iPad: A thread for those who prefer the full size iPad

[Bricks]

Coming from a heavy MacBook Pro the iPad 4 is perfect for me. The retina display is a must as well.

[saporiti]

Just bought:

[Diomoid]

Hey all, I was wondering about the app switching on the iPad 4. On my iPad 2, after using the four finger-swipe to change back to an app, there is a noticeable pause when I have to wait for the app to "refresh" before I can do any tapping. Is it so on the newer iPads? It is a minor annoyance, but gets in the way when pasting between apps.

[Night Spring]

Originally Posted by Diomoid

Hey all, I was wondering about the app switching on the iPad 4. On my iPad 2, after using the four finger-swipe to change back to an app, there is a noticeable pause when I have to wait for the app to "refresh" before I can do any tapping. Is it so on the newer iPads? It is a minor annoyance, but gets in the way when pasting between apps.

I have the iPad 3, and switching between apps using the four finger swipe usually doesn't cause apps to "refresh." I imagine it should be the same with the 4.

[flavr]

Both the iPad 4 and iPad mini are fantastic tablets.

[ProfessorJim]

Mini is too small. I have my iPhone which is far more capable than the Mini. For everything else I use my iPad on a desk coupled with a keyboard and voila it replaces my MBA anytime. http://www.logitech.com/en-ca/produc...over?crid=1240

The screen of the Mini makes it too small to use it as a laptop replacement, unless you're holding it close to your eyes. Again, no thanks to the Mini, even if it had a retina display.

And for those crying about how heavy the iPad is, check out the young girls in Apple stores holding the iPad. If a girl can hold it for 8 hrs so can you. The Mini is simply a pocket-able version of the iPad. Nothing more, nothing less. Before the Mini, NOBODY complained about how "heavy" the iPad is. The thinnest 11" MBA is heavier than the iPad! Hell, even Jobs hated the idea of the Mini lol. Why would you need to carry an iPhone AND a Mini when the iPhone outperforms the Mini? I'll take screen real estate over portability any day. For everything else travel, I have my iPhone.

[saporiti]

Here I am after a couple of hours using my brand new iPad 2. I couldn't be happier. I tried and liked the mini, and I could certainly buy it, if I didn't had an iPhone 5. Just because the iPhone and the iPad mini are way to close in size, and that is useless to me.

So here I am, writing this post on my iPad 2, giving a break to my MacBook Pro heheh, he needs a rest that's for sure!!

[darkcoupon]

I can't believe I bought the iPad Mini! I was carrying it around at work the other day when a guy with a bigger iPad knocked it out of my hands and kicked dirt in my eyes when I tried to pick it up! Then all the girls started pointing and laughing at my teeny weeny iPad, now they all hold their pinkies up whenever they walk past my desk.

Why didn't I get the iPad 4!?!?

[saporiti]

Was that all to say you have a tiny winy?

[iThinkergoiMac]

Originally Posted by ProfessorJim

Mini is too small. I have my iPhone which is far more capable than the Mini. For everything else I use my iPad on a desk coupled with a keyboard and voila it replaces my MBA anytime.

Hmmm. Interesting logic. Your iPhone is "far more capable" than an iPad mini, and your full size iPad is implied to be more capable than your iPhone, even though a mini can do everything your full size iPad can do. If you don't like the mini, who cares, but your statement is inherently contradictory.

Also, I'm calling you out on your comment about girls. It was sexist.

[Mdwall]

Hooray for the big iPad. It almost seems comical to type that sentence since I thought the regular one was pretty compact. I tried out a mini at BBY the other day and its definitely easy to carry around but not to the extent that I feel it makes up for the smaller screen. I will keep my iPad 2 until I see what the 5th gen 'pad looks like and may swap out then but we'll see....

[akdj]

Originally Posted by maxosx

I've owned every iPad since the original. Currently I'm using an iPad 4, & a mini. They are both great tablets that are just different enough to be keepers.

Each stands on its own as excellent at what it does best. For me the two are must haves.

Right with ya. I love em both. I use them both daily...and it would be a very tough decision if ultimately I had to give up one or the other. Regardless, I like the idea of a 'praise' thread for the larger iPads....but completely disagree with the idea that the mini is inherently flawed in some way as the OP suggests. MR has kind of turned into a bizarre neighborhood these days.

Originally Posted by Night Spring

I have both the iPad 3 and the mini. I do prefer the 3, with its crisp retina screen and larger screen that makes things easier to see and manipulate. But I like the way the back of the mini looks and feels, and hope that iPad 5 gets that same back. The processing power and speed of the mini is serviceable, but also notably slower than the 3. All in all, the mini is ok for when I go out and want something light and compact that is easy to carry and use in crowded spaces, but the retina iPads are superior, and even the iPad 2 is easier to use because of the larger screen. I'm glad I can afford to keep both, but if I had to keep just one I'd definitely keep one of the 9.7 inch models.

Not sure how or why you think the processing power in the mini is lesser than that of your '3'...they have the same engine...and transmission. However, the mini has the newer, 32nm A5--and only one quarter the pixels to drive. (Somewhat augmented in the iPad 3 by the A5(x) GPU. The iPad mini, iPad 2, and iPad 3 all truly perform identically. Which is cool...as that does say a lot for its future life expectancy as far as both iOS updates and developer support. I also own the iPad 3 and an iPad 4. The 4 and the iPhone 5 are where you'll see the 'performance differences'.

Originally Posted by racoonboy

Forgot to share my own praise of the fullsized.

I love my Ipad 2, have to be on it all the time when im home and i prefer to have it at home so that i can focus fully at my work during the day.

Those with mini and happily taking it everywhere, how are you suppose to be focus on whats more important like works, relationships and stuff. I already see couples each holding a smartphone sitting across each other at a restaurant and do not share a single word. With Ipad mini portability, can you imagine people actually talking to someone across the table as much or they would prefer to talk to the person on the other side of that social network apps they are using.

Lol...my wife and I have been married 15 years. We are best friends, talk often, and have an amazing relationship. We've also got a very well behaved, tech savvy seven year old son. We often all being our iOS device of choice out to dinner. Sometimes we play games together...but often we just take the time to enjoy our own content....reading, FB, email, games....my son and I laugh at YouTube vids together...if anything, they've improved our social time together. And made 'catching up' on the day more convenient and less of an 'alone' thing.

I love the full sized iPad. At 42 years old this year....I've never stood in line for anything....not a new Harry Potter book, nor an XBox...the latest World of Warcraft nor a movie on opening night. However...With each successive release of the iPad....from iPad 2-4/mini, I've been there. Made some friends each time. And enjoyed the hell out of each purchase. For me? Equal love. Full size and the mini!

Thanks Apple!

J

[Night Spring]

Originally Posted by akdj

Not sure how or why you think the processing power in the mini is lesser than that of your '3'...they have the same engine...and transmission. However, the mini has the newer, 32nm A5--and only one quarter the pixels to drive. (Somewhat augmented in the iPad 3 by the A5(x) GPU. The iPad mini, iPad 2, and iPad 3 all truly perform identically. Which is cool...as that does say a lot for its future life expectancy as far as both iOS updates and developer support. I also own the iPad 3 and an iPad 4. The 4 and the iPhone 5 are where you'll see the 'performance differences'.

Well... you may be right about any extra processing power of the 3 going to drive the retina screen, but there *IS* a performance difference between the 3 and 2/mini. Now that you've pointed it out, I realize that this difference is probably due to the 3 having more RAM. Anyway, Safari tabs reload much more frequently on the 2/mini than on the 3, and backgrounded apps stay open a lot longer on the 3. I use the 3, 2 and a mini regularly, and going from the 3 to the other devices, the difference in how long things stay in memory is very obvious, and to me, waiting for webpages and apps to reopen is sometimes more distracting than the non-retina screens.

[iThinkergoiMac]

Originally Posted by Night Spring

Well... you may be right about any extra processing power of the 3 going to drive the retina screen, but there *IS* a performance difference between the 3 and 2/mini. Now that you've pointed it out, I realize that this difference is probably due to the 3 having more RAM. Anyway, Safari tabs reload much more frequently on the 2/mini than on the 3, and backgrounded apps stay open a lot longer on the 3. I use the 3, 2 and a mini regularly, and going from the 3 to the other devices, the difference in how long things stay in memory is very obvious, and to me, waiting for webpages and apps to reopen is sometimes more distracting than the non-retina screens.

I think akdj is drawing a distinction between processing power (calculations per second of the CPU) and perceived performance. akdj is right in that the iPad 2, 3, and mini are identical in that respect. However, the 3 feels smoother due to the more robust GPU (so moving around in iOS feels smoother) and the increase in RAM as you mentioned. All the differences you mentioned are due to the GPU and RAM differences. That's not to say that you're wrong, because faster is faster. But an app will take the same amount of time to launch and load on those devices, whereas it takes much less time on an iPad 4. Or anything that takes significant processing power, for that matter.

[flight]

Originally Posted by Diomoid

Hey all, I was wondering about the app switching on the iPad 4. On my iPad 2, after using the four finger-swipe to change back to an app, there is a noticeable pause when I have to wait for the app to "refresh" before I can do any tapping. Is it so on the newer iPads? It is a minor annoyance, but gets in the way when pasting between apps.

Originally Posted by Night Spring

I have the iPad 3, and switching between apps using the four finger swipe usually doesn't cause apps to "refresh." I imagine it should be the same with the 4.

Same experience here with the iPad 3. Does anyone with a mini have an issue with four-finger swipe, since it has similar specs as the iPad 2?

[Technarchy]

I'm using an iPad4 as I type this.

I prefer the bigger screen.

The iPad Mini is very tempting however.

[maxosx]

Originally Posted by racoonboy

Those with mini and happily taking it everywhere, how are you suppose to be focus on whats more important like works, relationships and stuff. I already see couples each holding a smartphone sitting across each other at a restaurant and do not share a single word. With Ipad mini portability, can you imagine people actually talking to someone across the table as much or they would prefer to talk to the person on the other side of that social network apps they are using.

You've brought up an excellent topic.

Whether its an iPad mini, or a smartphone, portable handheld devices can have a huge negative influence on interpersonal relations. The most serious of which are those within ones immediate family.

Conversely, for those with their priorities set where people come first and balance is highly valued, portable devices can be a huge advantage. If one silences their device & sets it aside during dinner or other times when two or more family members are together, a great conversation can be enjoyed. It's also a way to demonstrate your respect by ignoring your device & giving the other you're full attention.

For times when you are apart the true value of immediate access to one another is a tremendous advantage, especially in case of emergency.

The bottom line is its all about ones values, the choices made, and self control.

It's a wonderful opportunity to teach my kids responsibility, reward them for good choices by giving them the technology of the present, and empower them to learn more at an earlier age, than if they didn't have it. I have strong boundaries set which prevent problems of tech addiction. If they cross those boundaries the priveledge of using the devices are temporarily suspended. It's just basic parenting.

[Tsepz]

Originally Posted by Diomoid

Hey all, I was wondering about the app switching on the iPad 4. On my iPad 2, after using the four finger-swipe to change back to an app, there is a noticeable pause when I have to wait for the app to "refresh" before I can do any tapping. Is it so on the newer iPads? It is a minor annoyance, but gets in the way when pasting between apps.

I'm an iPad4 user and can confirm that it also does this, when I swipe to another app it shows the app where I last left it but it takes like a second to allow me to do anything within that app.

[Diomoid]

Originally Posted by Tsepz

I'm an iPad4 user and can confirm that it also does this, when I swipe to another app it shows the app where I last left it but it takes like a second to allow me to do anything within that app.

I hope Apple will include in an update to make this faster, and side-by-side windows too! Thanks for the reply.

[LoneWolfUSMC]

I just picked up the latest 64gb iPad Retina.

I am a long time iPhone user (currently on the iPhone 4S). I wen back and forth over weather I should choose the mini or the full size iPad. In the end I figured if I was really needing the portability, the iPhone would get the job done. I keep mine in a LifeProof case, so I don't really worry about damage.

The biggest point in favor of the iPad was the large Retina display. It makes it easier for me to input by touch and just looks better to my eye. The larger display makes it easier to display my work to potential clients.

Unfortunately for my work (photo and video editing) it won't replace a laptop, but as a portfolio, I think it will work well.

Finally, this little puppy is the gateway drug I needed to force me to buy a MacBook Pro Retina for my working laptop. Bring on the tax return.

[Bokes]

Originally Posted by jamesryanbell

As soon as the next generation full size iPad comes out with a mini form factor, everyone will be freaking out about it. Watch it happen.

The form factor is a HUGE, HUGE part of why the Mini is so popular (along with price of course).

Strongly agree. Lighter, thinner Retina 9.7 will be an amazing tablet.
I traded my 3 for the mini.
Love the form factor.
Miss the larger high Rez viewing screen.

FWIW- I live in NYC and surprisingly I see far more folks toting around the full size vs the mini.

[smileyface]

No question form factor is important in portable devices.The thinness and lightness of the mini sways a lot of buyers to opt for it instead of the ipad.

But I wonder how small and light Apple will make the ipad5?If they do too good a job,it might actually steal sales from the mini.Imagine a full size ipad that is smaller,thinner and weighs less than 1lb?Would mini buyers trade up to the ipad5?

[plucky duck]

Both devices has their place in the hearts of consumers. If I had to have one that's a one size fits all then without a doubt it would be the full size iPad. The form factor of the mini is nice and refreshing, but never once in my mind do I consider the full size iPad to be big or heavy. The size and weight I am content with. I value retina display on the full size iPad. Now even if the iPad mini has retina and came out at the same time as the iPad 3 I would've still chosen the full size iPad from a productivity and user experience perspective.

I travel and carry with me my iPad perhaps less than 15 days in a year so an iPad mini only solution doesn't work well for me.

[evoixdan]

Returned my mini after a two week trial period and got the 4. Could not get past the horrible screen when trying to read text, any text. I bought this to be an reader/web browser first so the screen is important to me.

I'm a man and go to the gym regularly, so the weight hasn't been much of an issue for me. LoL

[AbyssImpact]

I don't see why ANYBODY would want to buy an iPad mini. Once you go retina, you can't go back.