Target and Best Buy - iPad Mini $199

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Kenmitch

Diamond Member
Oct 10, 1999
8,505
2,250
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That is a good price if you can find one local.

Closest Target to me has it in stock....Luckily for my wallet I enforce the no things Apple policy in my house.
 
Fritzo

Fritzo

Lifer
Jan 3, 2001
41,920
2,161
126
Kenmitch said:
That is a good price if you can find one local.

Closest Target to me has it in stock....Luckily for my wallet I enforce the no things Apple policy in my house.
Click to expand...

I was like that too, but the Mini is an awesome tablet. It's the perfect size, and you can Google Chrome the hell out of it so you don't have to use any Apple stuff :D
 
R

Roland00Address

Platinum Member
Dec 17, 2008
2,196
260
126
It is a nice tablet for it is iOS, good size/weight ratio, and has a nice screen.

But speed wise it is nothing special anymore.
 
poofyhairguy

poofyhairguy

Lifer
Nov 20, 2005
14,612
318
126
Must be cleaning out inventory as Best Buy has the same price.

Note for anyone wanting this: It is the one without a Retina screen and a 2011 SoC. What that practically means is that it will be slower than any modern iDevice and probably will only get updates for a year or so.

Good deal though, especially as a present or something.
 
Fritzo

Fritzo

Lifer
Jan 3, 2001
41,920
2,161
126
poofyhairguy said:
Must be cleaning out inventory as Best Buy has the same price.

Note for anyone wanting this: It is the one without a Retina screen and a 2011 SoC. What that practically means is that it will be slower than any modern iDevice and probably will only get updates for a year or so.

Good deal though, especially as a present or something.
Click to expand...

I own one now. It's plenty fast and can play high def video with several apps open. Not sure about the updates.
 
S

smackababy

Lifer
Oct 30, 2008
27,024
79
86
poofyhairguy said:
Note for anyone wanting this: It is the one without a Retina screen and a 2011 SoC. What that practically means is that it will be slower than any modern iDevice and probably will only get updates for a year or so.
Click to expand...

I was getting ready to pull the trigger when I noticed this. =(

Good deal regardless though.
 
M

manly

Lifer
Jan 25, 2000
13,178
3,955
136
Fritzo said:
Not sure that's accurate. It has the same guts as an iPad 2 and they're still selling that.
Click to expand...
The iPad 2 is discontinued.

Furthermore the iPad 2 came out over 3 years ago. In mobile device terms, that's ancient. I'm not saying the iPad mini isn't currently a good product, but I'd characterize this as a good deal but not hot.

Personally I'd wait for an A8 SoC with more RAM, or get an A7 device. I don't like buying things that aren't "future-proof" unless they're ridiculously cheap.

I saw a listing for a Barnes & Noble NOOK HD+ on Cowboom for $100 recently. I own one of those, and based on the quality of the display (8.9" 1080p), I'd rather do that over this device for twice the money. (Depending on the condition of the used product.) Personally, I don't need cameras or GPS on a tablet.
 
RadiclDreamer

RadiclDreamer

Diamond Member
Aug 8, 2004
8,622
40
91
Kenmitch said:
Luckily for my wallet I enforce the no things Apple policy in my house.
Click to expand...

Dont fight it man, just give in and you will find the love quickly. Im no zealot, but its the best tablet out there, and they make a darn good "pc" as well.

I've heard some people complain about the display quality, but honestly I think it is hard to tell the difference between the retina, and non retina even holding them side by side.
 
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edro

edro

Lifer
Apr 5, 2002
24,326
68
91
Kenmitch said:
That is a good price if you can find one local.

Closest Target to me has it in stock....Luckily for my wallet I enforce the no things Apple policy in my house.
Click to expand...
Pfft. I gave up on that many years ago.

Once you admit they are superior, it makes life easier.
 
M

mshan

Diamond Member
Nov 16, 2004
7,868
0
71
Staples apparently is offering $20 off tablets, so if they price match, it should be $179 + tax out the door.

Fat Wallet poster apparently got deal when they price matched in store and applied coupon:

http://www.staples.com/coupons
 
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dbk

dbk

Lifer
Apr 23, 2004
17,685
10
81
mshan said:
Staples apparently is offering $20 off tablets, so if they price match, it should be $179 + tax out the door.

Fat Wallet poster apparently got deal when they price matched in store and applied coupon:

http://www.staples.com/coupons
Click to expand...

But i've also read that the corporate office told the retail stores to pricematch it down to only $219 since the coupon is active this week.. YMMV
 
S

Staples

Diamond Member
Oct 28, 2001
4,953
119
106
Awesome deal. I have an iPad Air but if I was in the market, this would be a no brainer (even if it does have crap resolution). I had a few Android tablets in the past and none were anywhere as good as iOS and the apps (yes, this is a statement about the OS and apps, not the hardware).

Unlike many, I was never an Apple hater, Android devices were just cheaper.
 
Rakehellion

Rakehellion

Lifer
Jan 15, 2013
12,181
35
91
poofyhairguy said:
Must be cleaning out inventory as Best Buy has the same price.

Note for anyone wanting this: It is the one without a Retina screen and a 2011 SoC. What that practically means is that it will be slower than any modern iDevice and probably will only get updates for a year or so.

Good deal though, especially as a present or something.
Click to expand...

It'll probably get updates for a few years. The A4-->A5 transition came with a 7x increase in graphics performance, leaving older chips in the dust. It's half as fast as an iPhone 5C.
 
Rakehellion

Rakehellion

Lifer
Jan 15, 2013
12,181
35
91
But this is a good sign a new iPad is coming soon, so it might be best to wait.

Personally, I'm looking for a used iPad 3 for around the same price.
 
poofyhairguy

poofyhairguy

Lifer
Nov 20, 2005
14,612
318
126
Rakehellion said:
It'll probably get updates for a few years.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't count on that.

Sure the GPU performance of the iPad Mini and iPad 2 is completely adequate for the resolution. That is why both devices perform much better with iOS7 than say a iPad 3 or iPhone 4.

The issue is that the CPU in those devices is MUCH MUCH slower than the 5C or even a freaking Moto G. Eventually the GPU can't do everything, especially if you are wanting an iPad as a web surfing device.

The 3GS got cutoff from updates before the iPhone 4, even though per pixel the 3GS has more GPU power. And they were willing to cut off the 3GS not long after they stopped selling them.

Eventually Apple is going to want to leave those 2011 CPUs behind, which is why they are backing away from both the iPad 2 and non-retina iPad Mini.

I still think it is a good device and a good value, for a certain segment.

This would be a perfect device for mom, who isn't demanding on her devices and probably doesn't care about updates anyway. She will be super happy you bought her an "iPad" and not care about not having access to new apps. I would also get one for my kids, with the assumption that they will break it in a year but I won't care as much as if it was a new model iPad.

I would NOT buy this device for myself or for anyone who follows technology and will want new updates and apps. This thing is at the end of the line, like buying a Core 2 Duo Macbook Pro today.

If I was buying for myself I would get a cheap iPad 4 (by far the best iPad value right now) or save my money until Apple stops being cheap and puts 2GB of ram in their top models.

Rakehellion said:
Personally, I'm looking for a used iPad 3 for around the same price.
Click to expand...

Offtopic, but I wouldn't do that. The iPad 3 is the worst iOS device all time. It runs iOS7 MUCH MUCH less smoothly than the iPad 2 because that GPU per pixel is HALF as powerful as the iPad 2.

There is a reason they ditched the iPad 3 in less than a year. It was a stopgap bandaid, just like all those early retina Macbooks that can't even run freaking OSX's GUI at 60fps.
 
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