iPad Mini: iPad Mini to buy or not to buy

[iampaulb]

I have been thinking about getting an iPad Mini for a while now, as I am looking to replace my 1st Gen iPad which is getting very slow and is rather heavy by todays standards.

With reviews like this one http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1527495

I am even more tempted. But from peoples opinions is it worth waiting for a Retina display one? Or because its a smaller screen it doesnt really warrant such luxury? As i wont be using it for gaming, it will be a surfing, emailing and magazine device.

So from anyone who has one should i get it or should i wait?

[Stewart21]

Get one now. It will probably be a long wait for a retina display if it ever comes to the iPad Mini. My wife and I have had ours for about four weeks and there are no issues with the display. We use it ever day for surfing, reading, e-mail, casual gaming.

[bagelmaker]

I have had my mini since launch day and I love it. I would say go for it. I'm sure they will come out with a retina version sooner or later, but the enjoyment I've gotten from this device in the last few months makes me sure that I won't wish I'd waited for the newer version comes out. If you have an ipad 1 now I'm sure you will be blown away by the awesomeness of the ipad mini.

[racoonboy]

I dont have one. I have Ipad 2.

But are you really going to base your decision on to buy or not to buy from a review in this forum??? Its macrumors so 80% will praise Ipad mini.

Better judge your decision on other review around the web. My personal opinion, u dont play games so Ipad mini is no advantages over others like Nexus 7 or Kindle HD. Surfing, email, magazine will be better on high resolution screen, Mini is an Ipad 2 smaller screen.

U dont need to spend extra for somthing u dont need. Think about it.

[Badrottie]

I don't have a mini but you say you enjoy reading magazine then just wait for mini with retina display because it looks great.

[iampaulb]

Originally Posted by racoonboy

I dont have one. I have Ipad 2.

But are you really going to base your decision on to buy or not to buy from a review in this forum??? Its macrumors so 80% will praise Ipad mini.

Better judge your decision on other review around the web. My personal opinion, u dont play games so Ipad mini is no advantages over others like Nexus 7 or Kindle HD. Surfing, email, magazine will be better on high resolution screen, Mini is an Ipad 2 smaller screen.

U dont need to spend extra for somthing u dont need. Think about it.

I wouldnt be on a mac forum if i was looking to buy a nexus 7 or Kindle ;-)
I have seen many reviews on youtube which say the mini is amazing...I just wanted personal opinions.

Im going to stick with Apple always because of my apps, magazine subscriptions books and what not.

Looks like ill be getting one pretty soon...

[maflynn]

I love my mini - its a great tablet. I have no regrets its more portable then the regular iPad. I'm happy with the display and performance

[iampaulb]

All these good reviews and feed back want me to go and buy one today!! ha
After some googling rumors are that the mini refresh will be announced in March, maybe its worth waiting?

[kodeman53]

Originally Posted by iampaulb

So from anyone who has one should i get it or should i wait?

Wait until next fall when the third generation Mini should come out. Unless the rumors next fall indicate it's the Spring, 2014 model you want.

[maflynn]

Originally Posted by iampaulb

After some googling rumors are that the mini refresh will be announced in March, maybe its worth waiting?

So far the rumores are just wild speculation. There's no real basis for those rumors and the mini just came out, another reason for apple not to release it in 2 more months.

Prior to the unveiling of the mini we got lots of rumors, some with pictures from suppliers and other news that apple is buying up 7" displays etc. None of those types of rumors are present and if apple were to release a new mini in March they'd need to be manufacturing the parts now

[syd430]

Originally Posted by kodeman53

Wait until next fall when the third generation Mini should come out. Unless the rumors next fall indicate it's the Spring, 2014 model you want.

Honestly I think its the 7th generation that he really wants, not the 3rd. Should be out in spring of 2018, wait until then OP.

[PDE]

I made the switch from a generation 1 ipad to the 32 LTE ipad mini - I use it mainly for email, internet, VOIP, GPS/Navigation, reading ebooks (epub, pdfs, kindle) and all the other random things that apps enable. It's a great device and while people complain about the display, I think it's perfectly good for everyday usage. Of course, tiny text will be pixelated but you probably wouldn't want to read tiny but sharp text on a retina display either...at least not for very long. So, you'll have to double tap on the text you want to read or use the safari reader. Once the text is larger size, it looks excellent. I don't have any issue with using the mini for reading and actually find it really enjoyable.

If you don't need LTE, why not just get the cheapest mini around and enjoy it until something better comes along, when you can probably sell it for at least two-thirds of what you paid. In the meantime, look at it as renting the mini and calculate your per month rental based on what your estimated sale will give you. Say you buy it for $329 and sell it in a year for $209, you will have paid $10/month for the pleasure of using a great device. Would that be worth it for you?

As everyone always says, you can't futureproof technology. Within a few years the ipad mini will feel outdated, even if it can be used for much longer than that. Even my ipad 1 could have been used for another few years (and it will be with the new owner), but I wanted something better and faster...

[iampaulb]

Originally Posted by PDE

As everyone always says, you can't futureproof technology. Within a few years the ipad mini will feel outdated, even if it can be used for much longer than that. Even my ipad 1 could have been used for another few years (and it will be with the new owner), but I wanted something better and faster...

Same as me! I think what ill do is go through my 32gb wifi 1st Gen iPad tonight and see if i could cope with a 16gb mini. As i can always remove and add music / films etc, or sign up to spotify premium again

[Bear]

Originally Posted by iampaulb

All these good reviews and feed back want me to go and buy one today!! ha
After some googling rumors are that the mini refresh will be announced in March, maybe its worth waiting?

All I can suggest is that you plkay the the iPad Mini in the store and decide how you feel about the display yourself.

I think it's decent. And in your case going from an iPad1 to a Mini should be an improvement anyway.

[mrgossett]

Originally Posted by maflynn

So far the rumores are just wild speculation. There's no real basis for those rumors and the mini just came out, another reason for apple not to release it in 2 more months.

Prior to the unveiling of the mini we got lots of rumors, some with pictures from suppliers and other news that apple is buying up 7" displays etc. None of those types of rumors are present and if apple were to release a new mini in March they'd need to be manufacturing the parts now

This was exactly my reasoning for going ahead and ordering the Mini last week. If some hard evidence of a March update pops up soon, I've still got 14 days to return it.

[Piccio]

Go for it, I love my Mini.

I think that the Retina version is not going to be released soon (March upgrade would be dumb...), and anyway the screen is not bad at all. Only side by side or spoiled by previous Retina display devices you can notice differences and anyway is good enough.

[zippster]

Originally Posted by Piccio

Go for it, I love my Mini.

I think that the Retina version is not going to be released soon (March upgrade would be dumb...), and anyway the screen is not bad at all. Only side by side or spoiled by previous Retina display devices you can notice differences and anyway is good enough.

^^^This... march is just around the corner and they cannot currently keep up with the demand for the current mini..

and there still showing 2 weeks shipping (uk) would they really be working on a new one to release this march??

rumours are just rumours and on this occasion i personally don't believe them..

[boobie12]

I think you should go for it..the mini is awesome device..sure the screen is lacking especially for someone who came from a 3..but you'll get used to it. I did. Also gaming in this device is awesome. Download nfsmw and wow

[AppleRobert]

Try it out at an Apple store or Best Buy. May not be a quick love or hate thing but unless you give it a shot, ...

[mrgossett]

Originally Posted by AppleRobert

Try it out at an Apple store or Best Buy. May not be a quick love or hate thing but unless you give it a shot, ...

I absolutely would have done that before ordering, except that I live in the boonies and am not close to either an Apple store or a Best Buy. I have looked several times at one in a display case at WalMart. It was running a demo, and the display looked perfectly readable and usable, if not quite as sharp as a retina display.

[richardmu]

Originally Posted by iampaulb

I have been thinking about getting an iPad Mini for a while now, as I am looking to replace my 1st Gen iPad which is getting very slow and is rather heavy by todays standards.

With reviews like this one http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1527495

I am even more tempted. But from peoples opinions is it worth waiting for a Retina display one? Or because its a smaller screen it doesnt really warrant such luxury? As i wont be using it for gaming, it will be a surfing, emailing and magazine device.

So from anyone who has one should i get it or should i wait?

Tried a mini and returned it. I recommend you get a Kindle Fire HD as I did at about half the price. Great fun small tablet and it will keep you going until the next gen iPad mini. In other words WAIT.

[rbrian]

If you're coming from an iPad 1, the display will seem better. It has the same number of pixels, but they're squeezed onto a smaller display, so the pixel density is higher, so it'll look sharper. Not as sharp as a Retina display, of course.

I love the size of the mini, and the feel of it in my hand, but I can't get over the display. I will never again buy something without a Retina display, but plenty of people can't tell the difference. Only you know if that's important to you.

I think if you've kept your iPad 1 for this long, you can wait a few more weeks to see what (if anything) is announced in March.

[Candlelight]

Get a mini. The standard iPads are huge and weigh a ton.

[jstnlzr]

buy a mini, or get over it.... lol

[jrswizzle]

Going to echo a lot of the other sentiment - love my mini.

The display is great - anyone who says text is "unreadable" either can't read or has extremely poor eyesight (or they just wanna b**ch and moan).

I use mine for gaming, browsing and reading - comic books included which, despite the smaller type (I could zoom in but choose not to) look great as well.

Really great device - I look forward to upgrading to the retina version if and when it is released! But for now, I'll continue to enjoy my first gen iPad mini!