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iPad 1 upgrade to iPad mini or iPad 4th gen?

iPad 1 upgrade to iPad mini or iPad 4th gen?

  • iPad Mini

    Votes: 19 36.5%

  • iPad 4th gen

    Votes: 33 63.5%
  • Total voters
    52
I

irDigital0l

Guest
Original poster
Dec 7, 2010
2,901
0
Here's my main setbacks with the iPad
-Its somewhat heavy
-Does not support iOS 6
-Many graphic-intense games don't run well
-No cameras for FaceTime
-No Retina display

Its actually ok for watching videos and movies, playing some casual games, reading the news, checking email and reading books and magazines.

Main concern about the iPad mini is that it does not have a Retina display. I watched some demos of games running on it and they run better than the iPad 1 but probably about the iPhone 4 level.

Games like Real Racing 3 will fully take advantage of the power and display, and I want something that can do that. Infinity Blade, Modern Combat 3, etc. I play many graphic intense games.

But the thing is...both are a lot better than my iPad 1. Also the iPad mini is light, I could see me carrying it around a lot more although I don't care around the iPad 1 that much because its not that great in productivity situations.

If I get an iPad mini it'll probably be the 16GB, if I got with the iPad 4th gen it'll probably be 32GB. $400+ is kinda too much for a 7-inch tablet.

Also I will not upgrade every year (as you can see by me still using the iPad 1). I want a product that can last at least 2-3 years.
 
The Mini would run at the level of the 4S and ipad 2 [ same processor ]

The last line is what makes me want to recommend you get the iPad 4, the ipad mini is rocking a processor that's almost 2 years old now, and I just can't see it operating nicely for the full amount of time you plan to keep it.

The iPad 4 is a beast, the iPad 3 blows the competition out of the water with graphics performance but it has to use all the extra power to make the ipad work well with the upgraded display, with the ipad 4 having 2X the CPU and 2X the Graphics performance I not only see amazing games coming out for it but it working much better for the long time you plan on keeping it.
 
If the mini had a retina display and a A6x processor I would get it over the 4th generation iPad .
 
I also still have only the iPad 1. I am going to upgrade that to the 4, but also get the mini for its size. I'm only going to get the 16GB WiFi model of the mini. It breaks my usual "go big or go home" rule, and I do generally ante up for the most memory I can afford, but the between-size tablet is for portability and I will not require as much data space as I need on my larger iPad. I'm not going to be reading a lot of PDFs, magazines or newspapers on the iPad mini. It's going to be books, mail, movies, music on the go and that's about it short of brief net forays for news headlines, weather etc. But I'm so looking forward to the iPad mini that I'm not going to put it off for some later refresh cycle.

Then I'm getting the 64GB WiFi + cellular for the iPad 4. It really is time to upgrade from the original iPad. However, I may wait on that until spring, my budget is feeling stretched already. I went for a red nano and replaced an aging iPod touch with a 5th gen order. So I'm looking at rice and not very many beans over winter on my dinner table!
 
I will also be upgrading from the original iPad. I will be pre-ordering a mini tonight. For my purposes, the mini is perfect: casual web browsing, iBooks, Facetime, a few games, Facebook, Twitter, email, etc. Nothing extreme. And the size of the mini seems perfect for laying in bed or on the couch. The 4th gen iPad is tempting, but I've had 2.5 years to evaluate my needs using the original iPad. Nothing I do with an iPad warrants the fastest possible processor/graphics. That's what my MacBook Pro and work computers are for.

Also, just sold my original iPad for $250, so I'll be able to upgrade to the mini for less than $100. :)
 
I just sold my iPad 1 32GB wifi on craigslist today for $225 to help subsidize the purchase of an iPad Mini tonight. Going from 32GB to 16GB is gonna be a little different, but all of my photos and essential apps fit within that gap, and I do most of my music listening on my iPhone and photo viewing and the like on the iPad. I save space by mixing those two. I was going back and forth between the Mini and the refurb iPad 3, and while I'd love the Retina Display, I really like the form factor of the Mini. The internals with the FaceTime HD (I've been FaceTiming with friends much more now that I'm in grad school away from undergrad friends), dual-band wireless (new cable internet in the house with dual-band wireless, can finally take advantage) and the portability of the Mini sold me. I'm sure I'll prolly get the Retina if it comes next year, but for now, this Mini is gonna be great for me.

You gotta do what's gonna be right for you!
 
In the run up to the launch of the Mini, I thought I would upgrade from my first gen to the mini, but I was underwhelmed by the lack of a retina display - so I've gone for the fourth gen.

As said previously, it's a better long term investment.
 
The basic answer seems to be if you are a casual user go with the iPad mini. If you are a more hardcore user go big with the iPad 4. You seem to fall into the casual range since you've have been content with the first gen iPad for so long. That A5 pushes games pretty well as is. And will be just fine for browsing, Facebook , etc.

Unless you just have to have that retina display and that new hotness processor that is...
 
I hate to complicate matters, but your best bet may be to buy a refurb iPad 3. Apple is selling the the 16gb iPad 3 for only $379 and the 32gb for $469. If you do this, you'll pay only a little more than for the mini, and get the beautiful Retina display and superior power of the iPad 3.
 
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