iPhone Plus Versus the iPad Mini - The iPhone Plus Ain't the Same As A Small iPad

Most who follow Apple closely will agree with me that it was disappointing Apple did not upgrade the iPad mini along with the rest of the iPad line.  Most predict that Apple will eventually let it go the way of the iPod now that the iPhone Plus screen is big enough that it may represent a good alternative for folks who want a bigger screen mobile device but doesn't want to go as big as the 9.7" iPad. 

Frankly, I think that's a pretty lame comparision and excuse.  First of all, the iPhone Plus is not a tablet.  I have the iPhone 7 Plus and I love it.  It's powerful, gets me through the day with no issue, and has the best camera as far as I can of any that I have ever owned.  But here is why I don't think it's a good replacement for the iPad mini.

The mini can do many things that the iPhone cannot do.  Split screen.  A little cramp but works well.  The iPhone doesn't do split screen.  Picture-in-picture is a feature that the iPad owns the iPhone.  The mini does that too but the iPhone doesn't.  I think it should and allow can easily allow it to do that but it doesn't.  It's obvious that Apple does want to keep some features that as exlcusive to the iPad. Which kinda says a lot about how Apple does not think the iPhone 7 Plus is a viable replacement for the mini.

Furthermore, the mini is more a productive device than the iPhone.  I've done my share of work on the iPhone but if you put the iPhone Plus and the iPad mini on a table and ask me to crank out a spreadsheet, drawing, or just about anything else, I'll reached for the mini every time.

So, it is perplexing that Apple decided to forgo upgrading the mini in 2017.  Perhaps, we might see an upgrade down the line, perhaps in time for the Holiday Seasons in 2017 or next spring when Apple may decide to use that time show off new iPads. 

The mini serves a need that the iPhone Plus can be a viable substitute for.  Reading, watching videos, or play games.  For other things that can offer greater productivity, the mini has the iPhone beat.  And let's face it, the iPhone Plus costs way more than the mini.  Some might say that's the reason Apple decided not to upgrade the mini and will eventually kill it off.  If so, it should have done that earlier this year.

My guess is that Apple does have plans for the iPad mini.  Maybe it'll get an biannual upgrade like the iPhone SE.  If it does, it makes sense.  The iPhone SE did not get an upgrade this year and if Apple does want to keep the mini in the lineup, upgrading the SE and the iPad mini at the same time next year would make a lot of sense.  That means I'l be more than willing to retire my current iPad mini and opt for the iPad mini 5.

Forget the 15” iPad - give me a 20” One

How do you like them 12.9" iPad Pros? I like then and I'm sure those who own one likes it too. Do it is inevitable that Apple will eventually come out with even bigger iPads that truly blends the line between a tablet and one that works just as well on a desktop. It'll be easier to lug around a tablet form factor than the iMac. Heck it'll be easier and lighter to carry even a 15" or 17" iPad than the 15" MacBook Pro.

So, instead of all that, let's just straight to the 20".  Let's face it, this won't be something you take to Starbucks but it'll be something you can move around your home, office, or studio.  And yeah, at 3-4 pounds for so, you can definitely move it around some.

Right now, I'm sitting in front of a 22" monitor and it's definitely heavier than what a 20" iPad Pro would be and, if it wasn't for the cables and the lack of any reason why I need to move it from my desk, it isn't difficult to move it at all if I wanted to. 

Plus, imagine really using it as a second monitor, perhaps, exclusive to this 20" iPad.  It's both a win-win for Apple and the user. 

Above all, look at the huge productivity spike you'll see with it.  I've done work on the iPhone going as far back as the 3.5" screen.  And then as the screens got bigger and the apps could do do more, I am now doing much more on the iOS devices, particuarly on the iPads.  And I've used them all - 7.9", 9.7", and the 12.9" iPads.  So, I imagine I can do a lot more on the 20" iPad Pro.

Imagine a split screen of 3-4 apps while allow space for other things like a keyboard or controls for apps and games.  You simply cannot do that on today's iPads or Macbooks.  Definitely not on the desktop Macs.

What Apple would have to do is to create a whole new way of utility on such a tablet.  It would truly revolutionize how we interact with computers in the future.  Yeah, gotta be revolutionary.  Because let's be real about this, one day, you can have a room where just the wall itself it a giant screen that you interact with. You can be sitting or standing while you interact with a spreadsheet, painting, or gaming with someone while also FaceTiming your buddies. 

So, I'm gonna go out on a limp here and say that a big, big iPad is something.  Perhaps, Apple is still waiting for the technology to catch up to their vision or it is simply still trying to figure out the best way to make it work in that unique Apple way.  Regardless, it'll happen when Apple think they've got something revolutionary.  And while I'm happy with my iPad 2, I would definitely be ready to buy a 20" iPad Pro because it would take computing to another whole new level.

Perhaps, it might not called the iPad when it does come out.  But who cares.  Just be ready for it.