The iPad mini is my favorite iPad. I’ve had so many iPads over the years. My first iPad had a 30-pin connector, that’s how long I’ve been using these things. The iPad really started to come into its own with the introduction of the Apple Pencil. From there, the iPad mini with Apple Pencil support became the natural form for the iPad. Around the size of a classic Moleskine notebook, it’s perfect on a desktop for notes or in a backpack. Mine is a constant companion for all work, as I take notes on the software I write, my meeting notes, planning, and more. I read books on the train and sitting at the bar. I even use it during my D&D sessions. They can be spaced apart quite a bit, someone in the party has to take notes!
In my use of the iPad mini, however, I’ve come to realize that it’s quite flawed. For being my favorite iPad, it certainly lacks in some ways that would make it perfect. I think focusing on how people use the iPad mini would be a great first step towards making it more than just a small iPad Air.
The iPad mini is primarily for writing, drawing, and reading. Its lack of a smart connector for a keyboard shows that it’s primarily to be used with your finger or a stylus, not a keyboard and mouse. It’s a companion device, not a primary device. It’s time they start thinking of it like one.
So here’s all the things I think Apple should update about the iPad mini to make it a true companion on every desk, in every bag. Or at least make me want to upgrade.
In This Article:
Micro Etched Matte Glass and OLED Brightness
Since the iPad had a Pencil that went along with it, I’ve needed to buy a matte screen protector. Using the Apple Pencil on a glossy iPad screen is the worst. It slides around, it feels awful, it makes a racket, and my handwriting gets far worse than it already is. Honestly? It’s almost wrong that Apple sells the iPad like this. It feels like selling an iPhone without a battery. This just isn’t right.
Apple used to offer their devices with either a glossy or a matte screen. Most people chose glossy because it was often less expensive and has a higher color accuracy. However, some still preferred the anti-reflective qualities of a matte screen. For the iPad, toning down reflections would be great, but it’s a small enough device that you can usually move it around. The real benefit of the matte screen would be a permanent matte texture for writing and drawing. Screen protectors often wear down, becoming scratched or smooth over time and requiring another replacement. They also wear down the soft tip of the Apple Pencil. There’s a clear solution here: harder tips and etched matte texture in the glass.
Apple could etch a matte texture into hardened glass, allowing for even metal Apple Pencil tips for a real pen-like feel. It could make the iPad less reflective and feel good to use permanently. Apple could offer it as an option, but for some devices, like the iPad mini that certainly serves best as a writing and drawing tablet, perhaps it could be the only option offered. My main monitor is a matte screen, and with the lights in my apartment, I think I’d go crazy if it was anything but matte. Going for this over glossy was a fantastic decision, and I hate that I can’t make that choice with Apple products anymore, especially the ones that could benefit from it the most.
OLED for Battery Life
OLED screens produce sharp contrast and color accuracy, which is lovely on a large display. But they also have another superpower, one the iPad desperately needs: they can improve battery life.
Outside of the need for a screen protector that cuts down on the visual clarity of the screen, the worst part about the current screen is just how much battery life it uses up. Full brightness is necessary to cut down on glare in bright rooms and offices, and that burns through the battery life. If they used OLED displays, you could choose dark backgrounds for your notes to greatly extend battery life. Instead of needing a quick top-up mid-day, you could instead use your iPad all day, possibly even more than a single day, on a single charge. I’ve been adding a dark background to my notes for years now, anticipating that after moving the iPhone to OLED displays, Apple would finally do the same for the iPad. So far, they’ve disappointed year after year.
More Battery Life, Less Camera Bump
The iPad mini requires a folio or a case of some kind to even be usable on a desk. Otherwise, it rocks back and forth because, for no good reason, Apple has decided to put a giant camera on the back of the iPad.
Using the camera to scan documents is certainly useful. But it’s not worth losing the primary use of the iPad. A smaller bump could be achieved with a smaller camera. No one is using these cameras like like professional photography devices anyway, it doesn’t need to be as good as an iPhone’s camera. Outside of that, Apple could take the same approach many have asked from the iPhone for years: make it a little thicker. Just a little! Reduce the bump by making the device slightly thicker and the battery a little larger. It’s a small and simple change that is always appreciated in the rare times Apple actually does it. They have nothing to lose, but you could have a lot to gain.
Currently, taking notes through a senselessly long, 1.5 hour meeting, drains about 30% of my iPad’s battery life. A busy day means it doesn’t even make it to the end of the day. I’d need an external battery pack or a paper notebook to make up for the shortcomings Apple chose to build into their devices. The solutions are obvious and easy wins for Apple, but, frustratingly, they choose to continue to keep users from getting the perfect iPad. Just make the battery larger.
More Storage, Faster Speeds, The Usual Stuff
I wrote about how the storage on the base model iPad mini is a scam. It is. These should come with at least 256GB, preferably 512 minimum. In fact, let it go up to 1-2TB! I use this tablet so much, every single day! My notes include both audio recordings, drawings, photos, and more! That eats up storage both on my device and in the cloud. Just give me the space to work, Apple, I’ll gladly pay! I’m certain I’m not the only one who would, either. Why only allow the pro models to have high storage capacity?
The iPad doesn’t need a very powerful processor. Still, equipping the iPad mini with an M1 chip would be a welcome benefit over giving it old iPhone chips. It’s an iPad, used for serious work, there’s really no reason Apple should treat it as a lesser device, like some discount iPhone taking parts from the storage bin. I love using its smaller display on my desk or on my couch. The display size doesn’t play into how I use it, it just makes the iPad mini easier to use everywhere. So why not make it closer to the iPad Air and iPad Pro in power? At least make it equivalent to the latest iPhone Pro Max, which is, honestly, the real iPad mini of Apple’s lineup, with its screen size exiting phablet territory and entering tablet territory this year.
What We’re Getting Instead
On May 7th, Apple will feature an iPad-focused event, “Let Loose.” The marketing material for it clearly points towards new iPads and possibly an updated Apple Pencil. The iPad Pro and iPad Air will get new processors, and possibly an OLED display for the iPad Pro only. Apple may also introduce an even larger iPad Air, with a 12.9″ size. Cameras may make a move to the landscape side of the iPad’s display, so users won’t have it on an awkward side when video chatting with it on a display stand or Magic Keyboard.
The iPad Pro might get a new Magic Keyboard, with a larger trackpad and more professional-looking aluminum-based design. Apple may also introduce a third generation Apple Pencil that will have squeeze gestures and tactile feedback. It may also have Find My support and support for Apple’s Vision Pro.
No new changes for the iPad or iPad mini, unfortunately.
These updates largely are incremental. The Apple Pencil could make for a nice update, but with the screens still requiring a screen protector to not feel terrible to use with the Apple Pencil, it’s not much of a win. The worst issue with the Apple Pencil will still be there, three generations in.
The iPad lineup has stagnated slightly since Apple’s move to M-series chips. The iPad is the best tablet experience, by a wide margin, but that doesn’t mean Apple couldn’t widen the closing gap with Android and Windows competition. Innovative computers like the Surface Studio can give both the iMac and an iPad competition, while Google works to make the tablet experience for Android better. Foldable phones could give Android users the best parts of a phone and a tablet, making a separate tablet unnecessary and pushing developers to focus more on dynamic, tablet-friendly apps. That could spell real competition for Apple. They’re going to need more than more powerful processors for a platform that doesn’t even make full use of the power they provide and an Apple Pencil that you can squeeze instead of just tap. Apple’s going to have to get creative if they want to drive upgrades and loyalty. But maybe not for at least another year.
Sources:
- Kris Holt, Engadget
- Antonio Villas-Boas, Business Insider
- Stephen Warwick, iMore