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Hands-On Video with 'iPad Mini' Physical Mockup

ChrisCW11 said:
I find with the current iPad if my thumb is over the screen even a few millimeters it affects the multi-touch usability of the iPad as it registers the thumb overlap as a point of contact. I have found playing games that if you are in the middle of the action and re-grip the iPad where you are not aware your thumb just moved over the screen suddenly the control of the game doesn't work properly.

I am worried that the thinner bezel on the iPad Mini might be a huge usability issue if Apple has not addressed the impact of a stray touch encroaching over the edge of the screen unexpectedly.

Considering the iPad Mini is probably going to be targeted more like a game device rather then a productivity device, this usability defect could ruin the iPad Mini.

Unlike the iPhone where you "pinch" the device in a hand by holding the flat sides of the device, the iPad Mini is still large enough to require a grip where the thumb and fore-finger pinch the top and bottom of the device in many situations, such as gaming.

Perhaps Apple has addressed this in iOS 6 by having some kind of "slush" zone where errant stray touches around the edge of the screen are not formally registered, or perhaps beefed up the multi-touch logic to understand "purposeful" touch instead of errant touch, but given Apple's track record with usability I doubt they even consider this an issue and simply opted for the the aesthetics of the iPad Mini design over the usability of it. Form over function has always been Apple's modus operandi.

I'll wait for the verdict when the device is released, but this is a usability issue with the current iPad just that the bezel is thick enough that it does not affect most people. Just try using the iPad with your thumb partially on the edge of the screen and then imagine if the bezel was thinner then your thumb.
Click to expand...

You're exactly 100% correct... this could be haphazard with the outer area being more susceptible to a stray-touch because the screen is closer to the iPad Mini's edge. I thought about that also when I saw the iPhone 5's screen being next to the edge, but with the smaller form factor in the iPhones, these problem doesn't really exist too often...

But, if this iPad Mini comes out the way this mock-up shows, I do believe this could be an annoying flaw, and hurt user-ability when using the new "more" sensitive in-cell glass.

Good post by the way. :cool:
 
oclor said:
My Prediction:
-16gb
-LTE Standard (no wifi only model)
-$399

That puts it $100 over the iPod touch, $230 less than regular iPad equivalent (with LTE). My reason for this prediction is that apple will view this as an ultra portable devide, way more portable than the iPad, thus they will bundle LTE with every model. People will eat this up, even though it's hundreds more than android 7-inchers.
Click to expand...
Could have a point except starting at 32GB. Only two models.
 
Cool. I love the format of the mini. Wonder if they'll let me use it as a "big iphone".

Guess not. Huh?:D
 
Not Even a Real Regular iPad

bmunge said:
Does the big iPad in the last picture have USB ports on the bottom? lol oh China...
Click to expand...

Exactly what I noticed... the iPad at the bottom isn't even a real one. The bezel thicker and has what looks like USB ports at the bottom. I still think the iPad mini will have a 16:9 screen to match up with the iPhone 5.
 
RonnieSan said:
Exactly what I noticed... the iPad at the bottom isn't even a real one. The bezel thicker and has what looks like USB ports at the bottom. I still think the iPad mini will have a 16:9 screen to match up with the iPhone 5.
Click to expand...

I believe that's an iPad 1 and what you're seeing as USB ports are the speakers? :cool:
 
Holly molly

Its thin as.

Makes the iPad 3 look huge.

But sadly, if it increses it this much for Retina, i'll stick with the ipad 3.
 
I personally think the iPad Mini is coming! Why? Because of the size. A 7.85-inch screen is just perfect. Not too small and not too big/heavy. Steve was against 7'' tablets because they are too large to carry and too small to read comfortably. And he IS right. It is too small for comics and magazines etc.
IMHO 7.85-inch is the right size.
 
IMHO this iPad mini is so redundant. I can imagine that they want to cover all screensizes and 7" is a nice "in between" size. However the mini is too big to fit in your pocket but it has a smaller screen compared to the normal iPad which is very sleek and ultraportable already. So why buy a mini? There are phones with 4"-5" displays which fit wel into your pockets and you can carry them with you all the time. For other purposes you have bigger tablets which are portable already. It makes the mini practically unusable for any purpose because there are better alternatives like (i)phones and ~10" tabs.
 
I'm not sure what the differences in size will be with the iPad mini and the Kindle Fire but, as a person with one-arm, I love the way the Kindle Fire felt. Light weight and I could use it comfortably. Just felt right.

I never bought one because I'm an Apple Fanboy and I really didn't want to buy something else that I can read, watch movies, and etc with.

Now, when the iPad mini comes out, I'm going to go to the Apple store and see how it feels. If it feels anything like the Kindle Fire did, I'm buying it right then and there, PLUS AC. If not, I might go ahead and get an iPad3 or wait and see if there is a new iPad next year.
 
It's time to get this back to the top! Any new news about it or is it even going to happen? I would like one the more I hold my new iPad. I think the mini will hit the sweet spot!
 
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