Apple Pulls the Plug on iPad Mini 1st Gen

Almost three years after the first iPad Mini made its debut, Apple has finally put the aging 7.9-inch slate out to pasture by removing it from their website and official online store listing.

The decision to kick the iPad Mini 1 out of its roster actually makes sense. It was clearly the odd man out in the group sporting a 1024 x 768 resolution and rocking an old Apple A5 processor when two of its successors (iPad Mini 2 and iPad Mini 3) and its bigger brothers (iPad Air and iPad Air 2) have a Retina display and are running on a 64-bit processor.

The removal of the iPad Mini 1 didn’t cause any changes on the pricing of both iPad Mini 2 and iPad Mini 3.

The iPad Mini 1st Gen will still be available through third-party retail stores both in and outside of the country. In addition, Apple will still continue to sell refurbished iPad Mini 1 until supplies last.

[9toMac]

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Apple iPad 5 & iPad Mini 2 coming October 22

Mark your calendars! As Nokia will be holding a big event on the 22nd and Microsoft will be outing their new Surface tablets, Apple is reported to be announcing the 5th-generation iPad & the new iPad Mini on the same day along with the Mac Pro & OS X Mavericks sharing the spotlight.

Apple iPad 5

While we’re expecting a Retina Display for the 2nd iPad Mini, the 5th-gen iPad will be the bigger story. It’s rumored to be packing Apple’s 64-bit A7 CPU, the Touch ID fingerprint scanner, a better camera and a new design following the iPad Mini – thinner bezels.

It looks like Apple will be stealing quite some thunder from Nokia & Microsoft, as even the Finnish company is rumored to be planning to release their first tablet ever – the Lumia 2520.

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Will you be getting a new smartphone this December?

It is Christmas season, and most of us are already looking for gifts to give, gifts to ask for and gifts for ourselves (13th month pays? Self-rewarding?). A lot, surely, are keeping an eye on gadgets.

There are a lot of choices out there. Some might eye on the already available Samsung Galaxy S III while some might opt for the more recent Samsung Galaxy Note 2.

If you’re not planning to go that way, there are many more options. We’re pretty sure that there’s no ‘best’ phone, but there is indeed a best phone for you. There’s the Nokia PureView 808 for photographers and some rugged smartphones like the Sony Xperia Acro S for the adventurers.

The iPhone 5 will be launching before Christmas, but let’s not forget that there more devices available outside the Philippines that haven’t arrived here yet. Well, not officially of course. Most of them are available through the gray market and through other sources, but of course these devices will be sold at relatively higher prices.

For example, the iPad Mini and the iPhone 5 are already available in the Philippines through other re-sellers – but not through Apple’s stores yet. You can get them at much higher costs, but this is all just the result of the laws of supply & demand.

We can’t help but feel hesitant to buy gadgets (and to ask for gadgets) as we know that there is a possibility that they might get immediately outdated within a few months.

There are the Nexus 4, Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 – which are not officially announced yet for the Philippines. The list also includes the much awaited Nokia Lumia 920, the Microsoft Surface and the iPad Mini.

And of course, a lot of Filipinos are also waiting on Blackberry 10, which will be available very early next year.

There are a lot of reasons not to buy a new smartphone (or tablet) this December, but of course, what’s Christmas without giving? You’re going to miss the whole point and the spirit if we delay all the giving.

And also, you can’t keep waiting forever. Here we are, receiving the all new iPad and all of a sudden, a newer and faster iPad comes out months later.

So, what will it be? Will you be getting a new smartphone regardless of the price? Would you buy what’s available now? Or would you just let December pass and save the upgrades for next year?





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