Tag: iPad mini

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Mobile Syrup

Apple’s iPad Mini is an unrivaled portable tablet

If you know me and my work, you’re aware I write a lot about Android smartphones; I’ve been critiquing the devices for years. In particular, I’ve loved and reviewed the HTC U12+, the Huawei P30 Pro, the Pixel 4 XL and, most recently, the S23 Ultra.

While all these devices hold a special place in my heart for one reason or another, I’ve slowly grown attached to Apple’s iPhone over the past few years and, as of late, the iPhone 14 Pro. However, the Cupertino, California-based tech giant has yet to release a foldable, which is a shame since I love big screens (and I cannot lie).

Devices like the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Fold 4 have been my favourite smartphones in recent years. A 7.6-inch screen that folds is a dream, but since Apple’s ecosystem has claimed my soul, I’m stuck with the iPhone 14 Pro’s 6.7-inch display. Don’t get me wrong, the screen is undeniably solid, but I spend a lot of time reading and watching content on my smartphone, so a bigger display works better for me.

This is where Apple’s 6th-gen iPad mini comes in.

Let’s start with a brief story.

A few months ago, MobileSyrup‘s Brad Bennett and I were on our way to New York City for an event. At the airport, I start writing an article on my phone, and Brad pulls out a small tablet with a gorgeous 8.3-inch display and starts working on it. It was love at first sight; I immediately asked him about the device, which he explained was the latest iPad mini he reviewed for MobileSyrup back in 2021. I have a depth of knowledge about Android devices, but I’m still finding my footing in the Apple world, which is why this device completely flew under my radar.

Of course, I had to get the iPad mini for myself and try it out. Now, I’ve spent a couple of months with Apple’s 2021 iPad mini so far, and it’s one of my favourite devices I’ve ever used.

The perfect small tablet

Apple’s iPad mini features an 8.3-inch 60Hz LCD display with a 1488 x 2268 pixel resolution, and while these aren’t the best display specs out there, they’re good enough for games, streaming and reading.

While this won’t be the case for everyone — and not even for all my pants due to its total size (195.4 x 134.8 x 6.3 mm) — the tablet fits snuggly in my jeans pocket. I find this incredibly useful. When travelling, it’s not yet another device I have to store in my bag. I can quickly put it in my pocket, and I’m off. I’ve found how pocketable the iPad mini is very useful when taking the subway, street car, an Uber, or on a flight.

I also have a larger 10.2-inch 2021 iPad, but in terms of pure utility, I definitely find the iPad mini better.

Larger tablets defeat the purpose of portability. Though they’re still lighter than a laptop, they take up the same amount of space, so whenever I’d be in a situation where I could bring my larger iPad, I’d just take my laptop instead. The iPad mini, on the other hand, isn’t a replacement for a MacBook. Still, because of its portability, it’s a lot easier to bring around in my pocket, or when it can’t fit, I lug it around in my jacket, side bags or practically anything else. Further, if I plan to use it for work, I can take a wireless keyboard with me.

Not a phone replacement 

I’m not saying you should buy an iPad mini instead of a smartphone, because you shouldn’t. The tablet is small, but not that small. But the iPad mini is my favourite smartphone companion. I usually walk around with my iPad when I’m home unless I have to make a phone call or send many messages, or I carry both devices — one for messaging and the other for reading or playing games.

That’s not to say you can’t also send messages on the iPad or make phone calls via FaceTime, but the large screen is a bit awkward for texting or calling (thankfully, I don’t take video calls often). It’s worth noting that you might not have issues texting with the iPad mini given Brad Bennett has no problems sending messages with the tablet.

Even though the iPad can feature cellular service, I still wouldn’t replace my phone with a small tablet. The iPad mini is, however, the perfect-sized tablet and the device to buy while waiting for Apple to release a foldable iPhone.

I also like that it’s so versatile. I can play games, read, watch content, and do anything an iPhone can. This is why I prefer the iPad over something like an e-reader.

The best small tablet

You still have iMessage, FaceTime and other benefits of an iPhone, alongside the ability to watch content on apps like Netflix and Crave and read with Kobo, Play Books, Apple Books and other apps. I love to play games like Pokémon Unite because of the tablet’s larger display that’s still not too big.

The iPad mini with 64GB of storage costs $679, which is far more affordable than most other comparable devices, including larger tablets, laptops, smartphones and foldables.

One day, if Apple makes a foldable device, it might replace the iPad mini, but until then, this is the tablet for me.

Photography by Brad Bennett 

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Mobile Syrup

U.S. travel tip: Crave works on iPads

Dean Daley and I recently went to San Fransisco to cover the launch of Samsung’s S23 series smartphones, and much to our surprise, Bell’s Crave streaming service seemed to work on our iPads while in the United States.

This is strange because usually when I’m in the U.S., I can’t access Crave since other U.S.-based streaming services hold the rights to most of its content and because of this, the platform is region-locked to Canada.

When testing Crave out on my laptop, it didn’t work, but the iPad app skirts the region-lock for some reason. Dean and I used an iPad mini, with mine on 5G and his on Wi-Fi. The MacBook I tested this on was also on Wi-Fi.

There’s no way to say for sure if this is a bug, but if you want to catch up on the latest episodes of The Last of Us in the U.S., this might be a simple way. I’m reasonably sure the last time I tried to watch Crave in the U.S. on an iPad was at WWDC in the summer, so something within the Crave app seems to have changed since then.

I’ll also mention that I was able to watch content on Paramount+ on my iPad for a few days of my trip, and then on the last night, it stopped working and I was locked out.

Have you been able to watch Crave on an iPad when outside of Canada? Let us know in the comments below.

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Mobile Syrup

Apple’s next iPad mini could launch in early 2024

Apple’s 2021 iPad mini refresh was very well-received.

It brought the iPad Pro’s squared-off edges to the pint-sized 8.3-inch tablet, the A15 bionic chip and 2nd-gen Apple Pencil compatibility. But according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, we’ll need to wait a bit longer for the next iPad mini refresh.

In a series of tweets where the analyst also mentions a foldable iPad is on the way, Kuo says there likely won’t be any new iPad releases in the next nine to 12 months and that the new iPad mini will ship in 2024, rather than the end of 2023 like some rumours indicated.

Likely, the new iPad mini won’t be as exciting as its predecessor, with the processor being the notable new feature. After all, Apple just refreshed the tiny tablet, so it makes sense that the tech giant wouldn’t want to change its design yet again so soon.

The current iPad mini features Apple’s A15 chip, so it’s likely that the refresh will offer the A16 processor, with Apple keeping its M1/M2 exclusive to its higher-end iPads.

Source: @mingchikuo

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Mobile Syrup

Simulation reveals what Stage Manager could be like on iPad mini

Apple’s ‘Stage Manager’ was already confirmed to launch at WWDC 2022 and we already know it only works with M1 chip iPads, though. However, for those wondering what it would be like to have Stage Manager on an iPad mini, a recent simulation could help.

9to5Mac detailed what the experience of using Stage Manager could be like on the iPad mini. The publication did this by simulating the experience with iOS Simulator — an Apple tool for developers to test apps on a Mac — and then exporting the screenshots to the iPad mini.

Overall, it looks like Stage Manager would be quite useful on the mini, even with its smaller display size.

However, it’s worth keeping in mind that Apple says Stage Manager requires the M1 chip to work. Part of that is because Stage Manager can open up to eight apps. Additionally, Apple says only M1 has the power needed to support output to display of up to 6K resolution, the maximum supported by Stage Manager. Virtual memory swap is another limiting factor.

Despite Apple’s performance claims, it’s worth noting that the base-level iPad Air, which doesn’t support virtual memory swap but does have an M1, supports Stage Manager. Coupled with uncovered iPadOS 16 code that allows Apple to enable Stage Manager on older, non-M1 iPads.

While this indicates we could see Stage Manager on the iPad mini one day, Apple hasn’t confirmed it and you likely shouldn’t get your hopes up.

Image Credit: Apple

Source: 9to5Mac

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Mobile Syrup

Apple’s Q1 2022 earnings indicate tech giant is moving past supply chain issues

Apple has posted record Q1 2022 sales that surpass Wall Street’s estimates surrounding the tech giant, indicating that it has worked through the supply-chain issues it suffered earlier this year.

The company’s overall sales grew 11 percent to $123.9 billion USD (roughly $157 billion CAD) in the first quarter. This number is well above the $119.1 billion USD analysts predicted.

Last year, Apple CEO Tim Cook stated that the worldwide chip shortage would cost the company $6 billion in sales leading into the important holiday shopping season. However, it seems the company was able to successfully navigate those issues as it launched the Apple Watch Series 7, the new MacBook Pro (2021) and the iPhone 13 series.

“This quarter’s record results were made possible by our most innovative lineup of products and services ever,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, in a press release. “We are gratified to see the response from customers around the world at a time when staying connected has never been more important. We are doing all we can to help build a better world — making progress toward our goal of becoming carbon neutral across our supply chain and products by 2030, and pushing forward with our work in education and racial equity and justice.”

Apple earned 71.6 billion USD (about $91 billion CAD) in revenue from the iPhone 13, an increase of 9.2 percent year-over-year despite being a relatively expected update over the iPhone 12 series. The iPad earned $7.25 billion (roughly $9.2 billion CAD), a 14 percent downturn year-over-year even though the sleek-looking iPad mini (2021) launched this quarter.

On the other hand, the company’s accessories division that includes the Apple Watch, Apple TV, AirPods, Beats and more, earned $15.7 billion (approximately $19.9 billion CAD), an increase of 13 percent year-over-year. This growth was led by the introduction of the Apple Watch Series 7 and the long-awaited 3rd-gen AirPods.

Services — a division Apple shifted its focus on for the last few years — experienced significant 24 percent year-over-year growth tied to App Store, Apple Arcade, Apple Music, Apple TV and iCloud subscriptions. Earlier this month the company revealed that over the course of 2021, the App Store generated $60 billion (roughly $76 billion CAD).

Finally, Apple’s Mac division earned $10.9 billion (about $13 billion CAD) in sales, 24 percent year-over-year growth. This increase was likely spurred by the launch of the well-received MacBook Pro (2021), a laptop that many (including myself) view as a return to form for the tech giant in the laptop space.

Source: Apple 

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Mobile Syrup

Apple lost $6 billon this quarter due to chip ongoing shortage and manufacturing delays

In its fiscal fourth-quarter 2021 earnings report, Apple revealed that it earned revenue of $83.4 billion (about $102.96 billion), a year-over-year increase of 29 percent.

However, this number is well below Wall Street expectations of $84.85 billion (roughly $104.7 billion CAD). In an interview with CNBC, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that supply chain constraints had a significant impact on Apple’s earnings this quarter.

“We had a very strong performance despite larger than expected supply constraints, which we estimate to be around $6 billion,” said cook. “The industry-wide chip shortages that have been talked about a lot and COVID-related manufacturing disruptions in Southeast Asia.”

This fall, Apple released the iPhone 13 series, a redesigned iPad Mini, the 9th-gen iPad, the Apple Watch Series 7, 3rd-gen AirPods and the MacBook Pro (2021). Though Apple’s iPhone 13 wasn’t released until the latter half of this financial quarter, it experienced 47 percent growth over last year. Apple’s iPad is also up 21 percent when compared to last year.

Both the iPhone 13 and new MacBook Pro have been difficult to hunt down amid shortages, with shipping dates in some cases several weeks (or months) away. Though it’s still unclear, it’s likely that Apple’s product shortage issues will continue into the holiday season.

Source: Apple Via: CNBC

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Mobile Syrup

Some users are reporting LCD clearance issues with new iPad mini

It looks like Apple’s new iPad mini suffers from display clearance issues.

A user on Reddit (Aromatic-Coat5459) reports that the iPad Mini’s glass screen is too close to their LCD panel and that it’s causing pretty annoying distortions.

In my experience, the iPad mini I have doesn’t look quite as bad as the Reddit user’s. That said, I have found the LCD and glass a little too close to each other given it takes surprisingly little pressure to make the iPad mini’s display distort.

Other commenters on the original video claim to have experienced similar issues with the new iPad mini’s design. Hopefully, Apple addresses this problem, but knowing the giant company’s track record related to hardware issues, it’s unlikely we’ll see a widespread recall.

In a comment to MacRumors, Apple said that this is normal screen behaviour. This is similar to the company’s response regarding the iPad mini’s ‘jelly scrolling’ issue that some users have also noted.

Overall, as someone who still uses the iPad mini daily, I don’t think either of these problems are that serious. However, it does make the tiny tablet feel a little cheaper than its expensive $640 cost.

For more on the iPad mini, check out my review of the tablet.

Source: Reddit (Aromatic-Coat5459), MacRumors 

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Mobile Syrup

Some iPad mini users notice ‘jelly scrolling’ display refresh rate issue

As Apple’s new iPad mini (2021) has started making its way into the hands of customers, it’s being met with some trepidation as select users report a weird refresh rate problem with its display.

The issue is only noticeable when the tablet is in portrait mode with the camera at the top of the device and on web pages with a lot of text. If you’ve lined up these variables and scroll quickly, you’ll notice that one side of the screen refreshes faster than the other, making it look like the text is slanted as you navigate down a page.

This has been noticeably captured by Dieter Bohn from The Verge on Twitter. While his example makes the problem look quite bad, I didn’t notice this in my time with an iPad mini. I will say that I primarily use the tablet in landscape mode, though. I’ll also mention that while I found it particularly noticeable when visiting The Verge and Polygon, I’m not entirely sure it’s happening on all sites. For example, CBC and MobileSyrup both didn’t seem to be affected by the jelly scrolling bug.

Still, this is a weird issue nonetheless, and a reader who contacted 9to5Mac even said that when they went to return their mini because they thought it was defective, they noticed that the display units all suffered the same problem. This suggests that all new Minis likely suffer the same issue.

What I find the most interesting is that people are noticing this more than the thin-feeling front glass panel. I noted in my review that when you press too hard on the screen, you see a considerable amount of LCD distortion. Even if you’re using the Apple Pencil in apps that support pressure sensitivity, I find that to hit max pressure, you need to push down on the screen hard enough to distort it.

It’s unclear if the refresh rate issue can be fixed through a software update or if it’s a hardware issue.

Source: @backlon, 9to5Mac

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Mobile Syrup

The A15 Bionic is faster on iPhone 13 than new iPad mini

Both the new iPad mini and Apple’s iPhone 13 series all use relatively the same A15 Bionic chipset, but it’s now come to light that the iPhones are actually more powerful than the tablet.

The iPad mini and the iPhone 13 Pro series all have a 5 core GPU unit as opposed to a 4-core version in the regular iPhone 13. That being said, it looks like Apple has clocked down the chip inside the new tiny tablet.

The tablet’s CPU clocks in at 2.9 GHz while the iPhone 13 Pro has a speed of 3.2 GHz, according to some Geekbench benchmark tests. The tests say that the difference between the devices is two to eight percent, so this may just be a margin of error found in testing.

It will be interesting to see if iPad mini users notice the lower clock speed once the device actually makes it into people’s hands later this month. The chip is still faster than Apple’s A14 Bionic from last year so it should still be plenty quick enough for most everyday tasks.

You can learn more about the iPad mini by reading our prior coverage and stay tuned to MobileSyrup for a full review coming soon.

Source: Cult of Mac

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Mobile Syrup

Should you buy Apple’s iPhone 13? [SyrupCast 246]

On this week’s SyrupCast, Brad Bennett, Jon Lamont and Patrick O’Rourke talk about Apple’s big iPhone 13 event.

This includes a discussion surrounding the fact that the iPhone 13 series is very similar to the iPhone 12 line, the Apple Watch Series 7, the reveal of the stellar-looking iPad mini, and the far more boring entry-level iPad. The team also talks about how wrong some rumours leading up to the event were, particularly relating to the Series 7.

You can listen to the show on your favourite podcast platform or watch the video version on YouTube.

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