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163 PPI is not that bad

K

kappaknight

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Mar 5, 2009
1,595
91
Atlanta, GA
I'm seriously considering an iPad mini and was a bit disappointed to hear that it isn't Retina. However, I picked up my old iPhone 3GS today for comparison and held it about 18 inches from my face. Guess what? You can't really see the pixels at all at the typical tablet viewing distance. Sure, you can inspect it at about 4 inches from your face, but if you're reading the on the tablet instead of watching it, it goes away.

I'll still be checking one out on launch day to see if I like the final product but I think if it's as light and mobile as it claims to be, I shouldn't have too many gripes about it. Sure, Retina would have been great but for the mini, but I would prefer it to run cooler and have it be lighter than to have Apple force the tech on this. Besides for the iPhone and iPods, it does seem like other products that are currently Retina all have some minor issues. (i.e. running warm, sometimes slow, occasional ghosting on the laptops.)

I'm genuinely excited to check it out this Friday and get first hand experience with one.
 
kappaknight said:
I'm seriously considering an iPad mini and was a bit disappointed to hear that it isn't Retina. However, I picked up my old iPhone 3GS today for comparison and held it about 18 inches from my face. Guess what? You can't really see the pixels at all at the typical tablet viewing distance. Sure, you can inspect it at about 4 inches from your face, but if you're reading the on the tablet instead of watching it, it goes away.

I'll still be checking one out on launch day to see if I like the final product but I think if it's as light and mobile as it claims to be, I shouldn't have too many gripes about it. Sure, Retina would have been great but for the mini, but I would prefer it to run cooler and have it be lighter than to have Apple force the tech on this. Besides for the iPhone and iPods, it does seem like other products that are currently Retina all have some minor issues. (i.e. running warm, sometimes slow, occasional ghosting on the laptops.)

I'm genuinely excited to check it out this Friday and get first hand experience with one.
Click to expand...

I always thought the iPad 1 and 2 screens were blurry (superior to others back in the day, but still not as good as I wanted), and it wasn't until the iPad 3 that I finally had a screen I thought looked crisp and clear. The iPad Mini doesn't interest me in the slightest with its low resolution display.

On the other hand, lots of other people say they cannot see a difference, and they love their iPads (1 and 2). 163 PPI might not matter in the slightest to some people, but to others like me, it is a deal breaker. Get what you want, and enjoy what you have :)
 
palpatine said:
I always thought the iPad 1 and 2 screens were blurry (superior to others back in the day, but still not as good as I wanted), and it wasn't until the iPad 3 that I finally had a screen I thought looked crisp and clear. The iPad Mini doesn't interest me in the slightest with its low resolution display.

On the other hand, lots of other people say they cannot see a difference, and they love their iPads (1 and 2). 163 PPI might not matter in the slightest to some people, but to others like me, it is a deal breaker. Get what you want, and enjoy what you have :)
Click to expand...

Do people understand that the iPad mini will be higher resolution than the iPad 2? It will look a lot better than that device. Obviously not as good as a Retina display but it won't look bad. It will be better comparatively than the 3GS and the iPad 2.
 
i0Nic said:
Do people understand that the iPad mini will be higher resolution than the iPad 2? It will look a lot better than that device. Obviously not as good as a Retina display but it won't look bad. It will be better comparatively than the 3GS and the iPad 2.
Click to expand...

No, it will not be a higher resolution than the iPad 2, it will be a higher PPI, the resolution of the 2 are identical.
 
Reading for hours every day, I won't go back from the retina display. But that doesn't mean the mini won't be the right device for lots of people. Just do what works for you.
 
I got a Kindle Paperwhite for extended reading. It is a superior reading device. I can read for hours with no issues, especially in bed at night. It is small, light and battery lasts forever. But when I want some color, web browsing, or anything else but read a book, ipad all the way....
 
ZBoater said:
I got a Kindle Paperwhite for extended reading. It is a superior reading device. I can read for hours with no issues, especially in bed at night. It is small, light and battery lasts forever. But when I want some color, web browsing, or anything else but read a book, ipad all the way....
Click to expand...

Yes, I have two e-ink readers, too (Kindle Touch and a T1), and I love them, but they just don't deal well with academic journal articles. To properly annotate and organise them, I need to use my iPad - hence the hours reading on the iPad every day. But yes, for reading recreational books, Kindle is definitely superior, it's one of my favourite purchases.
 
It really isn't bad at all.

It's just ironic that Apple created this all important "retina" culture and to see a product go back on that is probably jarring to some people.

And then with the price tag they put on it, people don't feel its value is worth it.
 
Apple can't have it both ways - they want to promote the retina apps with the high PPI and then ignore the complaints of the mini with the lower PPI.

Personally given the size of the display and resolution I'm not personally worried but I can see why people are calling apple out on this.
 
Retina Display? In a 7/9 inch tablet? Lol, what's the point? My 15 inch retina display beats the pants off any iPad display. I want my iPad mini battery to actually last.
 
maflynn said:
Apple can't have it both ways - they want to promote the retina apps with the high PPI and then ignore the complaints of the mini with the lower PPI.

Personally given the size of the display and resolution I'm not personally worried but I can see why people are calling apple out on this.
Click to expand...

Toyota gets it both ways.

They promote the Space Shuttle towing capacity of the Tundra even though the Corolla can't.
 
Retina spoiled me ever since iPod Touch 4th gen... :(
Whenever I take a look at my Macbook Air's screen after using iPad 3 for quite some time, it was already too late. I still have the urge to sell my MBA and go with rMBP, even though I know it's unnecessary.

So.... although 163ppi isn't that bad, Apple already spoiled my eyes, which is fortunate and unfortunate at the same time.
 
seong said:
So.... although 163ppi isn't that bad, Apple already spoiled my eyes, which is fortunate and unfortunate at the same time.
Click to expand...
I'm really going to withhold my judgement until I see the mini in person when it gets delivered.

I'm not making excuses one way or another but the PPI may be making a mountain out of a mole hill (or it may be a major issue), I'll not know until have it in hand.
 
It's not that bad. It's also not that good. It's funny to see the usual suspects in this thread apologizing for Apple's poor choices though.

----------
JohnnyAndre said:
Retina Display? In a 7/9 inch tablet? Lol, what's the point? My 15 inch retina display beats the pants off any iPad display. I want my iPad mini battery to actually last.
Click to expand...

Retina display on an iPhone? LOL, what's the point?! On an iPod Touch? Pshh, no one would want that.....oops.
 
I read for hours on my Ipad 2 without any problem, I just would like something lighter for when I am doing so. I am also perfectly happy watching Videos with my wife on the Ipad 2 and will probably continue to use the Ipad 2 for it's larger screen.

I just don't care enough about the Retina Display and the Ipad mini will have a higher DPI than what I am used to anyways.

But then I am a handheld gamer of sorts, been playing Game Boys and their various iterations for what 22 years now. Heck since I got an Ipad I barely touch my DS.

Been using my phone for Podcast, using up a lot of it's 16GB of space, so will be able to offset a few GB of podcast to the mini.

32GB Black, still deciding about the 4G antenna, not that I plan to use the data, but it would make for a good sized GPS if I can find a car mount.

Until I saw the mini I was tempted to get the iPhone 5, but not really sold on it. Now I think it would be utterly stupid for me to get a larger phone and a small tablet. If my iPhone 4 dies, I'll just get a 4S, I like that form factor and have a car charger and case that fits it already.
 
iPad 2 screen quality is an eyesore... after getting spoiled by iPhone.

Hopefully mini is acceptable... but then again screen quality is not absolute, they are all comparative...

So it may be bad after getting off my iPhone 5....
 
maflynn said:
I'm really going to withhold my judgement until I see the mini in person when it gets delivered.

I'm not making excuses one way or another but the PPI may be making a mountain out of a mole hill (or it may be a major issue), I'll not know until have it in hand.
Click to expand...

Agreed. I'm waiting in order to see it in person.
 
Kupp said:
But then I am a handheld gamer of sorts, been playing Game Boys and their various iterations for what 22 years now. Heck since I got an Ipad I barely touch my DS.
Click to expand...

Nintendo are in trouble. My 7 year old daughter doesn't give a darn about Mario/Zelda etc. Not because they're bad games, but because they cost 40 dollars. She'd much rather use an iDevice. And if a game is bad, it was just 99 cents. She can sit for hours playing Minecraft Pocket. Nintendo has no real answer for that at this point.
 
kappaknight said:
I'm seriously considering an iPad mini and was a bit disappointed to hear that it isn't Retina. However, I picked up my old iPhone 3GS today for comparison and held it about 18 inches from my face. Guess what? You can't really see the pixels at all at the typical tablet viewing distance. Sure, you can inspect it at about 4 inches from your face, but if you're reading the on the tablet instead of watching it, it goes away.

I'll still be checking one out on launch day to see if I like the final product but I think if it's as light and mobile as it claims to be, I shouldn't have too many gripes about it. Sure, Retina would have been great but for the mini, but I would prefer it to run cooler and have it be lighter than to have Apple force the tech on this. Besides for the iPhone and iPods, it does seem like other products that are currently Retina all have some minor issues. (i.e. running warm, sometimes slow, occasional ghosting on the laptops.)

I'm genuinely excited to check it out this Friday and get first hand experience with one.
Click to expand...

I don't know, after seeing the super high density retina, 163 aint that great. Especially when the other cheaper tablets are doing much higher for less price. I don't get it. If you simply like Apple products better then fine but you can't honestly think the mini's inferior specs at a higher price can be justified.
 
i0Nic said:
Do people understand that the iPad mini will be higher resolution than the iPad 2? It will look a lot better than that device. Obviously not as good as a Retina display but it won't look bad. It will be better comparatively than the 3GS and the iPad 2.
Click to expand...

163 PPI is higher than iPad's 128 PPI, but the 3GS actually has 163 PPI as well. The difference is most people pull it closer to their face, hence they can spot the dots.
 
johndallas999 said:
I don't know, after seeing the super high density retina, 163 aint that great. Especially when the other cheaper tablets are doing much higher for less price. I don't get it. If you simply like Apple products better then fine but you can't honestly think the mini's inferior specs at a higher price can be justified.
Click to expand...

I'm not justifying inferior specs but I am with Apple for the overall experience, not specs of the individual devices. Buying into the eco-system and getting my family on board has allowed for all kinds of convenience in linking certain things together. (e.g. iMessage, shared photo streams) Also, since switching to Apple and OSX, my work productivity has increased simply cause the programs are better and I don't have to futz hours just to get some things to work - none of these things have anything to do with the display(s).

Every device from all manufacturers have some trade offs and while I'm not 100% sold on the iPad mini just yet, I do believe that at the end of the day, I would be happier with a mini over those cheaper tablets with better specs, but less things to do.
 
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