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No I returned my 4 for a mini. While the screen isn't as good as the 4 of course the form factor is much better for me. Also as far as the processor, memory, etc goes for me right now......well right now there isn't anything I can't do on my mini that I could do on my 4. Just have to figure out what is more important. Screen or size.

My point is folks upgraded from a 2nd gen to a 3rd gen the screen obviously being a reason and now want to go back to the screen they upgraded from more or less? Size and weight over QUALITY of the screen for one thing is something I would not do. Heck, folks already owned that size and weight to begin with.
 
My point is folks upgraded from a 2nd gen to a 3rd gen the screen obviously being a reason and now want to go back to the screen they upgraded from more or less? Size and weight over QUALITY of the screen for one thing is something I would not do. Heck, folks already owned that size and weight to begin with.


I hear ya, I kind of agree.
 
More fuel for the topic.

Folks had an iPad 2, so why did you upgrade to a 3rd gen. Hhhmmmm!

And why are you even here if you did not return a Mini???

I upgraded to the 3 for unlimited LTE, now contemplating moving to a mini from my 3
 
And having a personal preference doesn't make something wrong with the display.

Again, there is nothing wrong per se (defective) with the original display, but I tend not to move backwards when I'm buying a high tech product. For the same reason I don't have a CRT monitor :D
 
Again, there is nothing wrong per se (defective) with the original display, but I tend not to move backwards when I'm buying a high tech product. For the same reason I don't have a CRT monitor :D

I don't either that is why I like the slim LCD over the big bulky CRT's :D

Mini is a nice leap in technology. No need to go back to the big old fashion tech in the 4. :p
 
I think that you didn't get my points:
it has a best CPU/graphics/battery life combination for its class of products (see any benchmarks of CPU/GPU/battery life) for its generation of minitablets.

It has a best camera for its class of products for this generation of minitablets.

It has an average screen, same as iPad2, its parent product.

It has also best OS for minitablets.

It has a best app ecosystem for minitablets.

As for engineering, I don't think that you or your dog has instruments to carve a whole curved aluminium plate with such precision as a backplate of mini :) neither I have.

We all know limitations of hardware. For comparison:
My beautiful Vaio X Image has a slow Atom CPU, integrated Intel graphics (yikes), 64 gb of flash memory, 4 hours of battery life and resolution of 1366*768 for a 10 inch screen (far below of mini's resolution) plus Windows 7. It can't play any graphic intensive games and even Yahoo flash chess on it is dog slow (so slow that I lose usually if games are timed - so slow it is). And it costed more than 2000 US dollars. It has VGA front camera, no backside 5 mp BSI sensor camera like on mini. Mini and ipads in general have a great battery life, great graphics, absolutely fine CPU speed, abundance of executable and enjoyable software, exceeding anything I have on Windows. My iPad 3 is turbocharged with Keynote, Numbers, Pages, 3D games like FIFA 2102, Real Racing 2, plus GPS apps (good luck finding them for my Vaio), Garageband, stylus based note taking software like Notability (my favorite), scanner (JotNot) and it can print to my Samsung and Canon printers via my desktops. Everything is relative.

There is no way an atom-based computer cost more than $2000 if you purchased it in the US. They have been selling for about 10-15% of that lol.
 
Early designer ultra portables based on the Atom did. I don't think the OP is referring to the desktop Atom systems, but these ultra portables.
 
There is no way an atom-based computer cost more than $2000 if you purchased it in the US. They have been selling for about 10-15% of that lol.


http://www.cnet.com/laptops/sony-vaio-signature-collection/4505-3121_7-33786483.html
Yes, sorry it wasn't more than 2000 dollars but damn close. I got quote close to 1899 dollars for a top model. The base one VPC115 is 1299/1499 dollars, mine was VPC118 (it wasn't in US, so maybe there was a reseller's markup), but these models weren't cheap at all.
 
I hate to be "that guy", but I returned my iPad mini to the Apple Store this morning. I sold my iPad 3 a few weeks before the iPad mini announcement to get top dollar for it, and I picked up the mini last week.

I tried telling myself that the screen was OK and that I could "look past it" thanks to the lower weight compared to the iPad 3 and the thinner frame. However, as I went about my daily routine using my iPhone 5, then going back to the iPad mini, the drop in screen quality really began to wear me down.

Webpages just didn't look as good anymore (they actually looked better on my iPhone 5) and I found myself constantly zooming in -- something I never did with my iPad 3.

So I finally broke down and returned it this morning. I'll be getting an iPad 4, and rejoining the "retina" ranks. I'll revisit the mini once it gets a retina upgrade.
 
I hate to be "that guy", but I returned my iPad mini to the Apple Store this morning. I sold my iPad 3 a few weeks before the iPad mini announcement to get top dollar for it, and I picked up the mini last week.

I tried telling myself that the screen was OK and that I could "look past it" thanks to the lower weight compared to the iPad 3 and the thinner frame. However, as I went about my daily routine using my iPhone 5, then going back to the iPad mini, the drop in screen quality really began to wear me down.

Webpages just didn't look as good anymore (they actually looked better on my iPhone 5) and I found myself constantly zooming in -- something I never did with my iPad 3.

So I finally broke down and returned it this morning. I'll be getting an iPad 4, and rejoining the "retina" ranks. I'll revisit the mini once it gets a retina upgrade.

I'm exactly in the same boat, I'm returning my mini today for a iPad 4.
 
I hate to be "that guy", but I returned my iPad mini to the Apple Store this morning. I sold my iPad 3 a few weeks before the iPad mini announcement to get top dollar for it, and I picked up the mini last week.

I tried telling myself that the screen was OK and that I could "look past it" thanks to the lower weight compared to the iPad 3 and the thinner frame. However, as I went about my daily routine using my iPhone 5, then going back to the iPad mini, the drop in screen quality really began to wear me down.

Webpages just didn't look as good anymore (they actually looked better on my iPhone 5) and I found myself constantly zooming in -- something I never did with my iPad 3.

So I finally broke down and returned it this morning. I'll be getting an iPad 4, and rejoining the "retina" ranks. I'll revisit the mini once it gets a retina upgrade.

Returned the mini which I liked alot because of weight and portability BUT I did not enjoy web browsing in potrait mode at all which was its major downfall for me. I could use landscape but that is another concession. I should not have to concede anything. Why folks look past it is fine so long as it ain't me doing so.

I tried other browsers but each were quirky unfortunately. And I went as far as going to a B&N store which had reading glasses in different strengths and I had to go to a pair with 2.75 to read in portrait. That is outrageous.

I have a 4th gen now. Happy camper!

----------

I'm exactly in the same boat, I'm returning my mini today for a iPad 4.

There will be more I trust when the return period gets nearer to the end.
 
Why folks look past it is fine so long as it ain't me doing so.

Because people don't want to admit they made a mistake or that they wasted money. I had a brief hands on with the mini at Best Buy before I bought one. Since there were so many people waiting to get their hands on it, I just had maybe 45 seconds with it.

I played around with it and was mostly floored by the weight and thinness which clouded my judgement. I only glanced at the browser for a few seconds which was my biggest mistake.

But after spending about a week with the mini, I simply said that I can't lie to myself anymore -- the screen is unacceptable.
 
Because people don't want to admit they made a mistake or that they wasted money. I had a brief hands on with the mini at Best Buy before I bought one. Since there were so many people waiting to get their hands on it, I just had maybe 45 seconds with it.

I played around with it and was mostly floored by the weight and thinness which clouded my judgement. I only glanced at the browser for a few seconds which was my biggest mistake.

But after spending about a week with the mini, I simply said that I can't lie to myself anymore -- the screen is unacceptable.

Like I said, more Minis will be returned is my opinion. I did the same it was not an easy product to find in stock and purchase so I made an impulse buy more than anything. If it works out for some, that's fine so long as it was not me conceding anything and trying to look past something I know in the long run I personally would not be happy with.
 
Like I said, more Minis will be returned is my opinion. I did the same it was not an easy product to find in stock and purchase so I made an impulse buy more than anything. If it works out for some, that's fine so long as it was not me conceding anything and trying to look past something I know in the long run I personally would not be happy with.

Agreed, when its my money at stake, I don't like feeling like I didn't get my money's worth.

I'm sure Apple will get it right with the third generation iPad mini (Anand Shimpi of AnandTech doesn't seem to think that the second gen will get a Retina display).

But when that happens, I'll get one without hesitation.
 
But after spending about a week with the mini, I simply said that I can't lie to myself anymore -- the screen is unacceptable.

I've had the mini for a little over two weeks, and the screen does annoy me a bit -- not so much the lower dpi per se, but the colors just seem duller and not as vibrant as my iPad 3 or iPhone 5.

The weekend after I got the mini, I spent a lot of time running around town, and for that, the mini was perfect. Not that the full-size iPad is that heavy or bulky, but the mini being more light and more compact meant it was that much easier to carry around, and I could pull it out in situations where it would have felt too crowded to take out my iPad 3.

However, since then, I've been spending most of my time at home or at the office, and in those contexts I definitely prefer the iPad 3. When I'm out and about, I'm just glad to have any screen larger than 5" -- but when I'm home the non-retina screen bugs me.

And I think that's why some people decide the mini screen is unacceptable while other people say it's just fine. It all depends on the context.
 
I've had the mini for a little over two weeks, and the screen does annoy me a bit -- not so much the lower dpi per se, but the colors just seem duller and not as vibrant as my iPad 3 or iPhone 5.

The weekend after I got the mini, I spent a lot of time running around town, and for that, the mini was perfect. Not that the full-size iPad is that heavy or bulky, but the mini being more light and more compact meant it was that much easier to carry around, and I could pull it out in situations where it would have felt too crowded to take out my iPad 3.

However, since then, I've been spending most of my time at home or at the office, and in those contexts I definitely prefer the iPad 3. When I'm out and about, I'm just glad to have any screen larger than 5" -- but when I'm home the non-retina screen bugs me.

And I think that's why some people decide the mini screen is unacceptable while other people say it's just fine. It all depends on the context.

It isn't the only light and portable tablet on the market. If you are so inclined, you can try one of the Andriod tablets unless it has to be iOS of course.

I have a nexus 7. Another reason I returned the mini, I will just use that as my light portable device.

Thanks for sharing your experience.
 
I've tried the Nexus 7 for a few months and now the Mini. The Mini is much more stable in my experience. I have a 4th gen wifi for the house and a Mini cellular for out and about. This is the perfect combo for me at the moment. And of course I'll buy the retina mini when it appears.
 
I've tried the Nexus 7 for a few months and now the Mini. The Mini is much more stable in my experience. I have a 4th gen wifi for the house and a Mini cellular for out and about. This is the perfect combo for me at the moment. And of course I'll buy the retina mini when it appears.

I had nothing but good experiences with the Nexus 7. It did lag downloading and browsing the web all of a sudden but I learned what was causing that so I rectified it.

Spending just $329 for the mini when I had something already light and portable being the N7 I enjoyed was a cheaper step to try iOS to see if I liked it.

I did, not so much with the mini as with the 4 though I had to spend even more money! :)
 
It isn't the only light and portable tablet on the market. If you are so inclined, you can try one of the Andriod tablets unless it has to be iOS of course.

Yes, it has to be iOS, I have most of my data syncing through iCloud, plus, I don't feel like dealing with a different OS -- not that Android or iOS is better or worse than each other, but they are different, and I just don't feel like I have the mental energy to figure out my way through another system.

Oh, and then there are the apps -- basically, with the mini, I restored it from a backup of my iPad 3, and now it doesn't matter which one I pick up, they work exactly the same other than the mini has a smaller (and a bit less clearer) screen. If I went Android, I'd have to spend time looking for apps to do the things I want all over again.
 
What ultimately made me decide to return it was the reading in portrait mode, I tried mercury , I tried dolphin and I even tried Perfect Browser. I had to keep swiching to landscape everyother page or so with the combination of pinching to zoom...It felt more like an iphone web browsing exeperiance with the pinching and the flipping of the tablet. If the mini wasn't so light and easy to hold I wouldn't have waited this long to return it tbh.

The mini was great for netflix, youtube , hbogo ect.
 
http://www.cnet.com/laptops/sony-vaio-signature-collection/4505-3121_7-33786483.html
Yes, sorry it wasn't more than 2000 dollars but damn close. I got quote close to 1899 dollars for a top model. The base one VPC115 is 1299/1499 dollars, mine was VPC118 (it wasn't in US, so maybe there was a reseller's markup), but these models weren't cheap at all.

then it's horribly overpriced. Either way, you got screwed lol. Atom processors are the cheapest intel processors available. They sell for around $30 in bulk. The ultra-low power i5 processors in the macbook air sell for $250+ in bulk.
 
I must say I'm sick of the display snobs (and for the record I have an iPad 3 and have no intention of getting the mini, and I also have an iPhone 5). Why can't people accept that retina isn't the be all end all for everyone?
 
then it's horribly overpriced. Either way, you got screwed lol. Atom processors are the cheapest intel processors available. They sell for around $30 in bulk. The ultra-low power i5 processors in the macbook air sell for $250+ in bulk.

Vaio is an excellent notebook itself, with SSD drive (2 years ago!) and very thin and light. Of course, CPU is so so.
 
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