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All iPads Got a Mini for Xmas gift, already have a 4...

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NeonGreenHermit

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 25, 2010
116
12
UK
And I must say, it's very compelling. Easily the most visually and aesthetically thrilling product Apple have designed to date. The screen just isn't good enough for me to dump my 4, but I do think, in a few years time when it has a retina screen and a processor better than the A6X, I'll be boarding the mini boat. The form factor is absolutely killer, makes the 4 feel a little fat and sad.

Just an impression from a very lucky owner of both products, there really isn't a 'better' device out of the two. The wife is getting the mini, she's already chuckling at the envious stares I'm giving it. No more arguments people, both products rock hard and equally.
 
haruhiko

haruhiko

macrumors 604
Sep 29, 2009
6,529
5,874
iPad mini is a great device. The time it receives the inevitable retina treatment is the time I go out to buy several of them. Still love my 4 at the moment ;).
 
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tymaster50

tymaster50

Suspended
Oct 3, 2012
2,833
58
Oregon
I can put the mini in my pants pocket, it's not a perfect fit but still it's pretty crazy. I have this belkin case that looks like a bookcase and that's what I pretty much carry it around in with the red smart cover attached to it to clean the screen.
 
GoCubsGo

GoCubsGo

macrumors Nehalem
Feb 19, 2005
35,741
153
haruhiko said:
iPad mini is a great device. The time it receives the inevitable retina treatment is the time I went out to buy several of them. Still love my 4 at the moment ;).
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You went out and bought the "inevitable retina" mini? Pretty slick man!!


I'd keep what you think you'll use. I have the 3 but when I travel I kind of wish I had a mini.
 
firestarter

firestarter

macrumors 603
Dec 31, 2002
5,506
227
Green and pleasant land
I have a 3 (which I think is fantastic) and I tried the mini out in the store. I thought I would end up with the mini as a carry-around, and that would let me downgrade to a 'dumb' phone.

My view was that the mini isn't mini enough. For home use, I'd miss the larger screen of the full sized iPad and for carry-around use it really doesn't buy a lot more portability.

I ended up getting a Samsung Galaxy Note II which kind of fills that phone/tablet gap, while still remaining much more portable.
 
haruhiko

haruhiko

macrumors 604
Sep 29, 2009
6,529
5,874
jessica. said:
You went out and bought the "inevitable retina" mini? Pretty slick man!!


I'd keep what you think you'll use. I have the 3 but when I travel I kind of wish I had a mini.
Click to expand...

sorry I was drunk :D let me correct it.
 
WilliamLondon

WilliamLondon

macrumors 68000
Dec 8, 2006
1,699
13
NeonGreenHermit said:
...and a processor better than the A6X
Click to expand...

First, let me just say that you've got some generous family or friends to be giving you a 64GB mini as a gift, especially since you've already got an iPad 4, and you've just given it to your wife? Wow, is all I can say! :)

But that's not the most interesting thing you said, the most interesting thing you said has to do with the processor. What I want to ask is what is wrong with the mini's current processor? As far as I can tell it performs well enough to run every single app I've thrown at it, including graphics intensive apps like Asphalt 7. I've seen people deride the chip, implying that it can't do the job it's supposed to perform today, but I just don't understand this because as a mini owner, as far as I can tell, having owned and used the product daily since launch, it runs everything perfectly well. I don't experience lags or stutters, so I'm just confused as to why it seems to be lacking in your estimation in the chip area. Not trying to be attacking or contentious, but just wanting to understand, because it's a common thing a handful of people (on this forum) keep saying.
 
joshwithachance

joshwithachance

macrumors 68010
Dec 11, 2009
2,001
931
The weight of the mini is what truly makes it more of a pleasure to use than the iPad 3 or 4. That paired with the $170 price difference make it a total winner in my books, especially when it comes to games.

Both are stellar products though!
 
GoCubsGo

GoCubsGo

macrumors Nehalem
Feb 19, 2005
35,741
153
joshwithachance said:
The weight of the mini is what truly makes it more of a pleasure to use than the iPad 3 or 4. That paired with the $170 price difference make it a total winner in my books, especially when it comes to games.

Both are stellar products though!
Click to expand...

Sitting on the couch, the larger iPad is better IMHO. For anything else that requires travel and such, I appreciate the size if the mini. Or maybe that it is new and shiny makes me like it. :D
 
LordQ

LordQ

Suspended
Sep 22, 2012
3,582
5,653
I read the thread title and couldn't hep to think 'First World Problems'. The mini is horrible, it's a smaller iPad 2. Maybe when it gets the A7 and Retina Display I could consider it. The weight is the one killer feature.
 
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NeonGreenHermit

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 25, 2010
116
12
UK
CarlosQG said:
I read the thread title and couldn't hep to think 'First World Problems'. The mini is horrible, it's a smaller iPad 2. Maybe when it gets the A7 and Retina Display I could consider it. The weight is the one killer feature.
Click to expand...

Completely first world topic, though not really a problem! Each to their own opinions, I couldn't disagree more about the device.
 
C

cardfan

macrumors 601
Mar 23, 2012
4,199
5,278
NeonGreenHermit said:
Completely first world topic, though not really a problem! Each to their own opinions, I couldn't disagree more about the device.
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We should focus on third world topics instead? I suppose he could always whine how he couldn't afford to buy either one. That's always more interesting..
 
SeanR1

SeanR1

macrumors 6502
Jan 4, 2009
300
8
Pennsylvania
CarlosQG said:
I read the thread title and couldn't hep to think 'First World Problems'. The mini is horrible, it's a smaller iPad 2. Maybe when it gets the A7 and Retina Display I could consider it. The weight is the one killer feature.
Click to expand...

What on this forum isn't a 'First World Problem'?
 
N

NeonGreenHermit

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 25, 2010
116
12
UK
cardfan said:
We should focus on third world topics instead? I suppose he could always whine how he couldn't afford to buy either one. That's always more interesting..
Click to expand...

Exactly. We're on an Apple forum, I think we can move past discussing the ethics of our privileges. In any case, for the record, I'm not rich at all. Sold my old iPad plus a bunch of other stuff for my 4, felt bad I couldn't afford to replace my wife's senile iPhone 4. It's wonderful that a member of my family is in a position to be so generous, as we were to him when the financial roles were reversed. Everyone has a story, owning more than 1 Apple product doesn't automatically infer snobbery.

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WilliamLondon said:
First, let me just say that you've got some generous family or friends to be giving you a 64GB mini as a gift, especially since you've already got an iPad 4, and you've just given it to your wife? Wow, is all I can say! :)

But that's not the most interesting thing you said, the most interesting thing you said has to do with the processor. What I want to ask is what is wrong with the mini's current processor? As far as I can tell it performs well enough to run every single app I've thrown at it, including graphics intensive apps like Asphalt 7. I've seen people deride the chip, implying that it can't do the job it's supposed to perform today, but I just don't understand this because as a mini owner, as far as I can tell, having owned and used the product daily since launch, it runs everything perfectly well. I don't experience lags or stutters, so I'm just confused as to why it seems to be lacking in your estimation in the chip area. Not trying to be attacking or contentious, but just wanting to understand, because it's a common thing a handful of people (on this forum) keep saying.
Click to expand...

The A5 processor on the mini does indeed do everything it's supposed to nicely. However, it is also running at its full capacity - this is evident in 3D games, fluidity of opening apps, general navigation etc. In comparison, the A6X breezes through all of this with tangibly perceived 'CPU room' to spare. In 3D games, the frame rates on the A6X are higher even at double resolution and with anti aliasing, smoke/lighting/reflections all on. The A5 can't handle all of that extra stuff, if you care about that. As a 4 user, it would be a bit of a step back to plump for the mini in its current state after becoming used to all that (even ignoring the non-retina), so I'm happy to wait. But I definitely will be buying a mini when the specs and performance supersede my current 4.
 
P

Powrie

macrumors 6502
Sep 14, 2012
271
1
I got my sister a Mini for X-mas.

She is starting Culinary School soon and she will use it for recipe and video blogs of her food.
 
M

mrkjsn

macrumors 6502
Jan 10, 2010
265
0
Powrie said:
I got my sister a Mini for X-mas.

She is starting Culinary School soon and she will use it for recipe and video blogs of her food.
Click to expand...

Both my kids received iPad minis from the wife and I this year and they both love it. My daughter is with her biological mother for a few days so I nabbed her mini and using it for a few days to feel the contrast against my iPad 3. Love the form factor of this thing but much like the OP, I still want the retina.
 
D

darngooddesign

macrumors P6
Jul 4, 2007
17,939
9,483
Atlanta, GA
CarlosQG said:
I read the thread title and couldn't hep to think 'First World Problems'. The mini is horrible, it's a smaller iPad 2. Maybe when it gets the A7 and Retina Display I could consider it. The weight is the one killer feature.
Click to expand...


The iPad 2 is a great tablet; therefore a small iPad 2 is a great tablet as well.
 
T

ThatsMeRight

macrumors 68020
Sep 12, 2009
2,289
251
WilliamLondon said:
First, let me just say that you've got some generous family or friends to be giving you a 64GB mini as a gift, especially since you've already got an iPad 4, and you've just given it to your wife? Wow, is all I can say! :)

But that's not the most interesting thing you said, the most interesting thing you said has to do with the processor. What I want to ask is what is wrong with the mini's current processor? As far as I can tell it performs well enough to run every single app I've thrown at it, including graphics intensive apps like Asphalt 7. I've seen people deride the chip, implying that it can't do the job it's supposed to perform today, but I just don't understand this because as a mini owner, as far as I can tell, having owned and used the product daily since launch, it runs everything perfectly well. I don't experience lags or stutters, so I'm just confused as to why it seems to be lacking in your estimation in the chip area. Not trying to be attacking or contentious, but just wanting to understand, because it's a common thing a handful of people (on this forum) keep saying.
Click to expand...

The A5 chip is not bad, but I think that now that they have used an iPad 4 with A6 chip they feel like it is a step back using the older A5 chip again.

Also, some people just can't live with it: knowing that there's a better (A6) chip out there, while this new product 'only' has an A5 chip.

I think Apple will always be like this with the mini: the big 9.7" model has the (X)-chip while the iPad mini has the (X-1)-chip.
 
WilliamLondon

WilliamLondon

macrumors 68000
Dec 8, 2006
1,699
13
ThatsMeRight said:
The A5 chip is not bad, but I think that now that they have used an iPad 4 with A6 chip they feel like it is a step back using the older A5 chip again.

Also, some people just can't live with it: knowing that there's a better (A6) chip out there, while this new product 'only' has an A5 chip.

I think Apple will always be like this with the mini: the big 9.7" model has the (X)-chip while the iPad mini has the (X-1)-chip.
Click to expand...

That just seems silly, that because a faster (better?) chip has been used in another device someone would feel bad about the product that doesn't have it, regardless how it performs. Imagine these chips didn't have incremental numbers that were reported, imagine they were just called, "chips," and you never knew whether one was the most current or the previously available one. This is how most of the world sees these devices, you know, the people who don't work in IT or aren't tech-oriented. What ever would people do to judge the performance of the devices in which these chips played a part?? :confused:
 
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T

ThatsMeRight

macrumors 68020
Sep 12, 2009
2,289
251
WilliamLondon said:
That just seems silly, that because a faster (better?) chip has been used in another device someone would feel bad about the product that doesn't have it, regardless how it performs. Imagine these chips didn't have incremental numbers that were reported, imagine they were just called, "chips," and you never knew whether one was the most current or the previously available one. This is how most of the world sees these devices, you know, the people who don't work in IT or aren't tech-oriented. What ever would people do to judge the performance of the devices in which these chips played a part?? :confused:
Click to expand...

Hey, don't blame the messenger!
 
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