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All iPads iPad mini -> 4 -> back to mini

AppleRobert said:
Shadowjeff,

Enjoy the Mini, I certainly did. I had to make a decision between it and the 4. What I am going with is the 4 since I have no other iPad to go to for watching videos and playing games amongst other things and especially a screen as great as it is.
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Great choice! The larger retina screen and GPU certainly enhances the movie and gaming experience!
 
Great review OP. I've owned all of the regular iPads and currently have the 4. My wife just sold her 3 and bought the mini. The mini has really caught on with me. I love the weight and how it feels more like a regular book in size.

The screen is great even though it's non-retina. I may be switching, never thought that would be the case. Since I have the MBP 15" Retina, I really only need an iPad for convenience, not size.

Great thread.
 
Great post OP.

Another nice thing about the Mini is the battery. Much shorter charging time than the iPad 4 or 3.
 
My reasoning for iPad mini vs iPad 4

#1 - cost I can get an LTE model for a little less then 16gb iPad 4, this is great during those times I am too lazy to turn on my AT&T hotspot through my iphone5 when out and about.

#2~ the most important over the past 6 months I have caught myself browsing on my iPhone vs. iPad cause of the size. I think this is that happy medium I was looking for.

I did not get iPad 3 so retina display does not bother me, the text on my mini seem pretty darn clear.

reading everyone's posts, is the retina that good that I should forfeit LTE and get iPad 4???? I have iPhone 5 and love retina on text messages, but I don't know if it is a deal breaker ......
 
kindaobsessed said:
My reasoning for iPad mini vs iPad 4

#1 - cost I can get an LTE model for a little less then 16gb iPad 4, this is great during those times I am too lazy to turn on my AT&T hotspot through my iphone5 when out and about.

#2~ the most important over the past 6 months I have caught myself browsing on my iPhone vs. iPad cause of the size. I think this is that happy medium I was looking for.

I did not get iPad 3 so retina display does not bother me, the text on my mini seem pretty darn clear.

reading everyone's posts, is the retina that good that I should forfeit LTE and get iPad 4???? I have iPhone 5 and love retina on text messages, but I don't know if it is a deal breaker ......
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To be honest, from looking at my 3GS to my 4S, you can notice the difference. When viewing from 4S to the Mini, you don't notice a difference. My wife has the iPad 3 and I don't notice a difference.
 
ddaniel said:
1. Weight (duh). I found that to use the 4 for any period of time, I had to be resting it on something, be it my leg or the table. I'm a 25 year old athletic dude, so please don't spout the "go lift, brah!" BS I've seen in other threads.

No, the full sized ipad isn't heavy. It isn't light, either. 5 lb dumbells feel light at first, but hold those suckers out for a few minutes and see how your shoulders feel. The mini is like a friggn' feather. I can surf one handed with this bad boy til the cows come home without feeling like I need to immediately chug a protein shake afterward for recovery.
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I have been arguing the iPad weight for YEARS!!!!
I was universal panned because I complained about it, major negative posts all around.

Mini proved how much a difference a smaller object is to hold both in size and weight.
So now I have the last laugh, completely vindicated!

Steve was not wrong saying 10" was the right size, it still it, just that for many reasons an 8" is ideal with minimum drawbacks.
 
Was a die-hard iPad 4 owner...until now

yep, that's right. just ditched the iPad 4 and ordered an iPad Mini 64GB LTE-Verizon Black/Slate for in-store pickup. boom, i said it.

i was all over these forums defending the iPad 4's beastly performance and sharper than real life Retina screen. but all in all, the iPad 4 is just too much for what i needed in a tablet at the moment. my girlfriend's iPad Mini that i bought her is actually a better fit for my needs. i can't wait to see what kind of flak i'm going to receive when i come back from the mall tomorrow with an iPad Mini, all the while i've been poking fun at her for wanting the smaller lighter iPad lol.

I just saved $170 too, so i can't complain about that.

so yeah, add me to the list of new converts
 
shenan1982 said:
This comment makes no sense. It's absolutely the right size for movies. The average coach seat on an aircraft is a 6-8" screen, just like the iPad.

On a regional jet, the full size iPad\laptop is entirely unusable. The size of the mini makes it perfect for those like me who spend half our lives in airplane seats.

Yeah, in business\first, the full size would work, but the last thing I want to take on an international trip is something that would increase the size\weight of the carryon bag I need.

Sounds like the anti-mini responders in here are trying to justify their purchase. Who cares people? I have both, so can speak without bias 🙂[/QUOT

i just find the mini just a little bit small to be watching movies and i would prefer to be using a 9'7 inch iPad and take the full benefit of a bit of bigger screen if i am going to watch something for a long period of time
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Random 995K said:
I don't own a mini but have sen numerous youtube vides of it not being good for gaming. Check the following video (the poster can't even notice thats its not running smooth but whatever). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yRlJgexp6c
look at: 6:04, 6:20, 6:32 and 6:45 is quite the stutter. Seriously don't even bother arguing it. The mini cannot play high end games flawlessly. I agree that it feels better to hold and is lighter but everything else is inferior. Its expected really though, it has a 2 year old chip without quad core GPU. You may think that stuttering is quite subtle but to me its very annoying. I have NOVA 3 and know for a fact that my 4S stutters especially on the multiplayer. He wasn't even on multiplayer...

(EDIT)Also http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuGF6oQ85Ko
Look at 2:01
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Thanks for showcasing my video, the games actually run very well on the iPad mini and that's speaking from experience and hands on use of the mini. The points you mentioned in the video are not issues to do with performance or game lag, these are simply the game loading the data in for the next stage, the same thing happens on my 3rd gen iPad and will likely happen on the 4th gen too. Actual gameplay when running the game is fine and for all the other games I've tested. Looking at all the videos comparing the Nexus 7 to the iPad mini there really is no contest, if you want stutter, lag and slowdown then the Nexus 7 has it in abundance for gaming.
 
Thanks to the OP for his thoughts....

I think it is telling that my fiancé said the other day that they would "sell" me his iPad 3 to get the iPad mini - "sell" is an inside joke on handing down old tech as one buys newer tech. LOL But this is the same person that declined my iPad 2 when the 3 was announced, so that I could get the iPad 3 instead.

For me the iPad mini would be a sideways move from my iPad 2 which does everything that I could ask for from a tablet computer. Performance should be identical. I like the mini form factor more though.

Hesitation on my part is that Apple may be taking a page from the digital camera market with 200 day updates over a 400 day update period to be freshest. 🙁 Retina display on a mini would be a no-brainier for me at least.
 
I'm a frequent flier, I dot have any problems with the ipad size. Even when the passenger in front reclines all the way.

pommie82 said:
shenan1982 said:
This comment makes no sense. It's absolutely the right size for movies. The average coach seat on an aircraft is a 6-8" screen, just like the iPad.

On a regional jet, the full size iPad\laptop is entirely unusable. The size of the mini makes it perfect for those like me who spend half our lives in airplane seats.

Yeah, in business\first, the full size would work, but the last thing I want to take on an international trip is something that would increase the size\weight of the carryon bag I need.

Sounds like the anti-mini responders in here are trying to justify their purchase. Who cares people? I have both, so can speak without bias 🙂[/QUOT

i just find the mini just a little bit small to be watching movies and i would prefer to be using a 9'7 inch iPad and take the full benefit of a bit of bigger screen if i am going to watch something for a long period of time
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
iPad mini is similar to iPhone 2007.

We all know apple crippled the iPhone 2007 (no GPS, no 3G).

What did apple do in 2008. Release same exact phone with 3G and GPS.

We all know apple crippled the ipad mini. No retina and 1/2 RAM.

Patience is virtue. Retina mini with real processor is coming. It may be 6 months. It may be 10 months. But it's coming. For the first time in a very long time. I am passing on the iPad mini. I returned my mini. And money isn't an issue with me either.

It's just I know how apple operates with "new products". Similar to iPad 1 with 1/2 the RAM in 2010. Notice how the iPad 2 has had a much longer life than iPad 1.

iPad 1 was new product. Almost like a test product.

iPad mini with outdated processor and 1/2 RAM as iPhone 5/ipad3/iPad 4.

I know the game. The iPad mini (2013 model) will have a longer life span than iPad mini version 1.
 
darngooddesign said:
Tzuten said:
I'm a frequent flier, I dot have any problems with the ipad size. Even when the passenger in front reclines all the way.

I just flew back from DC on a smaller plane and my iPad 2 was just fine.
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I think it about space for a drink and comfort.... For years I flew with viewing movies on the iPhone.... With the iPad iPad less space in coach for other things... Add to that there is more personal space with a smaller device I have found....
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aneftp said:
iPad mini is similar to iPhone 2007.

...

I know the game. The iPad mini (2013 model) will have a longer life span than iPad mini version 1.
Click to expand...

All I had to do was read the first and last sentence to know it was not worth reading the entire post.
 
kodeman53 said:
All I had to do was read the first and last sentence to know it was not worth reading the entire post.
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Having owned iPhone 1 to iPhone 6th gen. iPad 1 through iPad 4.

My thoughts are thoroughly explained. Apple needs to step up their game.

Just look at the iPad mini parody with Conan O'brien "Spend ur money" that makes fun of the iPad mini.

And I had the mini and returned it. So I am not like those who never have the product and complain about it. I own the products and give valid points.

The iPad 4 is worlds ahead of the iPad mini. People want it all these days. They want performance and portability.

The iPad mini just isn't there.
 
I don't like paying for old gen tech either that's the part that sucks about mini but form factor is great.

And what is the mini preventing you from accomplishing?

Of course next year will magically have an A6 dropped in it 🙄
 
Just played with the Mini at the Apple store for close to 30 minutes.. Loved the design, the weight, and the form factor.. Loved the one-handed use.. The device could easily fit into my coat pocket.

However, the Mini screen is a clear no-go for me. I had my iPad 3 for side by side comparison.. The text on the Mini looks washed out and pixelated.. This is especially visible with smaller fonts, where font crispness is the key. I do a lot of reading on my iPad, including engineering PDFs. There is just no way I can go back to washed out text.

People can convince themselves all they want that the Mini screen is "OK", I just don't buy it. Form factor is important, but the display is where the majority of interaction with the device takes place. I wanted to love the Mini, I really did.. But I am not about to go back to vastly inferior display. Not after using Retina iPad for about 9 months. Using my iPad 3 after using Mini is a relief to my eyes.

Here's to hoping Apple fixes the screen in the 2nd gen Mini, and we can finally have a perfect tablet. But this Mini is not for me.
 
How can someone complain about iPad 4 weight is something beyond my comprehension.
We are speaking about a tablet, not a mobile phone !
 
I'm trying very hard to only use my Mini when I'm out. I bought it to
carry around in my purse...however, I'm using it more than my ipad2
at home in my recliner.

Now, my ipad2 feels like a ton of bricks in comparison!!!

Long live THE MINI
 
I guess I drank too much retina kool-aid as well and overdosed, the mini went back and I do not miss it. Quite contrary oddly enough I miss the hefty feel of an iPad 3 in my hand, and the sight of the retina display. The mini, while it's form factor is nice, and nice to have, but I don't look forward to using it nearly as much as I do my iPad 3.

What's not acceptable to me may be acceptable to you, so definitely go take a look for yourself and you be the judge. To each their own. At the end of the day it's your money 🙂

Thanks for listening to my unwanted $0.02 😛
 
thadoggfather said:
Everybody is drinking something: either the kool aid or the hatorade 🙂
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No hatorade for me. I had to make a decision between the 4 and the Mini. I did what I felt was better for me over the long haul. I don't hate either and believe me the decision has not been easy and I bet not easy at least for some others as well. The Best Buy sale sealed my decision amongst other things.
 
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