Hi Everyone,
I hope I can share my experience in how I made the toughest decision that probably should be classified as the #1 First World Problem that defines the human race right now. rMini or iPad air? I spent about a month trying to decide and have researched this quite a bit, but haven't come across any articles that go beyond the standard "rMini and iPad air have the same guts, but just pick the one that feels better to you" content. I am sure some of you are in the same boat.
I came up with four things to consider that all play a role on each other:
- Your current gear
- Intended Use
- Ergonomics
- Vision
Current gear
I already have an iPhone 5, iPad 2, iPad Mini (first gen) and MacBook Air, very much enjoy the Apple ecosystem (iCloud, etc.) and use Apple products heavily both personally and professionally. So you can see that like many, I didn't really NEED a new iPad. I originally chose the rMini last year because of how portable it was. The lack of retina display didn't bother me as I preferred portability and light weight over the retina iPad 4 and as said above my other solution was an iPad 2 which has now been assigned the task of being my TV in the kitchen (great with the Time Warner app).
When I am out and about (errands, going out to eat, etc.) I never take an iPad with me and if I need to browse the web, I just use my iPhone 5. The MacBook Air is what I use for work purposes where I need to generate content (translation where I have to type, or point / click a lot). So if you do not have a laptop already, and you plan on generating content I would skip an iPad altogether and get a MacBook Air. The iPads have a lot of catching up to do to equal the speed and productivity of a standard laptop (typing, clicking, accessing files, editing, etc.). For web browsing, checking email, light typing etc. the iPads are superb.
Intended Use
One of the reasons I use an iPad is keeping myself occupied on plane trips as I travel a fair amount. I actually prefer downloading SD movies from the iTunes store as they are quicker to download, and take up less space on the device. Never once on a plane did I ponder how my life could be better if I had a retina display. The standard mini has served me very well, with the exception that I had to rest it either on the tray table, or my thigh, and I found this viewing distance to be somewhat of an annoyance. So the one-handed aspect of the mini becomes essential because with the mini you may find yourself needing to hold the device closer to your face. If you just want to chill out and watch a movie (and maybe fall asleep), the tendency is to want to put it down. So watching a movie at the distance of your eyes to a tray table or your lap is somewhat of a bummer on the mini. I think in this case a standard size iPad screen would be better.
As far as other ways I use iPads: Stall surfing (you know what I mean), lounging on the couch or prior to falling asleep, and occasionally at meetings to take notes in evernote (although for this purpose I dramatically prefer my macbook air).
Ergonomics
I noticed that with the iPad mini while lounging around I typically held the device about 14-16 inches from my eyes (resting on the top portion of my stomach just past my ribs) and still used both hands to prop it up; while I held the iPad 2 at about the SAME distance effectively allowing me to see text better. This is a fairly important point to consider as I have seen the argument made that with the mini, you can just hold it closer to see the text like you can on a regular iPad. However, some people might prefer to hold these devices at what is comfortable for their arms and bodies, vs. their eyes and not want to compromise comfort for ease of viewing. To test this, lie down on your back and place your hands on top of your chest (about where your heart is) and if that is comfortable for you, than a mini will be fine. If this feels "cramped" like if you are a man with a larger build or a woman with larger (fill in the blank) this may be a consideration.
With regards to typing, I found it much easier to type on a mini (thumbs in portrait mode) while holding the device. With the standard iPad, I found I really needed to rest it on my lap or on a table. You can type fairly easily in portrait mode with thumbs on the standard iPad and now with the narrower bezel even easier on the iPad Air, but the weight of the device (including the lighter iPad Air) still makes me want to rest it on something.
Vision
I am 43 with fairly bad astigmatism - which means I am effectively near sighted, but I can tell that my ability to see "near" without my glasses on is starting to suffer, and my ability to also see near withmy glasses on is also starting to suffer. Last year I could see just fine up close while still wearing glasses or not wearing them so the mini was a good choice for me at the time. However, lately, I found that it has become increasingly difficult to see the smaller text and found myself double tapping a lot to blow up text while using Safari. Moving the mini closer to my eyes causes them to feel strained (and not as comfortable feeling that cramped). Also, tapping smaller links (like browsing page numbers in forums) was a bit tricky on the mini.
The iPad Air still feels heavier than the mini (duh) and I would classify this as a device that you can comfortably hold in one hand, but will find yourself using two more often (especially if you have a heavier cover on it) vs. the mini which works well either way (but again, you may need to hold it closer to your eyes). If you are a backpack / briefcase type of person, I see no reason the iPad Air wouldn't serve you well. If you would prefer to carry a tablet in your jacket or a small handbag, or use the tablet everyday in crowded places (like having to stand up in a train during a commute, or sitting on a train where people who are standing up are constantly bumping into you) than the mini would be your best bet (especially if you are young and can deal with the smaller text on the rMini).
So for my uses which include lounging, traveling on planes, holding the device (even the mini) mostly with two hands, minimal typing, I chose the iPad air (White, 64G, Cellular + WiFi). I chose the cellular version for the obvious reason that I didn't want to feel like I was obligated to have wi-fi access when I am waiting to get on a plane, etc.
Note that I didn't make that big of a deal about the retina display. It is fantastic, but if you are budget conscious, this is actually the thing that I would be willing to give up first. What I note more on the new iPad air is the speed, and the weight reduction. The retina display is a nice added perk. In the store, I was comparing non-retina iPads to the iPad Air, and I could notice maybe a 20% increase in clarity when looking at the same photos. This may be important to some, but wasn't that big of a deal to me (with my glasses on I have 20/20 vision). I have disabled all of the motion stuff; and yes, find the lack of being able to re-size wallpaper the way I could on my mini and iPad 2 a bit of a letdown. For the record my screen is perfectly white - no yellow, blue, pink, or "book spine" effects.
So the mini gets a reset and will go to the wife (she is pretty happy about that!).
Merry Christmas everyone - I hope this was helpful.
I hope I can share my experience in how I made the toughest decision that probably should be classified as the #1 First World Problem that defines the human race right now. rMini or iPad air? I spent about a month trying to decide and have researched this quite a bit, but haven't come across any articles that go beyond the standard "rMini and iPad air have the same guts, but just pick the one that feels better to you" content. I am sure some of you are in the same boat.
I came up with four things to consider that all play a role on each other:
- Your current gear
- Intended Use
- Ergonomics
- Vision
Current gear
I already have an iPhone 5, iPad 2, iPad Mini (first gen) and MacBook Air, very much enjoy the Apple ecosystem (iCloud, etc.) and use Apple products heavily both personally and professionally. So you can see that like many, I didn't really NEED a new iPad. I originally chose the rMini last year because of how portable it was. The lack of retina display didn't bother me as I preferred portability and light weight over the retina iPad 4 and as said above my other solution was an iPad 2 which has now been assigned the task of being my TV in the kitchen (great with the Time Warner app).
When I am out and about (errands, going out to eat, etc.) I never take an iPad with me and if I need to browse the web, I just use my iPhone 5. The MacBook Air is what I use for work purposes where I need to generate content (translation where I have to type, or point / click a lot). So if you do not have a laptop already, and you plan on generating content I would skip an iPad altogether and get a MacBook Air. The iPads have a lot of catching up to do to equal the speed and productivity of a standard laptop (typing, clicking, accessing files, editing, etc.). For web browsing, checking email, light typing etc. the iPads are superb.
Intended Use
One of the reasons I use an iPad is keeping myself occupied on plane trips as I travel a fair amount. I actually prefer downloading SD movies from the iTunes store as they are quicker to download, and take up less space on the device. Never once on a plane did I ponder how my life could be better if I had a retina display. The standard mini has served me very well, with the exception that I had to rest it either on the tray table, or my thigh, and I found this viewing distance to be somewhat of an annoyance. So the one-handed aspect of the mini becomes essential because with the mini you may find yourself needing to hold the device closer to your face. If you just want to chill out and watch a movie (and maybe fall asleep), the tendency is to want to put it down. So watching a movie at the distance of your eyes to a tray table or your lap is somewhat of a bummer on the mini. I think in this case a standard size iPad screen would be better.
As far as other ways I use iPads: Stall surfing (you know what I mean), lounging on the couch or prior to falling asleep, and occasionally at meetings to take notes in evernote (although for this purpose I dramatically prefer my macbook air).
Ergonomics
I noticed that with the iPad mini while lounging around I typically held the device about 14-16 inches from my eyes (resting on the top portion of my stomach just past my ribs) and still used both hands to prop it up; while I held the iPad 2 at about the SAME distance effectively allowing me to see text better. This is a fairly important point to consider as I have seen the argument made that with the mini, you can just hold it closer to see the text like you can on a regular iPad. However, some people might prefer to hold these devices at what is comfortable for their arms and bodies, vs. their eyes and not want to compromise comfort for ease of viewing. To test this, lie down on your back and place your hands on top of your chest (about where your heart is) and if that is comfortable for you, than a mini will be fine. If this feels "cramped" like if you are a man with a larger build or a woman with larger (fill in the blank) this may be a consideration.
With regards to typing, I found it much easier to type on a mini (thumbs in portrait mode) while holding the device. With the standard iPad, I found I really needed to rest it on my lap or on a table. You can type fairly easily in portrait mode with thumbs on the standard iPad and now with the narrower bezel even easier on the iPad Air, but the weight of the device (including the lighter iPad Air) still makes me want to rest it on something.
Vision
I am 43 with fairly bad astigmatism - which means I am effectively near sighted, but I can tell that my ability to see "near" without my glasses on is starting to suffer, and my ability to also see near withmy glasses on is also starting to suffer. Last year I could see just fine up close while still wearing glasses or not wearing them so the mini was a good choice for me at the time. However, lately, I found that it has become increasingly difficult to see the smaller text and found myself double tapping a lot to blow up text while using Safari. Moving the mini closer to my eyes causes them to feel strained (and not as comfortable feeling that cramped). Also, tapping smaller links (like browsing page numbers in forums) was a bit tricky on the mini.
The iPad Air still feels heavier than the mini (duh) and I would classify this as a device that you can comfortably hold in one hand, but will find yourself using two more often (especially if you have a heavier cover on it) vs. the mini which works well either way (but again, you may need to hold it closer to your eyes). If you are a backpack / briefcase type of person, I see no reason the iPad Air wouldn't serve you well. If you would prefer to carry a tablet in your jacket or a small handbag, or use the tablet everyday in crowded places (like having to stand up in a train during a commute, or sitting on a train where people who are standing up are constantly bumping into you) than the mini would be your best bet (especially if you are young and can deal with the smaller text on the rMini).
So for my uses which include lounging, traveling on planes, holding the device (even the mini) mostly with two hands, minimal typing, I chose the iPad air (White, 64G, Cellular + WiFi). I chose the cellular version for the obvious reason that I didn't want to feel like I was obligated to have wi-fi access when I am waiting to get on a plane, etc.
Note that I didn't make that big of a deal about the retina display. It is fantastic, but if you are budget conscious, this is actually the thing that I would be willing to give up first. What I note more on the new iPad air is the speed, and the weight reduction. The retina display is a nice added perk. In the store, I was comparing non-retina iPads to the iPad Air, and I could notice maybe a 20% increase in clarity when looking at the same photos. This may be important to some, but wasn't that big of a deal to me (with my glasses on I have 20/20 vision). I have disabled all of the motion stuff; and yes, find the lack of being able to re-size wallpaper the way I could on my mini and iPad 2 a bit of a letdown. For the record my screen is perfectly white - no yellow, blue, pink, or "book spine" effects.
So the mini gets a reset and will go to the wife (she is pretty happy about that!).
Merry Christmas everyone - I hope this was helpful.