Why the iPad mini 3 is a gigantic ripoff

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iPadmini3

Photo: Apple

The iPad Air 2 is the best tablet Apple’s ever made. The iPad mini 3 is good, but it’s also a gigantic ripoff.

Phil Schiller gushed over all the new iPad Air 2 upgrades during today’s keynote, reveling in its improved camera, powerful A8X chip, anti-reflective coating and Touch ID. But when it came to the iPad mini 3, Apple tried to slide quickly past it, and for good reason – there weren’t any upgrades to brag about.

Here are the new iPad mini 3 features:

  • Touch ID
  • Gold

That’s it! Everything else is the same as last year’s iPad mini 2. Same design. Same cameras. Same Wi-Fi. Same storage. No fully laminated display. No barometer. No Burst Mode. No anti-reflective coating.

Apple didn’t even give it an A8 processor to put it on the same level as the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. Instead, Apple has kept all the same internals as the iPad mini 2 but left the price at $100 because, hey, that Touch ID and number “3” on the packaging weren’t cheap.

That’s not to say that the iPad mini 3 is a bad tablet. It’s still better than the competition. But when you’re paying $100 for this year’s “top-of-the-line” model, you expect it to at least get some of the iPad Air 2’s most basic new features.

If you’re thinking about getting a new iPad mini, stay away from the mini 3 and grab the cheaper, but just as powerful, iPad mini 2 for $100 less.

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