All iPads My experience, another Mini exchanged for an iPad 4

jmthigpen said:

Before the iPad mini release I was sporting an iPad 2, I use my iPad mostly for web browsing, reading, watching netflix/hulu, and light gaming. I was super excited when the iPad mini was released - I was thinking the display would not be an issue for me since I was using an iPad 2.

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The Mini ppi is more than iPad 2, but the screen still looks worse.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6429/ipad-mini-review/4

Would like to see the return numbers.

Awakener said:

The Mini ppi is more than iPad 2, but the screen still looks worse.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6429/ipad-mini-review/4

Would like to see the return numbers.

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I'll bet it's not very high. People understand the trade offs and prefer the size and weight of the mini.

jmthigpen said:

Hey guys, I just wanted to share my experience over the past few weeks, maybe it will help someone make up their mind.

Before the iPad mini release I was sporting an iPad 2, I use my iPad mostly for web browsing, reading, watching netflix/hulu, and light gaming. I was super excited when the iPad mini was released - I was thinking the display would not be an issue for me since I was using an iPad 2. I had seen retina iPads in stores and they are awesome, also I have an iPhone 5 so I knew what I was missing. The main draw for me with the mini was the weight, half as heavy as my iPad 2. I was looking forward to reading as the lighter weight would make it more comfortable, not to mention the smaller form factor.

After a week with the mini, my initial excitement wore off and I was getting a little frustrated with having to zoom in a bunch to read smaller text. I loved the weight and form factor, but like many others, my frustration came from the display. When reading magazines, and using the tapatalk app, the text was just small enough to make me want to zoom in (can't zoom in with the tapatalk app). When getting annoyed I couldn't help but remind myself of what I was missing with the retina iPad - retina display, much better color gamut, much faster. Eventually I caved on day 12 with the mini and exchanged it for an iPad 4. I'm on day 4 with the new iPad and am happy I made the switch.

Until Apple releases an iPad mini with retina display (if they ever do) I'm sticking with the full sized iPad.

Of course your results may vary, I know many people are perfectly happy with the mini. If you can't decide iPad mini or retina, my advice is to get your hands on them. Look at the screens in person, feel the weight difference and size.. decide what works best for you.

Jimmy

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Higher resolution (AKA retina display) isn't going to make the text any bigger. Seems that maybe the app builders for the applications you're using need to put more thought into how their apps scale.

Have you tried Tapatalk and Tapatalk HD? Just wondering if one works any better/different on the Mini.

Clint

jmthigpen said:

After a week with the mini, my initial excitement wore off and I was getting a little frustrated with having to zoom in a bunch to read smaller text. I loved the weight and form factor, but like many others, my frustration came from the display.

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I've noticed this as well, especially owning both, here is the difference.

Nexus 7 @ 216 ppi

iPad Mini @ 163 ppi

Although I really like Apple's build quality and style, I will admit my Nexus 7 has two distinct features that make it my favorite in the mid size category.

First is the ppi, this provides maximum viewing area, particularly nice for web work, the first and most important way I use all my tablets.

The second is the very grippy back. It provides a very secure grip via a light touch, and it's also nearly scratch proof.

jmthigpen said:

Hey guys, I just wanted to share my experience over the past few weeks, maybe it will help someone make up their mind.

Before the iPad mini release I was sporting an iPad 2, I use my iPad mostly for web browsing, reading, watching netflix/hulu, and light gaming. I was super excited when the iPad mini was released - I was thinking the display would not be an issue for me since I was using an iPad 2. I had seen retina iPads in stores and they are awesome, also I have an iPhone 5 so I knew what I was missing. The main draw for me with the mini was the weight, half as heavy as my iPad 2. I was looking forward to reading as the lighter weight would make it more comfortable, not to mention the smaller form factor.

After a week with the mini, my initial excitement wore off and I was getting a little frustrated with having to zoom in a bunch to read smaller text. I loved the weight and form factor, but like many others, my frustration came from the display. When reading magazines, and using the tapatalk app, the text was just small enough to make me want to zoom in (can't zoom in with the tapatalk app). When getting annoyed I couldn't help but remind myself of what I was missing with the retina iPad - retina display, much better color gamut, much faster. Eventually I caved on day 12 with the mini and exchanged it for an iPad 4. I'm on day 4 with the new iPad and am happy I made the switch.

Until Apple releases an iPad mini with retina display (if they ever do) I'm sticking with the full sized iPad.

Of course your results may vary, I know many people are perfectly happy with the mini. If you can't decide iPad mini or retina, my advice is to get your hands on them. Look at the screens in person, feel the weight difference and size.. decide what works best for you.

Jimmy

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same thing with me only I ended up switching after 3 days... your last paragraph is a great recommendation.

The mini was returned very quickly. I decided I prefered the larger screen size having used an iPad 2 since launch day.

Bought a 4 on Black Friday and am very undecided about the whole experience compared to the 2. Text is a bit better to read and it seems a little faster than the 2 but not by much. Overall it is very disappointing. The 2 is a superb performer.

Would like to keep the 4 as it is a bit better than the 2 but it will go back tomorrow. The Ambient Light Sensor does not work consistently. After a Restore it works for a while then stops working. Can't live with that.

jmthigpen said:

When reading magazines, and using the tapatalk app, the text was just small enough to make me want to zoom in (can't zoom in with the tapatalk app).

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Did you try the font size setting in Tapatalk? "Larger" or "Very Large" look great on the Mini.

it all depends on your usage. I used my ipad 3 for 1 thing before getting the mini. that one task is a little more annoying on the smaller screen but the portability has opened up a whole new world for me. i can't put the mini down now where before I barely picked it up.

So im thrilled with my decision to switch from the 3 to the mini

Never once had to zoom in on text on a browser on my Mini, No blur, no problems.

I know everyone has different eyesight and might have gotten a lemon as well

Rogifan said:

I'll bet it's not very high. People understand the trade offs and prefer the size and weight of the mini.

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Or they can't afford an ipad

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CandyNJ66 said:

Never once had to zoom in on text on a browser on my Mini, No blur, no problems.

I know everyone has different eyesight and might have gotten a lemon as well

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I have great eye sight but come on be honest with yourself the mini is very fuzzy when it comes to text.

bigboar said:

same thing with me only I ended up switching after 3 days... your last paragraph is a great recommendation.

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I switched back to the ipad3 after 6 days. OP is spot on regarding the need to zoom to read web pages. The small screen size of the ipad mini, coupled with a lower resolution, make for a very challenging reading environment.

The weight is fantastic but if you like viewing the web and reading the article's text then you may have some difficulty with the mini.

Best of luck to those still deciding. Fortunately apple is nice enough to give us 14 days to try it.

iapplelove said:

Or they can't afford an ipad

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I have great eye sight but come on be honest with yourself the mini is very fuzzy when it comes to text.

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I have both an iPad 3 & iPad mini (both 64GB with cellular). I could have afforded the iPad 4 if wanted. But it never occurred to me, I wanted the form factor.

I've had the iPad 1, 2, 3, 7 mini now. The mini is not retina but it's not fuzzy at all. It's exactly like an iPad 2 with higher ppi.

jmthigpen said:

If you can't decide iPad mini or retina, my advice is to get your hands on them. Look at the screens in person, feel the weight difference and size.. decide what works best for you.

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Good post but you forgot the last step. Once you've decided, start a thread on MR that denigrates and ridicules everyone who made a different decision.

richardmu said:

The mini was returned very quickly. I decided I prefered the larger screen size having used an iPad 2 since launch day.

Bought a 4 on Black Friday and am very undecided about the whole experience compared to the 2. Text is a bit better to read and it seems a little faster than the 2 but not by much. Overall it is very disappointing. The 2 is a superb performer.

Would like to keep the 4 as it is a bit better than the 2 but it will go back tomorrow. The Ambient Light Sensor does not work consistently. After a Restore it works for a while then stops working. Can't live with that.

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I'm pretty sure that is a software glitch. Why not try an exchange before returning it?

bcaslis said:

I have both an iPad 3 & iPad mini (both 64GB with cellular). I could have afforded the iPad 4 if wanted. But it never occurred to me, I wanted the form factor.

I've had the iPad 1, 2, 3, 7 mini now. The mini is not retina but it's not fuzzy at all. It's exactly like an iPad 2 with higher ppi.

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The iPad 2 is fuzzy. I owned one for a year before I bought the 3rd gen. Still own it.

And yes,price is a big factor in a purchase of a mini over the iPad. Maybe not the o Lu factor but a big one.

add one more person to this discussion who initially thought the Mini was great, but then returned back to the iPad 3.

in my situation, i bought a brand new iPad 3 on October 3. apple allowed me to return it to pre-order the iPad 4 64GB LTE. i got the 4 and thought it was great. i bought my girlfriend an iPad Mini and started using it and i really liked the portability. i returned the iPad 4 and bought an iPad Mini 64GB LTE. well after a few days and putting it through its paces, i realized that the iPad Mini falls short of my expectations. i knew going into it that it lacked a Retina display but i thought the slight increase in PPI would make it better than the iPad 2 i had. to be honest, the perceived difference was negligible between the Mini and my older iPad 2. while the iPad Mini has a higher PPI, the smaller screen means most text is smaller as well so i still have to pinch-zoom just as much as on the iPad 2.

instead of doing back to the iPad 4, i bought an iPad 3 refurb which i think is the best value right now. i got the 64GB LTE version for $679 since i like the extra space and like the option of having LTE on the tablet wherever i am without having to tether to the iPhone 4S and kill the battery. otherwise, the iPad 3 refurb 16GB or 32GB would truly be the best value. regarding the A6X... for what i use the iPad for i didn't really see any benefit besides slightly quicker page loading and app folder opening. gaming did not make a difference (Metal Storm) on either the A6X or the A5X. the iPad 2 with the A5 still actually plays Metal Storm better, but that's a different topic of discussion. i have a feeling that there won't be any games that "require" the A6X for another 1 1/2 yrs due to the popularity of the iPad Mini 1st gen and iPad 3 Retina 1st gen. app game developers would risk alienating such a huge customer base if they did that any sooner.

i won't miss the Lightning port - i'm too entrenched in 30-pin cables and accessories for the benefits of the new port (reversible) to negate the inconveniences.

not having a Facetime HD camera in the iPad 3 is OK - it's not like 720p will make my face more attractive. if anything it'll make it uglier lol. like i said above, my girlfriend has the Mini so i at least get to see her in 720p when we occasionally Facetime which is maybe once every 2 months when i am on a business trip. if i was in a long distance relationship though, then i could see the 720p Facetime HD camera being a must.

the iPad 3 certainly will not be as "future-proof" as the iPad 4 with the A6X, but let's face it... we're all going to throw all of our older iPads onto eBay when the next iPad 5 redesign is announced next year lol. the iPad 3 i bought in early October was defective (light bleed) and was swapped for one with a perfect screen. i'm not looking forward to playing the Retina Lottery again when i get the iPad 3 on Friday

iapplelove said:

The iPad 2 is fuzzy. I owned one for a year before I bought the 3rd gen. Still own it.

And yes,price is a big factor in a purchase of a mini over the iPad. Maybe not the o Lu factor but a big one.

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I guess if you think iPad 2 is fuzzy then you would think iPad mini is fuzzy. But this is opinion, not fact. I have no issue you feel that it's fuzzy to you but it's not "fuzzy" to me. Fuzzy is relative, not absolute. It's fuzzy compared to a retina display but not compared to the vast majority of displays on all devices.

Again on price, that's an opinion, not fact. I'm sure to some people price is a reason to get the mini. But to me, price was not a factor. I would even have gotten the mini if the price was the same, weight was the primary factor to me, not price. So you can't state that price is the reason to buy the mini, it's only one factor among others.

I never really have the "dont want to pick it up" feeling with my Ipad 2. It is heavy, yes but it felt sturdy and strong. Maybe because i like the case i use very much.

I think if the op only use light gaming then ipad mini is not suitable. Many people view it as a perfect gaming experience since Ipad is too big and Ipod touch is too small.

'm sure somebody already said this, the problem you're referring to isn't a lack of ppi

it's the lack of size

jbachandouris said:

I'm pretty sure that is a software glitch. Why not try an exchange before returning it?

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Good point. I will try and get through to Customer Support on the phone again. No luck yet as obviously extremely busy since BF.

An exchange would be fine.

I went the 4 because I like knowing that any app that I buy will run well. If the mini had the newer chip but same screen, I prolly would have gone the Mini

Different strokes for different folks, I'm glad you figured out what your needs were and found a product that fits that. My experience is the opposite in that the mini is everything I needed/wanted.

CNeufeld said:

Higher resolution (AKA retina display) isn't going to make the text any bigger. Seems that maybe the app builders for the applications you're using need to put more thought into how their apps scale.

Have you tried Tapatalk and Tapatalk HD? Just wondering if one works any better/different on the Mini.

Clint

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agreed, but it will make it much clearer. That is the issue right now, the clarity. The iphone5 is easier on the eyes, with a smaller screen, b.c of the retina display.