ApplePoor

Forgot to mention that in order to get the military service discount, I had to go through the Apple store. So that 10% discount plus the 3% cash back from the Apple Card shaved 13% off of the staggering list price. We also have a significant military discount on my Verizon account. Been with Verizon continuously since September of 1988.

No pre-authorizations are showing on the Apple Card for the iPhone or the two iPad mini 6 units or order as well replacing elderly iPad mini 3 and 5. I did get the Apple order confirmation  number in an email for the iPhone order. 

In the small commuter airplanes, the mini can be used on the sandwich sized table. Not so much my iPad Pro 11 or 13" MacBook Air M1. I have all the owner manuals and tech materials for all my vehicles and trailers with solar power systems on the mini. It is small enough to be right beside the project when doing detailed repairs. It is small enough for a pocket when going to the doctor's offices as I as a senior seem to be doing more of lately between my wife and me (in our 70s).

I like the fact that the mini is the first one to have the latest and greatest processor from Apple when it came out instead of a generation or two behind. And it now has a 5G modem and latest Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity. It will not be obsolete in a couple of years.

This mini iPad really is a new and current device with all the latest bells and whistles. This gives us a heads up for the next generation iPad Pro's capabilities will be brought forward as well.

Perhaps the James Bond rockets under the rear bumper are still the best choice to get rid of a tailgater?

Apple has not been the low bidder/product ever. My 1990 vintage IIfx with the Motorola 68040 cost over $10,000 that year with a 80 MB hard drive, max emory, fancy graphics card and 21" color monitor. That was the Apple Power house then.

Laptop top models hit the $3,000 point for many years.

My 2019 16" Mac Book Pro with fastest processor and max graphics, 64 GB memory and a 8TB SSD hit about $6,500. Not a bargain but should be viable for many years.

The M1 mini will be upgraded to a second generation very soon. If it were to support more than one screen, have more than 32GB of ram, at least 8TB SSD as an option plus four generation 3 USB-C it could become the Mini Mac Pro mentioned as vaporware recently. That would be a viable upgrade to my aging 2013 Mac Pro with 6 cores, 128GB of Ram and a 2TB SSD.

Cook is not the huckster salesman like Jobs, but has at the helm guiding a huge machine requiring parts with lead times way into the future and assembling a very competent work force.  

Cook is the man for the time.

A chip under the skin.....????? Like one can put in their puppy to get it back.......