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iPad mini Mini haters - First thoughts iPad3 Retina: Waste of money

Scott6666

Scott6666

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Feb 2, 2008
1,489
940
With all the gnashing of teeth about the iPad mini screen, a recollection is in order.

I remember when I bought my iPad3 and gave the iPad2 away from to the kid. When I finally got the 3, I remember thinking: I can barely see the difference in the screen; I wonder if I was a dupe for spending all that money for a new iPad.

Then, of course, I showed it to my wife to demonstrate how much better it was. She went: Eh, should've saved your money for the iPad4.

Now I like my retina, but if I'd hadn't upgraded I probably never would have noticed.

PS My wife ended up being right in that I should have waited for the 4. My kid feels like it was a good idea to get the 3. :)
 
NATO

NATO

macrumors 68000
Feb 14, 2005
1,702
35
Northern Ireland
I'm sorry, but if you can't see any significant difference between the iPad 2 and iPad 3 displays then it's your eyesight that's at fault.

The iPad 2 display looks like I've rubbed Vaseline in my eyes in comparison to the iPad 3 display. It's THAT noticeable.

I tried the iPad mini at the Apple store yesterday and I just couldn't get over how horrible the display was now that I'm used to a retina-class display. A number of online reviews have said the same thing.
 
H

HowardSmith

macrumors 6502a
Sep 13, 2012
863
0
Not a hater but no matter what resolution the mini is, my main gripe was the screen size was not worth it to me. I will carry the extra weight and bulk for the larger screen.

The whole point of the mini is not to compete with the iPad but to give people choices! Apple had little choice as they are now down to only 50% of the market and they HAD to come up with something in the size to compete with the Kindle, etc!
 
JaySoul

JaySoul

macrumors 68030
Jan 30, 2008
2,629
2,865
The iPad 3 display is much much better than the 2.

I remember the jump to Retina on the iPhone, that was spectacular too. And now the iPhone 5 screen is even better, too.

Not all the bumps make a real world difference, but the Retina display on my iPad 3 makes a massive difference to my eyes, especially when reading or watching films.
 
urkel

urkel

macrumors 68030
Nov 3, 2008
2,795
917
HowardSmith said:
The whole point of the mini is not to compete with the iPad but to give people choices! Apple had little choice as they are now down to only 50% of the market and they HAD to come up with something in the size to compete with the Kindle, etc!
Click to expand...
Well, lets hope that "competing with choices" is Apples new direction because the iPhone definitely could use more size options.
 
A

AdonisSMU

macrumors 604
Oct 23, 2010
7,298
3,047
HowardSmith said:
Not a hater but no matter what resolution the mini is, my main gripe was the screen size was not worth it to me. I will carry the extra weight and bulk for the larger screen.

The whole point of the mini is not to compete with the iPad but to give people choices! Apple had little choice as they are now down to only 50% of the market and they HAD to come up with something in the size to compete with the Kindle, etc!
Click to expand...

Exactly.
 
B

Broadus

macrumors 65816
Oct 26, 2011
1,108
649
Upstate SC
"Mini hater"? How silly. I was looking forward to the Mini, but when the rumored resolution proved true, that was a deal breaker for me.

I like a lot about the Mini, but I won't go back to a less-than-Retina-like screen on any handheld device, which I guess is a result of having an iPhone 4S. I was really interested in the MS Surface RT, but the resolution made it a no-go. Do I "hate" the Surface? I don't have any emotion towards it. I responded to the Mini and the Surface by buying a refurbished 3rd gen. iPad instead.

Enjoy your Mini, Scott. I'm happy for you. Frankly, though, I reserve the word "hate" for something a bit more consequential than a piece of technology.
 
H

HowardSmith

macrumors 6502a
Sep 13, 2012
863
0
urkel said:
Well, lets hope that "competing with choices" is Apples new direction because the iPhone definitely could use more size options.
Click to expand...

I also hoped for bigger screen on the 5 but some Apple people were freaking out at the thought of it growing a single millimeter! For me making it just taller was a waste yet I guess Apple figured that the Apple people could maybe get used to it.

It is funny as the 5 has only been out a short time and I hear these 5 owners say how "stubby" the 4S was and that they do not see how they could use such a "brick".:p

It might be a new day for Apple and maybe they will offer a iPhone with 4 to 5" screen that is wider, also!:rolleyes: I would buy it in a second!

Right now I just wish they would get my iPad 4 LTE delivered as the person who I promised my iPad 3 is starting to make me nervous!:eek:
 
BFizzzle

BFizzzle

macrumors 68020
May 31, 2010
2,443
0
Austin TX
NATO said:
I'm sorry, but if you can't see any significant difference between the iPad 2 and iPad 3 displays then it's your eyesight that's at fault.

The iPad 2 display looks like I've rubbed Vaseline in my eyes in comparison to the iPad 3 display. It's THAT noticeable.

I tried the iPad mini at the Apple store yesterday and I just couldn't get over how horrible the display was now that I'm used to a retina-class display. A number of online reviews have said the same thing.
Click to expand...


EXACTLY.. i was fixing a friends ipad the screen resolution looked so bad I honestly asked him if it was an ipad 1st gen.. when it was actually the 2nd gen.
 
mcdj

mcdj

macrumors G3
Jul 10, 2007
8,964
4,214
NYC
tl:dr If you can't see the difference between retina and non retina, you're blind like me.
 
Bih85

Bih85

macrumors newbie
Nov 6, 2012
9
0
There is difference if you are coming from retina iPad. If this is your first iPad, you will be perfectly fine with resolution. I just hate it when people make iPad Mini look like it has old tube TV resolution.
 
P

phr0ze

macrumors 6502a
Jun 14, 2012
513
0
Columbia, MD
I like retina, but this mini is very usable. I'm not sure about the haters either.

At a normal working distance the mini screen is sharp. I tend to hold it closer for reading And in that case I do see some differences, but still not enough to make this a useless device,or even unpleasant.
 
rowspaxe

rowspaxe

macrumors 68020
Jan 29, 2010
2,214
1,009
So a week of hysteria later, it turns out some people find retina more important than others. It is interesting to me though the no mini owners have complained about missing the extra screen size. Although i am 9.7" or larger proponent--its seems like people are happy with a small tablet and smartphone. I think the whole galaxy II points to a phone in a mini form factor. accessed via blue tooth
 
B

bigboar

macrumors 6502
Oct 26, 2012
364
0
Ohio
I have been singing praise of the mini since friday. The last 2 evenings I started getting headaches while using it though and in my opinion it was from eye strain. I used my wifes ipad3 countless times and never experienced what I have the last couple nights. I am 41 years old and my eyes probably arent what they used to be though. I really think it was just from the text being so small that caused it and I have never been a fan of zooming. I returned it to apple today and picked up an ipad 4 64gb... In my opinion the mini is a great product though and in no way do I think people are crazy for getting one. The lightweight and small size is really nice...
 
Z

Zcott

macrumors 68020
Oct 18, 2009
2,307
47
Belfast, Ireland
Suspect that anyone who hasn't used an iPad before won't really notice the lack of retina. This is a great entry level device for anyone who doesn't have an iPad.
 
Scott6666

Scott6666

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Feb 2, 2008
1,489
940
Didn't say I couldn't see it at all. Just said it was not worth replacing the iPad for. Not an $900 upgrade.

I was very perfectly happy with the 1 and 2 for 2 some years. Would have been happy for one or two more.

I am so susceptible to that Apple marketing.
 
A

aka777

macrumors 6502a
Mar 13, 2012
858
421
bigboar said:
I have been singing praise of the mini since friday. The last 2 evenings I started getting headaches while using it though and in my opinion it was from eye strain. I used my wifes ipad3 countless times and never experienced what I have the last couple nights. I am 41 years old and my eyes probably arent what they used to be though. I really think it was just from the text being so small that caused it and I have never been a fan of zooming. I returned it to apple today and picked up an ipad 4 64gb... In my opinion the mini is a great product though and in no way do I think people are crazy for getting one. The lightweight and small size is really nice...
Click to expand...

This makes sense. The ipad mini has up to 53% more reflections than their competitors.
 
clyde2801

clyde2801

macrumors 601
Mar 6, 2008
4,365
54
In the land of no hills and red dirt.
Scott6666 said:
Didn't say I couldn't see it at all. Just said it was not worth replacing the iPad for. Not an $900 upgrade.

I was very perfectly happy with the 1 and 2 for 2 some years. Would have been happy for one or two more.

I am so susceptible to that Apple marketing.
Click to expand...

I could tell a night and day difference between the 2 and 3. Maybe I'm not as blind as others-huzzah! And I have to desire to give up my 3 (since I'll be taking a bath on my 64 gig lte resale value anyway) unless it quits working out of warranty or a new model has blow me out of my socks features or performance, not just a spec upgrade.

Hey, if you're cool with the Mini screen, that's the only thing that matters at the end of the day. Enjoy!
 
S

Sh4wN

macrumors regular
Jul 14, 2012
146
0
Scott6666 said:
Didn't say I couldn't see it at all. Just said it was not worth replacing the iPad for. Not an $900 upgrade.

....
Click to expand...


Well, what did you do with your old iPad? I upgraded from iPad 2 to iPad 3 on launch day and basically paid 150€ for that, because I sold my iPad 2 a few days before the announcement. To me, the Retina display was the one technical spec that really brought forward the iPad as a whole.
 
S

Sh4wN

macrumors regular
Jul 14, 2012
146
0
HowardSmith said:
Everyone need to just be patient as the retina mini will be here before Spring.
Click to expand...

I disagree. Apple would have to use a 7.9" display with the 2048x1536 resolution of an Retina iPad, preferably with IGZO technology to bring down battery consumption. That won't happen until next year.
 
H

HowardSmith

macrumors 6502a
Sep 13, 2012
863
0
Sh4wN said:
I disagree. Apple would have to use a 7.9" display with the 2048x1536 resolution of an Retina iPad, preferably with IGZO technology to bring down battery consumption. That won't happen until next year.
Click to expand...

Spring IS next year.
 
Kadman

Kadman

macrumors 65816
Sep 22, 2007
1,216
0
It's a waste of money in much the same way that going to Ruth's Chris for a steak is a waste when you can get a steak from Denny's for a lot less.
 
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