In typical Apple fashion, the company released a newer version of an already new product. The iPad mini is everything Apple fans crave. It’s thin and light, the screen is bright and it looks great on any hipster’s utility belt.
But is there any real reason to storm to your local electronics store to buy it? One thing is for sure: There are plenty of reasons not to. If you’re looking for something totally new and exciting, this miniature tablet is not for you.
1 It’s too pricey — Apple products are like a hot date. They’re gorgeous from head to toe, but they’ll break your bank in the blink of an extended eyelash. At a starting price of $329 — $70 less than the regular- sized model the iPad mini isn’t worth its price tag. One of the only major selling points differing from existing models is its smaller size, a move made directly to compete with Amazon’s Kindle Fire. Speaking of the Kindle, its price hovers around $160 and it will do most of what is capable on the iPad mini.
2 No Retina display — For the money, the iPad mini should come with Retina technology.
Seeing as the Retina display is one of Apple’s biggest selling points, it’s perplexing it isn’t included in the iPad mini. By doubling the pixel count, the iPad mini’s smaller screen could have been maximized and to make the entire device seem larger. What’s even more surprising about the display: It’s manufactured by Samsung, one of Apple’s fiercest mobile technology competitors. This was revealed after a breakdown of the iPad mini by iFixit, where a Samsung display driver chip was found, according to a Huffington Post report.
3 Same old iPad — The iPad mini isn’t any different than the iPad 2. It runs the same A5 processor as the iPad 2 ,which is slower than the Kindle Fire processor (1 GHz vs. 1.2). Although the iPad mini features a 5-megapixel iSight camera that can capture full 1080 pixel high-definition video, it isn’t new technology. The iPad with Retina display has the same camera system. Not only is much of the hardware the same, but the software is as well. It uses the same operating system, iCloud and apps as other Apple products.
4 Lightning connector — Apple’s new connector cord left some consumers scratching their heads. It is literally the same as the older 30-pin cord wrapped in a sleeker package. When the iPhone 5 came out, users were left with no choice but to buy an adapter to use their current connector cord just to find out it wouldn’t fit if their iPhone had a case. Ouch. The iPad mini makes use of the new Lightning connector and an adapter, which will set you back $30. Double ouch.
5 No 3G- The iPad mini comes with Wi-Fi capabilities, but if you want to browse the Web outside of Starbucks, you’ll need a wireless service plan through a major cell phone carrier. A 3G option would make sense because it would give the iPad mini a one up on direct competitors. Overall, the iPad mini comes across as an incredibly mediocre addition to the Apple family. While at first glance the iPad mini seems to be something completely new, in reality it just applies much of Apple’s existing technology to a smaller frame. For the price, there are certainly better options out there. Save your money and wait for the next “real” iPad.
