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First Impressions and Hands On with iPad Mini

whiskeyriver said:
At $329, which is significantly more than the Kindle Fire HD (with worse resolution) and the Nexus 7, and being only slightly cheaper than the iPad 2, and with the same functionality as the 2, who is this product even for? For the life of me, I cannot come up with an answer to that question.
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It is for folks who want an iOS device that is smaller and lighter than the iPad but still syncs with their other iOS devices. Also it is for people that want Apple build quality. The price difference, especially is you are including cell service charge for a year, is meaningless for many people.

You can't imagine who this is for, but even you must realize that Apple will sell millions of these before the end of the year. My god, 100 million iPads have been sold in just a few years. This will sell at the same rate, I suspect.
 
paulold said:
I currently have a 1st Gen iPad. If I'm going to buy a new iPad, I think I need to see the iPad mini in person to decide.

I mainly use my 1st Gen iPad for reading books, especially in bed. And my biggest complaint has been its weight. I get tired of holding it and tend to prop it up on pillows. The iPad 4 is almost as heavy as the orig iPad. Apple had been making them lighter with the 2nd and 3rd gens, but now it's back up to being heavy again. So I'm a bit disappointed that upgrading to an iPad 4 would not mean a lighter iPad.

But the iPad 4 is a better tablet - better processing speed, better screen.

Ugh - tough decision, but I think I am leaning towards the mini, simply for a lighter device.

But then will it be annoying to watch a movie on the train using the iPad mini? Might it be a little too small for that?

I should also say that I have seen the new retina display iPads at the Apple Store and I don't see a striking difference between those displays and the one I have. Maybe I need to see them side by side - I should bring my iPad to the store when they have all the models on display.
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Try opening up a technical review article on the original ipad and then comparing the clarity of the text to the new ipad - this is where I notice the biggest difference.
 
iRabbit said:
I couldn't find a use for my iPad 2 when I had it, which is why I ended up selling it. Overall, I'm more a laptop person.

However, the mini appeals to me for a couple of reasons. I was in the market for a book reader, but didn't want to spend $100 on a device that only did one thing. I also hated the idea of having to attach a light to it (until the Paperwhite came out).

I like the idea of it being a book reader with all the functionality of an iPad. I can facetime with my daughter at college. I can watch videos from time-to-time. I can take it to meetings when I want to review spreadsheets and websites. And it can be a light one-handed book-reader.

I do wish the price had been more in the $249-299 range though...
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Kindle Fire. Nexus 7 - the latter with an upgrade due in a few days.
 
I have the original iPad and people who view my dSLR photo albums on it for the first time just get absolutely wowed. My daughter has the Retina iPad and somehow, given my age & eye sight, I don't think it's that great a leap.

So, I'm hoping that I can pre-order the iPad-mini 32GB WiFi+3G -- I usually have to endure threats and verbal beatings before the lady of the house lets me acquire a new toy.
 
pizz said:
$299 for an iPod touch but for $30 more I can get an iPad mini?? Why would I buy an iPod then? Doesnt make sense.
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Size matters. It all depends on how and where you plan to use one of these devices. Right size the tool for the job. If I could not afford both devices, I would probably only get the mini iPad. But since I already have an iPod touch and love its super portability, there's no way I'm giving that up just because I will prefer the mini iPad for some functions ( particularly book reading and email processing).

I'm going to upgrade my iPod touch now, retire the 1st gen one and move the 3rd gen one upstairs for audiobooks and alarmclock. I use that 3rd gen one even more than I use my iPhone 4S, I think, maybe because I have a lot of movies stashed on it and keep forgetting to refresh the films that are on my phone.

Gotta have that mini iPad when they start taking orders though, even though my original iPad needs upgrading. Still juggling the numbers to make both iPads happen before springtime, but if something has to slide it might be the larger iPad, I am so eager to have the mini iPad. In a way I am surprised, I usually let the launch-fever subside a littl before I jump on one of the Apple bandwagons, but I seriously crave that mini iPad. Still I won't delay the iPod touch upgrade in any case, I had that figured into my budget since last spring and the 5th gen appeals to me so I'm going there. Anyway Apple has not disappointed me with its recent offerings, and I in turn am sure I won't be disappointing them with the outflow from my wallet ;)
 
Renzatic said:
A lot of words, a lot of snark, absolutely no point made cept OLOL CARZ!

It isn't about price. Tell me exactly why someone would buy the iPod Touch when they can get an iPad Mini for just a little more that's better across the board at doing what the Touch does?

Slightly more portability? Is that it?
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Agreed no particular need. iPad Mini will easily outsell the iPod Touch. Touch will mainly be for kids who have little fingers and little wallets and are more likely to lose and drop stuff. But Touch is not a flag ship device like the iPad Mini is going to be.

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LizKat said:
Size matters. It all depends on how and where you plan to use one of these devices. Right size the tool for the job. If I could not afford both devices, I would probably only get the mini iPad. But since I already have an iPod touch and love its super portability, there's no way I'm giving that up just because I will prefer the mini iPad for some functions ( particularly book reading and email processing).
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My advice to you would be to buy the Mini first, see how you like it, then buy the touch (but keep that touch receipt for a quick return and refund).
 
sipat said:
so, i'm hoping that i can pre-order the ipad-mini 32gb wifi+3g -- i usually have to endure threats and verbal beatings before the lady of the house lets me acquire a new toy.
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Cracked up...
 
whiskeyriver said:
At $329, which is significantly more than the Kindle Fire HD (with worse resolution) and the Nexus 7, and being only slightly cheaper than the iPad 2, and with the same functionality as the 2, who is this product even for? For the life of me, I cannot come up with an answer to that question.
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How is $80 (difference from N7 16GB) "significantly more" and $70 (difference from iPad 2 16GB) "slightly less".....I don't get it.

The iPad does not have the same functionality as the 2. More ppi, newer screen tech, better wifi/cellular connectivity, better cameras and an overall different form factor - thinner, smaller, lighter.

The N7 isn't all its cracked up to be....that 1280x800 screen isn't taken advantage of by those scaled up phone apps. There wasn't a single app I thought was implemented better on the N7 than on the iPad - the iPad specific apps are simply superior. You pay for the ecosystem, build quality, ease-of-use and overall great customer experience with the iPad....that's worth $80-$120 IMO.....which by the way has been the difference between Apple and the competition since the beginning and it hasn't really hurt Apple at all....
 
Just as a matter of interest I'm in the UK and intend to pre-order which is obviously on Friday....so is this midnight on Friday or at 9am on Friday morning?
 
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Perhaps this has already been covered by why is it that the iPad Mini has Siri and the iPad 2 does not? Am I missing something here?
 
prediction

First, just wanted to note how many of the rumors and leaks turned out accurate. Apple really has a problem with their manufacturers leaking info which is removing much of the mystery and surprise around these events.

Between the mini, rMBP and other updates, I'm happy to see Apple is going in all guns blazing against their competition (Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Samsung, etc.) They'll clean house during the Christmas shopping season. I wish I bought more Apple stock a few years back!

Regarding the iPad mini, I think it looks great. Honestly I'll stick with my iPad 3rd gen though. I predict that people that many already who already own an iPad will get the mini and soon start longing for a bigger (and retina) screen that they've grown accustomed to. I don't mind the weight of my iPad that much and when I upgrade in a year or two it'll be to a another full size iPad that'll probably be lighter. I think the regular-size iPad has an ideal screen size for reading. When I'm out and about I use my iPhone to read (love the Kindle app) since it's super portable and the text resizing makes up for the smaller screen. Like others have said, the iPad mini is still too big to fit in most pockets so portability isn't really improved. The main features are the reduced weight and price. This will have the greatest appeal for first-time iPad buyers/owners, especially kids and students of all ages.

The iPad "4" really is more like a "3S" so I don't mind the short refresh cycle this time since my iPad is as fast as I need it to be.
 
MonkeySee.... said:
Its amazing how people still go on about specs. Hasn't iOS been out long enough for this to stop?
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The ignorance displayed in this thread is truly mind boggling.

People are comparing the iPod Touch to the iPad Mini purely on price.... forget that they're two entirely different devices, and miniaturization always comes at a premium.

They bemoan that lack of the new A6 chip, when the iPad Retina launched with an A5X chip, and that was needed because of the retina display. Without retina, there's no need for the A6. The A5 that came in the iPad2 will work just fine. I can't recall anyone saying their iPad2 was slow.

There're complaints that the iPad Mini is just the iPad2 with a smaller screen, but the cameras in the iPad2 were low res and nothing like the two cameras in the iPad Mini in quality. The Mini shoots 720p with the FaceTime camera, and 1080p with the back.

Even though the iPad Mini has the same pixel dimensions as the iPad2 (1024x768), because of the smaller screen size, the pixel density is greater... 163 ppi vs 132 ppi. The new screen is also thinner, so the color saturation is most likely better too.

For a tablet that is comfortable to be held in one hand, that new iPad Mini offers the same iPad experience that millions have users have come to know and appreciate. I'm sure this new addition to the iPad lineup will sell very well. Considering you can buy a 64GB Mini for about the same price as the 16GB Retina iPad, this should be attractive to many.
 
Yawn

Great build quality. Certainly looks like yet another impressively engineered apple product. Same mind-numbingly boring UI, though.
 
generationxwing said:
The more people complain on the forums, the more successful the product is going to be. Judging by the threads I've seen, the iPad mini will be a huge success.

My wife is a non-techy average computer user. She was using (and I wish I was kidding here) an LG netbook for the past few years. It was a piece of ****, and recently died. I showed her the iPad mini and she can't wait to get one. The price is right, and she can fit it in her purse. She doesn't care about Retina Display. She enjoys using my iPad (3rd gen), but always thought it was too big. The iPad mini suits her needs perfectly.

I'm a teacher. I can tell you all right away that this product is going to kill in the education market. It's the perfect size for kids, it does everything a regular iPad does and, more importantly, the price is right. My school can buy one iPad mini for each student for about $76,000. We can become a 1:1 school for less than a third of the cost of a new playground (seriously, those things cost around $250K). The iPad mini has the potential to revolutionize education even more than the regular iPad.
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Uhh, wait. With the form factor i wud much FAR prefer a full size iPad 1 than this for any kind of education, let alone a 2. On an Ipad 1 you can still teach/learn touch typin, essential for many more years at leas. Not to mention the experience of workin on something that actualy resembles a 8.5x11" paper (again, one of the original points of the og iPad's form factor). Revolutionize education more than a regular Ipad, this will not.

You're right about one thing tho.. this things definitely for women and purses, lol.

/sexism (...or not?)
 
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I hate that it's still in no way portable without a bag. My n7 good pretty much all non skinny Jean back pockets.
 
I strangely want one of these, but have no idea what i'll use it for. My 11 inch Macbook Air has been very satisfying regarding the computing power versus carry weight equation.
 
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