 7.9-inch iPad model.
On November 2, 2012, the first-generation iPad Mini was officially released.
It was available in 16, 32, and 64 GB options and could be purchased as a WiFi-only capable
device or an LTE device.
The initial price ranged from $329 for a 16 GB, WiFi-only model to $659 for a 64 GB, LTE
model, and all contained a multi-touch, LED-backlit display, 1080p HD camera, accelerometer and
gyroscope, and Lightning Connector.
The first generation mini supported iOS 6.0 and continued to support systems up to iOS
9.3.5.
It came in two colors, silver and slate, with a white or black glass front to match.
Finally, it featured an Apple A5 dual-core processor, Bluetooth 4.0, and offered 10-hour
battery life.
On the software side, the first iPad Mini had a number of interesting features.
It could act as a WiFi hotspot, it was compatible with software like GarageBand and iMovie,
and it came pre-installed with a number of apps like iTunes, the App Store, Game Center,
and Contacts.
It also included the iBooks app which was an attempt to challenge some of the competition
from devices like the Amazon Kindle and the Barnes and Noble Nook.
In addition to offering books from many of the same publishers, Apple actually went as
far as to pay some of the publishers to increase prices for books on other, non-iBook platforms
– a decision which would ultimately result in a lot of bad publicity and expensive litigation.
Apart from its size, the first iPad Mini was pretty similar to the iPad 2 in every way
– including criticisms.
The Mini received mostly positive reviews, which praised its size, tech specs, and the
usual Apple innovation.
But many pointed out the lack of expandable storage which, for many artists, business
people, and musicians, could be a serious issue.
Others pointed out the lack of Retina display technology, which was available on the larger
9.7 inch iPad.
And finally, many people were frustrated by the use of Apple’s Lightning Connecter,
since it required new power cables which were expensive and easily worn out.
Nonetheless, the first iPad Mini remained popular for nearly three years and was discontinued
on June 19, 2015.
The iPad Mini 2 was released a year after the first in October 2013 and served as an
answer to many of its previous criticisms.
It was initially marketed as the “iPad Mini with Retina Display” before the name was
changed to reflect a bigger overhaul from the original version.
The biggest change with this model, as indicated by its name, was the upgrade to a 2,048 x
1,536 resolution Retina display – a response to perhaps the biggest criticism of the first
generation device.
Another significant change was the inclusion of an A7 system-on-a-chip, which featured
a CPU four times as powerful, and a GPU eight times as powerful, without a major drop in
power efficiency.
Its RAM was doubled to 1 GB, an M7 motion co-processor was added to help with sensor
data collection, and WiFi capability was improved.
More LTE bands were supported on this new release, making it more comparable to the
iPad Air than the iPad 2.
So, this generation lasted four years and supported several different iOS versions,
from 7 through iOS 11.
It was available in the same colors, but with the additional storage option of 128 GB.
Pricing for the WiFi-only models started at $399 for 16 GB all the way to $699 for 128
GB.
For an LTE model, the prices jumped to $529 for 16 GB all the way to a whopping $829 for
128 GB.
But despite its high price, the iPad Mini 2 received quite a bit of praise.
But its biggest criticism was the quality of its cameras, which were much lower than
those available on an iPhone.
Also, the second generation took longer to charge than the first, and was actually thicker
and heavier because of its bigger battery.
Next up was the iPad Mini 3, released on October 22, 2014.
This generation was announced alongside the iPad Air 2 and lasted another year before
being discontinued on September 9, 2015.
Unlike the iPad Mini 2, which was a pretty significant upgrade from the first release,
the third generation didn’t make as many radical changes from its predecessor.
Its design was almost identical except for being available in gold, and the internal
technology was also similar.
The biggest changes the iPad mini 3 was the addition of a Touch ID sensor and camera improvements.
Now the iPad Mini 3, like its predecessor, featured a Retina display, A7 chip, and M7
motion coprocessor.
It ran iOS 8.1 at the time of release and had no 32 GB option but was otherwise very
similar to the Mini 2 in size, weight, pre-installed software, and hardware.
One of the only noticeable differences was its launch price.
The two higher storage models were dropped and the 16 and 32 GB models saw their prices
reduced by $100.
So the iPad Mini 3 started at $399 for WiFi-only models and $529 for LTE enabled models.
But by the time of its release, the second generation had received multiple price reductions
and was ultimately less expensive than the third generation.
So, unlike the original iPad Mini and the iPad Mini 2, the iPad Mini 3 didn’t receive
a ton of praise.
Part of this was due to the fact that while other iPad models, particularly the iPad Air
2, received major hardware boosts, the iPad Mini 3 hardly received any new updates at
all.
But the iPad mini was facing a bigger problem than its usual criticism.
Because the actual market for 7” tablets had begun declining.
The main reason for this decline was due to smartphones adopting larger displays that
approached seven inches, meaning the demand for smaller tablets like the iPad mini gradually
fell.
But despite this decline, Apple still released a new generation, called the iPad Mini 4,
on September 9, 2015 during the Hey Siri special event.
Unlike the iPad Mini 3, this model featured some pretty significant upgrades.
It was thinner, lighter, and slightly taller, it included a dual-core A8 processor with
an upgraded M8 motion coprocessor, and its RAM was doubled to 2 GB.
The display featured an anti-reflective coating that, paired with its highly improved color
profile, gave much better picture quality than its predecessor.
Its battery life was also slightly longer, the WiFi and Bluetooth capabilities were improved,
and, it finally featured a higher quality 8MP camera – which was the same one featured
in the iPad Air 2.
As far as the software, the iPad Mini 4 came pre-installed with iOS 9 but could support
all versions up to iOS 11.
And because of it’s 2 GB of RAM, it was the first iPad mini model that supported multitasking
features like Slide Over, Split View, and Picture in Picture mode.
At its release, customers could choose between 16, 64, or 128 GB models, ranging from $399
to $599 for WiFi-only and from $529 to $729 for LTE models.
Today, the iPad Mini 4 is the most recent model and is only available in the 128 GB
version and costs $399 for a WiFi-only model and $529 for the LTE enabled model.
Now despite all its new features and improvements unveiled in 2015, the iPad Mini 4 received
mixed reviews.
While some like the Verge praised the new release as a major upgrade, others have pointed
out that it’s still pretty underpowered compared to other tablets.
For example, the iPad Air 2 was released in the same year as the iPad mini 4, but it featured
a new A8X processor, while the Mini 4 utilized the year-old A8 processor.
And this issue has only become worse since the line hasn’t received any updates in
nearly three years.
So that means the iPad mini you buy today features a processor that was released four
years ago.
And things get uglier when comparing the iPad mini line to the newest 2018 iPad, which features
Apple Pencil support, an A10 processor, a 9.7” display, and costs just $329 - $70
cheaper than the smaller, older iPad Mini 4.
Now many people are speculating about the future of the iPad Mini line.
Given that it hasn’t received any major upgrades in three years, it seems unlikely
that we can expect another release any time soon.
Others have been quick to point out that Apple generally updates products annually if they
show market potential – and sales of the iPad Mini has done nothing but decline for
two generations.
This means that the short-lived and tumultuous life of the Mini line is probably just about
over.
But either way, iOS 11 supports devices with A8 processors and will likely continue to
do so for at least a few more years.
That means, while customers might expect to see more price reductions for the iPad Mini
4, it probably won’t be removed from Apple’s shelves just yet.
So that is the history of the iPad mini, and if you want to vote for the next video topic,
don’t forget to subscribe.
Thanks for watching, and I’ll see you next time.