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Fastball32

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 17, 2011
97
42
I own both an iPad mini and 4th generation.

I love my 4th gen, the screen and performance are amazing.

I hate the screen of the iPad mini, although the ppi is more than the iPad 1/2, for some reason it looks worse, especially the text. Web text and iBooks look small & fuzzy and I do resort to landscape mode in apps/websites to make things look big enough to read (I am in my 20's).

When friends ask me what I recommend, I hate the mini screen so much that I for some reason cannot recommend it. I do have an iPhone 5 and have been using an iPad 3 for the past half year, so retina is what I am used to.

That being said, I find myself using my iPad mini 90% of the time. When I'm on the couch, bed, or traveling, I gravitate towards the mini. The size and weight is not perfect but feels natural and "good enough". The mini screen really sucks, but objectively, I still use the mini almost all day and everyday and rarely pick up my fast, beautiful 4.

However, my body still reluctantly and unconsciously picks up the mini over the 4. So until the Retina Mini debuts, my conscious mind dislikes the mini, but unconscious mind loves it.

Hope this helps others who are deciding between the two.
 
Last edited:

JoeShades

macrumors 68000
Sep 1, 2010
1,552
798
Williamstown, NJ
maybe you got a bad mini, although inferior to the ipad 4 the screen on mine is better than the 2, best thing to do is not use the 4 anymore, over time the screen will not bother you but if you keep using the 4 you will be bothered by it. to me the size and weight make the mini overall the better one, when the retina comes out i can see the mini outselling the big one
 

raccoonboy

macrumors 6502a
Oct 22, 2012
918
5
I own both an iPad mini and 4th generation.

I love my 4th gen, the screen and performance are amazing.

I hate the screen of the iPad mini, although the ppi is more than the iPad 1/2, for some reason it looks worse, especially the text. Web text and iBooks look small and I do resort to landscape mode in apps/websites to make things look big enough to read (I am in my 20's).

When friends ask me what I recommend, I hate the mini screen so much that I for some reason cannot recommend it. I do have an iPhone 5 and have been using an iPad 3 for the past half year, so retina is what I am used to.

That being said, I find myself using my iPad mini 90% of the time. When I'm on the couch, bed, or traveling, I gravitate towards the mini. The size and weight is not perfect but feels natural and "good enough". The mini screen really sucks, but objectively, I still use the mini almost all day and everyday and rarely pick up my fast, beautiful 4.

However, my body still reluctantly and unconsciously picks up the mini over the 4. So until the Retina Mini debuts, my conscious mind dislikes the mini, but unconscious mind loves it.

Hope this helps others who are deciding between the two.


maybe u are under a mini spell
 

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,419
43,307
So until the Retina Mini debuts, my conscious mind dislikes the mini, but unconscious mind loves it.

I don't know about unconscious vs conscious thought, but the mini is a great tablet that provides great usage. It sacrifices some things like a retina screen and better performance. If you want a faster tablet with a better display then the iPad 4 is the better machine. If the form factor is more important to you then the mini is the obvious choice
 

Fastball32

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 17, 2011
97
42
This thread are for those who may think that they would want an iPad 4 for the screen and performance, but may actually end up using a mini due to the ergonomics. It's like the classical 'want vs need'.
I actually thought I prefer the 4, but since I have both, I realized that I end up using the mini much more despite its flaws.
 

EMAN19

macrumors 6502
Sep 19, 2012
275
0
New York, NY
The screen on iPad mini isn't bad at all. It really isn't. I've seen retina and non-retina side by side, and yes, while retina is obviously better, the non-retina screen on iPad mini is good too! ;)
 

reardoma

macrumors member
Nov 20, 2006
33
0
i-overload?

You need to get out more......first world problems! Enough of these dumb threads.


do people really think they need....

an iphone 5,
an ipad 4,
AND
an ipad mini?


Seems like you might have had too much kool-aid, no way you need a 4", 7", and 10" screen plus i'm sure you have a MBP and iMac as well.....
 
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