iPad mini I gave in, and bought an iPad Mini

xDKP said:

That's a tough one to answer without knowing your needs. I went for the Internet everywhere model, because of my needs. To me this magnificent device is more an Internet portal than a permanent storage of my pictures etc.

Wen I travel I usually pack it with a couple of episodes of some of the tv series I'm behind in and the daily newspaper and such. Besides that some obvious apps and games. For that my 16 is more than enough.

My iPad 4 on the other hand is used as a small computer on vacations and at home. I went for the 32 with that to be able to empty my dSLR camera on it and be able to browse the pictures we take while abroad.

So depends on your needs.

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Well, the main uses will be music apps (GarageBand, Moog, Korg, NI...) and Touch OSC. except that i will use it when im on the road\flights (movies, games, music,books...) and in the house for internet, skype, itunes remote, and so...

Not sure how much i will use\need it with me in my daily life, coz till now i didnt fill the need to have iphone or smarthpone in general, still happy with my dual sim cheap Nokia

With my Galaxy tab, i used it till now only for flights (sometimes i preferred my old ipod touch instead for short flights) and in the house... but thats coz its useless, big and heavy to carry around even that it came with 3G (never bother to get sim for it)...

Now with the ipad mini its different story, since its smaller and lighter (and will have more use in general), i wont be surprised if i will start carrying it with me in my bag wherever i go... and if that will happen, it will be nice to have excess to internet everywhere as well, since i dont have iphone...

The ideal will be getting ipad mini with 32GB+4G, but that cost to much...

Good choice.

I have both sizes and you really notice the difference when you need to travel light.

Just about to give my wife an iPad mini for Mother' Day. She has the original iPad, and I notice it showing its age. Can't wait to try it out for myself. I assume I can do a backup of her current iPad, and than set up the mini as a restore from that backup. Hopefully she'll have everything transfer right over.

Also adore mine, my 3rd gen feels like a briefcase by comparison.

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DaneNJ said:

Just about to give my wife an iPad mini for Mother' Day. She has the original iPad, and I notice it showing its age. Can't wait to try it out for myself. I assume I can do a backup of her current iPad, and than set up the mini as a restore from that backup. Hopefully she'll have everything transfer right over.

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Yup, back the original one up to iCloud and log in and restore on the new one. Voila

SMDBill said:

I wasn't tying to slam Windows, just saying what my experience is. Fonts are choppier (specifically, the letter "a" in lowercase, "W" in uppercase, but others as well) and a bit blurred on curved edges. This remains the same on the laptop screen, the 24" Samsung monitor and the 21" Dell monitor. It's my work computer and I have no control over the hardware or software, but it's always been this way on my current machine and all previous Windows work machines.

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I agree. Windows is simply terrible in the fonts department. I have a 1600x900 14 inch work laptop and at times I can't even read what's on the screen. Now that I have retina on my iPad, this only makes matters worse for me. As you said the fonts are "blurry" or too "tiny" for me. I use Ubuntu at home with a slightly lower resolution and don't have this problem. I actually think the Ubuntu fonts are quite sharp, big, and sexy. Even though it is not retina the quality is up to par with that of Apple.

Too bad, I work for a multinational that makes billions each year and we are still stuck on low quality displays that hurt your eyes. I guess this will remain a reality for us as long we are using Windows. Lets see how that lasts.

I couldn't resist, either. Gave my dust-collecting iPad 2 to my wife, which gave me all the excuse I needed to get the mini. Love it. Love everything about it. Now that I'm hooked again, it's time to give a Mac air or pro another try.

it feels like an eternity before we even see the new mini hit the shelves. i am in the market for the mini, but having previously owned a 3rd gen iPad i prefer to wait for the retina screen and spec bumps.

Yep, just wait for retina.
Got myself a mini and the screen is crap compared to the retina 3.

matthijst said:

Yep, just wait for retina.
Got myself a mini and the screen is crap compared to the retina 3.

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doubt it. i have an Ipad 3 (retina) and bought myself a mini. screen is not crap and ok with me. i also have an Iphone 5/4S/4, a rMBP 15" and 13" yet i am satisfied with the mini screen. for what it gives me, convenience, i am OK with it.

vmaniqui said:

doubt it. i have an Ipad 3 (retina) and bought myself a mini. screen is not crap and ok with me. i also have an Iphone 5/4S/4, a rMBP 15" and 13" yet i am satisfied with the mini screen. for what it gives me, convenience, i am OK with it.

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With all those, I hope you bought some stock and made some money as well.

matthijst said:

Yep, just wait for retina.
Got myself a mini and the screen is crap compared to the retina 3.

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Funny- I came from an iPad 2 to a mini and it looks almost retina to me because of that. Definitely not a "crap" screen no matter how you spin it.

myrtlebee said:

Funny- I came from an iPad 2 to a mini and it looks almost retina to me because of that. Definitely not a "crap" screen no matter how you spin it.

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+1 It still need to wear my reading glasses, but the mini screen looks much crisper than my old iPad 2.

myrtlebee said:

Funny- I came from an iPad 2 to a mini and it looks almost retina to me because of that. Definitely not a "crap" screen no matter how you spin it.

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I have an iPad 4 and still think this is a good screen. Not retina no, but that's not a deal breaker at all...

Must say the size makes a world of difference! (On my first trip now with it)

AppleRobert said:

With all those, I hope you bought some stock and made some money as well.

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i can't tell if i did. let's just leave it at that. reason why i got all those Apple products is because i like them plain and simple. i used to be a windows user for more than 20 years and i wouldn't go back to windows again. i tried all phones - Motorola Q, Treo, Blackjack I/II, and hated them. tried the Samsung Note - so big i can't imagine myself talking to someone with that piece of brick hanging by my ear. bought a Google Nexus 7 and Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.2 and sold them after using them for a week. when i was using a windows laptop i have to clean them every now and then and everytime i stick in an usb printer, external harddrive or any external cable i have to restart my computer. it's so slow and takes longer to boot and they are a magnet for viruses. Apple just make it so easy for a user to use their products. our company used to have all PCs and now they've started migrating to MACs since 2009. and trust me i had a fair share of usage on both sides and i will stick with Apple for now.

vmaniqui said:

Apple just make it so easy for a user to use their products. our company used to have all PCs and now they've started migrating to MACs since 2009. and trust me i had a fair share of usage on both sides and i will stick with Apple for now.

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Man, good to hear this report. My company has yet to wake up. I'll be re-imaging again soon after I've had Windows 7 running ever so laggy for six months. Yuppie!

I guess with Windows, Microsoft forces you to hate computers and make real friends instead. Thanks Ballmer!

thelookingglass said:

The mini is a fantastic device and all this bickering about screen resolution is just splitting hairs in my opinion. The screen is excellent, albeit not retina. Certainly good enough for anything you'd want to do on a tablet.

The form factor is just simply amazing. The first time I held it, I could not believe how how thin and light Apple made it.

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I agree 100%. Screen looks great and the mini is just much easier to handle.

Joewat64 said:

I agree 100%. Screen looks great and the mini is just much easier to handle.

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The last two days I have been in and out of airports, through security, trains, subway, hotel, restaurants and more - the mini made a hell of a lot difference compared to the regular iPad. I just used this more. I had dinner on a restaurant by my self and loved to pull out the iPad mini and look at some news and mail and more. Great device for sure!

You can always sell it later when iPad Mini with Retina Display coming out.
Yes there will be money needed for the upgrade instead of buying the Retina Mini once and for all.

Well think of it as renting the current Mini as leverage of enjoying the iPad earlier

Just switched my WiFi mini for a 3G/LTE one today - this thing was going everywhere with me, and tethering was really destroying my battery life.

Such a great portable device. Absolutely love the thing.

Terrified said:

Just switched my WiFi mini for a 3G/LTE one today - this thing was going everywhere with me, and tethering was really destroying my battery life.

Such a great portable device. Absolutely love the thing.

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I bought one recently with cellular as well. Completist!

I got one recently for my travels, its a great size for traveling around. i have the ipad 2 and my 3 year son likes to watch his favorite shows and movies on it....he thinks its his. Was tempted to get one of the Amazon Fires, but since I have have so many things purchased (music, movies and apps) i figured it would just be easier to get the mini. I'm sure there are ways to convert, but i'd rather spend that time having fun with my son.
It'll be interesting to see what the latest release of the ipad is gonna look like. If that takes on the style of the mini, that'll be very tempting too....but since we already have the ipad 2 and the mini, i think that'll be enough. don't need to spend more money....

AppleRobert said:

With all those, I hope you bought some stock and made some money as well.

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Are you jealous? Without knowing the business/personal situation you sound well, broke

It is an awesome device to hold and use.

i was holding out for retina ipad mini. i thought they were going to release one in march but when they didn't i just couldnt wait anymore. love my mini.

whenever i use my mom's ipad 3 i keep thinking to myself how did i carry around that massive tablet.

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matthijst said:

Yep, just wait for retina.
Got myself a mini and the screen is crap compared to the retina 3.

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well for us folks coming from a ipad 2 the ipad mini is an upgrade. honestly the screen looks sharper than my ipad 2 did.