Mini w/ retina has a higher PPI than Air. This means it has a higher quality screen. Therefore my decision has been made for me - Mini w/ retina.
Discuss.
If the Air is retina and you can't see the pixels, what exactly are you expecting to see (or not see)? There's a point where pixel density becomes moot. I would not equate pixel density with quality necessarily. Other factors also come into play, but at that high of a PPI, I think you will be hard pressed to tell the difference, only when you have to pinch and zoom out on the mini more often because the screen is so much smaller...
If you look at relatively small pictures (let's say 800 px on the longest side) in landscape mode, they are less sharp than in portrait mode with all current retina iPads. The higher pixel density of the retina iPad Mini might help with that.
Mini w/ retina has a higher PPI than Air. This means it has a higher quality screen.
This is like saying one camera is better than another by simply referring to its pixel count, when anyone who understands the technology will tell you there's much more too it than simply measuring megapixels, or in this case PPI.
When it boils down to it we simply don't know for certain how good the Retina Minis screen will be until it's released.
Colour accuracy, RGB gamut etc are just as important to the quality of a screen, for example, the Google Nexus 10 has a higher ppi than the Air but is poorly calibrated and has inferior colour accuracy.
I'm sure most would prefer a near studio reference quality screen to a one with higher PPI if the choices were properly explained to them. Unfortunately though most current tech manufacturers seem to have clung onto PPI as a way to sell their screens to the general public.
If you're dead set on getting a Retina Mini because of the screen alone I'd recommend reading Annandtechs iPad reviews, they always do a thorough analysis of the screens
If you look at relatively small pictures (let's say 800 px on the longest side) in landscape mode, they are less sharp than in portrait mode with all current retina iPads. The higher pixel density of the retina iPad Mini might help with that.
Hope the panel on the iPad Mini Retina is more like the one in the iPhone 5s and less like the inferior and dull panel in the iPad Air...
It surprises me that apple doesn't keep the same pixel density for the big ipad. I'm holding out for a retina mini.
Though I must admit it's hard to see any real difference in image quality/definition between my ipad 4 and my iphone 5s. There comes a point where you just can't make a distinction.
Mini w/ retina has a higher PPI than Air. This means it has a higher quality screen.
Apparently some people just can't admit it gives mini the edge over air spec-wise.
Apparently some people just can't admit it gives mini the edge over air spec-wise.
Apparently some people just can't admit it gives mini the edge over air spec-wise.