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Moneymiike420

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 18, 2012
189
63
Was torn between the mini and the 4,ended up getting the 4 because of the specs,chip,retina...I picked up my first mac a mba13" 2 months ago.Im loving the ipad4 but it is a little too big,Already have an ipad 2 in the house(not mine) I think the mini is what i ideally wanted cause it would be a perfect median from my iphone 5 and macbook...i think ill be able to settle with the slightly slower processor and screen.The only thing holding me back really is resale value but hey...we all know we're gonna get the mini retina if they release it in a week or 6-8 months.Do you guys with minis think its a dumb decision to exchange the 4 for the mini?
 

49JC

macrumors member
Jul 11, 2010
89
47
Was torn between the mini and the 4,ended up getting the 4 because of the specs,chip,retina...I picked up my first mac a mba13" 2 months ago.Im loving the ipad4 but it is a little too big,Already have an ipad 2 in the house(not mine) I think the mini is what i ideally wanted cause it would be a perfect median from my iphone 5 and macbook...i think ill be able to settle with the slightly slower processor and screen.The only thing holding me back really is resale value but hey...we all know we're gonna get the mini retina if they release it in a week or 6-8 months.Do you guys with minis think its a dumb decision to exchange the 4 for the mini?

I have a iPad 3 which is my wife's and just recently purchased the mini. And honestly u don't really notice the performance or the non retina screen compared to the 3. I was worried bout the specs and thought I'd just test this out for a week and decide. But it work how I want it. It's fast, screen is fine and does everything I'd want my iPad to do. Is it dumb to exchange? Well it's totally based on ur preference and iPad experience u wish to have. For ur reasons given - go for it.
 

Moneymiike420

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 18, 2012
189
63
Thanks for the quick reply. I just compared my 4 to the ipad2 and there is a difference but it really isnt rediculous like people make retina out to be. I have 20-20 vision and although i did see how much sharper and warmer the colors and resolution is i think i can sacrifice this for the portability,build quality ,form factor etc...now i just have to wait till best buy gets another shipment in,but good thing is i have 29 days to change my mind again lol buti think im leaning towards the mini,hopefully a white one :eek:

I have a iPad 3 which is my wife's and just recently purchased the mini. And honestly u don't really notice the performance or the non retina screen compared to the 3. I was worried bout the specs and thought I'd just test this out for a week and decide. But it work how I want it. It's fast, screen is fine and does everything I'd want my iPad to do. Is it dumb to exchange? Well it's totally based on ur preference and iPad experience u wish to have. For ur reasons given - go for it.
 

Ih8reno

macrumors 65816
Aug 10, 2012
1,383
206
Use whatever you enjoy but in my opinion the 4 is a much better product. The mini just seems like someone scooped out the ip2 innards and put them in a smaller case. The 4 had upgrades which overall make it a more competent device.
 

Ladybug

macrumors 68000
Apr 13, 2006
1,874
1,013
I don't think it's dumb if the smaller ipad does what you want or need it to do. Yes the 4 is far superior device as far as specs go, but if its not going to be used as much as a mini would be then its certainly something to consider. The really dumb thing would be to hold onto a device that you're not loving. In a year or two perhaps we'll see retina make it into the mini. Until then I'm going to enjoy this one.
 

Art1stic

macrumors newbie
Nov 2, 2012
6
0
I don't think it's dumb if the smaller ipad does what you want or need it to do. Yes the 4 is far superior device as far as specs go, but if its not going to be used as much as a mini would be then its certainly something to consider. The really dumb thing would be to hold onto a device that you're not loving. In a year or two perhaps we'll see retina make it into the mini. Until then I'm going to enjoy this one.

Agreed x1000
 

Moneymiike420

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 18, 2012
189
63
Agreed x1000

I have to agree with you too. I do know its a far superior device but this thing is pretty damn heavy lol,I have my MBA for bigger things,horsepower if needed,so I think the mini will suit me better.all in all ill end up giving the mini to a family member next year when I have to make another unneeded apple product purchase lol
 

RTbar

macrumors regular
Nov 26, 2011
114
4
I would say get the mini only if you TRULY need portability, because the screen in my opinion is not good at all. I really tried to convince myself it was ok, but as I was wiping my 3rd gen iPad to give to a family member, I noticed that the retina screen was about 100x better, and going back was very painful
 

JS3

macrumors regular
Apr 15, 2010
203
1
I love my 4 it is super fast and wifi gets a better signal than all my recent iPads i have had.
 

Moneymiike420

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 18, 2012
189
63
Best buy * not butt,cool typo though!

Thank you for the replies everyone . I have a 29 day window so I might as well give it a week with the 4 and mess around...then maybe if I change my mind best buy will hopefully have another mini shipment coming in
 
Last edited:

aleni

macrumors 68030
Jun 2, 2006
2,560
858
i love my ipad 3, especially the retina display, but it's so heavy and big and always be left out at home. so im switching to an iPad Mini soon!!
 

bigboar

macrumors 6502
Oct 26, 2012
364
0
Ohio
I am hoping for a Black Friday deal on an MBA myself and then I am pretty sure I will only be using it and my mini. The iPad 3 is my wife's device but I use it all the time. To me, after I get the 11.6 MBA I will never use the 3 again. I know the mini screen isn't as nice as the 3 but I love using the mini and the screen is absolutely serviceable.....I will use the MBA at home and the mini will be my companion everywhere else...
 

Southernboyj

macrumors 68000
Mar 8, 2012
1,693
69
Mobile, AL
I have to agree with you too. I do know its a far superior device but this thing is pretty damn heavy lol,I have my MBA for bigger things,horsepower if needed,so I think the mini will suit me better.all in all ill end up giving the mini to a family member next year when I have to make another unneeded apple product purchase lol

I'm the exact opposite, I bought a Mini yesterday. Used it heavily and couldn't adapt to the screen. It looks very low res and colors looked washed out. I love it's form factor but I am going back to a 3/4th gen iPad.
 

hawon

macrumors member
Sep 8, 2009
86
11
I was excited to test out ipad mini today and I was disappointed. I left ipad for Nexus 7 because of the former factor. With my spoiled eyes with 15" rMBP and better screen of Nexus 7, I could not bear the ipad minis screen.

I love the size and how thin it is, but I don't like how slippery it feels and I don't like 4:3 ratio any more.

Back to OP, if I were you I'd go with mini. Portability is the reason you got ipad isn't it?
 

AdonisSMU

macrumors 604
Oct 23, 2010
7,297
3,047
I was excited to test out ipad mini today and I was disappointed. I left ipad for Nexus 7 because of the former factor. With my spoiled eyes with 15" rMBP and better screen of Nexus 7, I could not bear the ipad minis screen.

I love the size and how thin it is, but I don't like how slippery it feels and I don't like 4:3 ratio any more.

Back to OP, if I were you I'd go with mini. Portability is the reason you got ipad isn't it?

I hate the 16:9 form factor. Its only good for video and most of these tablets have that big bezel which defeats the purpose to begin with. I prefer 4:3 ratio because websites and books look far better with it and the page doesn't look cramped like they do in the nexus 7. Plus the colors are far away better on the iPad vs. the nexus 7 despite the fact nexus 7 has higher pixel density. The colors look washed out on it. I definitely noticed and the software was laggy and slow despite having the better processor. I was so happy to purchase the mini iPad and i almost love it. The retina display wouldve sealded the deal in my eyes.

----------

i love my ipad 3, especially the retina display, but it's so heavy and big and always be left out at home. so im switching to an iPad Mini soon!!

Check it out first. Its not for everyone.
 

Candykwan

macrumors newbie
Nov 3, 2012
23
0
I'll probably never get any version of the ipad mini...for me ipad 4th is perfect and i didn't buy it to resell and upgrade so resale value doesn't bother me I really dot get the weight issue though....it's made of metal and class...how light do you extent it to be? Other tablets are made of plastic so of course they're going to be lighter
 

NeonGreenHermit

macrumors regular
Jun 25, 2010
116
12
UK
Was torn between the mini and the 4,ended up getting the 4 because of the specs,chip,retina...I picked up my first mac a mba13" 2 months ago.Im loving the ipad4 but it is a little too big,Already have an ipad 2 in the house(not mine) I think the mini is what i ideally wanted cause it would be a perfect median from my iphone 5 and macbook...i think ill be able to settle with the slightly slower processor and screen.The only thing holding me back really is resale value but hey...we all know we're gonna get the mini retina if they release it in a week or 6-8 months.Do you guys with minis think its a dumb decision to exchange the 4 for the mini?

I bought the 4 and also questioned the value compared to the mini, but remember this: the iPad is a mature product competing in an established market, the mini is as low-specc'd as possible to sell well in a less mature market. The 4 has the fastest chipset in Apple's iOS range, unlikely to made obsolete for a couple of years at least. I have a strong intuition that the jump from iPad 4 to 5 will not be as earth shattering as the jump between mini 1 & 2. We can probably expect an A6 chipset and / or retina in the next mini, and this may leave A5 devices in general the lurch this time next year as A4 devices now are. On the other hand, the mini is extraordinarily gorgeous to hold and use, so if you're not bothered about specs so much, it makes more sense to go that way. Either way, you're boarding the Lightning express and will be able to use some new and amazing peripherals over the next few years.
 

Aneres11

macrumors 601
Oct 2, 2011
4,162
8,842
I have an 11" MacBook Air and have to say, when I had my iPad 3 I just found it so much easier to pick my MBA air up and use that instead.

However, now I have mini I haven't been on my MBA all weekend since I got the mini.

Sounds like the mini would suit you loads better :)
 

hyteckit

Guest
Jul 29, 2007
889
1
Was torn between the mini and the 4,ended up getting the 4 because of the specs,chip,retina...I picked up my first mac a mba13" 2 months ago.Im loving the ipad4 but it is a little too big,Already have an ipad 2 in the house(not mine) I think the mini is what i ideally wanted cause it would be a perfect median from my iphone 5 and macbook...i think ill be able to settle with the slightly slower processor and screen.The only thing holding me back really is resale value but hey...we all know we're gonna get the mini retina if they release it in a week or 6-8 months.Do you guys with minis think its a dumb decision to exchange the 4 for the mini?

I think the iPad mini is the perfect median between my MacBook Pro and iPhone 4S.

I have an iPad 1 right now, but doesn't get used much because I often go to either the MacBook Pro or iPhone.

I think I'll use the iPad Mini a lot more than my iPad 1 because of its smaller size.
 

mattopotamus

macrumors G5
Jun 12, 2012
14,666
5,879
I have an 11" MacBook Air and have to say, when I had my iPad 3 I just found it so much easier to pick my MBA air up and use that instead.

However, now I have mini I haven't been on my MBA all weekend since I got the mini.

Sounds like the mini would suit you loads better :)

I think the iPad mini is the perfect median between my MacBook Pro and iPhone 4S.

I have an iPad 1 right now, but doesn't get used much because I often go to either the MacBook Pro or iPhone.

I think I'll use the iPad Mini a lot more than my iPad 1 because of its smaller size.

Two very important things to consider. I think if you have an air then the mini fits right between the two (phone and air). If you have a pro, desktop, or no laptop....then you really want the full sized iPad
 

yinz

macrumors 6502a
Apr 12, 2012
641
5
Use whatever you enjoy but in my opinion the 4 is a much better product. The mini just seems like someone scooped out the ip2 innards and put them in a smaller case. The 4 had upgrades which overall make it a more competent device.

HAHA,.. this comment makes me think of:

"And we took the time to design a product that was a concentration of — not a reduction of — the original." -Jonathan Ive



Two very important things to consider. I think if you have an air then the mini fits right between the two (phone and air). If you have a pro, desktop, or no laptop....then you really want the full sized iPad

I don't know. I have a 13" MBA and an iPad 2, and I use them in different occasions, equally. I find that I use the full sized iPad even though I have an MBA for surfing, or emails or looking at photos or facebook. I don't know. Maybe I feel guilty about paying so much for it and not using it? I don't think so though. It's just easier to pick it up and start surfing, rather than grab the MBA, since I turn off my computer often.
 

noteple

macrumors 68000
Aug 30, 2011
1,505
523
Was torn between the mini and the 4,ended up getting the 4 because of the specs,chip,retina...I picked up my first mac a mba13" 2 months ago.Im loving the ipad4 but it is a little too big,Already have an ipad 2 in the house(not mine) I think the mini is what i ideally wanted cause it would be a perfect median from my iphone 5 and macbook...i think ill be able to settle with the slightly slower processor and screen.The only thing holding me back really is resale value but hey...we all know we're gonna get the mini retina if they release it in a week or 6-8 months.Do you guys with minis think its a dumb decision to exchange the 4 for the mini?

Swap it out.
Live with the mini for 10 days and you decide.
 
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