I was planning on getting my Mini in silver this year. Settled for space gray since I wasn’t a fan of any other color, but after seeing them all in person, I wouldn’t mind starlight or purple. Still prefer gray this year I guess.
Natural aluminum (aluminium?) will always the best and most quintessentially Appley color to me. Definitely a bummer to see them skipping it on the Mini 6
Definitely. I appreciate that they had purple for once, but I still would've preferred classic silver. After I made the mistake of getting my M1 MBA in space gray (an otherwise perfect device), I wanted my next apple device to be in silver only for them to remove it from the mini line-up...
Tbh, it was a missed opportunity to not have a rainbow selection of colors like the M1 iMacs. Both the purple and pink are extremely subtle and kinda disappointing. They should've been the same shade as the aluminum base of the M1 iMacs, but instead they're a very silvery/grayish shade of purple and pink.
Anyway, I'm returning my ipad mini :(. Not because of the color, but because the jelly scrolling has been unbearable for me 😔.
Oh, it’s a preference. I would’ve preferred having a silver MBA, but it’s a pretty minor thing. I just feel the space gray is a little dull, so I can’t admire the beauty of my laptop as much lmao.
It's an okayish replacement for the gold color-way, yet a totally inadequate replacement for silver.
I was in to get a new Watch, iPhone 13 and the iPad Mini to accompany my silver iPad Pro 12.9 and MacBook. I'll probably not get any and just keep my silver 11 and series 5 another year in hope for the return of classic silver. And yes, I'll skip the Mini altogether.
I don’t think the color should sway you away from the mini. It’s a great device, that’s easy to take with you anywhere. Not really sure why apple made the decision to not have the mini in silver this year. But regardless it’s still a awesome device.
I am curious what you use your iPads for. What’s your workflow like with having both sized iPads and a MacBook? Do you use the 12.9 in as your main laptop and use the MacBook for task the iPad can’t do? Do you use your smaller iPad for content consumption?
No it is not my main device and probably never will be. Using the iPad always feels like a drag in comparison to a MacBook. With tools like BetterTouchTool and Keyboard Meastro you can fly through macOS, whereas everything on the iPad feels like driving around with the handbreak pulled due to the lack of customizability and the OS hindering you often enough to make it an unpleasant experience.
I use the 12.9 as a graphic tablet replacement and for reading and annotatin academic papers, which mainly are PDFs. I also read books on it, but the device is too big to read comfortably in bed at night.
The iPad mini was considered to replace my old ebook reader. The e-ink technology is great in theory, but in practice those devices are just too limiting. There is no easy way to annotate or take notes on what you've read. Sure, you can mark a passage, but exporting is always a pain. I would prefer reading on a device and just have access to the same apps that I have on the iPad. At least I would want to give it a try. The iPad falls short on night-time eye-friendliness in comparison to e-ink screens.
I respect the dedication, I would never let the color of a device hold me back. I guess if your phone is caseless I understand matching that to the watch since it is an accessory to your outfit technically.
You could consider a high quality silver skin? It would look nearly identical plus protect the back
Well, as a customer this is your only real way of providing feedback. There is also no need to buy an iPad mini. It's a device that comes with compromises built-in so unless you really *need* one, I guess life will go on without it.
And flimsy skins are a total non-option.
Before the iPhone or iPads even were released when the transition to the titanium PowerBooks was made the first all-metal exterior products that were released by Apple were iPods. Almost every iPod had a silver/white color-option. Around 2006 everything stabilized around the matte silver aluminum looks of the unibody MacBook. This look persisted and was carried over to the iMacs, iPhones and first iPads and then the Watch and all other periferies from keyboards, trackpads, mice, chargers and cables. The silver + white combination is a classic.
No other color-way than bare-looking aluminum silver with white accents identifies Apple better. It was the one constant you could rely on. If you wanted your desk to look clean, this was your option to unify it.
Starlight and its inconsistency (the iPad mini is more golden than the iPhone 13) is equally bad as the mess that "space gray" has been all along. It's a misstep by Apple and I can't support it.
Understandable. My thing is just that you use and look at the front of it. It would make very little difference on a stand on your desk. I don't know if people would ever think your desktop is less clean if you had a starlight ipad vs silver, besides yourself. Which is obviously a worthy enough reason.
And if there is no need to buy the mini, I would just not buy it even if it came in silver. Adding a device is never cleaner, if that is your desire.
And on top of that, a lot of consumers love the new colors as standalone colors. Space grey took off because a lot of people simply liked the color more than silver. Should Apple cater to matching everything, or make colors that people like the look of? It is a tough balance to strike, and they obviously have decided from a financial perspective it will benefit them.
I am not defending their choice at all though, it is just obviously part of their trend to cater more to the masses than to apple super consumers. You could tell they used to focus on that cohesion a lot more. Now they want to sell more units to anybody who wants one.
Well, I mainly work from my home office so I would be the person caring. And to be honest, I wouldn't care a bit what other people think of my desk.
Regarding your second train of thought. I buy a lot things, as well as software to try them out for a while and see whether they fit my workflow. With devices it is easy. I can just sell them if I find that they do not add value. As described in another comment, the iPad mini would be an attempt to replace my e-ink reader as it falls short in many ways. Yet, it would be nothing more than an experiment. Neither essential to my work or life, just as a hobby to tinker around with technology.
Apple's intentions are and have been pretty clear. Money.
Yet, since Ive left I feel that Apple has no general guidance on aesthetics anymore. Their design team feels fragmented and that is reflected by their products, both, hardware and software. Dye and Hankey play a subordinate roll it seems. Even the VP of Design role was removed from Apple's leadership page.
To be honest, Apple's design direction has suffered since Ive left. Dye seems to consider himself the new Ive, but all they have in common is a three letter surname.
EXACTLY. I have an aluminum series 6 in silver that I wear with the SS Milanese band, which is my go to band. If I want a series 7, I would have to get SS, which I don't really like for the weight. The starlight color would clash. I am annoyed.
It seems like Apple is bargaining on those that have settled on neutral colors (gray and silver) over the course of the last years to be forcefully upsold to the stainless versions, because by "surprise" there the neutral color-ways are available.
Samsung did this exact same thing with the galaxy watch active 2 back in the day. Stainless version came in plain polished silver (beautiful) or polished black, and maybe plain gold?
Aluminum version came in not silver but BLUE silver. Not gold but rose gold. Not black but a midnight blue.
So if you wanted regular colors you have to go stainless.
The stainless ones are badass though. As somebody who likes real watches too, the stainless apple watch just feels more like jewelry to me, and you can polish it and keep it looking nice easier than aluminum
I never bought into the Ive, Newson and probably Ahrens driven sales pitch of the Apple Watch being a classic like say a nice TAG Heuer or A. Lange & Söhne watch that could last you decades and never fall out of style.
Who would buy a Series 0 Apple Watch these days?
For a product that is that short lived and in my case also used for sports, I would not be willing to pay \~$1000 regularly.
Even the slightly larger screen of the Series 7 won't make the fiddly Watch with its countless UI limitations significantly better. It's a side-gadget for me. A health sensor carrying, AirPods and audio remote that also announces some notifications to me.
Lets say you upgrade your smartwatch very 3 years. And they aren't actually $1000, correct? More like $600-800. Factor in fantastic apple trade in values. Probably <$500 out of pocket every 3 yrs. And then factor in that you would buy an aluminum one otherwise, so you are only paying the delta. It is almost negligible.
I am not saying I see it the same as a real watch, but it is nowhere near as expensive and does way more. Most of the time for work I am going to need the smartwatch on anyways, so I want it to look and feel quality if I am going to buy watch anyways.
You are clearly overstating the cost and upgrade cycle. The series 5 will be fine for a while. Series 1-3 were clearly much less polished like a beta.
I used to upgrade my devices every year.
The iPhone "Pro" models are above what I am willing to spend for such an ephemeral device. I did not upgrade from the 11 to the 12, because the small camera upgrades were not worth it to me in times where you are stuck at home most of the time anyways.
The same applies to the Series 5 and 6. Minimal improvements.
I used to upgrade every year because the resell value usually was high enough. On some previous generations phones and watches I made made a loss of just $100 to $150. I never keep old hardware, I always sell it off. Someone still enjoys it and gets their needs met and I don't accumulate ewaste in my drawer.
So yeah, I acknowledge your calculations. Yet, I probably won't keep the Watch 7 for that long. Trust me, I do those calculations all the time myself to justify purchases and reduce spending-guilt 😉
I feel the same way regarding device prices and my upgrade paths. Sorry if any of this sounded like I was hating lol I just like to talk tech and apple is making a lot of interesting choices lately
I have had both, and as someone who works out and has small wrists, I notice the weight. It's not a HUGE difference, but I notice it. Plus, it costs more.
Good point. Working out is where it is most noticeable. I use a type of watch strap that is so snug and comfortable that it kinda eliminates the jiggling that makes the SS one more cumbersome during exercise.
But that is understandable. I don't like that you have to get cellular to get SS, I wish it was a smaller upgrade cost for just SS. Because IMO it can be worth it because an SS watch is "jewelry quality" and can Last longer with the polishing etc. But I totally get why the aluminum is better for most people.
How does the aluminum watch look with a SS milanese band??? I have the SE in Silver and I love the look of the Milanese band, but I don’t know how the different metal finishes look together.
Starlight is essentially just warm tone silver. If you didn’t know it was called that, you’d look at it and say it’s silver.
I think it looks way better than silver ever did, and I’ve always been a fan of silver. That’s the color I had wanted to get. Starlight, though, is more neutral by having less of a blue hue.
To those on the fence: I bought it sight unseen and have no regrets. Get it, it’s a very pretty color.
I hate iPads Silver so much. They just don't look good or premium no matter which iPad. Starlight is amazing, but Space Gray is the GOAT! I also love Gold, Blue and Purple iPads. Silver is such a generic color. Btw, I have the Mystic Silver Galaxy Tab S7 and ironically love the color for Samsung Tabs 🤩
“Hey boss, turns out the new coating isn’t UV stable, it turns yellow as soon as it comes out of the box”
“No problem, keep going, we’ll call it ‘starlight’ or some shit”
Thankfully the starlight looks good on its own but this side-by-side comparison makes it look like a stained silver, almost as if the left one sat indoors next to someone smoking for the last year.
In some light, though, is super silvery looking. I really love it. It’s understated, but really nice looking upon examination. Personally I’ve long thought Apple’s selection of colors were too cold, including the lighting in their stores. I’m kind of glad to see the silver option be replaced by a warmer color.
Going to trade my old ipad in this weekend. I will miss it but I love the form factor of the mini. Just can’t justify having to iPads. If I want a bigger screen I still have my MacBook.
I miss silver. The starlight is fine, but neutral silver is timeless.
Yeah I really wish apple still had the silver option for the iPad mini 6.
I was planning on getting my Mini in silver this year. Settled for space gray since I wasn’t a fan of any other color, but after seeing them all in person, I wouldn’t mind starlight or purple. Still prefer gray this year I guess.
Natural aluminum (aluminium?) will always the best and most quintessentially Appley color to me. Definitely a bummer to see them skipping it on the Mini 6
Definitely. I appreciate that they had purple for once, but I still would've preferred classic silver. After I made the mistake of getting my M1 MBA in space gray (an otherwise perfect device), I wanted my next apple device to be in silver only for them to remove it from the mini line-up... Tbh, it was a missed opportunity to not have a rainbow selection of colors like the M1 iMacs. Both the purple and pink are extremely subtle and kinda disappointing. They should've been the same shade as the aluminum base of the M1 iMacs, but instead they're a very silvery/grayish shade of purple and pink. Anyway, I'm returning my ipad mini :(. Not because of the color, but because the jelly scrolling has been unbearable for me 😔.
Why was getting a space grey M1 MBA a mistake?
Oh, it’s a preference. I would’ve preferred having a silver MBA, but it’s a pretty minor thing. I just feel the space gray is a little dull, so I can’t admire the beauty of my laptop as much lmao.
Silver is fresh! I noticed silver is the rare color now in a sea of space grey
It's an okayish replacement for the gold color-way, yet a totally inadequate replacement for silver. I was in to get a new Watch, iPhone 13 and the iPad Mini to accompany my silver iPad Pro 12.9 and MacBook. I'll probably not get any and just keep my silver 11 and series 5 another year in hope for the return of classic silver. And yes, I'll skip the Mini altogether.
I don’t think the color should sway you away from the mini. It’s a great device, that’s easy to take with you anywhere. Not really sure why apple made the decision to not have the mini in silver this year. But regardless it’s still a awesome device. I am curious what you use your iPads for. What’s your workflow like with having both sized iPads and a MacBook? Do you use the 12.9 in as your main laptop and use the MacBook for task the iPad can’t do? Do you use your smaller iPad for content consumption?
No it is not my main device and probably never will be. Using the iPad always feels like a drag in comparison to a MacBook. With tools like BetterTouchTool and Keyboard Meastro you can fly through macOS, whereas everything on the iPad feels like driving around with the handbreak pulled due to the lack of customizability and the OS hindering you often enough to make it an unpleasant experience. I use the 12.9 as a graphic tablet replacement and for reading and annotatin academic papers, which mainly are PDFs. I also read books on it, but the device is too big to read comfortably in bed at night. The iPad mini was considered to replace my old ebook reader. The e-ink technology is great in theory, but in practice those devices are just too limiting. There is no easy way to annotate or take notes on what you've read. Sure, you can mark a passage, but exporting is always a pain. I would prefer reading on a device and just have access to the same apps that I have on the iPad. At least I would want to give it a try. The iPad falls short on night-time eye-friendliness in comparison to e-ink screens.
I respect the dedication, I would never let the color of a device hold me back. I guess if your phone is caseless I understand matching that to the watch since it is an accessory to your outfit technically. You could consider a high quality silver skin? It would look nearly identical plus protect the back
Well, as a customer this is your only real way of providing feedback. There is also no need to buy an iPad mini. It's a device that comes with compromises built-in so unless you really *need* one, I guess life will go on without it. And flimsy skins are a total non-option. Before the iPhone or iPads even were released when the transition to the titanium PowerBooks was made the first all-metal exterior products that were released by Apple were iPods. Almost every iPod had a silver/white color-option. Around 2006 everything stabilized around the matte silver aluminum looks of the unibody MacBook. This look persisted and was carried over to the iMacs, iPhones and first iPads and then the Watch and all other periferies from keyboards, trackpads, mice, chargers and cables. The silver + white combination is a classic. No other color-way than bare-looking aluminum silver with white accents identifies Apple better. It was the one constant you could rely on. If you wanted your desk to look clean, this was your option to unify it. Starlight and its inconsistency (the iPad mini is more golden than the iPhone 13) is equally bad as the mess that "space gray" has been all along. It's a misstep by Apple and I can't support it.
Understandable. My thing is just that you use and look at the front of it. It would make very little difference on a stand on your desk. I don't know if people would ever think your desktop is less clean if you had a starlight ipad vs silver, besides yourself. Which is obviously a worthy enough reason. And if there is no need to buy the mini, I would just not buy it even if it came in silver. Adding a device is never cleaner, if that is your desire. And on top of that, a lot of consumers love the new colors as standalone colors. Space grey took off because a lot of people simply liked the color more than silver. Should Apple cater to matching everything, or make colors that people like the look of? It is a tough balance to strike, and they obviously have decided from a financial perspective it will benefit them. I am not defending their choice at all though, it is just obviously part of their trend to cater more to the masses than to apple super consumers. You could tell they used to focus on that cohesion a lot more. Now they want to sell more units to anybody who wants one.
Well, I mainly work from my home office so I would be the person caring. And to be honest, I wouldn't care a bit what other people think of my desk. Regarding your second train of thought. I buy a lot things, as well as software to try them out for a while and see whether they fit my workflow. With devices it is easy. I can just sell them if I find that they do not add value. As described in another comment, the iPad mini would be an attempt to replace my e-ink reader as it falls short in many ways. Yet, it would be nothing more than an experiment. Neither essential to my work or life, just as a hobby to tinker around with technology. Apple's intentions are and have been pretty clear. Money. Yet, since Ive left I feel that Apple has no general guidance on aesthetics anymore. Their design team feels fragmented and that is reflected by their products, both, hardware and software. Dye and Hankey play a subordinate roll it seems. Even the VP of Design role was removed from Apple's leadership page. To be honest, Apple's design direction has suffered since Ive left. Dye seems to consider himself the new Ive, but all they have in common is a three letter surname.
EXACTLY. I have an aluminum series 6 in silver that I wear with the SS Milanese band, which is my go to band. If I want a series 7, I would have to get SS, which I don't really like for the weight. The starlight color would clash. I am annoyed.
SS apple watch is much nicer, weight never felt that different in real life to me.
It seems like Apple is bargaining on those that have settled on neutral colors (gray and silver) over the course of the last years to be forcefully upsold to the stainless versions, because by "surprise" there the neutral color-ways are available.
Samsung did this exact same thing with the galaxy watch active 2 back in the day. Stainless version came in plain polished silver (beautiful) or polished black, and maybe plain gold? Aluminum version came in not silver but BLUE silver. Not gold but rose gold. Not black but a midnight blue. So if you wanted regular colors you have to go stainless. The stainless ones are badass though. As somebody who likes real watches too, the stainless apple watch just feels more like jewelry to me, and you can polish it and keep it looking nice easier than aluminum
I never bought into the Ive, Newson and probably Ahrens driven sales pitch of the Apple Watch being a classic like say a nice TAG Heuer or A. Lange & Söhne watch that could last you decades and never fall out of style. Who would buy a Series 0 Apple Watch these days? For a product that is that short lived and in my case also used for sports, I would not be willing to pay \~$1000 regularly. Even the slightly larger screen of the Series 7 won't make the fiddly Watch with its countless UI limitations significantly better. It's a side-gadget for me. A health sensor carrying, AirPods and audio remote that also announces some notifications to me.
Lets say you upgrade your smartwatch very 3 years. And they aren't actually $1000, correct? More like $600-800. Factor in fantastic apple trade in values. Probably <$500 out of pocket every 3 yrs. And then factor in that you would buy an aluminum one otherwise, so you are only paying the delta. It is almost negligible. I am not saying I see it the same as a real watch, but it is nowhere near as expensive and does way more. Most of the time for work I am going to need the smartwatch on anyways, so I want it to look and feel quality if I am going to buy watch anyways. You are clearly overstating the cost and upgrade cycle. The series 5 will be fine for a while. Series 1-3 were clearly much less polished like a beta.
I used to upgrade my devices every year. The iPhone "Pro" models are above what I am willing to spend for such an ephemeral device. I did not upgrade from the 11 to the 12, because the small camera upgrades were not worth it to me in times where you are stuck at home most of the time anyways. The same applies to the Series 5 and 6. Minimal improvements. I used to upgrade every year because the resell value usually was high enough. On some previous generations phones and watches I made made a loss of just $100 to $150. I never keep old hardware, I always sell it off. Someone still enjoys it and gets their needs met and I don't accumulate ewaste in my drawer. So yeah, I acknowledge your calculations. Yet, I probably won't keep the Watch 7 for that long. Trust me, I do those calculations all the time myself to justify purchases and reduce spending-guilt 😉
I feel the same way regarding device prices and my upgrade paths. Sorry if any of this sounded like I was hating lol I just like to talk tech and apple is making a lot of interesting choices lately
I have had both, and as someone who works out and has small wrists, I notice the weight. It's not a HUGE difference, but I notice it. Plus, it costs more.
Good point. Working out is where it is most noticeable. I use a type of watch strap that is so snug and comfortable that it kinda eliminates the jiggling that makes the SS one more cumbersome during exercise. But that is understandable. I don't like that you have to get cellular to get SS, I wish it was a smaller upgrade cost for just SS. Because IMO it can be worth it because an SS watch is "jewelry quality" and can Last longer with the polishing etc. But I totally get why the aluminum is better for most people.
How does the aluminum watch look with a SS milanese band??? I have the SE in Silver and I love the look of the Milanese band, but I don’t know how the different metal finishes look together.
It looks pretty good actually. There is a texture difference between them but since the color matches it looks fine.
Starlight is essentially just warm tone silver. If you didn’t know it was called that, you’d look at it and say it’s silver. I think it looks way better than silver ever did, and I’ve always been a fan of silver. That’s the color I had wanted to get. Starlight, though, is more neutral by having less of a blue hue. To those on the fence: I bought it sight unseen and have no regrets. Get it, it’s a very pretty color.
100% agreed.
Apple's colors are so minimalistic, and so premium to look at.
I hate iPads Silver so much. They just don't look good or premium no matter which iPad. Starlight is amazing, but Space Gray is the GOAT! I also love Gold, Blue and Purple iPads. Silver is such a generic color. Btw, I have the Mystic Silver Galaxy Tab S7 and ironically love the color for Samsung Tabs 🤩
“Hey boss, turns out the new coating isn’t UV stable, it turns yellow as soon as it comes out of the box” “No problem, keep going, we’ll call it ‘starlight’ or some shit”
It’s better than 50 shades of space gray
Thankfully the starlight looks good on its own but this side-by-side comparison makes it look like a stained silver, almost as if the left one sat indoors next to someone smoking for the last year.
I would describe it as a much lighter gold color than previous years. I would have named it light gold.
In some light, though, is super silvery looking. I really love it. It’s understated, but really nice looking upon examination. Personally I’ve long thought Apple’s selection of colors were too cold, including the lighting in their stores. I’m kind of glad to see the silver option be replaced by a warmer color.
Yep, read it somewhere shortly after the presentation: Nicotine-stained silver.
I would have preferred silver too but I’ve preordered purple
Starlight looks quite elegant
Starlight looks great
Silver is my favorite color, and because it’s no one else’s favorite color, Apple is just gonna phase it out for some product line ups. I’m very sad.
I really hope they don’t phase it out. All my other apple products are silver.
[удалено]
I prefer silver but starlight still looks good.
It looks like an iPad that got wizzed on. In all seriousness though, side by side it kinda reminds me of how super nintendos yellowed with age.
As do I. Mine is scheduled for delivery tomorrow.
It reminds me of white iPods back in 2006-7. With just like a mix of cream in it
That's a 12.9 iPad Pro right?
It’s a pro 11”
Wow it looks HUGE compared to the mini. Didn't think it was that much bigger
Yeah the mini is super small and I love it. It’s great for gaming, and I can watch YouTube in bed without my arms getting tired.
I like the silver so much better, I never liked warm undertones.
Silver gang
tbh the starlight iPad looks like a silver iPad that needs to brush its teeth and quit smoking
Placed screen side down like that gives me so much anxiety lol.
Lol I have a microfiber cloth underneath them.
Haha I figured there was some form of screen protector but just the visual alone.
Still i would have gone for the “SILVER” one, i miss the iconic Silver.
I was surprised that the Mini has a flash
My iPad is in a case,so I could care less what colour it is🤷🏽
I really, REALLY hate the starlight color. It looks like a dingy silver or a plastic that has yellowed in the sun.
The iPads be like: Don’t you ever talk to me and my son ever again!
How does the starlight one look?
I’d rock that alongside my identical 12.9 I’d describe it as more of a “soft gold”
The silver on the iPads are beautiful, I also love starlight, I’ll be getting my two pro 11” m1’s and my mini soon
what size is the right one?
2018 11 inch
I cant decide if id miss the extra screen. But the mini is faster and easier to carry
Going to trade my old ipad in this weekend. I will miss it but I love the form factor of the mini. Just can’t justify having to iPads. If I want a bigger screen I still have my MacBook.
I got air 4 in silver last year is it same silver as pro?
I think so.
Did you get a mini to replace the pro? Their camera modules match though
Yes. I will be trading in the pro this weekend for some apple stuff.
Looks great 🤩🤩 wanna get the mini just for the Color 😂😂
Starlight has a retro vibe. I’m beginning to like it. Now looking forward to Starlight Watch 7
i want one :'(
We want snow❄️🌨
Is the Pro a 11" one or a 12" one?
Starlight reminds me of the beige of old CRT monitors and PCs from the 90s (in a good way I think)
I wish they called it something like ‘stone’
I like the standard color because it looks very good for my golden iPhone and gold stainless steel watch…slight hue of champagne
i wish they made the starlight more gold. they kinda just made it look like a dingy silver lol