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iPad mini Elated rMini owner.

HankHowdy

HankHowdy

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Dec 2, 2012
3,501
392
Victorville CA
Well, this is my first iPad and I can't believe that I haven't bought one of these sooner. My previous tablet was a Playbook. This thing is just amazing. It's so fast, the retina screen is breathtaking, and iOS 7 is really great. The screen size is just perfect having always though that the iPad was too big.

No one should be hesitant about getting one of these.

Silver 32GB WiFi.

If anyone is struggling about wether or not they should get one or not, please don't hesitate to ask some questions about the device as I'm move than welcome to answer any them for you.

Thanks.
 
Just received the same model in the mail today & I know exactly how u feel. This is my first tablet I've owned & I must say, this thing is impressive. A few quirks/bugs within the OS, but I haven't yet updated to 7.0.4. Hopefully it got better. Loving the gestures ! iPhone needs more ! The hardware design is flat out astonishing.
I initially bought this for my 1 1/2 year old for educational purposes, but I think this will turn into a family tablet lol.
This is staying in the box til I get a case for it tho. Within a few hours of taking it out of the box, my son decides to push it across my kitchen floor (ceramic tile) while crawling & scratched the **** outta the nice aluminum casing. Not bad, but still there.... Oh well stuff happens. Overall happy buyer :) :D
 
I'm on 7.0.4 now and so far so good. Did a restore with iTunes and setup as new. I am very happy with my purchase and I think that's it so crazy that there are so many negative post, perhaps I got lucky or maybe it's just because of the kinda guy I am. I freaking love my rMini.
 
Some questions

@HankHowdy: Thank you for sharing, very happy to hear you are satisfied! I'll take you up on your offer. I'm planning on buying a wifi iPad on black friday, and I'm 90 % sure I'll get the retina mini, the other option being the air.

Can I ask how you find web browsing on it? Do you have to zoom in a lot, and if so, is it annoyingly often?

Are games problematic on a smaller screen? Board games?

Would you recommend 32 gb or 64 gb if I don't store lots of movies or songs locally? I'll mainly use it for browsing, reading, youtube, work and the occasional game.

I'm also planning on the silver model. What color smart cover did you choose? I'm leaning towards black.

Would you recommend just buying a cheaper smart cover from China on ebay?

Thanks!
 
Elated rMini owner.

KGrong said:
@HankHowdy: Thank you for sharing, very happy to hear you are satisfied! I'll take you up on your offer. I'm planning on buying a wifi iPad on black friday, and I'm 90 % sure I'll get the retina mini, the other option being the air.

Can I ask how you find web browsing on it? Do you have to zoom in a lot, and if so, is it annoyingly often?

Are games problematic on a smaller screen? Board games?

Would you recommend 32 gb or 64 gb if I don't store lots of movies or songs locally? I'll mainly use it for browsing, reading, youtube, work and the occasional game.

I'm also planning on the silver model. What color smart cover did you choose? I'm leaning towards black.

Would you recommend just buying a cheaper smart cover from China on ebay?

Thanks!
Click to expand...



I am using this case http://amzn.com/B00A8LPVLY and it's superb.

I haven't had the need to web browse in landscape mode yet, the text is so crisp and clean. I refused to buy an iPad because of their size and I passed on the mini due to the lack of a retina screen. I am so glad I waited.

I choose 32 gig because of how large iPad apps can be. Other wise I would have went with a 16 gig like I do with iPhones. I don't keep music or videos on any devices because I stream everything.

I'm telling you that you won't regret owning one of these.

FYI using Tapatalk on a rMini is awesome. Makes MacRumors a joy to browse.
 
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HankHowdy said:
Well, this is my first iPad and I can't believe that I haven't bought one of these sooner. My previous tablet was a Playbook. This thing is just amazing. It's so fast, the retina screen is breathtaking, and iOS 7 is really great. The screen size is just perfect having always though that the iPad was too big.

No one should be hesitant about getting one of these.

Silver 32GB WiFi.

If anyone is struggling about wether or not they should get one or not, please don't hesitate to ask some questions about the device as I'm move than welcome to answer any them for you.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

I'm with you. Picked up my rMini Silver 64GB LTE on Friday morning at the NYC 14th Street store after pausing in disbelief that it was really available for in-store pick up. I had it before noon, and since then, I keep marveling at it.

I've drawn pictures on it with Bamboo Paper and Paper by 53 to great success -- with the smaller form factor, my palms don't end up resting on the display. I've typed out multiple emails and posts on here and Facebook like a pro. I placed a FreshDirect order, wrote a little musical ditty in Logic Pro X using the rMini as a keyboard controller, and researched Moors in Scotland using my browser in portrait without issue. If I wanted the text bigger, I didn't zoom, I just rotated to landscape and it felt plenty big. The screen is just so crisp, and the overall responsiveness is so quick that it feels like such a huge jump up from the mini and iPad 2 or iPad 3.

For me, the form factor was the big draw, and since I can easily fit it into a coat pocket, traveling with it has just become insanely easier, and the LTE capabilities mean I can be connected in most places.

I know there are some issue out there depending on supplier for the screens, and the overall color spectrum the rMini reproduces is not as broad as the Air or some competitors. You need to seriously consider that if it is important to you.

Otherwise, I never thought I would like a smaller tablet when the iPad was first introduced. I held off on the iPad and iPad 2. I bought the original Kindle Fire, which made me appreciate the form factor, but I craved the content and experience of the iPad. Finally, I have it.
 
DaCurmudgen said:
I'm with you. Picked up my rMini Silver 64GB LTE on Friday morning at the NYC 14th Street store after pausing in disbelief that it was really available for in-store pick up. I had it before noon, and since then, I keep marveling at it.

I've drawn pictures on it with Bamboo Paper and Paper by 53 to great success -- with the smaller form factor, my palms don't end up resting on the display. I've typed out multiple emails and posts on here and Facebook like a pro. I placed a FreshDirect order, wrote a little musical ditty in Logic Pro X using the rMini as a keyboard controller, and researched Moors in Scotland using my browser in portrait without issue. If I wanted the text bigger, I didn't zoom, I just rotated to landscape and it felt plenty big. The screen is just so crisp, and the overall responsiveness is so quick that it feels like such a huge jump up from the mini and iPad 2 or iPad 3.

For me, the form factor was the big draw, and since I can easily fit it into a coat pocket, traveling with it has just become insanely easier, and the LTE capabilities mean I can be connected in most places.

I know there are some issue out there depending on supplier for the screens, and the overall color spectrum the rMini reproduces is not as broad as the Air or some competitors. You need to seriously consider that if it is important to you.

Otherwise, I never thought I would like a smaller tablet when the iPad was first introduced. I held off on the iPad and iPad 2. I bought the original Kindle Fire, which made me appreciate the form factor, but I craved the content and experience of the iPad. Finally, I have it.
Click to expand...

I'm right there with you, great experience and a great device.
 
I just checked the new airs and the rmini's out in the Apple store yesterday, and I have to say, I absolutely love the build quality. It just feels like a very solid device in my hand, and I can see the quality of the screen is better than my iPad 4!

Will definitely be getting one, the question is just when?
 
I know what you mean, i got mine from Apple online store on Friday and its a beautiful device. I had a quick check for any obvious marks but i couldn't see anything. I haven't put the screen through the testing some people have been doing, I've just been enjoying the device. The display seems fantastic to me and its so light and well built. Lovely device! Encourage anyone on the fence to get one, perfect tablet size. Had an iPad 3rd Gen and sold it after 3 months, far too big and heavy. Hated it! But the Retina Mini is the tablet I've been waiting for!
 
My main question would be how it feels vs the original mini but it's you first iPad. Enjoy!!
 
patseguin said:
My main question would be how it feels vs the original mini but it's you first iPad. Enjoy!!
Click to expand...

I did see them in the store. The screen was too terrible for me to get into. Especially after already experiencing the iPhones gorgeous retina screen and that why I decided to wait for apple to do it right. :)
 
patseguin said:
My main question would be how it feels vs the original mini but it's you first iPad. Enjoy!!
Click to expand...
This is subjective, but I'll remark on it. I have an iPhone 4S, an iPad 3, an iPad mini (first-generation), and now a retina iPad mini. The 1st-gen mini may not have been retina, but the pixel density was higher than the iPad 2. It showed, too: I found it painful to use an iPad 2 after getting used to the retina displays, but the iPad mini wasn't bad. It was fairly obvious that it wasn't retina, but I did a good amount of reading on it and had no complaints.

While I transition the retina iPad mini into my workflow to replace the 1st-gen mini, I'm switching off between the two. It's surprising to me how well the first-generation screen holds up even after I get accustomed to the retina version. The retina screen is far clearer, but the old screen is still very usable. I can switch between the two and not feel terrible.

I had no complaints with the 1st-gen mini on iOS 7, but the retina iPad feels smoother in operation. When it comes to computational work (loading my hand-written notes, loading programs) the retina iPad mini is noticeably faster.

I'm just one man with 20/20 vision, but that's my take on it: the non-retina mini is still a very decent device. The retina version is nicer, but it didn't immediately obsolete the non-retina version.
 
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