iPad I am a believer!!!

[3rdiguy]

So I've been going back and forth in my head which iPad to buy. So I went to the Apple Store and played with the Air and rMini. I am completely blown away by the lightness of the Air and immediately could tell the difference in display colors between both. The Air is actually the big Mini I want. The colors are crisp and it's a one handed device to me. It's so beautiful that I really don't think I will be putting a Otterbox Defender on it when they come out. It's such a wonder to touch that it really makes buying the Smart Case a no-brainer for me! I sold my iPad 4 for this. The text on the rMini is clear but is hella tiny. It's closer to an iPhone than I'd prefer. So I had to post this because I was really blown away when I locked it up and played with it. 2 weeks to go until I go get my Space Gray 64GB WiFi.

 

[cababah]

Cool! [choice, bro]

 

[thelookingglass]

So I've been going back and forth in my head which iPad to buy. So I went to the Apple Store and played with the Air and rMini. I am completely blown away by the lightness of the Air and immediately could tell the difference in display colors between both. The Air is actually the big Mini I want. The colors are crisp and it's a one handed device to me. It's so beautiful that I really don't think I will be putting a Otterbox Defender on it when they come out. It's such a wonder to touch that it really makes buying the Smart Case a no-brainer for me! I sold my iPad 4 for this. The text on the rMini is clear but is hella tiny. It's closer to an iPhone than I'd prefer. So I had to post this because I was really blown away when I locked it up and played with it. 2 weeks to go until I go get my Space Gray 64GB WiFi.

I'm starting to lean in this direction as well. I picked up both and have had a hard choice deciding between the two. But after using them extensively, there's no question that the Air provides the better quality experience. The larger screen really does make a significance difference.

I then asked myself if portability was a big enough factor to outweigh the experience of the Air. But I have my iPhone for portability. The mini is nice in how easy it is to just pickup and go, but I'd need a bag for either the mini or the Air so portability really isn't a factor. They're both great devices but on balance I think the Air is the one for me.

 

[Icaras]

Great choice. I agree the text is still tiny on a mini no matter how far retina can take it. The difference in color gamut is also noticeable for me

I also got my Air in a Smart Case as well and love it!

 

[bevsb2]

I love my Air too, but I think the mini is taking an unfair battering. Where are all the people who loved the mini for its form factor. The form factor is almost the same and now that it has a retina screen it should be near perfect. The screen looks great even if it doesn't have quite the color "gamut" of the Air.

 

[3rdiguy]

I have an iPhone 5 and don't have a MacBook yet so I realized that even though a rMini is $100 less and for the price of a 64GB wifi Air I could get a 64GB cellular rMini, the Air just seals it. It's just enough lime Mini but my iPhone is always on me and I have unlimited LTE tethering too.

 

[bizzy045]

I love my Air too, but I think the mini is taking an unfair battering. Where are all the people who loved the mini for its form factor. The form factor is almost the same and now that it has a retina screen it should be near perfect. The screen looks great even if it doesn't have quite the color "gamut" of the Air.

Exactly this.

 

[AdonisSMU]

rMini is going back to the Apple Store tomorrow.

 

[shortcut3d]

Air had a great display. I really wanted to keep it for full websites. However, typing and portability and gaming on the Mini was more comfortable for me. I have never typed on a tablet like a laptop. The Air is light but the size makes it clumsy to carry around for me. Gaming was also more natural on the Mini feeling more like portable. I feel I need to say this is just my opinion and many may not agree. There is no need to comment on the quality of my opinion. There was no intention to bash the Air or insult Air owners.

 

[AdonisSMU]

Air had a great display. I really wanted to keep it for full websites. However, typing and portability and gaming on the Mini was more comfortable for me. I have never typed on a tablet like a laptop. The Air is light but the size makes it clumsy to carry around for me. Gaming was also more natural on the Mini feeling more like portable. I feel I need to say this is just my opinion and many may not agree. There is no need to comment on the quality of my opinion. There was no intention to bash the Air or insult Air owners.

Air clumsy? Why must you mini people insult the Air owners? Why? Sorry, if I dont have the same prefs you do. I get so pissed when someone buys a device for their needs and not a device that I bought.

 

[dandrewk]

Air clumsy? Why must you mini people insult the Air owners? Why? Sorry, if I dont have the same prefs you do. I get so pissed when someone buys a device for their needs and not a device that I bought.

I don't think it's meant as an insult. If you've handled the Mini for any length of time, the regular iPads seem colossal. Instead of the word "clumsy", it's more like "too big".

If you want/need something smaller and easier to handle, go with Mini. If you need the extra screen size and/or aren't hindered by the overall larger size, get an Air. It's that simple.

 

[Rogifan]

I love my Air too, but I think the mini is taking an unfair battering. Where are all the people who loved the mini for its form factor. The form factor is almost the same and now that it has a retina screen it should be near perfect. The screen looks great even if it doesn't have quite the color "gamut" of the Air.

Because people on this forum like to complain about things. Aside from AnandTech I've seen maybe one review of the rMini that complained about the color gamut of the display. Sure most of these reviews aren't doing specific display tests but then again 99.9% of consumers who purchase a rMini won't be doing them either. Same thing with these stupid artificial IR tests that don't equal real world usage at all.

 

[Vanilla35]

Because people on this forum like to complain about things. Aside from AnandTech I've seen maybe one review of the rMini that complained about the color gamut of the display. Sure most of these reviews aren't doing specific display tests but then again 99.9% of consumers who purchase a rMini won't be doing them either. Same thing with these stupid artificial IR tests that don't equal real world usage at all.

I've seen at least 4 reviews (out of maybe 12) that have mentioned it. It's significant for those who notice.

With that said, it's not significant enough for me to give up the (imo perfect) form factor of the mini. But if they offered a full sRGB for $500, I'd still force myself to buy it because it matters that much to me. Just not enough to warrant buying the "too large" (imo) iPad Air.

 

[Charliebird]

There's something for everyone. For rMini users there's a $100 savings and a smaller lighter form factor. For iPad Air users a better screen and faster processor. It's a win-win situation in my opinion.

 

[FrankB1191]

Yup.... I want to buy a rMini, but the Air is just light enough that it fits me. My wife and I both had iPad 4's, but then switched to Mini's. The Air is NOT the old iPad, and we see it as a bigger Mini. My wife was all set to buy a rMini as well, and we stood at Best Buy for about 30 minutes Friday night and last night, and left with batteries for our Apple TV remote.

The rMini is still a possibility.........

P.S. I carry my Air with me every day, pretty much the way I did with my Mini. My iPad 4 stayed at home.