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All iPads Ideal iPad would be a blend of the 4 & the mini for me

Donka

Donka

macrumors 68030
Original poster
May 3, 2011
2,865
1,467
Scotland
After being on the fence about the mini or upgrading to the 4 from my 3, I elected to sell my 3 and get both the mini and a 4 to try out.
The mini is a sweet device and I genuinely think for most users, the performance is great. I was concerned about the 512MB RAM but things have been very smooth on the mini with around 10 Safari tabs open without the need to reload etc. Much has been made of the screen resolution but in all honesty, I'm very happy with the screen quality - it isn't retina but it has a perfectly uniform brightness, no bleed and is vibrant with good contrast - games & movies really do look great on the screen. Forums like these are where the screen does tax your eyesight a little but everything is still perfectly legible. I could get by with the mini in place of the the bigger iPad.
I do enjoy the 4 with it's retina screen and extra performance but neither of these are a deal breaker or a must have. What I did notice though is that I actually prefer the size of the 4 as the size of the screen is just that bit more engaging when it comes to working and interacting with content but even when just consuming; movies for example are just plain are more enjoyable on the bigger screen.
So it's an easy win for the 4 then right? Well, after using the mini, I love the design and the thinner bezel at the sides and I now actually find the thicker bezel on the 4 as a bit of a turn off. I was in the camp that was thinking of holding off and picking up a mini next year if they switch to a retina screen - now I'm hoping more they adopt the design and styling of the mini for the larger iPad instead so I can keep the larger screen in a nicer package with a slightly reduced size.
It looks like next year may actually be a harder time to decide between the two devices!
 
Sorry to dig up an old thread that I started but I think it is entirely relevant - especially the part about having a hard decision on deciding between the full sized iPad and a retina mini. I'm just curious if there will be any caveats to the retina mini i.e. lower performance or battery life. They may need to clock that A7 lower to maintain battery life but I'm more than happy if they can get 10 hours run time out of it even if they can't hit the Air runtime of ~13 hours in some cases.
 
Donka said:
Sorry to dig up an old thread that I started but I think it is entirely relevant - especially the part about having a hard decision on deciding between the full sized iPad and a retina mini. I'm just curious if there will be any caveats to the retina mini i.e. lower performance or battery life. They may need to clock that A7 lower to maintain battery life but I'm more than happy if they can get 10 hours run time out of it even if they can't hit the Air runtime of ~13 hours in some cases.
Click to expand...

IMO, the caveat with the mini is that smaller screen which is a lerger difference that you'd expect. The full size iPad has like 50% MORE screen area than the mini. The numbers dont lie. For me, Screen size is king and the Air has the perfect size for a tablet.
 
s2mikey said:
IMO, the caveat with the mini is that smaller screen which is a lerger difference that you'd expect. The full size iPad has like 50% MORE screen area than the mini. The numbers dont lie. For me, Screen size is king and the Air has the perfect size for a tablet.
Click to expand...

Yeh, I pretty much say that in the original post - I do prefer the screen of the full sized iPad. The problem is I actually use the mini more as it is more portable and I am more likely to have it with me and you do get used to the size very quickly.
 
s2mikey said:
IMO, the caveat with the mini is that smaller screen which is a lerger difference that you'd expect. The full size iPad has like 50% MORE screen area than the mini. The numbers dont lie. For me, Screen size is king and the Air has the perfect size for a tablet.
Click to expand...

I think it ultimately depends on your uses. If you lean more towards content creation I think the Air is the best way to go - larger keyboard is usable with two handed touch typing, controls are larger and easier to touch when you are using the tablet on a desk and overall it just feels less cramped to use, even though you have the same screen resolution.

The Mini ultimately feels like using an iPhone with a larger screen area - which I don't say as a bad thing. But you are still limited to thumb typing like an iPhone and using it on a desk next to a laptop as a secondary device is possible, but just not the same experience as a larger iPad.

So basically I find the Air to be closer to the laptop side of the spectrum and the Mini going closer to the iPhone side of the spectrum.
 
Because the iPad Air is smaller and lighter than the iPad 4, it's making the choice even more difficult!
 
The original post was a YEAR AGO.

And, not to continue this, but the answer is easy. Combine a 4 and the mini you have an Ipad Air.
 
My ideal iPad wouldn't include iOS 7, that's for sure.

=> iPad air with iOS 6 and 2gb RAM = $$$$$
 
Donka said:
After being on the fence about the mini or upgrading to the 4 from my 3, I elected to sell my 3 and get both the mini and a 4 to try out.
The mini is a sweet device and I genuinely think for most users, the performance is great. I was concerned about the 512MB RAM but things have been very smooth on the mini with around 10 Safari tabs open without the need to reload etc. Much has been made of the screen resolution but in all honesty, I'm very happy with the screen quality - it isn't retina but it has a perfectly uniform brightness, no bleed and is vibrant with good contrast - games & movies really do look great on the screen. Forums like these are where the screen does tax your eyesight a little but everything is still perfectly legible. I could get by with the mini in place of the the bigger iPad.
I do enjoy the 4 with it's retina screen and extra performance but neither of these are a deal breaker or a must have. What I did notice though is that I actually prefer the size of the 4 as the size of the screen is just that bit more engaging when it comes to working and interacting with content but even when just consuming; movies for example are just plain are more enjoyable on the bigger screen.
So it's an easy win for the 4 then right? Well, after using the mini, I love the design and the thinner bezel at the sides and I now actually find the thicker bezel on the 4 as a bit of a turn off. I was in the camp that was thinking of holding off and picking up a mini next year if they switch to a retina screen - now I'm hoping more they adopt the design and styling of the mini for the larger iPad instead so I can keep the larger screen in a nicer package with a slightly reduced size.
It looks like next year may actually be a harder time to decide between the two devices!
Click to expand...

They are both dogs compared the the air and what the mini retina will be, sold both of mine, Air all the way. Best iPad yet.
 
nostresshere said:
The original post was a YEAR AGO.

And, not to continue this, but the answer is easy. Combine a 4 and the mini you have an Ipad Air.
Click to expand...

Exactly! It's cool that s/he predicted so very correctly, and to boot predicted the result of so many people having such difficulty choosing which one to get this year. Nice one ;)
 
Just wait for apple to come out with a 9" iPad. Then you will have a 8,9 and 10" to pick from. Truthfully I think 9" would be perfect.
 
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