iPad mini

iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 now available to purchase from T-Mobile

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 10, 2017

Keeping true to its promise, T-Mobile, the nation's fourth-largest carrier, on Wednesday announced that customers can now buy Apple's iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 in participating T-Mobile stores and online. The new tablets are available in Wi-Fi-only and cellular flavors and in all three colors.

The top-of-the-line iPad Air 2 model with 128 gigabytes of storage is not yet available, leaving early adopters to choose between 16GB and 64GB iPad Air 2 models. The iPad mini 3 is available in 16/64/128GB storage flavors.

iPad Air 2’s anti-reflective screen reduces ambient light reflections dramatically

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 27, 2014

DisplayMate Technologies has put the screens of the new iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 through a barrage of tests concluding that the former's anti-reflective screen reduces ambient light reflections dramatically compared to any other tablet display out there.

The technology, DisplayMate discovered, reduces ambient light reflections by about 3:1 over most other tablets, including the previous iPads, and about 2:1 over all of the very best competing tablets and smartphones, including the iPhone 6.

iPad mini 3’s ‘hastily glued’ Touch ID Home button makes screen repairs difficult

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 24, 2014

Following their analysis of the iPad Air 2's innards, repair experts over at iFixIt have now perfumed their ritual teardown dance with Apple's iPad mini 3. As you know, the iPad mini 3 is basically the iPad mini 2 with the addition of Touch ID and a gold color option so there isn't much to be analyzed here.

That being said, iFixIt was able to make a few noteworthy observations regarding the new tablet's repairability. Specifically, they found that Apple engineers glued the Home button bracket to the front panel assembly, making Touch ID and Home button repairs difficult.

New iPads now available for in-store pickup at some Apple Stores

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 22, 2014

Apple's latest iPads, the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3, are now available for in-store pickup at a growing list of retail locations in the United States, MacRumors reported Wednesday. Initially limited to Wi-Fi-only iPads and available for a limited number of retail locations that have received shipments, every Apple Store in the United States and abroad will provide personal pickup as soon as Apple catches up to demand for the new tablets.

If you are planning on purchasing one of the new iPads for in-store pickup, head over to Apple's US Online Store, choose your iPad model and check the bottom of the page: if personal pickup is available, you'll see the “Available for pickup” message. You can also click the “Check availability” link and enter your ZIP code to get a list of nearby stores that will let you pick up your iPad in person.

Apple starts accepting pre-orders for new iPads

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

Apple's Online Store went down for more than three hours earlier this morning as the Cupertino firm was gearing up to start accepting pre-orders for the new iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3.

Lo and behold, Apple has now begun accepting pre-orders for the new tablets from customers in 29 countries and territories.

Additional global availability is due in the coming months. Interestingly enough, U.S. carrier AT&T started accepting pre-orders for the new tablets ahead of Apple. If you're interested, head over to the Online Apple Store and make your reservation for one of the new iPad Air 2 or iPad mini 3 models.

Apple promised to start shipping these “later next week”.

Ten ways iPad Air 2 is better than iPad mini 3

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 16, 2014

Deciding between the original iPad mini and the iPad 4 was tedious due to a feature gap stemming from the notable hardware differences between the two. On the other hand, the choice between the iPad mini with Retina display (or the iPad mini 2, as it's now called) was a no-brainer. Both came outfitted with essentially the same hardware— from the sensors to the A7/M7 chips to the cameras — so the decision came down to picking your preferred screen size.

That said, brain work is required to make an informed purchasing decision concerning the latest iPads. In case you missed it, Apple's brought minor changes to the iPad mini 3 and the device got only like thirty seconds of stage time. Conversely, the iPad Air 2 is a much more substantial upgrade.

Here are ten iPad Air 2 features that the iPad mini 3 lacks which make the bigger model a better buy and arguably the right device to boost your tablet computing.

iOS 8 User Guide inadvertently confirms ‘iPad Air 2’ and ‘iPad mini 3’ with Touch ID and Burst mode

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 15, 2014

An inadvertent (or is it?) slip-up on Apple’s iBooks Store on Wednesday all but confirmed that tomorrow's media event will in fact serve as a launchpad for a pair of iPad refreshes: a second-generation iPad Air and third-generation iPad mini. Furthermore, the images suggest Touch ID fingerprint scanning for both new tablets, in addition to Burst camera mode for the regular-size iPad.

These revelations were made public via iTunes screenshots for the iOS 8 iPad User Guide that can be downloaded to iBooks, as first discovered by the prolific Apple blogger Mark Gurman of 9to5Mac.

Apple could also launch new iPad mini and Smart Covers with new colors this Thursday

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

Rumors of a third-generation iPad mini arriving in 2015 (ahead of another rumored device, a 12.9-inch iPad Pro) rather than alongside the iPad Air 2 as previously suspected may have been greatly exaggerated after all, according to the fairly accurate Japanese blog MacOtakara [Google Translate] which today asserted that the Cupertino firm is in fact going to refresh the smaller device alongside its bigger sibling at this Thursday's press conference.

The event should unsurprisingly see the addition of new colors to Apple's Smart Cover case lineup, said to receive a tweaked design to accommodate the changes in the iPad's form factor.

Apple CEO Tim Cook thinks slow down in iPad sales is just a ‘speed bump’

Jake Smith ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Apple CEO Tim Cook isn't worried about the company's tablet sales, even when industry analysts and consumers have been yammering on about it being a slowing market. Words from the Apple boss came in a brief interview with ReCode's Walt Mossberg, moments before a report went live detailing plans for a larger iPad out of Cupertino.

Apple releases video of Yaoband’s use of iPad in musical experimentation

Timothy Reavis ∙ August 12, 2014

Following yesterday's release of two new 'Your Verse' stories from Apple, the Cupertino giant has made an accompanying video to one of the stories available on its YouTube channel. The clip showcases Yaoband, a China-based music band that was featured in one of the two recent iPad stories, as they demonstrate ways in which Apple's tablet is used in their music creation process...

FreedomPop adds LTE iPads to its no-contract free data, text and voice plans

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 30, 2014

FreedomPop, a startup backed by Skype founder Niklas Zennstrom which provides free or inexpensive Internet service on the Sprint network, today added the original iPad mini and other cellular-capable iPads to its stable of supported devices.

Apple's LTE iPads, along with Samsung's seven-inch Galaxy Tab 3, are now eligible for FreedomPop's no-contract, free of charge voice, data and text plan.

It's basically the same plan that the company originally offered to smartphone owners. Additional voice and data is available for a fee.

Regardless of whether you're buying a little used iPad mini from FreedomPop or bringing your device over from another carrier, FreedomPop will treat you to gratis 500MB of LTE data, 200 voice minutes and 500 text messages.

But how does one take advantage of voice minutes and text messages on LTE iPads which only support data connections over cellular? Read on for the full reveal...

Are you ready for iPad mini Air?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated August 29, 2016

When Apple last October introduced an update to its full-size iPad, nobody expected a name change but that's exactly what transpired as the fifth-generation iPad became known as the iPad Air.

The rebranding conveys the device's thin appearance and sleek design. With Fall fast approaching, Apple is about to refresh its tablet lineup.

A fresh report from China now hints at the possibility of a dramatically thinner appearance for the third-generation iPad mini, suggesting the device might even borrow the “Air” moniker from its bigger brother...