One thing to be aware of: older iPad mini’s may not be able to run current versions of the software you want to use. I had a first generation mini that I was using to control my Auralic streamer (with the Auralic Lightning software). At some point a few years ago it became unusable (for that purpose), because it wouldn’t run the newer iOS system software and that was required for the newer Auralic software. So, yeah, go for the newer version for maximum longevity.
