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HarryWarden

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Oct 27, 2012
608
121
The 4:3 aspect ratio of iPads make them far better for web browsing/zooming in to read an online article. I have a 8.9-in Kindle HDX and while the display is quite good, the widescreen ratio makes it underwhelming for the purposes of web browsing.
 

AAPLinc

macrumors 65816
Jul 27, 2012
1,292
2
Hollywood, CA
I find browsing pleasant on my Nexus 7 2013 in both portrait and landscape. I don't even need to zoom.

Whatever floats your boat. I have good vision though. Maybe older people or people with poor version would find it difficult and would need a larger screen.

16:9/10 sucks for YOU, not everyone.
 

MRU

macrumors Penryn
Aug 23, 2005
25,368
8,948
a better place
I tend to agree. But it is a subjective thing.

I just could not enjoy both the Nexus 7 2013 and the LG Gpad 8.3 that I have had last few weeks for browsing the web and though I really don't like iOS 7 I have sold those devices and ordered an iPad mini for myself.
 

spinedoc77

macrumors G4
Jun 11, 2009
11,394
5,257
I love 16:9/10 MUCH more for web browsing personally, but I only use my tablets to browse in landscape mode and rarely if ever use them in portrait mode.
 

fredaroony

macrumors 6502a
Aug 1, 2011
670
0
I agree and just waiting to see if a Nexus 8 will be released then I'll get one.

I have an iPad mini but would rather be running Android.
 

Shanghaichica

macrumors G5
Apr 8, 2013
14,642
13,143
UK
That's the thing though. iPads are good for web browsing but not so good for watching movies, whilst android tablets are usually great for movies but lack in web browsing.
 

fredaroony

macrumors 6502a
Aug 1, 2011
670
0
That's the thing though. iPads are good for web browsing but not so good for watching movies, whilst android tablets are usually great for movies but lack in web browsing.

Never had an issue watching movies on my iPad 3 or mini. I had a Nexus 7 and never thought it was better for watching movies.
 

MRU

macrumors Penryn
Aug 23, 2005
25,368
8,948
a better place
That's the thing though. iPads are good for web browsing but not so good for watching movies, whilst android tablets are usually great for movies but lack in web browsing.

Actually I found that despite the iPad Mini being 4:3 when I viewed a movie on it and it was widescreen or letterbox - despite having borders top and bottom the visible area was pretty much the same as the Nexus 7 and its 16:10 ratio screen simply due to the fact that the mini has a bigger screen overall, making the difference between ratios negligible for me in regards to watching movies on them both.

The Nexus 7 suffered worst for me in landscape 16:10 mosty because of the on screen buttons taking up screen estate too.

But it really is a case of different boats for different folks I guess and what fits for one - may not fit for another.


What i will say is that if there was a 8" Nexus with 4.4 KitKat and it had a same resolution as iPad mini that would be a killer device.

As it is - I'm making do with the dog that is iOS 7 to benefit from retina display, general tablet build quality, size and portability of the retina mini and it's 4:3 screen, as it's the lesser of two annoyances than the 16:10 screen and those annoying bezels on the Nexus 7 2013 and on screen buttons that bugged me when browsing or in a lot of games.

I've given them all a shot and until that mythical 8" nexus device I want comes out - if it ever does - i'll just have to settle on the lesser of two evils for me.

----------

Never had an issue watching movies on my iPad 3 or mini. I had a Nexus 7 and never thought it was better for watching movies.

Exactly the same.
 

mib1800

Suspended
Sep 16, 2012
2,859
1,250
Never had an issue watching movies on my iPad 3 or mini. I had a Nexus 7 and never thought it was better for watching movies.

Watching maybe is no difference but getting your mkv divx files loaded into the device is just far too much pain compared to drag drop for android.
 

Technarchy

macrumors 604
May 21, 2012
6,753
4,927
The iPad Mini to me feels nicer to handle and use compared to something like the Nexus 7. The aspect ratio makes a big difference.
 

tbayrgs

macrumors 604
Jul 5, 2009
7,343
4,867
Watching maybe is no difference but getting your mkv divx files loaded into the device is just far too much pain compared to drag drop for android.

See, I don't see how it's that much more difficult. Both devices need to connect to your computer (wireless or wired). Yes, you can now drag a file from your computer's file manager to a folder on your Nexus 7..but only if it's less than 4 GB due to the Fat32 formatting limitation of the 'SD Card' partition. If you're using a device with expandable memory, you can reformat to ExFAT to avoid this issue. Most of my 1080p movies are bigger than that so I cannot use Android File Transfer--could only use something like AirDroid which takes much longer wirelessly, or I have to re-encode the movie.

Moving a .mkv file onto my iPad involves plugging it into my computer (same as my Nexus). I then just click the Apps tab in iTunes, add the .mkv files to the media player app I use (or even just drag and drop the file onto the app ;)), and sync. Don't see this as being really any more difficult.
 

mib1800

Suspended
Sep 16, 2012
2,859
1,250
See, I don't see how it's that much more difficult. Both devices need to connect to your computer (wireless or wired). Yes, you can now drag a file from your computer's file manager to a folder on your Nexus 7..but only if it's less than 4 GB due to the Fat32 formatting limitation of the 'SD Card' partition. If you're using a device with expandable memory, you can reformat to ExFAT to avoid this issue. Most of my 1080p movies are bigger than that so I cannot use Android File Transfer--could only use something like AirDroid which takes much longer wirelessly, or I have to re-encode the movie.

Moving a .mkv file onto my iPad involves plugging it into my computer (same as my Nexus). I then just click the Apps tab in iTunes, add the .mkv files to the media player app I use (or even just drag and drop the file onto the app ;)), and sync. Don't see this as being really any more difficult.

Provided you have with you the pc which your ios devices are slaved to. And you are willing to wait while iTunes takes like forever to convert and sync.

On my note3 I just plug my portable drive containing my videos directly into the device and play the video off it.
 

tbayrgs

macrumors 604
Jul 5, 2009
7,343
4,867
Provided you have with you the pc which your ios devices are slaved to. And you are willing to wait while iTunes takes like forever to convert and sync.

On my note3 I just plug my portable drive containing my videos directly into the device and play the video off it.

Agreed it you're using a portable drive, not something you'll be able to do on an iPad, though IMO it defeats the benefit of using a small portable device, but to each their own, whatever works best for each individual.

Regarding the transfer of files to the iPad, there isn't any converting if you're using something like VLC to play the files, just drag, drop and sync--takes just as long as drag and drop using Android.
 

mib1800

Suspended
Sep 16, 2012
2,859
1,250
Agreed it you're using a portable drive, not something you'll be able to do on an iPad, though IMO it defeats the benefit of using a small portable device, but to each their own, whatever works best for each individual.

No. You can just copy files from the directly connected drive to the phone as well. This is much more portable less mesy than connecting to your master iTunes pc (well how small can your pc be :p)

Regarding the transfer of files to the iPad, there isn't any converting if you're using something like VLC to play the files, just drag, drop and sync--takes just as long as drag and drop using Android.

No again. You copy your file twice - once to iTunes folder then another time when iTunes copy it to the phone.

No matter how you defend, idevices still suck at this basic steps.
 

AAPLinc

macrumors 65816
Jul 27, 2012
1,292
2
Hollywood, CA
The iPad Mini to me feels nicer to handle and use compared to something like the Nexus 7. The aspect ratio makes a big difference.

To me, the price made a big difference. I dont mind 16:10 anyway, but knowing that I paid $230 for a tablet that performs as well as $400+ tablets, makes me smile. It's not perfect, no.. but neither is the mini. I chose the more affordable, just made the most sense.

I find it funny when people diss on the Nexus 7. I honestly can't see what's to complain about. So the screen isn't the biggest... and you don't favor the 16:10 ratio. Those are (in my opinion) petty things that don't bother me. Paying $170 more for a 4:3 ratio and an inch of screen? No. That's fine if you prefer iOS on your tab, whole different story. But saying the Nexus 7 isn't good because of the ratio or the screen size, is redundant and subjective.

It's almost as if people who bought the mini secretly realize that they overpaid for a tablet so they have to pick on the competitor (that happens to be $170 less). Again, the competitor for your mini is $170 less, eek. I mean hell, the old mini is still $70 more and the Nexus 7 (2013) blows the doors off of it.
 
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Shanghaichica

macrumors G5
Apr 8, 2013
14,642
13,143
UK
The iPad Mini to me feels nicer to handle and use compared to something like the Nexus 7. The aspect ratio makes a big difference.

I think the 7 inch android tablets are too small. I had a Nexus 7 and didn't get on with it at all. That's when I got the iPad mini. I think for 8 inches and above android tablets are better for watching videos, however that is it. Because their primary orientation is landscape they do not feel nice to hold in the hand at all. They feel awkward in both landscape and portrait. As it is my galaxy tab 2 10.1 had pretty much been relegated to watching movies and videos at home. My ipad mini is the one I take with me all the time.
 

ChazUK

macrumors 603
Feb 3, 2008
5,393
25
Essex (UK)
I'd guess that having a choice of the form factor you want could be an advantage for Android tablets.

img2013111.jpg
img201ljl.jpg


Works well on 4:3 devices.
 

Oohara

macrumors 68040
Jun 28, 2012
3,050
2,423
I prefer 16:9 for 7-8" tablets and 4:3 for ~10" tablets, because of the portability aspect being so important for the smaller category.

The iPad mini is a beautiful device but that width makes it just a bit too wide for it to be really portable for me - at which point I'm better off just buying a full size iPad. A Nexus 7 without the huge bezels would have the perfect form factor for the 7-8" category. That is something I could really slip into my jacket pockets without any trouble. I can't do that with the mini, which means I'd need a bag for it anyway.

For the bigger category however, 16:9 just feels awkward and unnatural to me. When I look at a Surface for example, I always feel like I'm being robbed of a significant part of the screen real estate. It just looks somehow irritating. Whereas the form factor + aspect ratio of the iPad Air is pretty much perfection, in my book at least.

I'm currently using my Note 2 as a portable tablet (went back to 4S as my phone) and am finding the 16:9 format combined with its size very nice for portable reading/browsing/video/gaming use (almost perfection for long reading sessions), I just wish it'd be a tad bigger. Actually the 6.3" Galaxy Mega feels JUST right, size/format-wise, for a really portable tablet.

iPhone + 6.3" Galaxy Note (no phone capability needed) + iPad Air, that would be the ultimate combo for me. (Santa pls? :D)

Please note: I'm not calling the mini meaningless or anything, others will have different needs/preferences than I do.
 
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tbayrgs

macrumors 604
Jul 5, 2009
7,343
4,867
I'd guess that having a choice of the form factor you want could be an advantage for Android tablets.

img2013111.jpg
img201ljl.jpg


Works well on 4:3 devices.

Yeah but unfortunately, there are so few that use this format. :(
 

Technarchy

macrumors 604
May 21, 2012
6,753
4,927
The Nexus 7 was my first small tablet. The iPad Mini retina, was my 2nd. I got it today and already the browsing experience feels infinitely better due to the form factor.
 

AAPLinc

macrumors 65816
Jul 27, 2012
1,292
2
Hollywood, CA
The Nexus 7 was my first small tablet. The iPad Mini retina, was my 2nd. I got it today and already the browsing experience feels infinitely better due to the form factor.

All I see you do is post about how the mini is better than the nexus 7. Just remember its your opinion. And remember one costs twice the amount of the other and then finally, ask yourself why you're comparing them...

I would sincerely hope the new mini is better considering its nearly twice the price, but is it really that much better? No. This is of course my opinion.
 

cynics

macrumors G4
Jan 8, 2012
11,959
2,154
Every single screen in my house is 16:x aside from my iPad so I don't have trouble with it. Just like I don't have trouble watching movies/video on my iPad.

Both have there pros and cons. Personally I prefer 16:9/10 if I were forced to choose one size for all my devices. Simply because my media and games work better on it. Web browsing is really the only thing I can think of that I'd find 4:3 better for but like I said to me it's not THAT much better.
 
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