is the ipad mini still a good buy??

ufc pro

hey guys just a quick question about the ipad mini, i need to get an ipad for my daughter for school, now bare in mind she is only 3 and 1/2, it needs to be able to run the latest apps, i know currently it is able to update to the latest ios but how far down the line do you think it will go, i dont want to go shelling out crazy money for an ipad when there is a very high possibility it will be dropped several times, i thought the mini would be perfect because of its size!!
any help here would be great i need to get one asap....

thanks in advance!!

Gumbo

The latest mini was only released 2 weeks ago.

ufc pro

hey thanks for the reply, if im correct that is the mini 3, im talking about the mini 1, i think its just over a year old but you know what apple are like they may stop supporting it soon!!

evlgmaojr27ypu

I would see Apple only supporting it for another year or two (max).. had an iPad2 with the A5 chip and it was extremely slow with iOS8 that I ended up selling the iPad, at the same time I have an iPhone 4s with the A5 chip and it seems to be running okay with the latest version (not too fast and not too slow either)

evlgmaojr27ypu

Plus another thing to note with the iPad Mini 2 and 3.. they have the same exact spec inside apart from the mini 3 having touchID

ufc pro

yeah to be honest if i thought id get 2 years out of it id buy it, but if only a year there would be no point, i suppose id be taking a risk, like i said id be very surprised if it was not broke within 2 years!!

id be gutted if i bought it and it would not take the next ios update...

crapmanjoe

I think they will stop selling it next year and you will prob get one more ios update out of it.

Get the I pad mini 2 - specs are good on it and will get a couple years out of it

baby and crumble

Op, I have the original iPad mini and I'm running ios8 with zero problems. All apps run grand, I don't notice any lag time worth speaking about. For your daughters needs id honestly say it's be fine.

Gumbo

baby and crumble wrote: »

Op, I have the original iPad mini and I'm running ios8 with zero problems. All apps run grand, I don't notice any lag time worth speaking about. For your daughters needs id honestly say it's be fine.

+1
My 3 year olds ipad mini 1 is running perfect in iOS 8.1.

ufc pro

thats excellent lads thanks for the info i think ill go for the mini, thanks again!!

flyguy

I agree with the recommendations for the mini 2, not the 1. Maybe go for a refurb (apple.com/ie) or check if they're are any deals left in Argos.
The best way I can explain why to go for the mini 2 is to compare them to the full size iPads;
Even though there was only 1 year diffence between mini 1 and 2, mini 1 had the same spec as an iPad 2 and mini 2 has the same spec as iPad air 1 (which some people call ipad 5).
So there's about 2,5 years spec diffence between the 2. Update/iOS wise the mini 2 should last as long as the iPad air, the mini 1 only as long as iPad 2....

shanec1928

get the mini 2.

dubmick

will you stop ffs the original ipad mini would be fine for a 3 year old. Ours still works fine. I'd rather the retina display one but a child won't care about that.

flyguy

Your opinion, a refurbished 16gb mini 2 cost €269 on apple.ie (out of stock at the moment). I doubt you'll save much by going for a mini 1.
My prediction is next year a lot of people will be annoyed when apple will stop supporting ipad2 and with that mini 1 since they're essentially the same. Usually soon after apps won't be updated anymore and won't work...
There's nothing wrong with a mini 1 I just wouldn't buy one anymore now, especially since the price diffence is marginal but the spec diffence great.

dubmick

fair enough if you can't get the original one anymore. Just saying it would be grand for a kid for a few years.

shanec1928

dubmick wrote: »

will you stop ffs the original ipad mini would be fine for a 3 year old. Ours still works fine. I'd rather the retina display one but a child won't care about that.

get the 2 and then get an extra year guaranteed of new updates etc. makes more sense than something which has probaly gotten its last major update.

prettyboy81

Buy Mini 2 from Apple direct through refurb store.

peteroregan

Great spec amazing price and NEW! Not refurb. Just add a www. currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/ipad-tablets-and-ereaders/tablets/samsung-galaxy-tabpro-10-1-tablet-16-gb-white-22083972-pdt.html?awc=1599_1415002376_7f13d3a40ed9843301d3fdbb07cb2592&srcid=369&xtor=AL-1&cmpid=aff~PriceSpy~Comparison%20Engine&istCompanyId=bec25c7e-cbcd-460d-81d5-a25372d2e3d7&istItemId=qqpxmxaq&istBid=t

squonk

^ ^ ^
You didn't read the OP's post did you?