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bluespark

macrumors 68040
Jul 11, 2009
3,087
3,982
Chicago
This thread caught my eye because of the similarity to my own situation. I too have an iPad 2 that has been taken over by a three year old; I too had found the larger iPad somewhat cumbersome for reading; I too considered holding-out for a Retina mini. In my situation, I decided to go ahead and purchase the mini and have been very glad I did.

As others have noted, the full-size iPad is more natural for many tasks -- certainly for web browsing, movies, etc. (though those work more than acceptably on the mini). But I have to say that I'm thrilled with the form factor of the mini. It's a perfect size for reading. I've been using mine both to read books and to mark up PDFs on the train for work. If you're a serious reader, it's really nice to be able to hold the entire device in one hand while comfortably viewing an entire page.

More surprisingly, to me anyway, is that I have not been too bothered by the lack of a Retina display. While I certainly will rejoice when the mini gets one, the current display is noticeably sharper than my iPad 2's display because the pixels are smaller and closer together. In short, this device has been a very satisfying purchase.

As to whether to wait, I decided against it because: (1) there is no guarantee that the next mini will actually get a Retina display, (2) the next mini's release doesn't seem imminent -- certainly not at WWDC, (3) the current mini likely will have good resale value even a year from now, and (4) it was worth something to me to start using the mini now. But I'm also someone who doesn't get upset if a better device comes along a month after I buy something.
 

roland.g

macrumors 604
Original poster
Apr 11, 2005
7,407
3,126
I guess for clarification I should note that I don't read that much in terms of iBooks but have a couple right now. I do use it a lot for web browsing but do on my phone as well and assume that it must be better than the phone. I understand less real estate is less.

But the form factor and weight is what is really appealing especially since I will be getting the cellular and want to take it with me quite a bit.

One other function I would expect it be used for is stock apps. I've been more active in the market and like to have access to iPad optimized stock apps.
 

JMountainDew

macrumors regular
Apr 24, 2012
178
33
Simply put, I have done more iBook reading in the past few weeks with my new ipad mini than I ever did with my ipad 2. Have also purchased and downloaded a few more books just waiting to be read. Love the feel of the ipad mini as I read.
 

roland.g

macrumors 604
Original poster
Apr 11, 2005
7,407
3,126
I think I've always been planning 16GB to save on cost since the added cost of getting the LTE model.

Though ironically I had a 64GB iPad, and a 32GB iPad 2.

Any reason to pony up the extra $100 for the 32GB on the Mini. Just doesn't seem like I will have as much content on it. No kids stuff. Not much in movies I would think. I use my 64GB iPhone 5 for music.

Is the 32GB necessary on the Mini or is the 16GB a better price point?

16GB Refurb at Apple $389
16GB at Microcenter $429
32GB Refurb at Apple $469
32GB at Microcenter $529
 

ManicMarc

macrumors 6502
Jul 1, 2012
487
149
If multi-platform flexibility is important then just buy Kindle books. Half my purchases are Kindle and half iBooks. There's no law that requires you to buy iBooks.

Seconded. I use my iPhone, iPad and my Kindle to read books. The main reason for using e-books instead of real books is that I can access then anyway instantly, even on my Windows 8 PC. I've never seen any point in iBooks, except that the app looks nicer.
 

ScottNWDW

macrumors 65816
Jul 10, 2008
1,231
315
Orlando, Florida
I currently have a 64GB iPad mini, which I got the day they came out and love it. I also have a 16GB iPad 3 which I won in a raffle at work. I love that as well, but let me tell you the 16GB gets used up quickly. I used to have a 32GB original iPad, but after winning the iPad 3 I passed that on to my partner. Going form 32 to 16 was a big change for me in that I really had to make a decision on what apps or things to keep on the iPad. Less pictures, no movies or music, fewer apps. Sometimes have to juggle things around to make things fit. I typically only have about 1.4GB left to spare. 64GB might have been overkill with the mini, but I am glad that I have the extra space. The mini is my goto device most of the time anyway. It's a lot easier to carry around, a lot lighter. Honestly, the whole retina/non retina thing is a bunch of hogwash. The iPad mini's screen looks just as good as the iPad 3 for most everyday use. The mini's screen looks more retina like when comparing with the original iPad or iPad 2 because even though the pixel counts are the same, on the mini those pixels are packed closer together in a 7.9" screen as to being spread out over a 9.7" screen.

Get the Mini, it is a joy to use. I have been using it since day 1 and have not regretted my purchase at all. Will I go with a retina mini when they come out, probably but I am more likely to go with the iPad 5 with 32GB or 64GB first.
 

ManUMark

macrumors member
Apr 28, 2012
56
0
In a parallel universes the iPad mini came out before the retina iPad. Everyone wanted the bigger size and retina screen, and all wondered why they bought the small one with the crappy screen.
 
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