iPad Mini: [MERGED] The iPad Mini looks beautiful until you turn it on.

[MartyCan]

Originally Posted by Nikos

Unusable to ME and a bunch of others who have now become anal about pixel density.

Well at least this is an honest comment.

[jaydee24601]

Just picked up a 16gb mini from Target in black ... so far it's amazing. I love the black back and the blended tool masterworked side and bezel. The display looks almost identical to my New iPad (3) with retina display ...

Crazy sounding I know, but the smaller, more compact, screen makes the pixel desnity and appearance seem very dense and clear! Borderline retina-like, if you ask me!!!! Even when I pinch out on a word of text it seems just as clarified as the ipad 3 retina!

It handles like a dream and fits wonderfully in the palm of my hand and/or hands! It's very light and the adonized back has a lovely textured feel and ethereal matte finish. The black does show some slight fingerprinting but the black overall design has a beautifully-rich stealth look!

Feels very well made ... Not at all cheapy or slapdashed like some plastic competitors ... Nice and SOLID and is almost iPhone 5 light! Have not charged it all just yet ... waiting for it to go below 20% before I do!

[Spungoflex]

Originally Posted by close2reality

Your iPad mini doesn't have a retina for the exact reason apple is so successful.

They have a retina for it in their back pocket, along with an a6 chip. They are carefully playing their cards. It's called marketing.

They know apple zombies will upgrade.

For sure. How is google able to sell 7 inch tablets with retina and apple can't?

Oh wait...

[Photoshopper]

I can't believe the malice directed towards the OP, just for offering his opinion on a new product, one that he has actually used (unlike many here).

Chill, people, and thanks for the heads-up, Nikos.

[mac jones]

Originally Posted by MartyCan

Well at least this is an honest comment.

Yes I agree, and really envy his eyesight. Gosh, I may need to up my glasses resolution. But then again, "See no evil" and all that (yes the retina is evil)

[MartyCan]

Originally Posted by bsquared397

Ok. I have been seeing a a lot of negative posts on this forum. Don't they have the right to express their opinion without being told about the starving in Africa and how they are entitled rich people. I hate negativity. But just because someone has a negative view on something does not constitute calling them entitled or ungrateful. If you don't like to hear the other side of a story, then don't read this forum. . Oh, and I'm still waiting for FedEx to deliver my mini

Absolutely express an opinion. But if you are going to use "over the top" words which will be provocative it will illicit some calls of B-S. That was really the point.

"Unusable" is a pretty big bold statement even if it is an opinion. It is begging for a response, particularly in a forum poplulated largely by Apple fanatics.

"The resolution is not high enough for my liking" would be an honest statement and not provocative.

[mac jones]

Yes it's the unusable that makes it inflammatory.

Yet if we call it out as toll work, we get banned.

[53x12]

Originally Posted by AttilaTheHun

I have only one question for you

when you bought your ipad 2 the 1st time did you complain about the screen?

Apple has now set the standard for RD. There was no such thing as RD tablet. Now there is and many people have become accustomed to that. Did you complain the first time you used the original iPhone? Maybe we should all go back to using the original iPhone and give up our iPhone 5? Sounds smart to me.

[children]

Unusable? Sure it ain't as good as the iPad 3, but unusable? Really?

Over dramatic much?

[iAi]

Breaking News: Nancys All Over the Board

Here are some cheese to your whine!

[KimMelton661]

Meh, I use a crappy old Asus netbook, so the display will be FINE for me.

[Nikos]

Originally Posted by iAi

Breaking News: Nancys All Over the Board

Here are some cheese to your whine!

Hope it's paired properly or I'm returning it.

[pasadena]

Originally Posted by photoshopper

i can't believe the malice directed towards the op, just for offering his opinion on a new product, one that he has actually used (unlike many here).

Chill, people, and thanks for the heads-up, nikos.

+1

[bembol]

^ LOL

I know it's disappointing we didn't get Retina but to say it's Unusable, seriously?

Stop crying.

My only issue with the iPad mini is I have to wait until late November to get my LTE!

[MigsVuitton]

I wouldn't go as far to say unusable (lol) but he has a point. The device is amazingly beautiful to look at (hardware wise) and feels great in the hands.

Apples move to make the mini a "downgrade" in terms of internals is a miss for me. Key term: For me.

I don't look at the mini as a lower priced iPad because I'm not willing to spend more on an iPad, I see it as a preference in size for the iPad. I prefer the size. So why make my preference only satisfactory? Just like macbooks, macbook pros, and iMacs - a smaller size doesn't necessarily mean less stellar.

You don't buy a 21 inch iMac and expect the screen to be not as clear as the 27 inch. You don't expect to be fuzzier and clarity to be less.

You also don't introduce amazing quality displays (retina) to a product line and have a newer version of that product not have the same quality, especially when the screen is so important.

macbook pros and iPads have retina and non retina versions at different price points, why not the iPad Mini?

"They'll have it later"

That made sense when we were comparing apples and oranges.

[tbk3191]

I was really starting to regret my preorder of the iPad mini once everybody started talking about the display. I was afraid it was going to be something horrible when i opened it up and turned it on. It's definitely not deemed "unusable," but there is a difference in the sharpness of the display compared to my iPad 3. However, I'm excited to start using this thing for the portability of it. I really like the size.

[nrweaver]

Can anyone who has a iPad Mini and a Nexus 7 reply to this?

Does the iPad Mini screen look better or worse than the Nexus 7?

I have a Nexus 7 and the screen doesn't bother me.

Thanks

[QCassidy352]

I have an iPad 2, and I find the claim that a screen with a higher ppi than my very good screen is "unusable" to be silly bordering on absurd. Hyperbole does not usually help an argument.

[53x12]

Originally Posted by QCassidy352

I have an iPad 2, and I find the claim that a screen with a higher ppi than my very good screen is "unusable" to be silly bordering on absurd. Hyperbole does not usually help an argument.

Have you used a device with RD for extended periods? Do you use your device to read books, pdf's...etc.? What is your eyesight (I'm not being sarcastic). I have 20/20 eyesight and notice the pixels. Maybe you and the others don't. That is great. But I can and others do. I just need to decide if I can deal with that now that I am use to Apple's retina displays.

[StoneJack]

Originally Posted by boshii

The 3G/3GS was released in 2009/2010. 2-3 years later, Apple introduces a new product line (iPad mini) that uses display tech from 2009/2010 when there's now better display tech available. That's the problem.

Actually, iPad 2 (on which iPad mini is based) was launched in 2011 with a maximum resolution of 1024×768 hence resulting in 132ppi and still is being sold now. So mini' is utilizing quite recent technology.

In addition, on the mini the iPad 2 resolution is used for a smaller screen or has 1024-by-768 resolution at 163 pixels per inch (ppi) which means that its actually by 25% sharper than iPad 2 (if you are into such things). It is lighter than rivals, has a very good camera with f/2.4 aperture (which is better than many dedicated p&s digital cameras). It is also 30% thinner than Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD, with Nexus which has a meagre VGA camera like in Nokia phone made in 2003. Nook HD has no camera at all.

Mini's resolution means you have a very good combination of readability and screen size while also having good battery life. Granted its not retina, but as I said above, its 25% sharper than iPad 2 which is not bad either. Actually, its of medium density screen. So nothing tragic.

----------

Originally Posted by Nikos

Hope it's paired properly or I'm returning it.

So all your screens are Retina? TV, computer, desktop?

[urkel]

Wow. These forums are so hypocritical. 7mo ago it was "anything except Retina makes my eyes bleed" followed by bashing anyone who claimed they didn't notice a big improvement over the iPad2 screen. But now its "The iPad Mini doesnt NEED retina" followed by bashing anyone who notices the lack of clarity.

Personally, I sold my iPad3 in favor of an iPad2 because I didnt feel Retina was a big deal on such a big screen. But with my two iPad Mini's in hand then I have to say that this is where Retina really would be useful. Im loving the Mini size but using it daily will definitely require some mental compromises. The screen is "passable but not great" and it's not often you say that about Apple products.

[53x12]

Originally Posted by urkel

Wow. These forums are so hypocritical. 7mo ago it was "anything except Retina makes my eyes bleed" followed by bashing anyone who claimed they didn't notice a big improvement over the iPad2 screen. But now its "The iPad Mini doesnt NEED retina" followed by bashing anyone who notices the lack of clarity.

Preach brother! In 6-8 months everyone will be singing praises to the iPad mini retina display.

[HowardSmith]

I would expect no better as this is the iPad forum.

No matter what the OP says the mini is just fine for what I will be suing it for. It will only be suplementing the LTE iPad 4 to arrive later this month. I love this little mini and it will be perfect to keep in the bedroom for checking for mail and looking at the weather radar.

[seajewel]

Mine hasn't been delivered yet but I'm worried about this very thing. I really want to love the Mini and I have a dedicated e-reader for reading novels anyways, but I think sharp font is really important for reading PDFs and such; PDFs can easily become unreadable at low res. Still, it's a great size/weight and a great device for a lot of things--portable video, browsing, etc. We'll see though.

[Nikos]

Originally Posted by StoneJack

So all your screens are Retina? TV, computer, desktop?

By Apple's definition of "retina," they technically are. I can't see individual pixels on any of the above mentioned items from where I sit.