iPad mini iPad Mini 4 vs. 5 -which one to get?

[PBG4 Dude]

Looking forward to receiving it, and I'll probably get the Pencil 1 as well further down the line. I can see this iPad being used as a more productive tool as well although I really have no idea I'm hoping there are some nice apps that allow me to quickly make illustrations/diagrams, make quick sketches and stuff like that. Actually that's one of the things I'm having trouble doing on my Mac (I loved using OmniGraffle back in the day (it came bundled with a Powerbook I've since sold) and see that it's now also available for iOS, but at a price! hopefully there's something similar for a more "non-professional" price).

Check out Apple’s stock Notes app. It’s really great when combined with the Apple Pencil.

 

[Digitalguy]

I don't think you will regret the choice - the 5 looks like the 4 but the innards are far more modern. It's basically the guts of an iPhone XR in an iPad shell and should last a long time with decent performance. The 4 with an A8 processor is the same as the iPhone 6 and really has not aged that well.

Those have been around for years but don't work with the Files app, they only work with their own app...
Having said that I have a USB 2.0 hub that works with thumb drives without the need for external power, and just the 2.0 CCK, because the reality is that thumb drives have absolutely enough power for lightning at 2.0 speeds, but IOS looks for some "protocol" and if it does not find it, is says it takes too much power. It's the same with other peripherals.

 

[ScreenSavers]

I'd get the 5 at this point. Not much point in buying the 4, as it is almost obsolete itself at this point.

 

[macstatic]

I just received my iPad Mini 5 (256 GB) which looks great but I'm a little frustrated and disappointed since I can't connect it to iTunes on my Mac. I want to sync it to my calendar, contacts and add files.

When attaching the USB cable an alert on the Mac pops up asking "Do you want to allow this computer to access the information on this iPad?" where I click the "Continue" button. On the iPad I'm asked if I want to trust/not trust this computer where I press "Trust" and enter the passcode.
Then I get an error message in iTunes on the Mac: "iTunes could not connect to this iPad. You do not have permission". I have no such problems with my old 1st generation iPad Mini.

The new iPad Mini (5th gen) is running IOS 13.2.3.
My Mac is running OSX 10.9.5 Mavericks
and iTunes on the Mac is version 12.6.2.20.

 

[ScreenSavers]

That’s an old old version of iTunes that’s not compatible with iOS 13. You need to update macOS and iTunes to have compatibility. What year is your Mac?

If your Mac was made in the last 7 years I’d upgrade to Catalina for best iOS 13 support.

 

[macstatic]

That's what I was afraid of ?
I have a 2010 Mac Pro and a 2012 Macbook Pro, both running OSX 10.9.5 because... well, it just works! Apple has dumbed down OSX in later years and I also have apps that won't work in later OSX versions.

What's the oldest iTunes version I can use with IOS 13?

 

[retta283]

That's what I was afraid of ?
I have a 2010 Mac Pro and a 2012 Macbook Pro, both running OSX 10.9.5 because... well, it just works! Apple has dumbed down OSX in later years and I also have apps that won't work in later OSX versions.

What's the oldest iTunes version I can use with IOS 13?

Close to latest release. The recent iTunes releases have been so scrambled that it's hard to pick out which first supports it. I can sync an iOS 12 5S with a 2016 iTunes for some reason. You might be better off making a small Sierra partition for syncing, even if that is painful. Mavericks will not support iOS 13.

 

[ScreenSavers]

I personally can’t think of any important features in Mavericks that are removed in Mojave. 32 bit apps, dashboard, go all out!


Sierra is the bare minimum but if you’re running 32 bit apps Mojave is a better choice.

 

[macstatic]

The problem is that some apps and supported hardware isn't supported by the latest OSX. I think I might be able to go up to OSX 10.12 (Sierra) or 10.13 (High Sierra).
Will IOS 13 work with those?

I read about issues with Adobe CS4 under OSX 10.10 and 10.11, that one solution is to run unsupported software in virtual mode using for instance Virtual Box (free). That may be a solution if I upgrade, but I don't know how well it works in practice -if it's a hassle or if it's more or less just a matter of clicking the app icon as before....
OSX 10.15 (Catalina) might pose a bigger threat to more apps since it does away with 32-bit support.
Would OSX 10.12 be a reasonably good compromise which would allow me to use that IOS 13 iPad with my Mac?

I can see upgrading OSX might not be a very smooth and quick operation... ?
Maybe worth installing on a physically separate drive first, testing out each app one by one (as opposed to upgrading the existing 10.9.5 Mavericks right away).

 

[ScreenSavers]

macOS Sierra 10.12 is the very bare minimum. Not a very future proof upgrade in my opinion. It is already considered unsupported by Apple and iTunes updates end soon.

I’d still shoot for Mojave or Catalina...

 

[macstatic]

Hmmmm... silly of me not to think about all this before ordering the iPad. If I had known I might have opted for a second hand (but newer than my 1st gen.) iPad Mini instead.

Another worry: my "not the very latest hardware" might not even allow running those OSes. Does anyone know of a "supported hardware" site for all versions of OSX so I can see what's actually possible for me to install?
And where can I get hold of the OSX installations which aren't the very latest (10.15 Catalina)?

 

[Precursor]

Hmmmm... silly of me not to think about all this before ordering the iPad. If I had known I might have opted for a second hand (but newer than my 1st gen.) iPad Mini instead.

Another worry: my "not the very latest hardware" might not even allow running those OSes. Does anyone know of a "supported hardware" site for all versions of OSX so I can see what's actually possible for me to install?
And where can I get hold of the OSX installations which aren't the very latest (10.15 Catalina)?

Why don't you sync using iCloud? Who uses cables to sync anymore?

 

[macstatic]

I do. Not everybody wants to share everything with Apple or whoever else has access.

 

[ScreenSavers]

You will need to use one of these links to get an older version.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208052

Your 2010 Mac Pro will run up to Mojave with a Metal capable GPU upgrade. The 2012 MacBook Pro is compatible with Catalina. My guess is your Mac Pro shipped with Snow Leopard and your laptop with Mountain Lion so those are your compatibility ranges.

 

[macstatic]

Thanks for the link. I found the individual ones, but that page has a it all. I've now got downloads of MacOS/OSX 10.11 up to 10.14 but am still trying to figure out which one to go for. Many things to take into consideration including support for old apps.

My 2010 Mac Pro has a 5870 GPU which apparently isn't "Metal" compatible, so that rules out 10.14 Mojave. For the time being I think I'm also ruling out 10.15 Catalina on the Macbook Pro because of old apps that won't run on it since they're removing 32-bit support.

I believe you're right about the Mac Pro shipping with Snow Leopard, but I can't remember what came with the Macbook Pro. Most likely Mountain Lion as you say. I do miss Snow Leopard. A very nice OS, but time moves on....

Sorry about side-tracking the subject -I continued the discussion about which OSX to upgrade to here. And from replies there I've also concluded that for syncing my IOS 13 based iPad I need to use iTunes 12.8 on the Mac which in turn runs on OSX 10.10.5 Yosemite and onwards, so concluding I believe I can upgrade to any OSX between 10.10 up to 10.13 on the Mac Pro.

 

[PBG4 Dude]

Did you know you can create separate partitions and install different OS versions, then hold the Option key at boot to select which partition to boot? This way you can’t try them all and figure out which OS version you like the best.

 

[macstatic]

Yes, that's a good suggestion for trying different versions and rebooting between them before finally deciding.

I'm currently trying to install OSX 10.12 Sierra from the Apple installer-download along with having Diskmaker X creating a USB-stick installer but it proves not to be an easy task with the various errors (the current one being "This copy of the install MacOS Sierra application is damaged and can't be used to install MacOS", and that's after re-downloading it a couple of times). Diskmaker X's website has an FAQ which explains several issues, but not this one. I'll keep searching for a suitable fix. As usual Apple restricts everything so much that hacks like this are necessary (Diskmaker X) and there's always some issues. It's not just a matter of running the OSX installer because it refuses to install on a drive which hasn't got another OSX already on it.

 

[ScreenSavers]

Very good possibility you’re having issues with an expired certificate. Does setting your date for sometime in August of this year fix the problem? I know Apple said they released new installers but I have had no success with the fixed ones.

 

[macstatic]

The same thing occured to me as I seem to recall having a similar problem when installing Mavericks. I'm going to try it now.

 

[macstatic]

Just tried it and it worked..... almost!
After booting from the 10.12 Sierra USB-stick I went to the "Utilities" menu, selected "Terminal" and wrote (as suggested in the Diskmaker X FAQ): date 1010101015

Then I chose "Install MacOS" which ran the installer (which took ages even though it started saying something like "9 minutes left") until the end where an error message popped up:
"The installer payload failed signature check".

Any ideas?

UPDATE: a little thought... seeing that changing the date helped (at first), could it be that during the installation the date was updated automatically online? I have a wired ethernet connection to the Mac Pro and don't have any wireless network available. Perhaps I should disconnect the ethernet cable before starting the installation? Does this sound like something that could work?

 

[ScreenSavers]

Very possible. Throw a date change in the terminal from the restore utilities menu in recovery mode. Try this:

date080112002019

 

[macstatic]

It worked!
I don't know if setting the date you suggested did the trick, if it was disconnecting my ethernet cable (and turning off Wifi in the OSX installation) or both but this time it ran a full 35 minutes preparing (the dialog said 7 minutes), then another 10 minutes for the actual installation before rebooting. I'm not sure how I should get into recovery mode with the USB stick installation so all I did was access the Terminal the same way as last time.
Thanks for your suggestions!

And yes -after a couple of software updates I was able to sync both my old (1st gen/IOS 9) and new (5th gen/IOS 13) iPad Mini with iTunes 12.8.
A downer was that neither Photoshop CS4 or Lightroom worked with the new Sierra setup but perhaps I just need to reinstall them from scratch (as opposed to running them from the old Mavericks app folder).

Thanks again! I don't quite understand what all that trouble was about, what fixed it and why Diskmaker X couldn't handle it but it works and I'm a happy camper!

 

[ScreenSavers]

Yep. Apple said they fixed the date of the signature expiration but I haven't found that to be true. I'm still using my old install USBs and doing the date change. Why would I waste time making new ones if they're the same?

BTW I just noticed the Living Waters link in your signature. Great idea! We have most of Ray Comfort's books and tracts.

 

[macstatic]

Thanks for the comments on the "Good person" Living Waters link in my signature. Even though I like Macs and iPads there are more important things in life, and worth sharing with others

I tried reinstalling twice (taking up a suggestion to partition the drive so that I can try out different OS versions before deciding) and you date setting of date 080112002019 made all the difference. It didn't make any difference with the ethernet cable connected or not.
What's the date criteria? Should it be set to something earlier than today but within certain limits?
Would the same date setting be suitable for installing 10.13 High Sierra and 10.15 Mojave as well?

 

[cdcastillo]

I own a mini 4 and find it stutters more than even the Air 2. Personally, I'd go for the mini 5 even at full MSRP.

Exactly my thougths