As I mentioned yesterday in my regular post-game follow-up, Apple had some significant flaws with its product launches at its “California Dreaming” event. One of those flaws is that the iPad Mini 6, yes 5G data capabilities, cannot make phone calls.
Despite this, the iPad Mini 6 is not only the most exciting product that Apple has launched this year, but it is one of the most exciting new products that Apple has launched in years. It belongs to a class of other innovative Apple products, such as the current iPad Pro M1 M1 and Apple’s own Silicon M1 chip that powers its new Macbook and Mac Mini line.
Why is it the most exciting new product in recent years? Because it’s powerful enough to be the only Apple device that will need a large group of customers. And the biggest piece of that customer base? The demographic group called Generation Z, “Zoomers” or “digital natives”. These people were born between the mid-1990s and early 2010s, so that they were about 26 years old.
Like Gen-Xer, who turns 52 this month, if I had to be stuck with a single Apple device, the iPad Mini 6 with 5G is the device I would choose: my “desert island device.”
That means I didn’t need an Apple Watch (which I did), and they issued me another device (such as my Macbook) and I didn’t have access to a TV with another streaming device connected.
You should be willing to wear it with cargo pants, a jacket with large pockets, or a decent-sized pocket, backpack, or messenger bag (yes, for my iPhone 12 Pro Max), but I hope that still be a very large demographic.
If I were the type to live in a small one-bedroom apartment, studio, or college dorm, or my mobile data plan was my primary method of Internet access, complemented by public Wi-Fi (such as a college student), the iPad Mini 6 with 5G, which costs $ 649 for the 64GB and $ 799 for the 256GB model, would do pretty much everything you would need.
- It has the same Bionic A15 SoC that is used on the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro / Max.
- It has 5G connectivity, just like the iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro Max and iPad Pro.
- Run the entire App Store portfolio. That’s the whole issue of social media like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (the iPhone version, because Facebook hasn’t yet released a native version of the iPad, which is silly). This is any gaming and productivity app you can imagine, including Apple’s content creation apps for iPad. It also manages Apple’s entire portfolio of services, such as Music and everything on the Apple One.
- It has a web browser that works completely with Safari and works with Chrome, Edge, Firefox and some other web browsers.
- It can run all major streaming services, including Netflix, Hulu, Disney, Amazon, and Apple’s own TV Plus service. The 2266 x 1488 Full HD + display has an 8.3 “diagonal view, with a brightness level of 500 nights with little reflectivity, making it ideal for viewing personal content.
- It features two 12MP cameras, one forward-facing for video conferencing (center stage) and high-resolution selfies, and an f / 1.8 on the back with True Tone and HDR flash, which is more than “enough good “for informal use photographs. It also has a 4K video capture capability.
- It has Apple Pencil support, which allows you to take notes, draw, write down and other handwriting functions.
- It has a large 5078 mAh battery that supports all-day use scenarios.
There would be a lot of limitations if you had to use it as a “only” device. Still, I don’t see why Apple shouldn’t try to fix them in a future product update. Some of these are strictly software issues, while others are related to hardware.
Software limitations
- While you should be able to send text messages with iMessage and get a virtual phone number from your 5G mobile phone provider, you won’t be able to make calls because … no iPad can make calls; is a limitation for iPadOS. But there are several third-party VOIP services you can use, including Google Voice and Skype, that will allow you to make outgoing phone calls. There’s no technical reason why Apple shouldn’t solve this and give the iPad 5G the full stack of phone apps, mostly because mobile networks become autonomous in the 5G cloud.
- Facetime with other Apple device users works, but with your Apple ID, not your phone number.
- There are no native WhatsApp clients for iPad, but there are several third-party solutions.
- Although Apple Fitness + will work without an attached Apple Watch, you cannot sign up for Fitness + without it. And you can’t set up or supply an Apple Watch without an iPhone.
- While 5G mobile phone models include GPS, the iPad Mini, as with all iPads, does not support CarPlay. This is a bit annoying if you plan to use your iPad as a navigation system for your car. However, given that the screen itself is 8.3 “, you should be able to get a car mount for your device, so you can run apps directly from the screen and use USB or Bluetooth audio. This requires a USB-C charger in your car (via a 12 V connector or a native vehicle) or via a compatible USB PD external battery.
Hardware limitations
- You can’t charge an iPad with MagSafe, only USB-C. Not such a terrible limitation, as USB PD charging is faster than even the 15W MagSafe.
- The rear camera has a single lens, so it’s not intended for “Pro” photos and can’t take wide field of view photos like the iPhone 13. It’s the same as the iPad Air’s camera, which is perfect for generals. use of purpose. This makes us wonder: why not offer an iPad Mini Pro with a similar dual camera setup to the iPad Pro or iPhone 13?
- Although you can use Apple Pay and buy products online with an iPad, there are no NFC features on an iPad Mini 6 or an iPad, so you can’t use Apple Pay inside a store or use a terminal. NFC payment (as you would with an iPhone or Apple Watch) with it. So it means taking out the physical credit card; you like it when people see your titanium Apple card, right?
While these limitations are annoying, I bet a huge group of users could easily cope with them. If it were a Gen Z, I would firmly consider an iPad Mini 6 5G instead of an iPhone, especially if I had a limited budget.