iPad Mini: Reading Books on the Mini

[pooleman]

Originally Posted by cloud25

Nice. I'm going to purchase either an iPad 4 or a mini primarily for reading too. Still deciding which would be better but from dedicated readers who own a Mini, the screen doesn't appear to be much of an issue in and of itself.

So many are complaining about the screen on the mini but I love it. I own an iPhone 5 and therefore my eyes are accustomed to seeing the retina display but i seriously love the screen.

[localhost8080]

ive heard a lot of people saying that the screen isnt good...

i have an iphone 4s with retina screen and an ipad mini.

the mini screen isnt as good as my iphone screen, but its easilly the same as the screen on my macbook air, and you dont hear people complaining about them, do you?

[d123]

Originally Posted by pooleman

So many are complaining about the screen on the mini but I love it. I own an iPhone 5 and therefore my eyes are accustomed to seeing the retina display but i seriously love the screen.

Another iPhone 5 owner here, and I feel the same. (And I've owned and used the Nexus 7 and iPad 3).

[pooleman]

Originally Posted by d123

Another iPhone 5 owner here, and I feel the same. (And I've owned and used the Nexus 7 and iPad 3).

It's much ado about nothing.

[gmanist1000]

Originally Posted by schulzmc

I read as a part of my job - about 120-140 books a year. I've owned 4 e-ink Kindles, and most recently a Kindle Fire HD. While I have an iPad 3, it has typically been an email/web browsing device for me. It wouldn't work as my main reading device.

I read about 4 hours yesterday on my iPad mini and about 2 more today. The Kindle Fire is going in eBay. I'll keep an e-ink Kindle around for those times I need to read in outdoor situations, but the Mini is going to be my primary reading device.

I can also see it becoming my email/web device as well. I know some are saying the Mini is not great for reading. That may be true for some. But coming from someone who has done a lot of reading on a lot of devices, I could not be happier with reading on the iPad Mini.

I love it for reading too. It's so light, and the screen size is absolutely perfect.

[Bokes]

You need to judge for yourself.
IMO- Text is far from sharp on the mini for book reading.
The Nook HD blows it away.
If reading is your #1 priority-
Check it out.

[AzN1337c0d3r]

iBooks are fine, but PDFs look horrid on the iPad Mini. Apparently the ~48000 PPI² displays (ie. Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD, rMBP15) are the lower limit on density for any device screen for me to not be able to resolve pixels.

iPad Mini's 26569 PPI² is missing about 45% of the requisite pixels.

Also those with smaller hands might find it hard to "palm" the mini when reading.

[clyde2801]

Originally Posted by AzN1337c0d3r

iBooks are fine, but PDFs look horrid on the iPad Mini. Apparently the ~48000 PPI² displays (ie. Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD, rMBP15) are the lower limit on density for any device screen for me to not be able to resolve pixels.

Yeah, I've got a lot of must have manuals on PDF, and that's the reason why I went from a iP2 to a iP3.

[Kashsystems]

I use the Kindle as my main reading device when it comes to e-books. The e-ink screen is easy on my eyes and reading on the Kindle feels like reading a book.

Now pdfs and manuals are great on the mini and that is what I will use it for, but as long as there are e-ink screens I rather read my books on them. I think the form and function of the basic kindle is great for this kind of experience.

[clyde2801]

Originally Posted by Kashsystems

I use the Kindle as my main reading device when it comes to e-books. The e-ink screen is easy on my eyes and reading on the Kindle feels like reading a book.

Now pdfs and manuals are great on the mini and that is what I will use it for, but as long as there are e-ink screens I rather read my books on them. I think the form and function of the basic kindle is great for this kind of experience.

Yeah, jack of all trades....trouble is, I've got a lot of stuff I do on iOS apps, and I don't want to walk around looking like some sort of geek Moses.

[d123]

Originally Posted by AzN1337c0d3r

iBooks are fine, but PDFs look horrid on the iPad Mini. Apparently the ~48000 PPI² displays (ie. Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD, rMBP15) are the lower limit on density for any device screen for me to not be able to resolve pixels.

iPad Mini's 26569 PPI² is missing about 45% of the requisite pixels.

Also those with smaller hands might find it hard to "palm" the mini when reading.

Would have to argue a point there, tried the Nexus 7 for A4 size PDF files and magazines. They were awkward and hard to read, I gave up on them on the Nexus 7, the same documents are easily viewable on the mini, in fact, used in landscape and viewing at half page at a time they are just as easy to read as on large iPad.

[lilo777]

Originally Posted by localhost8080

ive heard a lot of people saying that the screen isnt good...

i have an iphone 4s with retina screen and an ipad mini.

the mini screen isnt as good as my iphone screen, but its easilly the same as the screen on my macbook air, and you dont hear people complaining about them, do you?

Then, of course, not that many people use macbook airs for reading books

[AzN1337c0d3r]

Originally Posted by d123

Would have to argue a point there, tried the Nexus 7 for A4 size PDF files and magazines. They were awkward and hard to read, I gave up on them on the Nexus 7, the same documents are easily viewable on the mini, in fact, used in landscape and viewing at half page at a time they are just as easy to read as on large iPad.

I actually went out and bought a Nexus 7 before I returned the Mini, it was much less fatiguing for me to read off the Nexus 7.

Were you reading black and white PDF documents? I feel the Mini's screen was much better at accurately portraying colors, and chroma information can help hide the lower resolution.

[WilliamLondon]

Originally Posted by AzN1337c0d3r

PDFs look horrid on the iPad Mini.

No, they don't, and I hate reading posts like yours because they completely misrepresent this device.

The one criterium I had regarding a 7" (ish) device was whether it could display PDFs well. I had serious concerns this device would poorly display PDFs (which I read a lot for my degree programme). That was the first test of this device, and I'm so happy to report that PDFs are absolutely easily readable on the mini. I tried, eBooks (PDFs), magazine articles (PDFs), scanned book chapters (PDFs), and all of them were easily readable on this device.

[AzN1337c0d3r]

Originally Posted by WilliamLondon

No, they don't, and I hate reading posts like yours because they completely misrepresent this device.

There is no misrepresentation. PDFs look truly horrid.

Perhaps you don't have the same level of vision as I do, so you don't perceive as well, or perhaps many other things.

But the fact that you "hate" reading posts like mine which is stating my opinion tells a lot about your attitude for anyone who disagrees with you.

[WilliamLondon]

Originally Posted by AzN1337c0d3r

There is no misrepresentation. PDFs look truly horrid.

Perhaps you don't have the same level of vision as I do, so you don't perceive as well, or perhaps many other things.

But the fact that you "hate" reading posts like mine which is stating my opinion tells a lot about your attitude for anyone who disagrees with you.

"Horrid?" No, they don't. They simply don't look horrid, that's such an absurd characterisation.

[Amplelink]

Originally Posted by WilliamLondon

"Horrid?" No, they don't. They simply don't look horrid, that's such an absurd characterisation.

Clearly you've never heard the phrase, "different strokes for different folks."

[riverfreak]

Originally Posted by 53x12

Image


Not sure I will be able to live with the non-RD on the iPad mini. Might be sending it back. Need more time with it.

Great article you screen snapped from. Maybe the font issues are related to the New Yorker app?

[WilliamLondon]

Originally Posted by Amplelink

Clearly you've never heard the phrase, "different strokes for different folks."

Yeah, that's "clearly" the problem, not the use of exaggeration or hyperbole. The reading experience on the mini is simply *not* horrid.

[kas23]

Originally Posted by localhost8080

...but its easilly the same as the screen on my macbook air, and you dont hear people complaining about them, do you?

People don't regularly read books on their MBAs, plus the MBA screen was designed to be viewed from a greater distance than a tablet, thus it doesn't nearly need as many pixels as a tablet.

[hyteckit]

Originally Posted by kas23

People don't regularly read books on their MBAs, plus the MBA screen was designed to be viewed from a greater distance than a tablet, thus it doesn't nearly need as many pixels as a tablet.

They are both from lap distance while sitting away from a desk.

Or from stomach distance laying in bed.

I read PDF books on my MacBook all the time.

[maflynn]

I've been satisfied with the reading on my mini. The slightly larger screen (larger then my kindle touch) means more text per "page" and I've not incurred any eye strain after reading for an hour.

[wrkactjob]

Originally Posted by schulzmc

I read as a part of my job - about 120-140 books a year. I've owned 4 e-ink Kindles, and most recently a Kindle Fire HD. While I have an iPad 3, it has typically been an email/web browsing device for me. It wouldn't work as my main reading device.

I read about 4 hours yesterday on my iPad mini and about 2 more today. The Kindle Fire is going in eBay. I'll keep an e-ink Kindle around for those times I need to read in outdoor situations, but the Mini is going to be my primary reading device.

I can also see it becoming my email/web device as well. I know some are saying the Mini is not great for reading. That may be true for some. But coming from someone who has done a lot of reading on a lot of devices, I could not be happier with reading on the iPad Mini.

No your wrong, the new iPad Mini is "unusable" and "dreadful"....I read it here on macRumours, a Newbie said so.

[53x12]

Originally Posted by riverfreak

Great article you screen snapped from. Maybe the font issues are related to the New Yorker app?

That is a good question. I have noticed the poor font on other documents/articles as well (books, pdf's and other websites). So I don't think it is only the New York app? But I am still trying to get a feel for things.

[Amplelink]

Originally Posted by WilliamLondon

Yeah, that's "clearly" the problem, not the use of exaggeration or hyperbole. The reading experience on the mini is simply *not* horrid.

You are one sensitive guy, aren't you?

The point of saying "different strokes for different folks" is that what you may perceive as "*not* horrid" is indeed horrid and unusable to someone else. Does that make it clearer?