First iPad Mini Reviews: "Shockingly Nice to Hold", Non-Retina Display, Pricier than Rivals

WOW reading the comments from all of these very positive reviews you can see the all of the rage of these ihaters.

One thing people forget the nexsus 7 and all of the other budget 7 inchers are feel like cheap plastic toys, the Ipad mini feels like a high quality product made with a nice aluminum casing. Build quality like this cost extra, and doesn't come cheap.

LMFAO at all of the ihaters, full of so much rage.

jhr3uva90 said:

Of course reviews are biased! They are opinions! With a review (just like a column), you make an assertion and then use the article as evidence to support their assertion. I blame our educational system that so poorly teaches reading comprehension and how to read different types of works that people don't know the difference between a news article (unbiased) and a review/opinion piece/column (inherently biased because that's the point).

Now about the posters who belittle the iPad mini and other products. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, of course. However, I think it is a little childish to write comments on an Apple blog disparaging Apple products. Just saying.

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I'm not sure I agree with the last statement you made. I don't see where it's 'childish' to express an opinion that an Apple product if it doesn't meet your needs or expectations.

I like Apple products as much as the next person. I preordered the last 3 iPhones, waited in line at the Apple store to get my wife an iPad 2 on release week for her birthday and have enjoyed using their products.

But sometimes Apple misses the mark for some people. But whether it's Maps, the Podcast apps, iOS 6 issues, Mini specs/pricing, Mobile Me, Ping etc, I think it does a bigger disservice to this board just wave the pom poms and say that everything Apple does is wonderful.

Unfortunately a lot of people lose their objectivity when it comes to discussing Apple products and their competitors. People will dismiss each other as 'fanboys' or 'trolls.' They will belittle posters by claiming they are sheep or cheap, depending what side of they are arguing. That can be childish...but I do think critical or negative opinions can be expressed in a mature way and it doesn't go against the nature of this forum.

coldmack said:

The Nexus 7 is build is questionable, with a screen res that is acceptable, but color, nits, and contrast could be better. The app store is also lacking tablet apps. Price is right though, but that's not surprising since is using the dated Tegra 3.
Kindle is screen is better, but again your stuck with Amazon's customization, ads, and app store, which is only really worth it for the free app of the day. Sure you can root it, but that still doesn't fully solve the lack of apps. Again cpu could be a bit better.

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You can have as powerful a tablet as you wish...... but A tablet with no apps or real tablet apps is like buying a dead dog......a little bit pointless really......

marc11 said:

Nah what's funnier is all the people that crapped all over other products for not having retina and for not using the latest and greatest CPU and for not having xx amount of memory; you used to read comments like "I will never buy anything without retina", "unless it has an A6 its not powerful enough", "you need at least 1 GB of ram" (I am paraphrasing of course) and now suddenly posting comments like, "you do not need retina in a 7 inch tablet", "1xx PPI is enough", "the mini CPU is enough, the CPU in the iPad 4 is overkill", etc etc etc.

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Just a little yin to the yang of all the posters who said that "retina" displays on phones or tablets were no big deal...and are now pretending that pixel density is the only thing that ever mattered, or that a slower CPU with fewer cores didn't stack up, even if it outperformed. Trolls on the Internet are like a box of melted crayons...a color for everyone but none of them can make a point.

The whole thing is hilarious on both sides.

Aidan5806 said:

So basically they like it, and there aren't any major deal breakers. Thats what i expected and hoped for........its not a perfect tablet.....but no tablet is perfect.

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Yes, that's good to hear indeed.

I8P'CS said:

Wow some biased reviews. I guess some don't want to be band from Apple events or want Apple to mention them in the key note. Point blank its a nicer design but specs wise and no retina is a rip off.

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marc11 said:

Headline should read "We found all the best comments about the mini and posted them here"....

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Those are admittedly, glowing comments, but even the sceptics on here must concede that, even if those reviews are a bit 'rosy', the MINI would still add up to be a worthy addition to the iPad line-up. And if you don't absolutely have to have the 9.7" version or 'Retina', for $30 more than the full-size Retina 16GB WiFi version, you can have the 64GB WiFi Mini. I especially like the reported low weight, and ease of holding it in one hand. Hmm, that's tempting.....

How nice, after pre-ordering it, apple registered my mini automatically for me!

Love the quote from the Guardian. Can't wait to get mine on Friday. Say what you will about it not having a retina display or A6 it's still tons better than my iPad first gen.

Sounds like Apple has another hit on its hands. This will make perfect Xmas gifts for my nephews. Heck, I'll probably pick one up for myself as well.

chr1s60 said:

Love the quote from the Guardian. Can't wait to get mine on Friday. Say what you will about it not having a retina display or A6 it's still tons better than my iPad first gen.

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Will you be upset if it has those features in 6 months?

Engadget says:
Update: This review originally stated (as does Apple's spec page) that the iPad mini has a mono speaker. It is, in fact, a stereo device.

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Is this true? If so, the Apple page is really wrong? I do not think I heard this stereo speaker thing during the Apple presentation.

macs4nw said:

Yes, that's good to hear indeed.





Those are admittedly, glowing comments, but even the sceptics on here must concede that, even if those reviews are a bit 'rosy', the MINI would still add up to be a worthy addition to the iPad line-up. And if you don't absolutely have to have the 9.7" version or 'Retina', for $30 more than the full-size Retina 16GB WiFi version, you can have the 64GB WiFi Mini. I especially like the reported low weight, and ease of holding it in one hand. Hmm, that's tempting.....

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Agreed, most valid and sane comment I have read about the mini since launch!

AppleScruff1 said:

Will you be upset if it has those features in 6 months?

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Not at all. It's part of buying tech gadgets. They are continuously changed and updated. I am happy with the spec/price point it is currently at for a reasonably priced upgrade from a first gen iPad. Being a new product, I don't expect it to be updated until close to this time next year. Apple tends not to mess with a new product right away, even if it is just a variant of another. I will be happy regardless though.

steve119 said:

You can have as powerful a tablet as you wish...... but A tablet with no apps or real tablet apps is like buying a dead dog......a little bit pointless really......

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I still say that all comes down to which apps you use and what you intend to use your device for. If you are buying a device to mainly read books/magazines, email, internet browse and to stream media then apps and or tablet specific apps don't mean a darn thing.

People keep say apps apps apps, there are over 600,000 apps on each store, so it depends a lot on which apps a person uses and how those apps are on each device. It is not a universal deciding factor, not by a long shot.

marc11 said:

I still say that all comes down to which apps you use and what you intend to use your device for. If you are buying a device to mainly read books/magazines, email, internet browse and to stream media then apps and or tablet specific apps don't mean a darn thing.

People keep say apps apps apps, there are over 600,000 apps on each store, so it depends a lot on which apps a person uses and how those apps are on each device. It is not a universal deciding factor, not by a long shot.

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Games games games...

What have we learned?

I am not sure why I should own an iPad mini since I have an iPad and iPhone. But, I have learned that if I buy an iPad mini, get the second generation version with the specs they withheld from this one like retina display. You know it's coming.

chr1s60 said:

Not at all. It's part of buying tech gadgets. They are continuously changed and updated. I am happy with the spec/price point it is currently at for a reasonably priced upgrade from a first gen iPad. Being a new product, I don't expect it to be updated until close to this time next year. Apple tends not to mess with a new product right away, even if it is just a variant of another. I will be happy regardless though.

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It will be a big upgrade from the original iPad, that's for sure. It will be a lot faster.

belltree said:

My points:

• Form factor looks great, very appealing and easy to hold.

• No retina is not a show stopper but will likely appear in the next iteration in 2013 so no point in buying now. I will wait and see what happens next spring or fall.

• The price is the real show stopper here. Insane pricing. The 16GB price should be for 32GB. Only then would I consider purchasing this device despite my strong desires for it. That said many will open their wallets and blow their $$ on this device and that's what Apple wants.

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Because I want this device I'm "blowing" my money on it? PLUS $329 for 12 months of use ($27.42 month) I feel it's a steal. I'll enjoy my mini for 12 months and when the mini-s comes out with retina and a6 in a year ill buy that one too. You shouldn't however take it upon yourself to tell me or anyone else that we're "blowing" money.

baxterbrittle said:

Seems to me all of these 'reviews' are missing one key point when it comes to the smaller bezels - Input rejection that dismisses accidental input from having a thumb of finger touching the digitizer when holding it. They seem to forget it has this...

So it is as fast as the iPad 3, that is only 8 months old. Has a PPI between the iPad 2 and the 'retina' iPad models, has better battery life than the iPad 3, is half the weight without having too small a display and is $170 cheaper than the 3 was. I honestly don't understand everyones beef is here? No 'retina' display. And what resolution do you think a 'retina' display should actually be for the new screen size? 1600 x 1200? So yet another resolution to have to deal with for developers? It is taking long enough for iPhone 5 optimised apps and they really only have to adjust the 'content' areas to fit that device.

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I agree. I don't think apple will come out with a retina version next year, they would have to double the resolution. So it would be the same resolution as the 3 and 4. That would need a much bigger battery and processor. I bet it'll be iPad mini 3 that has retina screen.
Just a guess though.

If you don't find the Mini appealing in the slightest way, then you are either crazy or in crazy denial. This thing is appealing. And a ton of people who've been wanting an iPad just now got a more appealing option.

Make no mistake, the reason Apple priced this at $329 is because they strongly believe that this will soon outsell the full sized iPad. And if Apple significantly reduced margins on a product that will cannibalize their full size iPad, their iPad business no longer becomes as profitable.

This is like the iPod Mini all over again. Had significantly lower storage, for only $50 less, and yet that thing instantly took off like a rocket. We are going to see that again, and Apples not going to jeopardize the profitability for their 2nd largest division. They give you an exquisite premium product, unwilling to compromise on quality. The build quality and design of the Mini makes the retina pad look old now, with the new design and finish of the 5/Touch

steve119 said:

You can have as powerful a tablet as you wish...... but A tablet with no apps or real tablet apps is like buying a dead dog......a little bit pointless really......

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And to me a tablet with out proper digitzer support so I can annotate word and pdf documents is pointless; so, having all the apps in the world means nothing if it doesn't come with a proper digitizer.

gaximus said:

I agree. I don't think apple will come out with a retina version next year, they would have to double the resolution. So it would be the same resolution as the 3 and 4. That would need a much bigger battery and processor. I bet it'll be iPad mini 3 that has retina screen.
Just a guess though.

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Not necessarily. The IGZO displays would easily be able to handle that resolution, and is much more power efficient. Combine that with the power efficiency of the A6, and its perfectly feasible for the Mini to gain retina display next year.

The only reason the 3/4 needed such a huge battery is because of the LCD technology. Switching to IGZO would solve that.

chr1s60 said:

Love the quote from the Guardian. Can't wait to get mine on Friday. Say what you will about it not having a retina display or A6 it's still tons better than my iPad first gen.

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A 'better than first gen' product in the third year after the first gen was released and $329

You know value of a product is in the eyes of the beholder. I don't think the iPad Mini is over priced, it will allow me to make use of all my existing apps that I've purchased for the larger iPad. Plus the design looks absolutely great in comparison to all those other 7" tablets on the market. Design isn't everything, but I work hard for my money and if I like my products to look great on top of being functional, no one else should care. To call people iSheep and fools well I think you need to take a lot of yourself long and hard.

All this going back and fourth that its over priced, not worth it, Android's are better, cheaper etc. Well I got news for you guys, I also own a Nexus 7 and while I do truly like it. I find Jelly Bean to be a huge improvement in smoothness and refinement. I felt disconnected with it, because for years I have be part of the Apple ecosystem. I am not going to bash Android, but I also think its crazy for folks to come into an Apple rumor forum and do a smack down on those that like and enjoy their Apple products.

iPad Mini sales will speak for themselves and the nasayers will just continue doing what they do, simply because they apparently have nothing else better to do.

techkidd4400 said:

I am not sure why I should own an iPad mini since I have an iPad and iPhone. But, I have learned that if I buy an iPad mini, get the second generation version with the specs they withheld from this one like retina display. You know it's coming.

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Just like the obviously missing cameras in the iPad 1.

tctony said:

No way is retina a disadvantage. Every other phone and tablet screen looks like crap once you've had retina.

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In Apple tablet universe, there are only 2 display resolution: 1024x768 and 2048x1536. Anything in between will require app developers changing their tablet app to take advantage of the new resolution. So instead of 275,000 apps available on launch day, you have may be a few hundred apps available. This is basically the path that Android takes. After a few new display resolutions, developer will say to hell with the changes. They will just blow up their app to fill the screen with white space, strange size button etc. Having 2048x1536 dispaly in mini will add a lot of weight in addition to the added cost with today technology.

The only way to have retina in Ipad mini is technology advance to the point that 2056x1536 panel is cheap enough and the power requirement is low enough that it fit into Mini price range and weight requirement. I don't think we have a shot in 2013. Apple can improve the screen quality without changing the resolution. Iphone 5 did it with improved color saturation. This is a more likely solution for Ipad mini price point.