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ryank82

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 29, 2006
8
0
Just wondering if anyone uses the iPad Mini as there main device (other then phone). I only have my iPhone and my iPad now. I mainly use it for surfing, email, movies, music, games and basic notes/word processing. Seems to be working quite well. Sometimes I think a bigger display would be better but I really like how lightweight and portable the iPad Mini is. I have an older iMac core 2 Duo we have in the house but we barely use it. I like the iPad 4 a lot but it feels so much heavier.
 

GBR

macrumors 6502
Mar 19, 2012
359
18
With everything moving into the cloud I find that I pretty much don't have a main device, it's just whichever device is best suited for whatever I'm doing. I am finding more and more that I use my mini more than everything else. I do use my rMBP at work but mostly docked to my Thunderbolt Display like a desktop. If it wasn't for spreadsheets and a few programs I need for work I could mostly work out of my iPad.
 

OdT22

macrumors 6502
Oct 28, 2012
286
404
Just since the 3rd.

Wiped, boxed, and listed my MBA over the weekend. Better half did the same yesterday. We're sold.

(Plenty of PCs available at work to use, for the very occasional heavier work)
 

bidwalj

macrumors 65816
Feb 16, 2007
1,056
136
The 3rd gen iPad was my main device and since I had the mini, it's become my main now.

If you currently use the iPad heavily or it's your main device, then yes you can replace it with the mini. The experience is the same. The screen took a few days to get used to and also the size felt weird at first. After a few days I don't miss the larger iPad (minus the screen or course)
 

scottness

macrumors 65816
Mar 18, 2009
1,368
5
Room 101
There's no way I could use an iPad as a main device. My music library alone is larger than what any of them could hold. That's not even talking about the work I could never get done...
 

nStyle

macrumors 65816
Dec 6, 2009
1,492
999
An iPad is an excellent way to consume but just doesn't make sense to do strenuous tasks like posting multiple items on eBay quickly or typing a huge amount.
 

bidwalj

macrumors 65816
Feb 16, 2007
1,056
136
Sounds like the op already is using an iPad as their main device and wants to know if replacing their current iPad with a mini is a good idea.

IMO you won't miss much if you replace it unless you do / like things on a bigger screen. I can do everything on my mini that I could do on my 3rd gen.
 

xkmxkmxlmx

macrumors 6502a
Apr 28, 2011
885
113
How old are you and what do you do for a living? You don't have to answer that of course, but I think it is relavent.

If you're any kind of student or business professional, I just do not see a way to get by on a tablet of any sort unless you really strain yourself. Writing a dissertation on an ipad even *with* a bluetooth keyboard would be pure ****ing torture.
 

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,481
43,405
The mini has a lot going for it, particularly its size. That doesn't mean it will make a great replacement for a computer for most people.

If you do some light surfing and reading emails, then yeah the mini can replace the laptop. If you do a lot of content creation, i.e., spreadsheets, documents image editing etc. Then the tablet is not the best tool to do this.
 

m00min

macrumors 6502
Jul 17, 2012
419
90
For me I use...

iPad = consumption
Computer = content creation

The lack of a proper pointy device restricts me from doing design work on an iPad. I do use it for rough sketches though.

The other thing holding back the iPad is the lack of a unified file system. Imagine if app developers could just build their painting or notebook app without having to constantly reinvent the wheel, adding in syncing and such. They could put more time into developing the main features of their apps.
 

jabingla2810

macrumors 68020
Oct 15, 2008
2,271
938
Main device for me.

I only use the Macbook Air a couple times a month to write big essays.

Apart from that, my 16GB mini does EVERYTHING else.

iTunes Match and Spotify mean my entire music library takes up next to no space.

For web browsing, email, using Youtube/Reddit and twitter and editing photo's, I find the iPad to be a much better experience.
 

ditzy

macrumors 68000
Sep 28, 2007
1,719
180
I have been for that last few weeks as my iMac is broken and am waiting for a replacement. It's frustrating but doable.
 
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