iPad Mini: Its not that the screen is poor, its that the OS isn't built for 7"

[KittyKatta]

Originally Posted by d123

Now you are being something I cannot call you due to the forum rules, the text in your attachment is perfectly legible and readable.

Have you considered having your eyes checked?

I was responding to someone who said that the app store review section is an example of where the text is very small. So im not sure why you are so upset and would resort to name-calling over it. I'm actually DEFENDING the screen because I strongly believe that the Mini is an OS update away from being perfect despite the non-retina screen.

Originally Posted by zhenya

If you can't read that, it's a result of poor eyesight and/or the lack of a retina screen. I can pinch your image to ~1/4 scale on my iPad 4 and it remains completely readable.

So youre judging how people perceive text on the Mini based on how things look through your iPad4? Thats odd.

Anyway, Yes, I can read it but it's hard to say text sizes found within the OS and certain apps (like safari) are considered ideal for the mini. Im not sure why requesting an optimized 7.9" experience is such an offensive topic but apparently it is.

[AdonisSMU]

Originally Posted by Quantus

What are you talking about? The Large Text setting (there is no zoom font setting) only affects a few select Apple apps. Safari is not one of them.

There are a few third-party web browsers that support resizing fonts.

Whoops yeah spoke too soon. I was looking at a different browser. Yeah this is an issue apple needs to fix imo.

[haruhiko]

Originally Posted by pasadena

I don't know. What I've found so far is that a lot of websites don't display as well. It's probably part software (the way Apple renders fonts is not very good for smaller text, and Safari has never been a champion anyway). All the other apps I've used, especially those for text reading, display very well and the text is not blurry at all.

So is it a software problem (be it iOS or Safari, or both), or is it a web problem. The sites that display a (well developped) mobile version read much better than those who don't. The problem is... a lot of them set the mobile res at less than 1024x768. So you get the web version. Which is not good for most. Macrumors included. You get to zoom to get rid of the sidebars and other stuff, and increase the font size. Once zoomed, bluriness is gone.

Some browsers are better (I use Dolphin right now) but only marginally.

MacRumors' mobile version is not good at all, the texts are tiny. But the non-mobile normal version is very wide, which makes the texts small too.

[Scott6666]

Yeah. Some guy I read on the internet said that 7(.9)" is just too small for a tablet.

What was his name????

Started with an S...

Oh, yeah. Steve.

Steve Jobs. That's it.

Guess you two agree.

[d123]

Originally Posted by KittyKatta

I was responding to someone who said that the app store review section is an example of where the text is very small. So im not sure why you are so upset and would resort to name-calling over it. I'm actually DEFENDING the screen because I strongly believe that the Mini is an OS update away from being perfect despite the non-retina screen.

First off, I didn't call you any names, please don't write things that aren't correct.

Second, I was answering your post that was anything but defending.

Originally Posted by KittyKatta
You mean this? Its a window in a window with the text unable to be enlarged so its like reading the fine print on an insurance policy. These are the little things Apple shouldve addressed before the mini was released because non-retina isnt what makes the screen look bad, its the font size.

It's simple, the text in your attachment is perfectly legible.

[KittyKatta]

Originally Posted by d123

First off, I didn't call you any names, please don't write things that aren't correct.

You're right. What you said was this:

Originally Posted by d123

Now you are being something I cannot call you due to the forum rules, the text in your attachment is perfectly legible and readable.

Have you considered having your eyes checked?

Technically you didn't actually say what you wanted to because of those pesky "forum rules". But it does speak loads of your character that you require societal rules in order to realize where the lines are between respecting other peoples opinions and calling someone "something I cannot call you due to the forum rules".

Originally Posted by d123

It's simple, the text in your attachment is perfectly legible.

Tthere's a huge difference between whats legible and whats optimal.

This was originally an innocent topic so I hesitate to try pushing my point since you seem to have an odd agenda, but this is a photo my 4" iPhone on top of the 7.9" Mini where the phone has larger text than the tablet. I'm not saying you cant read it and this isnt a "you need glasses" situation, I'm just saying that whats best for a 10" tablet or 4" phone may not be best for an 8" Mini so some tweaks would help the user experience.

[Deasnutz]

Originally Posted by nuckinfutz

Yet the mini is sold out. If consumers at large felt like you did I'd be able to walk into an Apple store and buy a mini. They're all sold out in my area so evidently the "better" Nexus 7 isn't good enough to drive down the street and save $130.

Apple didn't cut corners. The mini has a higher PPI than the iPad and iPad 2.

So you're saying the mini is kind of like a Taylor Swift album...

[syd430]

Originally Posted by nuckinfutz

Yet the mini is sold out. If consumers at large felt like you did I'd be able to walk into an Apple store and buy a mini.

What statements like this don't account for is the sheer momentum Apple has at this stage in the game.

After two blockbuster films, people often line up for the 3rd film in the series regardless of whether it's as good as the last two. Save for a complete flop (for instance, the film is literally a white screen with no sound or moving objects for 3 hours), the momentum gathered from the first 2 films will carry over to the 3rd film.

Similarly, with apple releasing so many iDevice blockbusters as of late (ipad 2, ipad 3, ip4, ip5) there's a certain trust element with consumers which gives Apple the benefit of momentum.

The Mini would of had to have a much obvious and immediate design flaw for it to flop on the onset (for instance, 2 hour battery life). The issue discussed in this thread is something that becomes apparent over time, rather than noticeable when playing with the device for 5 minutes in the store.

This by all means does not imply that the average consumer is dumb. It would be unreasonable to expect the average consumer to stand in the store and ponder "oh, I wonder if shoe-horning an OS optimised for 9.7" device is going to cause any issues on a 7.9" device". Most people rightfully have better things to do with their time than ponder these questions, and it is expected (rightfully so) that it should "just work" as this is how Apple has positioned themselves.

Whether or not apple has done the "right thing" with the Mini in the long run is still to be seen.

[chleuasme]

Originally Posted by KittyKatta

this is a photo my 4" iPhone on top of the 7.9" Mini where the phone has larger text than the tablet. I'm not saying you cant read it and this isnt a "you need glasses" situation, I'm just saying that whats best for a 10" tablet or 4" phone may not be best for an 8" Mini so some tweaks would help the user experience.

This is a good example illustrating some points often discussed about the mini before it was (finally) announced.

Same resolution as the 9.7" iPad has the advantage to offer direct compatibility with apps, and at 163 ppi, touch target on such a screen are mostly all still usable. Great.

But your example shows some text sometimes would need to be enlarged: they can't appear smaller than on an iPhone, the mini is held at least as close (same ppi) as an iPhone if not farther (because larger).
To gain comfort on the mini, then two solutions:
- tweaks on the mini only -> devs don't want to deal with fragmentation, or then, why Apple even stayed at 1024x768 with the mini if they wanted devs to adapt their UIs to each iPad sizes.
- tweaks affect all iPads -> text enlarged appears at a better size on the mini, but then even larger on the 9.7" than originally, and then less text can be displayed. Loss in quantity of data displayed on all iPad models in the end.

This reminds me of this old topic: http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1426836

[AzN1337c0d3r]

Originally Posted by nuckinfutz

Apple didn't cut corners. The mini has a higher PPI than the iPad and iPad 2.

Pro tip: It's cheaper to raise PPI as you make the device smaller... defect rates play a large part in this.

[FrozenDarkness]

i actually really agree with this. i was surfing safari and i think the top bar is just way too small.

However, I do think there will be apps that eventually will catch up to ipadmini's size