Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

All iPads Ipad Air or Mini?

F

funkymonkeyboy

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 17, 2010
196
63
Northern Scotland
Sorry for another thread like this but I need advice. I have an ipad 3 and want to upgrade. I can't seem to decide between the ipad air and mini. I have a voucher for £20 off at Tesco and could get the air for £379.99.

There could be a wait for the mini if stocks are tight. So should I bite the bullet and buy the air which should have plenty in stock and get the discount or pay full price and hope to snap up a mini?
 
Last edited:
funkymonkeyboy said:
Sorry for another thread like this but I need advice. I have an ipad 3 and want to upgrade. I can't seem to decide between the ipad air and mini. I have a voucher for £20 off at Tesco and could get the air for £379.99.

There could be a wait for the mini if stocks are tight. So should I bite the bullet and buy the air which should have plenty in stock and get the discount or pay full price and hope to snap up a mini?
Click to expand...

Why not get both? Get the Air now and wait until January for good stocks of the Mini and possibly a discount?
 
Is the cost your prime reason going for an iPad 3 to a Mini? I think since are use to a larger screen, I would recommend the Air. You play games, watch lots of video, read PDFs, etc., then the Air is better IMHO.

If portability is more an issue, then go for the Mini. Even though the Air is thinner and lighter and more portable than the 3, not as much as the Mini 2.
 
Well, since the opnly tangible difference is screen size....your decision can be only based on one thing: What screen size can you or will you be willing to live with? The mini is more portable but the Air is darned light so even though its dimensions are larger it isnt much heavier.

So, pardon that - You need to decide on two things

1) If the minis smaller screen real estate is acceptable versus that you gain slightly better portability.
2) If the larger Air screen size is a must have.

The $100 buck difference is trivial to me.
 
Thanks for your replies. Price is not a major factor,but if I can save cash then I'm all for it.. Portability is a factor but again not a major one. I guess I could get the air tomorrow and see how it suits me. If not then return it for the mini.
 
Flip a coin. If it's heads, get the iPad Air. If it's tails, get the iPad Mini with retina. Problem solved.
 
If they were both available right now which one would you choose? I think the delay in the mini's release date is making people think that they want an Air even though they really want a mini. One month is not that long to wait for a product that you will be using for years.
 
I have a iPad 3, and I'm getting a Retina Mini. My full-sized iPad 3 works perfectly, and there shouldn't be anything you can do with an Air that you can't do with your 3. Some games EVENTUALLY might require the better processor to work, but even that's questionable.

However, sometimes it would be nice to have a smaller, more portable version, so it's the Mini for me. Unless you we planning to sell your 3.....then I would get the Air.
 
Both. I noticed Apple is waiting until the 21st of Nov... I wonder if they will still honor their holiday policy.
 
Mjmar said:
If they were both available right now which one would you choose? I think the delay in the mini's release date is making people think that they want an Air even though they really want a mini. One month is not that long to wait for a product that you will be using for years.
Click to expand...

It also depends on what you were expecting and anticipating. In my case, I liked the first Mini, but it was producing too much eye strain for me at the small size, so I decided to wait for the Retina Mini, and use a full-size iPad in the mean time. In the last year though, the amount I use the iPad for magazines and other stuff that is meant for the A4 paper size, the more I think I want to stick with the 9.7" screen.

At the same time, the iPad 4 is pretty heavy for a one-handed device, so I've still been waiting for the Retina Mini. What I wasn't actually thinking of or waiting for was a 1lb full-size iPad. Now that exists, I'm on the fence myself, leaning towards the larger screen.

So for some folks, it could just be that we were so focused on waiting for a Retina Mini, that we didn't think about how a lighter full-sized iPad would weigh in.
 
^^^^^^^^^^

There have been rumors for months now about the weight of the new iPad, my main concern is still portability and how comfortable to hold for gaming and reading. I am not the least bit concerned about the discussions on ram. The mini I have now runs fine and this Air beast will blow away it's resolution and processor.
 
Yeah it's a tough call. I can't really justify getting both. I like the idea of the minis portability. But I love the larger screen of the air.

Can't apple just make a 9" screen and meet in the middle? Lol.
 
Have loved my mini for a year, my first ipad, but I'll be going for the Air because I want to write out notes with the stylus more. I can only fit a few notes per page now, and think I also need a larger keyboard. Too slow at picking out the characters. Not huge reasons. Maybe mostly I don't want to wait any longer.
 
funkymonkeyboy said:
Yeah it's a tough call. I can't really justify getting both. I like the idea of the minis portability. But I love the larger screen of the air.
Click to expand...

If you get the Air, you will never pick up your iPad 3 again so what's the point of having both an Air and a iPad 3??

If you keep your 3, get the Mini because you will actually use both devices. If you sell (or give away) your 3, get the Air.
 
Got my iPad Air 32GB Space Grey from Tesco in north of Scotland. They had plenty of both colours in stock for 16 and 32GB.

I'm upgrading from the iPad 3 and I am very happy with the new iPad. Just restoring from iCloud backup now. It's so thin and light. The differences between the Air and 3 are unbelievable. The weight is the biggest factor.

I'll probably keep the Air. Very happy.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back