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Samtb

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jan 6, 2013
1,490
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Do minis get used differently compared to full size iPads?
 

DyslexicKobe

macrumors newbie
Jan 16, 2013
20
0
[All iPads] Mini vs ipad usage

I've had each iPad and currently have the mini. I will say personally I have used the mini more than any of the other iPads combined. The portability and battery life just makes it a great companion while traveling. Plus the luxury of having LTE makes the mini a great combo with a laptop. I am much more productive on my Mini-- I use it for school/work.

Its all personal preference obviously, but when it comes down to it, the iPad mini is what the iPad should've been in the first place.
 

Samtb

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jan 6, 2013
1,490
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I've had each iPad and currently have the mini. I will say personally I have used the mini more than any of the other iPads combined. The portability and battery life just makes it a great companion while traveling. Plus the luxury of having LTE makes the mini a great combo with a laptop. I am much more productive on my Mini-- I use it for school/work.

Its all personal preference obviously, but when it comes down to it, the iPad mini is what the iPad should've been in the first place.

So would you say the ipad is closer to a laptop while the mini is closer to a smartphone? And do you think an ipad 5 might make the full size ipad seem closer to the mini?
 
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Batavian

macrumors 6502
Mar 10, 2011
464
38
So would you say the ipad is closer to a laptop while the mini is closer to a smartphone?

Actually, that's a good way to think of the two. The Mini is my travel device. The iPad is my home device.
 

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,447
43,365
I use my mini all the time, so the difference is that my iPad one got barely any usage but my mini is being used all the time.
 

Samtb

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jan 6, 2013
1,490
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Interesting. Do you think it's mainly the weight or size that makes the full ipad a home device? I find it interesting because the ipad is still a lot lighter than any notebook.
 

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,447
43,365
Interesting. Do you think it's mainly the weight or size that makes the full ipad a home device? I find it interesting because the ipad is still a lot lighter than any notebook.

The size and weight of the iPad 1 was the main reason why I opted for the mini. I wanted a tablet that I can easily take on the subway and read. The mini is a bit more portable in that I can easily put the tablet in my coat pocket. Size is the major factor for my choosing the mini over upgrading my iPad 1 to an iPad 4
 

musicpenguy

macrumors 68000
Oct 29, 2006
1,824
734
Well its odd - the mini I don't feel compromised like I thought I would. I feel weird using the big and heavy iPad 2. The icons and everything just feel big and like I'm a grandpa using an iPad.

The mini feels like the perfect size - I don't feel that I loose anything going down in size - which is an odd thing - so I use my mini all the time and my iPad 2 occasionally at home when I want to use 2 iPads.
 

639051

Cancelled
Nov 8, 2011
967
1,267
I just bought the mini a week ago today, my previous tablet was the Nexus 7 so I am used to smaller tablets. My wife has the iPad 3 and by far I prefer the mini. While the screen isn't up to par with the 3, the weight and size make it for me. I doubt I would go back to a full size iPad unless they do indeed reduce the weight and bezels by a large margin.
 

Samtb

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jan 6, 2013
1,490
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So do you think retina mini will sell more than ipad 5? And what kind of people prefer the full ipad?

Do most people with a MacBook and iPhone, prefer mini?
 

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,447
43,365
So do you think retina mini will sell more than ipad 5? And what kind of people prefer the full ipad?

Do most people with a MacBook and iPhone, prefer mini?

I don't know and why does it matter - I think people chose the tablet that best fits their needs. I don't care if the iPad mini will sell more the iPad 5 (which isn't out) or that they may or may not own a MBP. I'm not sure what bearing this has :confused:
 
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taedouni

macrumors 65816
Jun 7, 2011
1,117
29
California
The mini is a good size and if was retina then I wouldn't have hesitated to replace my iPad 3 with it. But once you go retina, there's no going back.
 

Samtb

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jan 6, 2013
1,490
32
I don't know and why does it matter - I think people chose the tablet that best fits their needs. I don't care if the iPad mini will sell more the iPad 5 (which isn't out) or that they may or may not own a MBP. I'm not sure what bearing this has :confused:

Fair enough. You don't have to care.

----------

Anyone take the full size ipad for travelling?
 
S

syd430

Guest
I only whip out my Mini from time to time to remind myself what pixels look like.
 

Nightarchaon

macrumors 65816
Sep 1, 2010
1,393
30
So would you say the ipad is closer to a laptop while the mini is closer to a smartphone? And do you think an ipad 5 might make the full size ipad seem closer to the mini?

Thats a dreadfull comparison,

The iPad mini is just a small iPad, they are the same device, just a different size , you wouldn't say your PC is a different device if you went from a 14 inch monitor to a projector that puts out display to an imax screen would you ?
i would say that they are both just large and Extra large iPod Touch with the option of mobile connectivity.

I suspect the iPad will now stick, maybe the screen ratio of the mini will change to match the iPhone 5s longer screen, and perhaps this will eventually spread to the iPads as well, but other than that id be surprised to see apple radically offer anything different as they now go iPod Touch/iPhone as smallest, then mini, then ipad, then, if you go beyond that, its macbook air and up

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The mini is a good size and if was retina then I wouldn't have hesitated to replace my iPad 3 with it. But once you go retina, there's no going back.

Its the same resolution as the original iPad, but the screen is substantially smaller, so the pixels are smaller, its already within spitting distance of this mythical retina as it ..

Personally id rather they left the screen alone and brought the cost per GB down so they could do away with the now inadiquate 14gb (that apple call 16gb) version
 

Samtb

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jan 6, 2013
1,490
32
Thats a dreadfull comparison,

The iPad mini is just a small iPad, they are the same device, just a different size , you wouldn't say your PC is a different device if you went from a 14 inch monitor to a projector that puts out display to an imax screen would you ?
i would say that they are both just large and Extra large iPod Touch with the option of mobile connectivity.

I suspect the iPad will now stick, maybe the screen ratio of the mini will change to match the iPhone 5s longer screen, and perhaps this will eventually spread to the iPads as well, but other than that id be surprised to see apple radically offer anything different as they now go iPod Touch/iPhone as smallest, then mini, then ipad, then, if you go beyond that, its macbook air and up

----------



Its the same resolution as the original iPad, but the screen is substantially smaller, so the pixels are smaller, its already within spitting distance of this mythical retina as it ..

Personally id rather they left the screen alone and brought the cost per GB down so they could do away with the now inadiquate 14gb (that apple call 16gb) version

Mini is significantly lighter too. 350 grams is quite a big difference.
 

bobbysmith

macrumors regular
Nov 4, 2012
108
0
Thats a dreadfull comparison,

The iPad mini is just a small iPad, they are the same device, just a different size , you wouldn't say your PC is a different device if you went from a 14 inch monitor to a projector that puts out display to an imax screen would you ?
I would, because they are suited for different uses.

I suspect the iPad will now stick, maybe the screen ratio of the mini will change to match the iPhone 5s longer screen, and perhaps this will eventually spread to the iPads as well,
It seems more likely that the ratio is the last thing they'd change, as it's one of the very few things that sets it apart from the competition and makes it suited for other things than video.

Its the same resolution as the original iPad, but the screen is substantially smaller, so the pixels are smaller, its already within spitting distance of this mythical retina as it ..
No, it's not. Do you own both?

The top two things the mini needs is a better screen to improve the readability of the small text on the screen and a browser that can handle more than at most two tabs (ignoring basic features that Apple just doesn't want to add like a shared file system, support for usb peripherals and storage, memory cards and video output).
 

AdonisSMU

macrumors 604
Oct 23, 2010
7,297
3,047
iPad mini, BIG enough to be useful, small enough to be portable. I take my mini with me even when I don't have a backpack. I would rarely do the same with a big iPad.
 
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justinf77

macrumors 6502a
May 18, 2003
625
542
Had an iPad 3 for months which I almost never touched. Sold it and bought a mini, and now use my iPad all the time. The mini made the iPad actually useful for me.
 
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