iPad mini: It's alive!!!

Is there any real world difference why I’d want to get rid of my 4 that already runs foreflight seamlessly and browses the net as fast as my fingers or ISP can go?

I mean maybe give me more screen in the same form factor, double the battery life, or make one of the cameras thermal or something, just seem like a upgrade just to upgrade for me, I don’t play the latest video games, video edit, mine coins,or anything really power intensive on it.

Unless I’m missing something I’ll keep my 4 and invest that money in 100LL.
TrueTone display and higher resolution FaceTime camera. Your selfies will look better (or it will be easier to pick out spinach from your teeth when you use it as an electronic mirror).
 
Is there any real world difference why I’d want to get rid of my 4 that already runs foreflight seamlessly and browses the net as fast as my fingers or ISP can go?

I mean maybe give me more screen in the same form factor, double the battery life, or make one of the cameras thermal or something, just seem like a upgrade just to upgrade for me, I don’t play the latest video games, video edit, mine coins,or anything really power intensive on it.

Unless I’m missing something I’ll keep my 4 and invest that money in 100LL.

If you think yours is performing well enough, keep it. I have a Mini 2 and it's painfully slow when doing certain things. ForeFlight takes a pretty long time to launch (just measured - 26 seconds! :eek:) and if I don't pause after every fix I enter in the flight plan and wait for it to look up the fix in the database and add it, the keyboard will drop the next 1-3 characters and mess up the next fix.

I think the biggest argument for upgrading right now is that it's been four years since the iPad Mini 4 came out. I haven't bought a Mini 4 because by the time my Mini 2 got slow, I didn't feel it was worth the investment to buy already-outdated tech. If they wait 4 more years before the next upgrade, I want to have gotten plenty of use out of it in the meantime!
 
Is there any real world difference why I’d want to get rid of my 4 that already runs foreflight seamlessly and browses the net as fast as my fingers or ISP can go?

I mean maybe give me more screen in the same form factor, double the battery life, or make one of the cameras thermal or something, just seem like a upgrade just to upgrade for me, I don’t play the latest video games, video edit, mine coins,or anything really power intensive on it.

Unless I’m missing something I’ll keep my 4 and invest that money in 100LL.
If Leslie had a 4, she would probably be satisfied too. But her 2 is getting really slow bringing up things like Foreflight and Aviationweather.gov. Plus she has bumped into the memory restriction a few times and had to delete some stuff. Hopefully with 256 GB, she won't have to do that any time soon. And now she has a drone that needs immediate response and makes it easier for her to take more photos and videos.
 
TrueTone display and higher resolution FaceTime camera. Your selfies will look better (or it will be easier to pick out spinach from your teeth when you use it as an electronic mirror).

I already have the Retina display, (love how autocorrect just capitalized that lol) real world is this going to make my charts or Netflix $600 more vivid
 
Is there any real world difference why I’d want to get rid of my 4 that already runs foreflight seamlessly and browses the net as fast as my fingers or ISP can go?

I mean maybe give me more screen in the same form factor, double the battery life, or make one of the cameras thermal or something, just seem like a upgrade just to upgrade for me, I don’t play the latest video games, video edit, mine coins,or anything really power intensive on it.

Unless I’m missing something I’ll keep my 4 and invest that money in 100LL.
I've noticed the battery on my mini 4 doesn't hold the charge as long as it used to. In the airplane, it's plugged into USB power (the Appaero panel mount) so I don't notice the power drain. But if it's running on battery, it can lose 20% in 15 min when online.
 
If you think yours is performing well enough, keep it. I have a Mini 2 and it's painfully slow when doing certain things. ForeFlight takes a pretty long time to launch (just measured - 26 seconds! :eek:) and if I don't pause after every fix I enter in the flight plan and wait for it to look up the fix in the database and add it, the keyboard will drop the next 1-3 characters and mess up the next fix.

I think the biggest argument for upgrading right now is that it's been four years since the iPad Mini 4 came out. I haven't bought a Mini 4 because by the time my Mini 2 got slow, I didn't feel it was worth the investment to buy already-outdated tech. If they wait 4 more years before the next upgrade, I want to have gotten plenty of use out of it in the meantime!

My mini 2 is all but unusable anymore. It can struggle through foreflight but internet browsing all but the most basic sites completely kills it.
 
Another reason I ordered the mini-5 for Leslie; Its expected delivery ship date is our 29th anniversary.
 
LOL... I didn't know that.. I thought the suffix was Apple's tag... thanx...

Apple has naming practices that are somtimes, well... Interesting.

The original full-sized iPad was just the iPad. The next one was called the iPad 2. Then, the 3rd generation was the "new iPad" and the 4th gen was the "iPad with Retina Display." Most of us just call them 1, 2, 3, 4 but at one point in time the previous-generation iPad was still officially called the "new iPad."

That gaffe aside, Apple has made a practice of not using model numbers since about 1998 when the original iMac came out, for a pretty smart reason: Non-techie types (that tend to like Macs for their ease of use) talking to each other might say how much they really like their new iMac, and have a friend go buy one. That doesn't work when you have the "Power Macintosh 7200" or the "Quadra 950" or any other model number that goes away when the next generation comes out.
 
I've noticed the battery on my mini 4 doesn't hold the charge as long as it used to. In the airplane, it's plugged into USB power (the Appaero panel mount) so I don't notice the power drain. But if it's running on battery, it can lose 20% in 15 min when online.

$39.99
https://www.ifixit.com/Store/iPad/iPad-mini-Battery/IF122-023?o=2


Between a battery and being careful about iOS updates, shy of damage or needing more space :dunno:

I mean not having more screen, using stainless, DLC, glass, seems like a real letdown when you compare to the iPhone X and Xs, if that’s where YOU (apple) set YOUR OWN bar, just think it’s disappointing the new mini doesn’t meet said bar.
 
My mini 2 is all but unusable anymore. It can struggle through foreflight but internet browsing all but the most basic sites completely kills it.

Yeah, I pretty much quit using it for anything but flying-related stuff. ForeFlight, Garmin Pilot (for updating the GTN databases), and the GTN and TXi Trainer apps.

Another reason I ordered the mini-5 for Leslie; Its expected delivery ship date is our 29th anniversary.

Otherwise known as the "iPad Mini anniversary." ;)
 
I already have the Retina display, (love how autocorrect just capitalized that lol) real world is this going to make my charts or Netflix $600 more vivid
How magenta does your magenta line need to be? :)

They say it's 25% brighter so that could be an advantage in sunlight.
 
I’ve been wanting an upgrade for my mini 2 for over a year now, expecting them to roll out a replacement any day... which they have but it sure took them long enough. The 2 has been barely usable for a while but I’m getting by. The worst thing for ForeFlight is random freezes and crashes plus just generally slow response.

From what I know about the 4, I imagine they’ll be sufficient for some time to come. But for anyone needing an upgrade now the new one is certainly far better.
 
My Mini 2 is still perfectly usable. I use it when in TN since we have no internet and it’s how I get online via cellular. At home in GA I use an iPad Air 2, which is admittedly a tad faster, but was bought sans cellular.

But a cellular Mini 5 is definitely on my wish list. I love the form factor. I’m a bit disappointed, having hoped for a bezel-less design for more screen real estate, maybe combined with FaceID. But it will sure be an improvement over my 2.
 
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But a cellular Mini 4 is definitely on my wish list. I love the form factor. I’m a bit disappointed, having hoped for a bezel-less design for more screen real estate, maybe combined with FaceID. But it will sure be an improvement over my 2.

I wouldn't bother with a Mini 4. They're still $419 on the refurb site - the only model left available is the gold 128GB w/cellular. There were silver ones as well this morning, so I guess some people are buying the 4s up.

IMO, the difference in performance is going to be far greater than the difference in price. Get the new mini (aka the "5").
 
Amazingly, My old mini 2 still works fine. But if I can get enough on the trade-in to move up to the five I will do it. I have a mini 4 as a primary pad and the mini 2 as a back up and home surfer.
 
Is there any real world difference why I’d want to get rid of my 4 that already runs foreflight seamlessly and browses the net as fast as my fingers or ISP can go?

If it's still working for you, keep using it. I don't think anyone is twisting arms here. At least, not until you get into the Apple Store. :D

For me, I've been waiting on this. I'm still using a 2nd generation iPad for my Stateside flying and the battery doesn't last long at all. It's time for an upgrade.
 
I’m so happy about this. It kept the home button, which I like, and updated the guts. Although I’m ironically typing this on my Mini 2, it is slow with Foreflight. Now to see how long before AT&T gets it on their monthly plan (otherwise I’ll just buy it from Apple)
 
I'm dithering. My current 4 has 64GB and I've got 22GB unused. The 64GB version seems to be a good choice, considering the $150 difference with the 256GB. Plus I can get $140 for a trade-in on the 4, which brings the total price down to less than $300.

Dither dither dither.

Just called Barclay---the deferred interest offer is available on my current card.

The kicker is that I need a new Mac, too. My mac mini is 2010 and painful with only 8 GB memory.
 
...and GPS still only for the cellular version. WTF!?
As near as I can tell, it is still AGPS, where data lookups from the cellular towers, and WiFi SSIDs present help jumpstart the location, and many calculations are handed off to remote servers. So it can’t really get started without data service, and is always happier with data service. The energy budget on a handheld GPS and an iPad are surprisingly similar, and on the iPad, the GPS is expected to be a minor function, probably less than 10% of the energy budget. Corners have to be cut somewhere.
 
Those of you that use the mini already, what's the best yoke mount for it for a 172?
 
I'm excited. This is the only size that works for where I prefer to keep my iPad while flying. I have a the 4 right now and it's doing fine but when it starts slipping, I'll grab a new 5. Glad to know that it will fit in the same mount (thanks @flyingcheesehead )!
 
What I usually do with old iPhones or iPads is lock in an offer from Gazelle, then put them on eBay with a reserve about 10% higher than the Gazelle offer. I have yet to have eBay not yield a higher price, even after fees.

I doubt my Mini 2 is worth much at all.
 
Someone on COPA said they got $175 trade in for their Mini 4.

Quite likely do better selling on eBay or Gazelle.

I got quoted a little over $300 for my Pro 10.5 which is less than two years old. If I remember correctly it cost me over $800. That isn't enough. I could probably get at least a few hundred more selling it myself. But if I didn't trade it in I probably wouldn't sell it, use it as a backup.
 
Does anyone know how much a fully loaded mini 4 will garner on the Apple GiveBack program?
My quote was $135. iPad 4, 64GB, wifi & GPS, everything works, no damage.
 
As near as I can tell, it is still AGPS, where data lookups from the cellular towers, and WiFi SSIDs present help jumpstart the location, and many calculations are handed off to remote servers. So it can’t really get started without data service, and is always happier with data service. The energy budget on a handheld GPS and an iPad are surprisingly similar, and on the iPad, the GPS is expected to be a minor function, probably less than 10% of the energy budget. Corners have to be cut somewhere.
I turned off cell data on mine since I never use it outside of Wifi and if need be I can use my phone as a hotspot. My GPS is still active even when flying far away from any Wifi signal
Those of you that use the mini already, what's the best yoke mount for it for a 172?
I use the RAM clip on with a yoke claw. I also have a suction cup mount for the RAM, but it doesn't like the Mooney windows.
What I usually do with old iPhones or iPads is lock in an offer from Gazelle, then put them on eBay with a reserve about 10% higher than the Gazelle offer. I have yet to have eBay not yield a higher price, even after fees.

I doubt my Mini 2 is worth much at all.

I was offered $76 for mine
 
Someone on COPA said they got $175 trade in for their Mini 4.

Quite likely do better selling on eBay or Gazelle.

For my Mini 2, Apple quoted me $76, Gazelle $55. Recent eBay sold transactions are showing $160-$180, but those were pretty much all before the 5 was announced, so I would expect that to drop. To what, we'll have to wait and see.
 
At some price level it might make sense to repurpose an old, almost worthless iPad to something creative.

Like a digital picture frame, a dedicated AppleTV remote, whatever.

An aquarium might be a reach, though!

14.jpg
 
At some price level it might make sense to repurpose an old, almost worthless iPad to something creative.

Like a digital picture frame, a dedicated AppleTV remote, whatever.

An aquarium might be a reach, though!
Those would need to be some really skinny fish
So my case for the Mini4 will work on the Mini 5?
It looks that way, but I don't think anyone knows for sure until it's physically released.
 
At some price level it might make sense to repurpose an old, almost worthless iPad to something creative.

Like a digital picture frame, a dedicated AppleTV remote, whatever.

An aquarium might be a reach, though!

14.jpg

Ah, the Macquarium! :D I remember reading the initial article on how to build one. It was pretty funny. I wish it was out there on the interwebz somewhere, but I couldn't find it. I just remember it was capped off with "And if you get bored, plug in the power cord for an instant fish fry!" :D
 
Anyone use the mini on a knee mount? I fly a C140, love her but very tight cabin so not a lot of mounting options- I dislike yoke mounts.

Now that a new ones out I may get one again, just didn’t want to buy a 4 when I knew it must be getting replaced soon.

I thought my iPhone 6 would work for FF in a small cabin but it’s too tiny, a plus may have cut it but if I can kneee mount it comfortably I may spring for one of these new rigs
 
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