Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
I mean I just believe the mini is awesome for texting or walking up and down and around the house and having a one handed device with the power of iPad iOS... Especially for the couch or late night/bed.. ..for someone like me that does a lot of quick email, iMessage, news, social media. It's awesome device size wise to go around with you in the house. Full size iPad is just too big to be comfortable portable with you around the house or in bed. But don't get me wrong.. I use a iPad 9.7 inch as my laptop hybrid. The mini is a hybrid between my phone and iPad. The iPad 9.7 is my iPad.. Notebook hybrid. So I don't need all that power/real estate of full size unless I'm doing little work that's more comparable to a notebook. iPad mini is a great media consuming device
[doublepost=1461337369][/doublepost]Wow that's a good stat.. 230%
 
  • Like
Reactions: ShaunAFC3
Nothing beats a mini for reading or browsing in bed. I loved my mini 3 (and still secretly admire it now that it has been given to my wife and lives on her nightstand). Until iOS 9 and iPad Pro officially launched, my winning combo was 6/6s and a mini 3. But then I started wanting to do more computer type stuff on my iPad and the mini was replaced with a Pro.

There are a lot of people out there that think everyone is just going to do everything on their giant smartphones from now on. I feel that that line of thought is ridiculous and ignores a lot of facts about the way the world works. Yes, I can do most things on my phone. That doesn't mean I want to or should.
 
I have very different experience to many here and agree mostly with the OP - I much prefer browsing on my 6+ to almost anywhere.. It's more convenient and easily big enough For web stuff (and books) in my use. It's light, unobtrusive, can use it in any position without thinking about it. The iPad is great but it's not as immediate, and isn't with me at all times like the 6+ is.

Reading comics on the other hand - I'd use the iPad for that. :)

Our eyes etc are all different I guess.. The iPad mini for me though is a bit of a surplus product filling a gap that doesn't exist (to me.)
 
  • Like
Reactions: ShaunAFC3
I personally do not like to use a phone at home. I feel like when I get home my phone should be docked by the bed or sitting in a charger in the kitchen and iPad goes with my everywhere else. I like my phone to stay as a device not used at the house. Cause iPad mini is like a phone tablet hybrid. I want the power of iPad iOS around the house but don't want to be limited to a smaller screen and limited software... With wifi calling now I never miss a phone call either
 
iPhone + size with iPad mini is a waste of a combination because there just simply isn't a significant enough of a size difference

Now try reading a magazine on a 9.7 iPad and iPhone, night and day
 
iPhone + size with iPad mini is a waste of a combination because there just simply isn't a significant enough of a size difference

Now try reading a magazine on a 9.7 iPad and iPhone, night and day

I'd say there's still a fairly significant difference in screen real estate, especially given the mini's 4:3 display ratio.
 

Attachments

  • image.jpeg
    image.jpeg
    45.3 KB · Views: 153
I still think that interacting with an iPad of any size is a far different experience than interacting with an iPhone of any size. Especially if you have a model with slide over and split view. I approach iOS a lot differently on iPad than I do on iPhone.

Sure, but to me 9.7 is the sweet spot, it's all subjective anyway, some think 12.9 is the size and I think that size is unwieldy and way too big
 
  • Like
Reactions: ShaunAFC3
To me that pic shows how close they are in size

But the iPhones are so much narrower than the iPads. This is why even a Mini can display desktop versions of websites where the Plus gives you mobile, and the Mini runs tablet apps while the Plus runs phone versions. As I've said before, a big phone and a small tablet are different devices with different strengths and weaknesses.
 
Sure, but to me 9.7 is the sweet spot, it's all subjective anyway, some think 12.9 is the size and I think that size is unwieldy and way too big

Yes it is very subjective.

What's not subjective is that the iPad mini is 2.3x the size of the iPhone+ in screen size. Calling that "not significant" means calling anything twice the size of anything else "not significant".

It may not be significant enough for someone, fair enough.
 
I personally do not like to use a phone at home. I feel like when I get home my phone should be docked by the bed or sitting in a charger in the kitchen and iPad goes with my everywhere else. I like my phone to stay as a device not used at the house. Cause iPad mini is like a phone tablet hybrid. I want the power of iPad iOS around the house but don't want to be limited to a smaller screen and limited software... With wifi calling now I never miss a phone call either
Same. When I get home, my phone goes straight on the charger so it's fully topped up when I'm ready to leave.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ShaunAFC3
Same. When I get home, my phone goes straight on the charger so it's fully topped up when I'm ready to leave.
Personally, my phone almost never leaves the purse unless it's for charging. I have an iPad with built-in LTE and it's almost always in my hands. I view and answer messages (including SMS) on the iPad. When on wifi (really just at home), I answer calls using the iPad. AT&T's system seems a bit glitchy at the moment so still can't get NumberSync working. Once it stops acting up, then I'll be able to use the iPad to answer regular calls when away from wifi, too.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ShaunAFC3
Personally, my phone almost never leaves the purse unless it's for charging. I have an iPad with built-in LTE and it's almost always in my hands. I view and answer messages (including SMS) on the iPad. When on wifi (really just at home), I answer calls using the iPad. AT&T's system seems a bit glitchy at the moment so still can't get NumberSync working. Once it stops acting up, then I'll be able to use the iPad to answer regular calls when away from wifi, too.
My wife and I both have Apple Watches and iPads. Usually when we're home, our phones sit in a central location in the house somewhere and we deal with all messages and phone calls on our watches. For everything else, we're on our iPads.

A lot of that data gets routed through the iPhone first, so it is still the central part of the ecosystem for us, but if I'm not out and about, I really don't pay a ton of attention to it.
 
I love the Mini 4, the first iPad I really enjoyed using, but I had to replace my 2010 iMac and couldn't keep it. Insofar as the phones, I need to move away from reading on the iPhones - not optimal for my vision. I liked the 6s+ screen and battery life, but my eyes need a bigger screen. Think I might pick up something in the coming week.

Everyone's usage and needs are different and I respect people enjoy using a Mini 4 and an iPhone. Whatever works for you is the best option.
 
I have very different experience to many here and agree mostly with the OP - I much prefer browsing on my 6+ to almost anywhere.. It's more convenient and easily big enough For web stuff (and books) in my use. It's light, unobtrusive, can use it in any position without thinking about it. The iPad is great but it's not as immediate, and isn't with me at all times like the 6+ is.

Reading comics on the other hand - I'd use the iPad for that. :)

Our eyes etc are all different I guess.. The iPad mini for me though is a bit of a surplus product filling a gap that doesn't exist (to me.)
Tim Cook's recent comments also suggest that the iPad mini doesn't have much reason to exist at this point. His thoughts were more or less that it's a great reading-in-bed device, but is being killed by the Plus sized phones and that he has no problem with that trend happening because it's being replaced with a different Apple product.

On the other hand, it seems like the mini 4 has sold incredibly well--maybe better than Apple thought it would. I think a lot of people (including me) still love that form factor.
[doublepost=1461420935][/doublepost]
I love the Mini 4, the first iPad I really enjoyed using, but I had to replace my 2010 iMac and couldn't keep it. Insofar as the phones, I need to move away from reading on the iPhones - not optimal for my vision. I liked the 6s+ screen and battery life, but my eyes need a bigger screen. Think I might pick up something in the coming week.

Everyone's usage and needs are different and I respect people enjoy using a Mini 4 and an iPhone. Whatever works for you is the best option.
Yep--My eyes are getting a little "old" too. Got progressive lenses in my glasses last year. Makes reading on the iPhone a bit harder, doesn't it?
 
My wife and I both have Apple Watches and iPads. Usually when we're home, our phones sit in a central location in the house somewhere and we deal with all messages and phone calls on our watches. For everything else, we're on our iPads.

A lot of that data gets routed through the iPhone first, so it is still the central part of the ecosystem for us, but if I'm not out and about, I really don't pay a ton of attention to it.
I'm waiting for the Apple Watch to get much thinner before I bite. At the moment, it's just too bulky for me so I'd just end up not wearing it. If Apple allows native voice and SMS/MMS on LTE iPads, or if they add a SIM card to a redesigned Apple Watch, I probably wouldn't even bother with an iPhone.
 
Newbie here, but just wanted to share my thoughts since I own a 6+ and a mini 4.

Owned an iPhone 4 for about 4 years (!!) before switching to the 6+. I went for the 6+ immediately without any hesitation and loved it because the size difference was huge compared to my iPhone 4. I loved the fact that I could see so much more content on my phone, and the camera/photos look great! But I also found myself fiddling with my friend's iPad (iPad 2 or 3..don't remember) from time to time.

I've always wanted an iPad for reading comic books, web browsing and etc, but never made a purchase (I guess I didn't have a strong need for it). Had a chance to borrow my friend's iPad for a month while he was away on vacation and as I kept using it, it felt almost too big and heavy for me. Decided that IF I were to get an iPad, it would be a mini...thought it would be a perfect size for me and for what I wanted to do.

Finally bit the bullet after a few months and ordered a cellular mini 4 as soon as it became available. BTW I was deciding between the mini 2 and the mini 4. Cost effectiveness for the mini 2, but I had to go for better performance and the screen of the mini 4! Another reason for purchasing the mini was that I could do my CPA practice problems on the mini (great excuse :D) since a mobile version wasn't available for my 6+. Aside from doing practice problems, here's the list of things I do on my mini 4: reading magazines/comic books, teamviewer, web browsing (forums etc), youtube, stream movies/tv shows with airvideo server HD, facebook, and CoC...I guess I'm not much of a power user compared to others here? Size is perfect for me and although I sometimes wish I had more screen real estate, it fits my needs just fine! The mini is close up to my face anyways so I don't need a larger screen.

But the thing is, since I now own a mini 4, I just don't see the need for 6+'s size. Now I almost never use my phone at home and instead use a mini whenever I'm away from my desktop. I still use my 6+ to look at my news feed on FB, read some forum posts, light web browsing and youtube. But after owning the mini 4, I believe that it wouldn't hurt to size down on my phone (was thinking about switching to the SE but decided to wait for iPhone 7).

The point is that...everyone have different needs, preferences, and usage patterns, which may change over time. IMO, there's no definitive answer to what combination of products are "the best". FOR ME, a mini 4 and a 6s or even the SE might work!! Also, you never know what works for you and what doesn't, unless you really take the time to use it.

...Sorry for such a long post! Tried to be as detailed as possible if someone was on the same boat :)
 
Tim Cook's recent comments also suggest that the iPad mini doesn't have much reason to exist at this point. His thoughts were more or less that it's a great reading-in-bed device, but is being killed by the Plus sized phones and that he has no problem with that trend happening because it's being replaced with a different Apple product.

How do you know that?? Link/Source?? o_Oo_Oo_Oo_O

Likewise, I'd love to see that quote. Simply put, I find it hard to believe.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ShaunAFC3
How do you know that?? Link/Source?? o_Oo_Oo_Oo_O

Likewise, I'd love to see that quote. Simply put, I find it hard to believe.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technolo...ares-the-end-of-the-pc-and-hints-at-new-medi/

Telegraph Interview said:
With the launch of larger iPhones 6 and 6S Plus on the one hand and now the larger iPads on the other, some analysts have argued that Apple’s smaller-screened iPad minis are going to get squeezed. Cook is refreshingly frank about the impact. “I think if you have the larger phone, you’re less likely to have the iPad mini”, he says, though he insists that the demand won’t fall to zero.

Some consumers use the iPad mini to read in bed, he says, finding it more relaxing than using a phone and the busyness that goes with it. That won’t change, he believes. “But I think it clearly created some cannibalisation - which we knew would occur - but we don’t really spend any time worrying about that, because as long as we cannibalise [ourselves], it’s fine," Cook laughs.

Despite my somewhat pedantic responses so far regarding the whole "significant difference" subjectivity, I actually do agree that people might find the iPad mini redundant if they also own an iPhone Plus. Tim Cook certainly acknowledges this, but he also acknowledges that the cannibalization is "some" and "demand won't fall to zero". This thread is good evidence - different strokes for different folks.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ShaunAFC3
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.