All iPads iPad Air and cheap 7" tablet strategy

[satchmo]

Just waiting till Black Friday to pick up an iPad Air.
However having an iPad mini in the past (sold), I know how light and convenient it is to watch movies and read in bed.

Obviously the new iPad Air is lighter than it's predecessor, but it's still bigger and heavier than the mini or other 7" tablet. Plus, I'm not certain, reading on such a large display is what I want to do just before bed.

I'm thinking of a cheap $100 range 7" tablet might do the trick. A 16x9 display would be great for movies, and perfect sized for reading.
Anyone employing this type of thinking?

 

[TWO2SEVEN]

Why not go with the rMini?

 

[AppleRobert]

Kindle Fire HD will be $99 on BF. Nook tablets are already discounted alot.

I have a Nexus 7 2013 and I am keeping my 1st Gen Mini.

 

[PDFierro]

The Air isn't that much heavier. I'd just get the Air on the mini and be done with it.

 

[donnaw]

Actually I was thinking along those lines. First I did upgrade it the iPad Air. I like the larger tablets and when I saw the Air I loved the new, lighter form factor.

But I also wanted a 7" for reading and just to take around town to use while waiting for appts etc. (and probably also because I have an electronic fetish, as my husband used to say back when everything had buttons and knobs, 'if it has buttons and a plug, I want it'). So I waited for both the new Mini and the new Amazon tablets to come out.

1). I have a bit of $$ invested in the Apple ecosystem so a Mini would fit right in.

2). I'm an Amazon Prime member and buy all my books and music from them ( and I buy a lot of books). But Amazon gives Prime members the ability to borrow books hence saving a bunch of money (did I say I buy A LOT of books). Plus you can download instant videos to watch later (like on a plane) but only on their devices. So a 7" kindle would also fit right into my life.

In the end I went with the Kindle Firc HDX 7". $424 for the 64g LTE version. I can put my books, music and movies/TV shows on it etc. and just go. The same configuration on a Mini is $700+. Ended up being a no-brainer.

I'm retired and financially secure enough to afford what ever I want but I didn't get to this point by being stupid and just throwing my money away. The Mini simply doesn't give $300+ extra value. Perhaps if it were to be my only tablet I would have gone that route.

 

[satchmo]

If you're suggesting I get the iPad Air and the rMini, well...my budget doesn't allow for that.

If you mean the rMini instead of the iPad Air, I still want/need a larger device for running apps i.e iWork, Paper, as well as general surfing. When I owned the original iPad mini, I always found it too small to do any 'work' on it. Even surfing on some sites was difficult selecting tiny buttons.

Why not go with the rMini?

 

[richardbb85]

If you're suggesting I get the iPad Air and the rMini, well...my budget doesn't allow for that.

If you mean the rMini instead of the iPad Air, I still want/need a larger device for running apps i.e iWork, Paper, as well as general surfing. When I owned the original iPad mini, I always found it too small to do any 'work' on it. Even surfing on some sites was difficult selecting tiny buttons.

So what's ur point, lol

 

[AppleRobert]

If you're suggesting I get the iPad Air and the rMini, well...my budget doesn't allow for that.

If you mean the rMini instead of the iPad Air, I still want/need a larger device for running apps i.e iWork, Paper, as well as general surfing. When I owned the original iPad mini, I always found it too small to do any 'work' on it. Even surfing on some sites was difficult selecting tiny buttons.

So many more cheap options along the lines of what I recommended. Off the top, Asus Memo tablet and Hisense Sero Pro.

 

[TWO2SEVEN]

If you're suggesting I get the iPad Air and the rMini, well...my budget doesn't allow for that.

If you mean the rMini instead of the iPad Air, I still want/need a larger device for running apps i.e iWork, Paper, as well as general surfing. When I owned the original iPad mini, I always found it too small to do any 'work' on it. Even surfing on some sites was difficult selecting tiny buttons.

I was suggesting just the rMini. Seems like you have made a decision.

 

[RickTaylor]

I would have seriously considered the Nexus 7, except that the screen size is smaller and narrower then the Ipad Mini. The mini is just big enough to make reading pdf's comfortable, but I wouldn't want to go any smaller. Personally I prefer to use an Ipad mini, and then a laptop in place of the Ipad Air. The Ipad Air is wonderfully svelte and light, but once something is big enough to require a bag of some sort, I'd just assume take a laptop.

 

[Count Blah]

So many more cheap options along the lines of what I recommended. Off the top, Asus Memo tablet and Hisense Sero Pro.

I'll second these options. I got my son the Hisense Sera Pro 7 - same innerds as the 2012 Nexus 7, with the addition of an SD card slot and HDMI. The thing has a great build quality for a "cheap" tablet, and runs pretty smoothly. If I wanted a cheap 7 to lug around, this would be it, without question. Of course, user needs vary greatly(amazon prime, must have apps you already paid for in iOS, etc...)

 

[EdwardC]

I replaced my iPad 2 which I gave my son with a Fire HD 8.9" for movies and a Fire HDX 7" for lounging on the couch. The HDX is very nice and was able to buy both for $ 447.00, there is nothing that these can't do that I was doing with my iPad except they look a lot better ( screen ). I do use a Mac and a iPhone but I always felt like tablets are kind of toys as I don't use them for productivity.

Take care....Ed

 

[AppleRobert]

I replaced my iPad 2 which I gave my son with a Fire HD 8.9" for movies and a Fire HDX 7" for lounging on the couch. The HDX is very nice and was able to buy both for $ 447.00, there is nothing that these can't do that I was doing with my iPad except they look a lot better ( screen ). I do use a Mac and a iPhone but I always felt like tablets are kind of toys as I don't use them for productivity.

Take care....Ed

Well struggling with vision problems, I may end up going to the new Kindle Fire HDX 8.9". The screen is unbelievable and I checked it out for myself after I read the Display Mate review which peaked my interest to begin with.

I have the 1st gen Mini so that would take care of IOS. Since buying an Air and liking it, it would still be more expensive than the new Kindle and not as good a screen to my aging eyes, and I would not use the latter differently than an IPad so ...

Glad I read your post!

 

[rui no onna]

Well struggling with vision problems, I may end up going to the new Kindle Fire HDX 8.9". The screen is unbelievable and I checked it out for myself after I read the Display Mate review which peaked my interest to begin with.

Amazon's giving some customers a 30-day free trial for any Kindle (I opted for the Paperwhite which I was already planning on purchasing in January). You might want to check out if they're giving you that offer.

 

[wpalomine]

I enjoy reading on a Nexus 7 2013 because of the narrow profile. Either the HDX or Nexus 7 would be my choice over the Air and rMini for reading epub or kindle books. For 'almost' everything else, iOS provides a better experience.

If I wasn't heavily vested in the ecosystem, my short list would be either the Google or Amazon offerings.

BTW, I do own a Nexus 7, new iPads, iPhone5s and rMBP.

 

[Adelphos33]

Buy a used iPad mini (last generation). I have an iPad mini from the last generation and will likely keep it even as I buy an iPad Air.

 

[calvol]

I'll second these options. I got my son the Hisense Sera Pro 7 - same innerds as the 2012 Nexus 7, with the addition of an SD card slot and HDMI. The thing has a great build quality for a "cheap" tablet, and runs pretty smoothly. If I wanted a cheap 7 to lug around, this would be it, without question. Of course, user needs vary greatly(amazon prime, must have apps you already paid for in iOS, etc...)

Same here, couldn't pass up the 7" Asus Memo HD quad-core ARM with 32GB mSD slot for $119 for email/browsing until Apple offers a 2/32 GB base model iPad Air. Will buy the Kindle Paperwhite on BF for reading books. Also use a 2010 Mac Air, but like reading on tabs.

 

[satchmo]

Just to clarify, the thread was really about having a cheap 7" tablet in addition to the iPad Air.

I'm sure we're all aware that any standalone 7" tablet is a cheaper alternative to any Apple tablet.

 

[iSee]

It sounds like you're still getting the Air, but are considering a cheapo tablet just for your bedtime activities *ahem*.

I'd try just the Air for a while an see if you like it. Then you can spend $0 on another tablet and don't have to manage content on yet another device (which can be annoying when the device is part of a different ecosystem).

If, after trying it for a while, it seems too big and heavy, then go find that $100 tablet.

Edit: just adding a little on my perspective: I had an original iPad -- sold off to Target on the recent trade-in deal that was too good to pass up. I loved it for video in bed. It was too heavy for reading though. I wish I knew if the Air was comfortable for reading in bed or not, cos I'm trying to decide rMini vs. Air and that would probably tip me one way or the other.

 

[calvol]

Just to clarify, the thread was really about having a cheap 7" tablet in addition to the iPad Air.

I'm sure we're all aware that any standalone 7" tablet is a cheaper alternative to any Apple tablet.

Oh, I‘m getting an Air, just not now, waiting for min 2GB ram. 7" seems too small for magazines/PDFs, so may buy an iPad2 in the meantime for that.

 

[Saturn1217]

I'm using an Air + Nexus 7 2013. So far I am really liking the combo. The Nexus 7 is still a lot lighter than the Air and easier to use out of the house. It also doesn't weigh down my bag if I decide to bring it to work every day (in addition to my work laptop).

But at home I find that unless I'm reading an ebook I really like the iPad Air. Of course some of that is it is the new toy so I'm having a hard time putting it down

 

[g35]

Just waiting till Black Friday to pick up an iPad Air.
However having an iPad mini in the past (sold), I know how light and convenient it is to watch movies and read in bed.

Obviously the new iPad Air is lighter than it's predecessor, but it's still bigger and heavier than the mini or other 7" tablet. Plus, I'm not certain, reading on such a large display is what I want to do just before bed.

I'm thinking of a cheap $100 range 7" tablet might do the trick. A 16x9 display would be great for movies, and perfect sized for reading.
Anyone employing this type of thinking?

My opinion: movies and ePub books, the a Nexus 7 is better due to soft-touch back and narrow size that more easily fits in your palm. For PDFs, the iPad Mini is better because it doesn't require landscape view or zooming into to comfortably read (depending on the content).

 

[Count Blah]

Same here, couldn't pass up the 7" Asus Memo HD quad-core ARM with 32GB mSD slot for $119 for email/browsing until Apple offers a 2/32 GB base model iPad Air. Will buy the Kindle Paperwhite on BF for reading books. Also use a 2010 Mac Air, but like reading on tabs.

Good choice. It was between that tablet and the Hisense Sero 7 pro, when I was purchasing a 7" tablet. The HP was $20 more At the time, so I took the price difference to buy a case and screen protector instead. The tests between the two were interesting - pretty evenl split. Seems that we both got a good product we like.