All iPads Retina or mini Retina | Some thoughts!

Xanix · Dec 20, 2012

I am a long, long time MacRumors lurker. I have just recently registered.
I never cared much about tablets, but, this Summer, I have bought the iPad 3. Sold it after two weeks, losing some money!

Retina is just a marketing word meaning, higher resolution. Did I liked it? Sure! but:

a) To big to be portable outside my home
b) Very heavy to be practical
c) The warm back didn't fell comfortable
d) The charging time was really annoying

This time I got a mini and I really, really liked it. It is just, perfect!

You can find some posts about the "retina" thing on the mini v2… the problem is; right now, it is almost impossible to maintain the same form factor and add a super higher resolution panel to it, without compromises…

a) Do you want it to be fat?
b) Do you want it to be heavier?
c) Do you want to fell it's hot back panel?
d) Do you want it to take more time to recharge?

I have a 27" ACD display. Do I need the higher resolution? Yes. Do I like it? Yes.
The iPad 4/3 9.7" have almost the same resolution of the ACD. Is it really needed? No.
The problem is; correct me if I am wrong, iOS is not resolution independent. So, Apple only solution, was to double the 1024 x 768 resolution and call it Retina.

I think that, a "Full HD" resolution would be a good compromise. The current monitors/TV's have it as the default resolution. In general; the web is prepared for that size, the movies industry also use it, and on, and on…

For me, 1920 x 1080p would be perfect for the current/next mini. Like that, maybe they could maintain the size/weight of the current model or make it slimmer.

What do you think?
One more thing; aren't you a little bored about almost the same UI since 2007?

Regards to all,

Xanix

SnowLeopard OSX · Dec 20, 2012

Xanix said:
I am a long, long time MacRumors lurker. I have just recently registered.
I never cared much about tablets, but, this Summer, I have bought the iPad 3. Sold it after two weeks, losing some money!

Retina is just a marketing word meaning, higher resolution. Did I liked it? Sure! but:

a) To big to be portable outside my home
b) Very heavy to be practical
c) The warm back didn't fell comfortable
d) The charging time was really annoying

This time I got a mini and I really, really liked it. It is just, perfect!

You can find some posts about the "retina" thing on the mini v2… the problem is; right now, it is almost impossible to maintain the same form factor and add a super higher resolution panel to it, without compromises…

a) Do you want it to be fat?
b) Do you want it to be heavier?
c) Do you want to fell it's hot back panel?
d) Do you want it to take more time to recharge?

I have a 27" ACD display. Do I need the higher resolution? Yes. Do I like it? Yes.
The iPad 4/3 9.7" have almost the same resolution of the ACD. Is it really needed? No.
The problem is; correct me if I am wrong, iOS is not resolution independent. So, Apple only solution, was to double the 1024 x 768 resolution and call it Retina.

I think that, a "Full HD" resolution would be a good compromise. The current monitors/TV's have it as the default resolution. In general; the web is prepared for that size, the movies industry also use it, and on, and on…

For me, 1920 x 1080p would be perfect for the current/next mini. Like that, maybe they could maintain the size/weight of the current model or make it slimmer.

What do you think?
One more thing; aren't you a little bored about almost the same UI since 2007?

Regards to all,

Xanix

a.) I don't think that iPads are "too big to be portable outside [of the] home" - they're more than portable enough to take outside of the house. In my opinion, anywhere you can bring an iPad mini, you can bring an iPad. Similarly, anywhere you wouldn't bring an iPad, you wouldn't bring an iPad mini, either.

b.) No one would want the mini to be heavier -- it would defeat the entire idea of an iPad mini

c.) My panel never overheats -- mainly because I don't set my brightness on 100%, if you're conservative with your brightness, you will conserve both battery life as well as prevent overheating on your device.

d.) You can get up to 10 hours of iPad use during the day -- Mostly by the time I'm done using the iPad during the day, it would be charging over night anyways. I usually go 2-3 days without charging my iPad, though.

It's all subjective, in my opinion. Some people are willing to give up a retina display for a lighter device and vice versa. Personally, I've never thought that the iPad is too heavy to be portable. Anywhere I bring it, is usually in a stationary location (desk at school, couch at home, bed at home, seat on plane, seat on train, etc.) -- unless you'd be walking around with your iPad mini to use it (relatively unlikely) -- I'm content with sticking with my iPhone for super mobile use. That's the way I reason, anyways

I'm very bored with the iOS user interface -- Scott Forstall, former Apple executive, is leaving the company for good in January -- Jony Ive will take over his responsibilities for redesigning the iOS' UI/UX which I'm very excited about. We'll see how that plays out.

poloponies · Dec 20, 2012

SnowLeopard OSX said:
a.) I don't think that iPads are "too big to be portable outside [of the] home" - they're more than portable enough to take outside of the house. In my opinion, anywhere you can bring an iPad mini, you can bring an iPad.

As an early iPad adopter (since day of the original model) the "too big/heavy" to take out of the house arguments are nonsensical. I've used my iPads every day outside my house, I've see them in use daily on my train commute, in Starbucks/coffee shops, I've seem many in use at the airport, on planes, in business meetings, etc.

Sure, the mini is smaller/lighter, but that doesn't render the larger iPad to home duty exclusively.

teknikal90 · Dec 20, 2012

-the mini's screen is too small. I have to hold it closer to my face and then, it's pixelated and blurry, which means it's not all that usable to display a lot of text.
-The full size ipad on the other hand, is full size! I feel like it displays the whole web as it's meant to look. not the scaled down web like on the small iPad mini screen.
-Also, having the bigger screen means that the canvas is a lot bigger, i feel like apps get a lot more immersive with the bigger screen, as opposed to the scaled down compromized feel like I get with the ipad mini and the iphone.
One way to illustrate this, the bezel of the mini is reduced. which means that part of the screen would be covered by your hand as you grip it. this isn't ideal, it's a compromize in order to cut down on size. the full size ipad on the other hand, does not compromise on content.
-the mini is light, but it's not like the 4th gen is too heavy... I still find the iPad retina to be light and small enough to be portable. I don't see a situation where I would be able to use the ipad mini, but not the ipad 4th gen.

I really wanted the mini, but now that th novelty is worn off, i dont see how it would add more value compared to the 4th gen. it's tonnes better.

Awakener · Dec 20, 2012

Xanix said:
Retina is just a marketing word meaning, higher resolution. Did I liked it? Sure! but:

a) To big to be portable outside my home

For me, 1920 x 1080p would be perfect for the current/next mini. Like that, maybe they could maintain the size/weight of the current model or make it slimmer.

It's smaller than standard 81/2x11 paper tablet. It weighs same as a typical hardback. People carry tablets, organizers, books all day long bigger than iPad.

iPad is 4:3. Widescreen tablets are only good for widescreen movies, nothing else.

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All iPads Retina or mini Retina | Some thoughts!

Xanix

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SnowLeopard OSX

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poloponies

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teknikal90

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Awakener

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