Apple's
iPad event was all about the new iPad Air 2. In fact, iPad mini 3 — the
new mini tablet by Apple — was apportioned just a couple of minutes in
the presentation on Thursday. Apple merely announced that the new iPad
mini 3 will have Touch ID fingerprint sensor and gold colour option —
and for good reason, because otherwise it is the same as iPad mini 2.
Exactly the same!
Both iPad mini 3 and iPad mini 2, which was earlier called iPad mini with Retina display, have a 7.9-inch screen with 2048x1536p resolution. According to Apple's website, iPad mini 3 doesn't have the anti-glare, laminated display as well, thus making its screen exactly the same as its predecessor's.
Apple hasn't even given iPad mini 3 a processor upgrade, so the new iPad mini and its predecessor run on the same 64-bit A7 processor and feature the same M7 motion coprocessor.
The iPhone maker does not disclose how much RAM it puts in its gadgets, but considering that the processor did not get updated, the RAM too is likely to remain the same at 1GB for both models.
Both tablets run on iOS 8 operating system. Both are 7.5mm thick. Both have the 5MP rear camera as well as 1.2MP front camera, with exactly the same software and image processing features. Connectivity suites of the two mini tablets are also the same.
So where's the real difference? It's in the price tag.
As can be expected, iPad mini 2 got a price cut last night with the launch of the new smaller iPad. The 16GB Wi-Fi iPad mini 2 now costs Rs 21,900; this model was launched at Rs 28,900 last year. iPad mini 2 also comes in three other variants — 32GB Wi-Fi, 16GB Wi-Fi + cellular, and 32GB Wi-Fi + cellular — but Apple's press statement did not disclose the price of these models.
Going by pricing patterns followed by Apple earlier, the remaining iPad mini 2 models will be priced approximately Rs 7,000 lesser than their launch price. Going with this assumption, iPad mini 2 (32GB) will cost Rs 28,900; the 16 and 32GB Wi-Fi + cellular models of iPad mini 2 should carry the price tags of Rs 30,900 and Rs 37,900, respectively.
Compared to this, iPad mini 3 16B Wi-Fi model's price tag of Rs 28,900 seems a little steep considering it only adds new colour option and fingerprint sensor. The addition of Touch ID fingerprint sensor is actually the only relevant option here as it offers convenience in not only unlocking the iPad, but also in buying stuff online.
Touch ID-based mobile payments at retail stores (powered by Apple Pay) will not come to India anytime soon as the iPhone maker would need to have tie-ups with banks as well as retail chains in the country, besides regulatory clearance. And there is no word of that happening at present.
With Touch ID, iPad mini 3 buyers will also be able to buy apps, books, movies, songs from App Store and iTunes Store by just swiping their thumb over the Home button.
Whether this convenience is worth an extra Rs 7,000 is a personal choice, but in a price-conscious market like India, this kind of money matters a lot.
Considering that iPad mini 2 is the same as iPad mini 3 sans the Touch ID sensor and gold colour but costs a lot less, it is easily better than the new mini tablet in Apple's portfolio.
iPad mini 2 is also a lot better than the first-generation iPad mini, which has a relatively low-resolution display and slower processor, but costs only about Rs 4,000 less across variants.
Compared to Android tablets too, iPad mini 2 seems like a much better choice. The 32GB Wi-Fi Google Nexus 7 can be purchased in India for approximately Rs 18,000. It runs on Android 4.4 (upgradeable to Android 5.0) and has 7-inch Full HD screen, thus giving it the same pixel density as iPad mini 3. It is a pretty good competitor on the hardware front and even beats the Apple when it comes to storage, but when it comes to the app ecosystem, iPad mini 2 is the winner.
Apple says its App Store has 675,000 apps custom-made for iPads, giving a smooth user experience that is designed only for its tablets. Android tablets, on the other hand, have always had to suffer apps that are just stretched versions of smartphone apps, thus hampering the user experience (at least in some apps).
Another popular Android tablet in this segment is Samsung Galaxy Tab4 7.0, which has a lower-resolution screen compared to iPad mini 2, but offers expandable storage (up to 64GB) and Wi-Fi + 3G at Rs 18,000. However, it does not compare to iPad mini 2 when it comes to the hardware as well as ecosystem.
And that makes iPad mini 2 at Rs 21,900 a much better buy than any other tablet in the market right now.
Both iPad mini 3 and iPad mini 2, which was earlier called iPad mini with Retina display, have a 7.9-inch screen with 2048x1536p resolution. According to Apple's website, iPad mini 3 doesn't have the anti-glare, laminated display as well, thus making its screen exactly the same as its predecessor's.
Apple hasn't even given iPad mini 3 a processor upgrade, so the new iPad mini and its predecessor run on the same 64-bit A7 processor and feature the same M7 motion coprocessor.
The iPhone maker does not disclose how much RAM it puts in its gadgets, but considering that the processor did not get updated, the RAM too is likely to remain the same at 1GB for both models.
Both tablets run on iOS 8 operating system. Both are 7.5mm thick. Both have the 5MP rear camera as well as 1.2MP front camera, with exactly the same software and image processing features. Connectivity suites of the two mini tablets are also the same.
So where's the real difference? It's in the price tag.
As can be expected, iPad mini 2 got a price cut last night with the launch of the new smaller iPad. The 16GB Wi-Fi iPad mini 2 now costs Rs 21,900; this model was launched at Rs 28,900 last year. iPad mini 2 also comes in three other variants — 32GB Wi-Fi, 16GB Wi-Fi + cellular, and 32GB Wi-Fi + cellular — but Apple's press statement did not disclose the price of these models.
Going by pricing patterns followed by Apple earlier, the remaining iPad mini 2 models will be priced approximately Rs 7,000 lesser than their launch price. Going with this assumption, iPad mini 2 (32GB) will cost Rs 28,900; the 16 and 32GB Wi-Fi + cellular models of iPad mini 2 should carry the price tags of Rs 30,900 and Rs 37,900, respectively.
Compared to this, iPad mini 3 16B Wi-Fi model's price tag of Rs 28,900 seems a little steep considering it only adds new colour option and fingerprint sensor. The addition of Touch ID fingerprint sensor is actually the only relevant option here as it offers convenience in not only unlocking the iPad, but also in buying stuff online.
Touch ID-based mobile payments at retail stores (powered by Apple Pay) will not come to India anytime soon as the iPhone maker would need to have tie-ups with banks as well as retail chains in the country, besides regulatory clearance. And there is no word of that happening at present.
With Touch ID, iPad mini 3 buyers will also be able to buy apps, books, movies, songs from App Store and iTunes Store by just swiping their thumb over the Home button.
Whether this convenience is worth an extra Rs 7,000 is a personal choice, but in a price-conscious market like India, this kind of money matters a lot.
Considering that iPad mini 2 is the same as iPad mini 3 sans the Touch ID sensor and gold colour but costs a lot less, it is easily better than the new mini tablet in Apple's portfolio.
iPad mini 2 is also a lot better than the first-generation iPad mini, which has a relatively low-resolution display and slower processor, but costs only about Rs 4,000 less across variants.
Compared to Android tablets too, iPad mini 2 seems like a much better choice. The 32GB Wi-Fi Google Nexus 7 can be purchased in India for approximately Rs 18,000. It runs on Android 4.4 (upgradeable to Android 5.0) and has 7-inch Full HD screen, thus giving it the same pixel density as iPad mini 3. It is a pretty good competitor on the hardware front and even beats the Apple when it comes to storage, but when it comes to the app ecosystem, iPad mini 2 is the winner.
Apple says its App Store has 675,000 apps custom-made for iPads, giving a smooth user experience that is designed only for its tablets. Android tablets, on the other hand, have always had to suffer apps that are just stretched versions of smartphone apps, thus hampering the user experience (at least in some apps).
Another popular Android tablet in this segment is Samsung Galaxy Tab4 7.0, which has a lower-resolution screen compared to iPad mini 2, but offers expandable storage (up to 64GB) and Wi-Fi + 3G at Rs 18,000. However, it does not compare to iPad mini 2 when it comes to the hardware as well as ecosystem.
And that makes iPad mini 2 at Rs 21,900 a much better buy than any other tablet in the market right now.
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