New iPad Mini Compatible With Final Cut Pro, But Lacks Stage Manager

It's really a shame they have intentionally hobbled the device by not giving it at least an M1. No true external display support. no stage manager, lack of access to likely several other major features during its normal lifecycle as all development is focused on M-generation iPads. Also means apps which require an M-series chip aren't going to work either (or at least as well). They patched Final Cut (for now) to run, but it's not the only M-series app.

This is like them dropping a new MacBook with an Intel i3 processor. Sure, it might still get security patches, but the entire focus of development is on M-series chips.

I think they want to kill the Mini so bad but simply can't because of overwhelming corporate usage... so they are trying to keep it fundamentally deficient so it can't be a consumer success (presumably to drive folks to larger more profitable iPads).

So very much this. Could not agree more. I’m so tired of their fragmentation and compromise. The mini is such a great device and IMHO the best iPad and what I see an iPad to be: a great device for consuming content. Apple should either go all out or kill off the mini already. This one step forward two steps back is getting boring.

It's really a shame they have intentionally hobbled the device by not giving it at least an M1. No true external display support. no stage manager, lack of access to likely several other major features during its normal lifecycle as all development is focused on M-generation iPads. Also means apps which require an M-series chip aren't going to work either (or at least as well). They patched Final Cut (for now) to run, but it's not the only M-series app.

This is like them dropping a new MacBook with an Intel i3 processor. Sure, it might still get security patches, but the entire focus of development is on M-series chips.

I think they want to kill the Mini (like they did the Mini phone) but simply can't because of overwhelming corporate usage... so they are trying to keep it fundamentally deficient so it can't be a consumer success (presumably to drive folks to larger more profitable iPads).

It's a shame too because I would pay 2x the cost of a maxed out 12.9 Pro (which I also have) for an iPad mini Pro. The form factor is absolutely PERFECT. Being able to travel with just that, a fold out bluetooth keyboard and flat mouse would be a game changer as everything could fit in a jacket pocket.

Well the M1 would have technically been a downgrade, as the the previous Mini 6 had the M2 based A15 Chip, so the Mini 7 should have been given the M2 at least. The A17 Pro however is a more advanced chip than the M1/M2 and is fully capable of running Stage Manager via an external extended display, but they purposely disabled it, probably to upsell people to the 11" Air/Pro. Having Final Cut Pro though is a massive bonus, as they could have just not bothered because of the smaller screen.

Yes, and once again, these comments prove that no one seems to get exactly what the “M” chips are.
They aren’t totally different from the “A” chips like a lot of people seem to believe. A lot of people seem to actually believe that if the iPad mini had the “M1” it would be a more capable, faster, longer lasting machine than the “A17”, when that just absolutely is not the case.

The A17 is on a newer process than the M1, has faster RAM than the M1, has a RT capable GPU when the M1 does not, has the newer AV1 decoders which the M1 does not, and will more than likely get three more years of support since it’s three years newer.

Meanwhile, the M1 is basically an A14 with more cores and RAM. Incredible chip, but still four years old, and has the most in common with the same chip from the iPhone 12 then it does the newer “A” chips.

The A17 is most comparable to the M3, but even then it would have made absolutely no sense to put an M3 in the iPad mini, because it’s a tiny thermal envelope with a small battery.

All the iPads (including the mini) need to have full stage manager and external display support IN CLAMSHELL MODE. This would make a huge difference for a portable workstation, even if stage manager isnt enabled on the mini when not plugged in.

i expect one of two things happening in the next three years:

one: apple finally adds the iPad mini screen size as an option to the iPad Pro lineup, and stops selling this old mini or at a reduced price for entry level into iPads. (And if they go smaller bezels, iPad Mini Pro could even go to 8,5 or 8,7 inches.)

or

two: apple kills the mini altogether and this will be the last mini ever made.

Or three they will continue to update the mini every 3 or so years and cater to the customers they know are actually buying them. These are used widely in enterprise especially as pos systems. Just because Apple isn’t turning the mini into a pro doesn’t mean it’s going away. The best selling iPad is often the cheap one not the more advanced models

It's really a shame they have intentionally hobbled the device by not giving it at least an M1. No true external display support. no stage manager, lack of access to likely several other major features during its normal lifecycle as all development is focused on M-generation iPads. Also means apps which require an M-series chip aren't going to work either (or at least as well). They patched Final Cut (for now) to run, but it's not the only M-series app.

This is like them dropping a new MacBook with an Intel i3 processor. Sure, it might still get security patches, but the entire focus of development is on M-series chips.

I think they want to kill the Mini (like they did the Mini phone) but simply can't because of overwhelming corporate usage... so they are trying to keep it fundamentally deficient so it can't be a consumer success (presumably to drive folks to larger more profitable iPads).

It's a shame too because I would pay 2x the cost of a maxed out 12.9 Pro (which I also have) for an iPad mini Pro. The form factor is absolutely PERFECT. Being able to travel with just that, a fold out bluetooth keyboard and flat mouse would be a game changer as everything could fit in a jacket pocket.

Well the M1 would have technically been a downgrade, as the the previous Mini 6 had the M2 based A15 Chip, so the Mini 7 should have been given the M2 at least. The A17 Pro however is a more advanced chip than the M1/M2 and is fully capable of running Stage Manager via an external extended display, but they purposely disabled it, probably to upsell people to the 11" Air/Pro. Having Final Cut Pro though is a massive bonus, as they could have just not bothered because of the smaller screen.