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First iPad Mini Reviews: "Shockingly Nice to Hold", Non-Retina Display, Pricier than Rivals

Got my Nexus 7, so can't see why I would want one right now.

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gpat said:
Premium brands usually offer superior products at an higher price. Apple took 2-year old hardware, installed it into a smaller chassis, and pretended to call it a day, so they can rip customers off next year with the "magical" "new" iPad Mini.
Also, do you know why Apple produced this product? Because there was a market for it, started from the competition. Innovation? Zero.
Click to expand...

Apple caught everyone sleeping with the original iPhone, now companies like Samsung and Google are catching up fast and even steaming ahead.
 
Just had a look at the cnet ipad mini video review and it looks super fast and smooth then had a look at the kindle fire hd video and its pathetic. The scrolling is clunky slow and pages frequently break up when browsing.

How anyone would want to save 130 bucks for a plastic ugly POS with crappy scrolling plus ads, is beyond my understanding. If the Kindle is worth $200 then the iPad mini would be worth double that at least.
 
inscrewtable said:
I find it funny that the companies that copied the iPad design instead of thinking it out for themselves chose to copy the thick all around bezel of the iPad on their 7" models then Apple goes and shows them how dumbass they are by building a bigger screen in the same (almost) outer dimensions by rethinking the bezel width.

The moral of the story is that copying instead of innovating is not necessarily very smart even if you don't get sued.
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Actually, the moment I saw the iPad Mini, it made me think of the white Galaxy Note. Do you honestly believe that the iPad Mini case design is innovation at work?
 
I think people get too excited with the aluminum or glass being premium lol i guess the 3g and 3gs are cheap stuff ? Anyway enjoy what you get or can afford.
 
That Guardian article has been updated, and makes the quote on the frontpage of this article seriously misleading.

The Guardian thought that the price difference between the iPad mini and nexus 7 was £40, and felt that the iPad's built quality more than made up for the additional expense.

The reality, as the article has now been updated to state, is that the price is £110 more for the iPad, and the conclusion is much less clear.
 
No regrets here, looking forward to getting mine.

I wanted a tablet that was larger than my phone, smaller than iPad (which is too close in size to my MacBook Air 11" to be practical) and had the full iOS experience. Don't care for retina, it's an occasional use device.

Had a Nexus 7 for a while but:

- Missed a lot of iOS apps / functions (iCloud, Airplay)
- Didn't get on with 16:9 for my uses
- Felt cheap, just like most things I buy I like high end fit and finish and I'm prepared to pay for that
 
This device makes a lot of sense for me...I still have my trusty iPad 1, goes everywhere with me. I travel a lot and always take carry-one baggage which also has my work HP laptop. This iPad mini will be nice and light and thin and very handy for travel. I find the iPad essential for travel...lots of movies for long waits at the airport and onboard and in case I'm bored in the hotel room. Great for just getting it out and browsing instead of firing up a laptop.

The smaller screen size is the only concern I have but it's a compromise I'm willing to make.
 
Ill wait, retina incoming in 6-8 months i reckon.

Lesson learned over the iDevice era, never , ever, buy a 1st gen product, your going to get shafted when the refined version hits a few months down the line.
 
steve119 said:
You can have as powerful a tablet as you wish...... but A tablet with no apps or real tablet apps is like buying a dead dog......a little bit pointless really......:rolleyes:
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Android, Ubuntu (which now also runs on the Nexus 7) and even Windows RT have all the apps that most people need.

The problem with iOS is that you actually need to buy a bunch of apps to get any use out of it while the competition bundles most stuff that regular people need with their devices. So Apple rips you off twice: First by selling you an overpriced device and then by forcing you to buy stuff from their exclusive app store.

But to be frank, I actually don't need more than the camera, a web browser and the Kindle reader on my Galaxy Note "phablet". I'm no longer a teenager and that probably makes a huge difference in the way that I look at those gadgets and what I use them for.

However, I doubt that I am a minority and I'm pretty sure that for most people at my age it won't make any difference what device and what software platform they use.

But I know quite a lot of people who refuse to be locked into a Walled Garden ecosystem and don't want to be forced to get everything from ONE supplier - and that's why they don't want to buy anything with an Apple logo on it, no matter how "awesome, magical, beautiful, revolutionary" their products might be. And they certainly don't want to pay 130 Euros MORE for a device that in no RATIONAL way is any better than Google's entry-level Nexus 7. Some people still know when somebody tries to rip them off.
 
This is perfectly designed to justify upgrading when the A6 Retina version comes out in seven months at the same price. And it will have a better camera and come in PRODUCT[RED]. Both will sell tons since it is the right design for a mini tablet.
 
Winni said:
But I know quite a lot of people who refuse to be locked into a Walled Garden ecosystem and don't want to be forced to get everything from ONE supplier - and that's why they don't want to buy anything with an Apple logo on it, no matter how "awesome, magical, beautiful, revolutionary" their products might be. And they certainly don't want to pay 130 Euros MORE for a device that in no RATIONAL way is any better than Google's entry-level Nexus 7. Some people still know when somebody tries to rip them off.
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A new product which is nearly universally liked by journalists, you must be effing giddy as it's a chance to go and attack Apple and the people who buy its products, with the same old chestnuts being dragged out each time.

BTW, the Kindle is a walled garden, as is the Nook, and many other Android devices so stop implying that Android and all the products it runs on are so open and wonderful, like they magically turn your poop into unicorns every time you turn on one of these devices.

And don't get me started on Google and how incredibly unethical a company it is.

Challenging our positions is never a bad thing, but that would require a modicum of respect for Apple and the people who like their products, which I've never seen you demonstrate as possessing.

Stop trolling.
 
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I received my smart cover in the mail and looking at the size of it made me really excited for Friday when the mini arrives.

The mini is going to be amazing for me!
 
Do people who are so vehemently opposed to Apple still trot out the line that all these major tech sites are in Apple's pockets?

I always find it hilarious when they insinuate that. I can imagine there is quite a lot of hurt going around as they realise that, maybe, just maybe, the iPad Mini is actually a good product.
 
Nightarchaon said:
Ill wait, retina incoming in 6-8 months i reckon.

Lesson learned over the iDevice era, never , ever, buy a 1st gen product, your going to get shafted when the refined version hits a few months down the line.
Click to expand...

Better yet, never buy anything because something better will always be released sooner or later.
 
gpat said:
Premium brands usually offer superior products at an higher price. Apple took 2-year old hardware, installed it into a smaller chassis, and pretended to call it a day, so they can rip customers off next year with the "magical" "new" iPad Mini.
Also, do you know why Apple produced this product? Because there was a market for it, started from the competition. Innovation? Zero.
Click to expand...

I'm curious, does the hardware in the iPad Mini have trouble running any apps in the App Store?

Is it that much slower or unable to support any new, graphics-intensive apps? Trouble running iOS 6?

I'm genuinely curious as I don't have an iPad 2.
 
Nightarchaon said:
Ill wait, retina incoming in 6-8 months i reckon.

Lesson learned over the iDevice era, never , ever, buy a 1st gen product, your going to get shafted when the refined version hits a few months down the line.
Click to expand...

If no one bought the 1st gen though, there wouldn't be a 2nd gen. :)
 
macguy360 said:
No kidding. I am blown away by how many people are in love with Apple products no matter what they release. The mini is about $100 overpriced and will have a hard time competing with the Kindle HD, Nook HD and Nexus all of which have better resolution than the mini and cost less.
Click to expand...
Because I've used a Kindle Fire, Nook Tablet and a few other Android tablets. The OS and market are more important to me than pixel density. Even on tablets with better hardware, the Android system showed lag and slowness. My iPad 2 with inferior hardware works flawlessly without any lag. The only time I notice the RAM issue is when using Safari tabs.

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Drunken Master said:
I'm curious, does the hardware in the iPad Mini have trouble running any apps in the App Store?

Is it that much slower or unable to support any new, graphics-intensive apps? Trouble running iOS 6?

I'm genuinely curious as I don't have an iPad 2.
Click to expand...

My iPad 2 has no issues running any apps on the market except possibly games (which I don't play on my iPad). I use Office productivity apps, IT admin apps, Textastic, Safari, etc. Only Safari shows any issue and it is with multiple tabs due to RAM.
 
Drunken Master said:
I'm curious, does the hardware in the iPad Mini have trouble running any apps in the App Store?

Is it that much slower or unable to support any new, graphics-intensive apps? Trouble running iOS 6?

I'm genuinely curious as I don't have an iPad 2.
Click to expand...

It surely doesn't have the power to run a Retina Display, and that's the reason behind the lackluster 768p display.
And it will surely have trouble catching up with the iPad 4, which CPU is 2.25x faster than the iPad Mini, and will be struggling with future power-intensive apps.

In short, it has the same lifespan as an iPad 2, which is a 20-month old device. That goes for future iOS releases as well. I wouldn't be surprised to see it discontinued before its time, like it happened with the iPad 1st gen.
 
Winni said:
The problem with iOS is that you actually need to buy a bunch of apps to get any use out of it while the competition bundles most stuff that regular people need with their devices. So Apple rips you off twice: First by selling you an overpriced device and then by forcing you to buy stuff from their exclusive app store.
Click to expand...
So now bloatware is a plus? I don't think I've ever used any preloaded apps on my Android devices aside from the Google based ones - which have counterparts in iOS (Email/Music/Video/Map). I had to buy all the extra apps I wanted on my Android units. No difference.

Oh and other app stores? Yeah like the Lenovo one I bought stuff from that shut down and now I'm SOL. Great idea.

Winni said:
But I know quite a lot of people who refuse to be locked into a Walled Garden ecosystem and don't want to be forced to get everything from ONE supplier - and that's why they don't want to buy anything with an Apple logo on it, no matter how "awesome, magical, beautiful, revolutionary" their products might be. And they certainly don't want to pay 130 Euros MORE for a device that in no RATIONAL way is any better than Google's entry-level Nexus 7. Some people still know when somebody tries to rip them off.
Click to expand...
Wait - so I can't use Kindle or Nook apps for my eBooks? Or PDFs? Oh, maybe you mean music - no, there is an Amazon app on iOS for that too. Maybe videos? Nope lots of video apps. Crud.

Guess you mean app store again. Cause that is the only limit I see and I see most anything I need in said app store. Plus it is backed by the OS manufacturer so I don't need to worry about it disappearing - again like the Lenovo market.
 
Radio said:
I'm still not sure if I should sell my iPad 3 for this smaller version...

Decisions


Radio
Click to expand...

I did and hope I won't regret it. I tend to read and surf on the couch and iPad 3 was just too heavy for me to hold with one hand. Im kind of disappointed on the resolution but I never complained about it when I had the iPad 2.
 
I'm not making up my mind till I'm at the Apple Store sometime after friday holding one in my hands, until you do that you can only base your decision on price. If the unit works for me I'll get one, the full Ipad is getting really heavy to deal with I would like to go smaller, ever since I bought the nexus I tend to use that over anything, it so very easy to hold for reading , watching movies etc, the Ipad I find I have to prop up it gets too large to read with.

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inscrewtable said:
Just had a look at the cnet ipad mini video review and it looks super fast and smooth then had a look at the kindle fire hd video and its pathetic. The scrolling is clunky slow and pages frequently break up when browsing.

How anyone would want to save 130 bucks for a plastic ugly POS with crappy scrolling plus ads, is beyond my understanding. If the Kindle is worth $200 then the iPad mini would be worth double that at least.
Click to expand...

The Fire HD has really nice sounding speakers that its best selling point.
 
C/NET says, "A Retina Display and a lower price would have made the iPad Mini perfect." I'd also like to have a Hemi engine in my Jeep Wrangler, but ain't gonna happen in the $20-$30 price point. Stupid comment.
 
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