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rockyroad55

macrumors 601
Jul 14, 2010
4,152
59
Phila, PA
Depends how long your arms are and how far you want them stretched out. I keep the device ~8 in from my nose. Pixels are noticeable. You don't have to go looking for them.

I'm not saying it isn't usable but for my needs the device is amazing. The size is excellent and I weigh that more than the screen itself.
 

ALMF

macrumors regular
Jun 20, 2012
147
1
crazy to call it unusable. are you using it for graphic design or some kind of production? when you go to someone else's house is their TV unusable because your standards in picture definition?
 

StoneJack

macrumors 68020
Dec 19, 2009
2,380
1,465
By Apple's definition of "retina," they technically are. I can't see individual pixels on any of the above mentioned items from where I sit.
Says the guy who can't form a proper sentence.

So if people can't see individual pixels on mini, by your definition it must be retina for them?
 

bidwalj

macrumors 65816
Feb 16, 2007
1,056
136
I agree with the OP. the difference is huge when you view any kind of text heavy website. I wish they would have given us a retina option and charged more like the MacBooks
 

seajewel

macrumors 6502
Aug 31, 2010
385
76
Now THAT was funny!

By the way my iPad Mini just arrived. Screen looks fine to me. Opened some pictures from my Photo Stream and zoomed in to the max. Did not notice it looking pixeled.

It's usually not pictures where it's the most noticeable. It would be stuff like reading PDFs, reading books in iBooks, etc. the font will be noticeably less "sharp"
 

macguy360

macrumors 6502a
Feb 23, 2011
829
468
I agree with the OP. the difference is huge when you view any kind of text heavy website. I wish they would have given us a retina option and charged more like the MacBooks

Well you did get charged more than the average 7" tablet, you just didn't get your moneys worth lol
 

53x12

macrumors 68000
Feb 16, 2009
1,544
4
So if people can't see individual pixels on mini, by your definition it must be retina for them?


I don't believe that is what he is saying at all. There is a certain limit of ppi that needs to be met to make it RD.

"At 326 pixels per inch, it has a pixel density so high your eye can’t distinguish individual pixels."

http://www.apple.com/iphone/features/



According to Raymond Soneira, president of DisplayMate Technologies, the resolution of the actual human retina is higher than claimed by Apple, working out to 477 pixels per inch at 12 inches (305 mm) from the eye.[5] Phil Plait of Bad Astronomy wrote a response saying that "if you have [better than 20/20] eyesight, then at one foot away the iPhone 4's pixels are resolved. The picture will look pixellated. If you have average eyesight [20/20 vision], the picture will look just fine," and concluded, "So in my opinion, what Jobs said was fine. Soneira, while technically correct, was being picky."[6] Retinal neuroscientist Bryan Jones, using a similar but more detailed analysis, came to a similar conclusion on his blog, stating "...I’d find Apple’s claims stand up to what the human eye can perceive."[7]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retina_Display
 

Dlanod

macrumors 65816
Jul 11, 2008
1,000
96
UK
Can anyone who has a iPad Mini and a Nexus 7 reply to this?

Does the iPad Mini screen look better or worse than the Nexus 7?

I have a Nexus 7 and the screen doesn't bother me.

Thanks

In my opinion and I have both, at least until Apple collect my Mini iPad, the Nexus 7 screen is far superior. The iPad Mini just doesn't come close.
 

Poochi

macrumors 6502a
Jul 30, 2010
886
262
Toronto
Well you did get charged more than the average 7" tablet, you just didn't get your moneys worth lol

plastic bad-apps 7" non-apple tablets aren't worth much to begin with because you can't do much.

$329 for a mini is definitely a good value.
 

seajewel

macrumors 6502
Aug 31, 2010
385
76
I agree with the OP. the difference is huge when you view any kind of text heavy website. I wish they would have given us a retina option and charged more like the MacBooks

I agree. I wish there had been a retina option. I'd have been willing to pay even more--and we're already paying a premium over other 7" devices. But the retina would have made it the perfect device for me and more so than the heavier iPad 4. But maybe that's why--to try to prevent cannibalization this year anyways. I still went for the light Mini over the iPad 4 in the end though.. just less happily.
 

StoneJack

macrumors 68020
Dec 19, 2009
2,380
1,465
Well you did get charged more than the average 7" tablet, you just didn't get your moneys worth lol

I guess 5 mp f/2.4 camera, leading in its class of tablets, 30% larger screen and 25% less weight and bulkiness means something?
 

skyler286

macrumors member
Mar 17, 2011
47
0
Well I changed my mind. After playing around with this all morning, the screen is definitely a deal breaker. Oh well, so the wait begins for gen 2.
 

matthijst

macrumors 6502
Jun 8, 2009
264
242
Clearly a troll, and a pathetic one at that.
Pathetic how everyone that doesnt praise the holy reliogion of Apple gets labeled as a troll.

I tried the Mini myself and had the same reaction as the TS: the screen is crappy compared to an iPad 3/4 or iPhone 5.

The lamest thing is people denying this, or saying that non retina is fine.
If non retina is so fine, then why the hell does Apple produce all their hardware with retina displays now?
 

seajewel

macrumors 6502
Aug 31, 2010
385
76
In my opinion and I have both, at least until Apple collect my Mini iPad, the Nexus 7 screen is far superior. The iPad Mini just doesn't come close.

well Nexus 7 is definitely significantly higher PPI. 216 v. 164. People are like "OMG iPad mini has higher PPI than iPad 2 (130 ish ppi) so it'll be way better" and then "there isn't a noticeable difference between Nexus and iPad mini screens!" these statements are pretty inconsistent. but it is funny that retina was so important when Apple introduced it and when they introduce a new model with a low-res screen there are so many people being like OMG STOP WHINING, YOU CAN BARELY TELL THE DIFFERENCE.
 

maccompatible

macrumors 6502
Mar 26, 2012
265
3
THE REASON IT ISN'T RETINA:

Apple had 2 options with the mini. iPad 1/2 resolution or iPad 3 resolution. If they made the mini with a retina display (326 ppi like iphone, 2048x1536 iPad 3 resolution) then why would anyone spend the extra money to get the larger iPad? There would be no reason at that point. The power and beauty would be a niche market due to its.. how do MR readers describe it... clunkiness? If you guys wanted a smaller iPad with A6X and retina, it would be 499. End of story.

Yes, it may be retina in the future, but it's not like Apple held out the feature on purpose to be an evil conspirator. 163 ppi on an iPad looks great. Definitely clearer and sharper that the 132 like on the iPad 1/2.
 

StoneJack

macrumors 68020
Dec 19, 2009
2,380
1,465
well Nexus 7 is definitely significantly higher PPI. 216 v. 164. People are like "OMG iPad mini has higher PPI than iPad 2 (130 ish ppi) so it'll be way better" and then "there isn't a noticeable difference between Nexus and iPad mini screens!" these statements are pretty inconsistent. but it is funny that retina was so important when Apple introduced it and when they introduce a new model with a low-res screen there are so many people being like OMG STOP WHINING, YOU CAN BARELY TELL THE DIFFERENCE.

But mini is not low-res. By Google definitions, it belongs to medium density screen.
 

skyler286

macrumors member
Mar 17, 2011
47
0
Mine hasn't been delivered yet but I'm worried about this very thing. I really want to love the Mini and I have a dedicated e-reader for reading novels anyways, but I think sharp font is really important for reading PDFs and such; PDFs can easily become unreadable at low res. Still, it's a great size/weight and a great device for a lot of things--portable video, browsing, etc. We'll see though.

I want to love it too. The form factor is perfect. But after reading and surfing the web all morning, its clear they should have increased the resolution.
 

maccompatible

macrumors 6502
Mar 26, 2012
265
3
well Nexus 7 is definitely significantly higher PPI. 216 v. 164. People are like "OMG iPad mini has higher PPI than iPad 2 (130 ish ppi) so it'll be way better" and then "there isn't a noticeable difference between Nexus and iPad mini screens!" these statements are pretty inconsistent. but it is funny that retina was so important when Apple introduced it and when they introduce a new model with a low-res screen there are so many people being like OMG STOP WHINING, YOU CAN BARELY TELL THE DIFFERENCE.

Apple has two markets. People that want the very best product, and people who only care about how it works. The first cares about tech specs and pixel density, while the latter (which is most people) just want it to work with that classic apple magic. Those are 2 different groups of people you're quoting. Retina is magical, and the people that say that are holding out for a mini WITH retina. The latter appreciates the lower price point coupled with the iPad experience. Yes, the screen has slightly larger pixels than the Nexus 7, but those people don't care.

tl;dr: You have committed the fallacy of equivocation.
 

seajewel

macrumors 6502
Aug 31, 2010
385
76
THE REASON IT ISN'T RETINA:

Apple had 2 options with the mini. iPad 1/2 resolution or iPad 3 resolution. If they made the mini with a retina display (326 ppi like iphone, 2048x1536 iPad 3 resolution) then why would anyone spend the extra money to get the larger iPad? There would be no reason at that point. The power and beauty would be a niche market due to its.. how do MR readers describe it... clunkiness? If you guys wanted a smaller iPad with A6X and retina, it would be 499. End of story.

Yes, it may be retina in the future, but it's not like Apple held out the feature on purpose to be an evil conspirator. 163 ppi on an iPad looks great. Definitely clearer and sharper that the 132 like on the iPad 1/2.

I've always thought Apple will ultimately not go with the iPad 3 resolution for a retina Mini. It would be very high PPI (same as the iPhone, which according to apple is supposed to be held closer), so ultimately they would come up with another resolution to bring the PPI closer to the 264 of the iPad 3. I understand this causes "fragmentation" and causes apps to get letterboxed or whatnot until they get updated. But I'm still not convinced that Apple will see the need to bring 326 PPI to the iPad mini in the future. I guess we will see--I know it's something Apple generally prides itself on, but we know with the iPhone 5 they were willing to go with a new resolution that did require apps to be updated. Yes iPhone is a flagship product but I bet Mini will be a very popular device indeed, and why should Apple have to cripple its products or put in an unnecessarily demanding screen on a tablet (meant to be held further away than an iPhone, to borrow their lingo) which would mean burning more battery life, etc.?

Obviously I was wrong that Apple would put in an in-between resolution, but it might happen next year.
 

Hakone

macrumors 6502a
Oct 5, 2011
509
4
Southern California
I usually play w/ the device at the A-store before I buy. My exception was the iPhone 5 since my 4 was being quirky.

Making a trip to the Apple store this weekend just to get a hands on feel for new 'lil guy'.

:D
 

Surely

Guest
Oct 27, 2007
15,042
11
Los Angeles, CA
"Unuseable"?:eek:

lolz

I am perfectly happy with my new mini. I think the screen is nice enough. Is it as nice as my iPhone 5's screen? No, but as long as I don't hold it 4 inches from my face, I can't see the pixels.

This iPad mini is the iPad that I've been waiting for since the 1st iPad came out. I had the 1 and 2, and always felt they were a bit big and heavy for my liking. This is perfect. I'm looking forward to seeing how it improves with newer generations.
 

tomegun

macrumors 6502
Sep 29, 2007
347
36
Las Vegas
I wouldn't go as far to say unusable (lol) but he has a point. The device is amazingly beautiful to look at (hardware wise) and feels great in the hands.

Apples move to make the mini a "downgrade" in terms of internals is a miss for me. Key term: For me.

I don't look at the mini as a lower priced iPad because I'm not willing to spend more on an iPad, I see it as a preference in size for the iPad. I prefer the size. So why make my preference only satisfactory? Just like macbooks, macbook pros, and iMacs - a smaller size doesn't necessarily mean less stellar.

You don't buy a 21 inch iMac and expect the screen to be not as clear as the 27 inch. You don't expect to be fuzzier and clarity to be less.

You also don't introduce amazing quality displays (retina) to a product line and have a newer version of that product not have the same quality, especially when the screen is so important.

macbook pros and iPads have retina and non retina versions at different price points, why not the iPad Mini?

"They'll have it later"

That made sense when we were comparing apples and oranges.

I think we will see an iPad Mini with similar specs as the iPad 4 in March for about $50 less than the iPad 4. I think they will keep the mini released today as a cheaper option. This is similar to what they are doing now with the larger iPads and with the retina MBPs (in some configurations the 13" costs the same as the 15" with lower specs).
 

seajewel

macrumors 6502
Aug 31, 2010
385
76
Apple has two markets. People that want the very best product, and people who only care about how it works. The first cares about tech specs and pixel density, while the latter (which is most people) just want it to work with that classic apple magic. Those are 2 different groups of people you're quoting. Retina is magical, and the people that say that are holding out for a mini WITH retina. The latter appreciates the lower price point coupled with the iPad experience. Yes, the screen has slightly larger pixels than the Nexus 7, but those people don't care.

tl;dr: You have committed the fallacy of equivocation.

Eh I understand what you mean but I think you'd be wrong in some cases. I bet you could find posters who have posted very inconsistent statements about retina when each product (iPad 3 and mini) were released. There honestly ARE a lot of people who love anything Apple does, even when it's inconsistent. and yes, I think the iPad mini resolution/ppi is inconsistent with Apple's direction. Retina is something Apple has been pushing and marketing as a big feature of their new products. It's disappointing when a new product is released with an outdated screen resolution, coming from Apple.
 

GeorgieAcevedo

macrumors 6502a
Apr 12, 2012
740
1
New York City
I really want to read the post here but I feel everyone would be saying the same crap. What more is there to say. It's not retina but its not bad. That's it.
 
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