Why you shouldn’t buy an iPad Mini 3

OPINION: While the iPad Air 2 may end up being the best tablet on the market, there’s a very good reason why you should not buy the iPad Mini 3.

People look at the new iPad Mini 3 (L) and iPad Air 2 (R) on October 16, 2014 during an event unveiling the company's new iPad line in Cupertino, California. Apple released the new iPads and introduced updated operating software and announced that its new mobile payments system, Apple Pay, will launch on October 20. Apple, which popularized tablets with its iPad, remained the largest single global vendor in the second quarter but its market share fell to 26.9 percent from 33 percent in 2013. AFP PHOTO/GLENN CHAPMAN

OPINION: THE iPad Air before today was the best tablet on the market. We can pretty safely assume, that the iPad Air 2’s improvements will now make that the best tablet in the market, which is why you should definitely consider buying one. But what about the iPad Mini 3?

Usually when Apple has a new product, they simply can’t tell you enough about how great it is. But when Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of marketing announced the iPad Mini 3, he spent less than 30 seconds talking about it.

That’s because he only had 30 seconds worth of new features to talk about. The iPad Mini 3 is identical to the Mini 2 in every way except for one, the Touch ID sensor. Which Apple says is worth $130, pricing the 16GB iPad Mini 3 at $499 and the iPad Mini 2 now at $369.

This is done on purpose, Apple no longer wants two different iPad models that are as good as each other. Maybe the iPad 2 didn’t sell as well at that price point as the iPad Air, maybe they want to focus more on the iPhone 6 Plus in the small tablet market. It’s not quite clear, but what is clear is that Apple certainly is focusing on selling more of the iPad Air 2 than iPad Mini 3.

So where does that leave you, the buyer?

If you’re in the market right now and are currently looking for a small tablet, at $369, the iPad Mini 2 is a much better option than the iPad Mini 3. However, if you’re looking for both a new phone and tablet, the iPhone 6 Plus will do the job of both a phone and a small tablet just fine.