Brand new iPad mini 2 32 gig , only 22.3 GB available memory. Is this normal?

This lack of memory on a brand new device suggests that the iOS 8 update was automatically pushed to your device. This will happen if your device is connected to a valid Wi-Fi connection, is plugged in to the charger or a live PC and there is ample storage space on the device to hold the update. Apple seems to think that users want this huge update auto-pushed to them...I don't think this is the case at all. 😠

Check to see if the auto-pushed iOS 8 update has indeed been installed: Settings/General/Usage. Wait for the list to populate fully and check for an iOS 8 update near the top of the list (largest app are listed at the top). You can delete this update as you can with any other app from the list. Tap on it, then tap the Delete button.

cosmiconion wrote:

How can there only be 22.3GB available ...

Could someone please explain ? I get the 27.4GB capacity (I assume 4.6GB used for the OS .... but 22.3 available ?

How OS X and iOS report storage capacity

A 32GB iPad should in reality have somewhere near 29GB of actual usable capacity. iOS should be taking up more than 2 or 3GB.

With that said since you set it up, did you turn on iCloud and Photostream maybe?

Photos will likely take up space.

Also the iOS installer may have been automatically downloaded to the iPad in which case it would be taking up about 1Gb more.

You can see what is using up space in Settings->General->Usage->Storage->Manage Storage.

You'll get a list of all Apps and how much space they are using up.

Phil0124 wrote:

You can see what is using up space in Settings->General->Usage->Storage->Manage Storage.

Just a note that under iOS 7 which the OP is still using, I believe that the "Storage->Manage Storage" which is present under iOS 8 is not there on iOS 7. These changes are quite hard for me to keep track of...one of the reasons I keep a little-used iPad still running iOS 7.

Excellent that it was there (well, for the fact that you found the culprit)...I pretty much suspected it. 😐

EDIT: After the iOS 8 update, not much more storage space is used by iOS 8 over iOS 7. Not having compared though and just going by hunch, I would suspect no more than 1 GB and possibly only 500 MB or so.

Very true. I think the list would then simply appear under Usage instead but it is very hard to keep track of all these changes. . Anyway, now cosmiconion knows what is taking up the space.