iPad Mini: Since the MB Air screen looks great and is 128ppi... what about the 163ppi iPad mini?

[waa1futs]

Looking at my Macbook Air 13" the screen looks awesome to me. I can't tell any real pixelation unless I try to look for it.

So if the Macbook Air looks great and is "only" 128ppi, why wouldn't the iPad mini and its 163ppi look great as well or even better?

I hadn't seen an iPad mini yet in person until today when I stopped at a UPS store and saw a Sprint shop next to it. I had heard so much from the naysayers how the mini's screen is bad since its not retina that I figured it would be terrible. I was more than surprised since it looked very nice to read off of. People that say the screen is bad or pixelated are simply nuts!

Don't get my wrong a higher resolution would be nice if it had no drawbacks, but a "retina" screen would need more backlight for those extra pixels, greater gpu, and of course a much bigger battery to power it all. Doesn't seem worth it as the lightweight form factor of the mini is the defining feature that causes people to buy it.

[mcdj]

A. You use a MacBook much further away from your face than an iPad mini.
B. A MacBook has a considerably bigger screen. More screen real estate means larger type, larger photos, etc.
C. Since the screen is larger and further away from your face, pixels are harder to discern. Thus, the effective PPI is likely higher than the mini.

[waa1futs]

Originally Posted by mcdj

A. You use a MacBook much further away from your face than an iPad mini.
B. A MacBook has a considerably bigger screen. More screen real estate means larger type, larger photos, etc.
C. Since the screen is larger and further away from your face, pixels are harder to discern. Thus, the effective PPI is likely higher than the mini.

Used farther away? Exactly how much farther mcdj would you use a laptop vs a tablet?

I use my Macbook Air on a desk about a bended arms length from my face at most. I would assume most people have the iPad mini about the same distance.

Plus, even if they did have the iPad mini just a tiny bit closer to their face, the 35ppi increase that the iPad mini has would seem to counteract any argument that the iPad mini's screen doesn't look just as great as the Macbook Airs screen.

As for the Macbook Airs screen being bigger so the images and text show up bigger, that would confirm my argument since bigger text should look pixelated, which it doesn't on the Macbook Air when used at bended arm length... meaning the iPad mini having smaller text at closer distance should look the same or better.

[maxosx]

My 13" MBA is most certainly one of my all time favorite Mac Laptops.

It's important to note that I also have an iPad 4 retina, 15" MBP retina, iPad mini & Nexus 7. I enjoy the retina models, yet feel they're somewhat overrated.

My iPad mini is a serious compromise which I was well aware of, yet bought it anyway. I really like the size, but I'm disappointed in Apple being cheap with the display. Especially since the Nexus 7 isn't retina, yet it's far better than the very low res mini.

[adnoh]

Originally Posted by mcdj

A. You use a MacBook much further away from your face than an iPad mini.
B. A MacBook has a considerably bigger screen. More screen real estate means larger type, larger photos, etc.
C. Since the screen is larger and further away from your face, pixels are harder to discern. Thus, the effective PPI is likely higher than the mini.

what he ^^^ said.

We've also been spoiled by retina everything so when a lot of people seen a non retina screen they dont like it.

The mini has the same dpi as a 3GS but because you hold it further away the text looks better. Same principle with the mini and MBA.

[GreatDrok]

Originally Posted by maxosx

My 13" MBA is most certainly one of my all time favorite Mac Laptops.

It's important to note that I also have an iPad 4 retina, 15" MBP retina, iPad mini & Nexus 7. I enjoy the retina models, yet feel they're somewhat overrated.

My iPad mini is a serious compromise which I was well aware of, yet bought it anyway. I really like the size, but I'm disappointed in Apple being cheap with the display. Especially since the Nexus 7 isn't retina, yet it's far better than the very low res mini.

Apple wasn't being cheap so much as realistic with the mini. It isn't currently practical to put a retina display in an iPad mini case. Screen technology (IGZO) and die shrink of the A6X to reduce battery needs will come along and then it will happen but only when the battery life can remain at 10 hours. We have a Nexus 7 here in the office and its screen isn't a marked improvement over the mini. Side by side, the mini looks a little better to my eyes, especially off-axis where the Nexus 7 screen gets a little purple. Android devices have more flexibility over resolution, but this comes at the cost of app compatibility. The mini was designed to work perfectly with all iPad apps and to do that it needed a 1024x768 screen. The 4:3 ratio is better for a tablet than 16:9 of the Nexus 7 since webpages are typically designed for that resolution and I find reading books in portrait works really well on the iPad mini. Of course, this discussion has been gone over and over. The Nexus 7 is a fine Android device and if I wanted an Android tablet, it would be on my list, but you can't compare an Android tablet with an iPad since Apple is much stricter about the details of the screen size than Google is.

[ucfgrad93]

I find the mini screen to be quite acceptable. While not as nice as the retina iPad screen it is not as bad as some people make it out to be.

[LightOnAHill]

I think the mini rocks and the display is clear. I have the 11" air and I love that and I think the mini looks great too. It's not like the iPhone 5 display, but it's still fantastic and very clear and readable

[MultiFinder17]

Is it as good as a retina display? No. Is it useless crap? No. Is it a reasonably good screen? Yes.