iPad Mini Display Judged 'Very Capable', But Falls Short of iPad and Android Competitors

[Mr. Gates]

I just came here to watch all the fanatics try to rationalize their unwise purchase.

It's really quite funny.

Bottom line, the iPad Mini is an overpriced piece of crap with a flawed OS and a crappy screen.

Nexus 7 is the best 7" tablet on the market. You just can't get around that unless you start making up stuff.

 

[sportsfan]

I wish the reviewers would just give up about the screen....EVERYONE should know what apple would do with the screen to maintain compatibility with the apps. Saying apple made a bad decision because of that is not intelligent.

 

[chrisbru]

I own am iPad 2 and have compared the screens side-by-side. The mini does not have a better screen. And why are you waiting for November 26th to get it. I bet you can get one much sooner by walking into an Apple Store.

What? The screen on the mini is definitely better than the iPad 2. You may not like the size compared to the iPad 2, but the quality of the screen is definitely higher.

 

[Rockoar]

Article does not acclaim Apple as absolute winner?

KILL IT WITH FIRE.

Truer words have not been spoken. The objectivity of people in this forum is a joke. If the iPad mini display resulted to be better than those of the competition everyone would be making a big deal out of it...

 

[0029937]

as i had already said. I OWN the ipad mini and ipad2. Why would I have to go back to anything?

You mentioned you thought the Mini felt cheaper than the iPad 2/3/4. I think lightness=luxury. Only has the iPhone 5 and iPad Mini made me start to think like this though. Different people, different opinions, it's cool. I was trying to imply after using the Mini I personally wouldn't care much to go back to my iPad 2 unless I was in bed laying down. Anywhere else where I have to hold the device the Mini just feels so spectacular (in my opinion).

 

[chrisbru]

So hold. Android tablets suck because they didn't have retina. iPad mini doesn't have it. It's not practical? Logic?

No, Android tablets suck because they generally have 7" 16:9 screens, which is much less screen space than a 7.9" 4:3 screen, and they run Android in stead of iOS.

At least that's my opinion, and probably several other iPad Mini owners' as well.

 

[0029937]

I just came here to watch all the fanatics try to rationalize their unwise purchase.

It's really quite funny.

Bottom line, the iPad Mini is an overpriced piece of crap with a flawed OS and a crappy screen.

Nexus 7 is the best 7" tablet on the market. You just can't get around that unless you start making up stuff.

I asked before and no one bothered to answer, maybe you will now. Is the 16:10 or 16:9 as awkward to use as the pictures I've see online? I have never held one so I don't know. I'm honestly curious. I am so used to the 4:3 from the iPad and I love holding in in portrait so I assumed it would be really weird to go to such a longer display. 4:3 seems so natural.

 

[linkgx1]

No, Android tablets suck because they generally have 7" 16:9 screens, which is much less screen space than a 7.9" 4:3 screen, and they run Android in stead of iOS.

At least that's my opinion, and probably several other iPad Mini owners' as well.

Ironically people must hate the iPhone 5 because its 16:9

----------

I asked before and no one bothered to answer, maybe you will now. Is the 16:10 or 16:9 as awkward to use as the pictures I've see online? I have never held one so I don't know. I'm honestly curious. I am so used to the 4:3 from the iPad and I love holding in in portrait so I assumed it would be really weird to go to such a longer display. 4:3 seems so natural.

16:9 can work well if the apps and is support it well. Takes time. I hated widescreen monitors for a bit.
I think the biggest issue with 16:9 is that technically the screen is smaller. Ever seen a 27" CRT vs a 27" LCD monitor?

 

[cmichaelb]

Apple sells iPhones to carriers. They count those as "sold". If you mean the number of devices in consumer hands, no one uses exact figures.

Also, you seem to have bought into the belief that hapless vendors buy crate loads of Android devices and leave them sitting around in warehouses, as opposed to buying based on demand. They buy based on demand.

I have to correct you on this. I have not bought into anything. I work in logistics and have run a warehouse/distribution center. You put minimum orders on vendors all the time to clear stock and let it sit on their shelves or in their warehouses to redistribute through their own channels.

 

[AppleInTheMud]

The colors underneath totally blur out?

Looks and feels so cheap?

Bizarre post!

Youre just beeing a fanboy. The screen is soooo thin. Touch it and you can see the images underneath your finger is affected a lot !

So if you dont know anything dont say anything.

----------

Did you get a knock off?

Do you smoke weed ? I have the real deal... Eventhough it's surreal the quality is so cheap

----------

Not sure what you're talking about - I never experienced the color blurring out when I played with the mini both at BBY and the Apple store near me.

My and the one at the store did this...

 

[iChrist]

um, you folks need to get over yourselves. I bought one this weekend as i needed to replace my 2nd gen ipod. As someone who doesn't have an iphone (gasp), it's a great way to take advantage of the iOS world. When you hold it at a proper distance and you aren't looking at a retina screen directly next to it, it provides a great experience in a nice, extremely light size.

If you squint when comparing ipad mini screen to a retina screen, they also look the same.

 

[linkgx1]

I must also add that when working with a reg desktop I prefer the programs to be in 4:3

 

[Want300]

This entire argument is bs... Amazon, Google, Samsung, Apple, who care's if it's a giant game of "copy". Competing car companies long ago didn't give each other s*#t because another company put 4 wheels on their vehicle just like they did. Give me a break

That is my point exactly... Yet thats the #1 argument with Apple and their decision to release the iPad mini....

 

[agadosz]

Do I love Retina displays from big brother and iPhone 5? Yes. However, I love the Mini and think the screen resolution is a trade off I'm willing to accept right now. Otherwise, I don't notice any other issues with the screen.

I will however sell and repurchase the iPad Mini Gen 2 with Retina next year.

as much as i see the 'please consider the environment before printing this email' quote, i'd like that everybody thinks the same before purchasing any new product. is updating your iPad every 6 months really necessary? of course, you can always re-sell / donate / whatever your previous one, but that will not justify the fact that another not fully recyclable thing was put on earth. i love apple and i'm trying to use their products as long as they are able to keep up with current software. of course that span is always shortening, but still, i believe it's longer than 6 months.

 

[iChrist]

Have you even used it? It certainly doesn't sound like it.

First of all, it is not actually washed out (a color gamut of 62% is actually not bad....low perhaps coming from someone who is in the industry a little disappointing, but still quite usable).

Second of all, the contrast is only noticeable in high ambient light areas, not in typical use cases. This also doesn't constitute "washed out".

As for "fuzzy"....have you ever used an iPad2? It certainly is not fuzzy and the mini has a higher (this means sharper) pixel density than the iPad2.

And last of all, "Tiny"....this is larger than the Kindle fire and Nexus 7....unless you think of those as really tiny....then the iPad mini is really not that small.

Aside from your comments...there are several reasons to buy one (not for everyone, of course, but these apply for many):

1) Lower weight: My wife really could use this as her hand hurts while holding the iPad2 right now while reading in bed.

2) Easier to carry around (fits more places and is even more portable).

3) Has the full iOS ecosystem available. I know this is not for everyone, but for me this is important as is works with all my current apps, iPads, and iPhones in the family and I do not have to reinvest.

4) Works good enough for what a lot of us need it to do.

Yes, good enough. I agree with this. All tablets are "good enough".

Yes I used one, and YES the iPad 2 screen is fuzzy, just like the iPad mini screen. It is like looking through a dirty window compared to Retina iPad (with Samsung screen).

 

[Want300]

Yes, good enough. I agree with this. All tablets are "good enough".

Yes I used one, and YES the iPad 2 screen is fuzzy, just like the iPad mini screen. It is like looking through a dirty window compared to Retina iPad (with Samsung screen).

How close do you hold it to your face? (Serious question)

Cuz, yea its fuzzy if I stare at it close to my face and over analyze it... but it normal use. it is just fine.

 

[chrisbru]

Ironically people must hate the iPhone 5 because its 16:9

16:9 can work well if the apps and is support it well. Takes time. I hated widescreen monitors for a bit.
I think the biggest issue with 16:9 is that technically the screen is smaller. Ever seen a 27" CRT vs a 27" LCD monitor?

Except that a phone and a tablet are different devices with different purposes... And I didn't say that people HATE Androids because of the screen size, but rather the screen size with the aspect ratio isn't enough screen space to be a useful tablet IMO.

16:9 would be fine for an iPad Mini, too, I assume... But the screen would have to be longer.

You finally nailed it on the last sentence of your post.

 

[apolloa]

The iPad Mini is a mess, but to read that the screen is lower quality then the Nexus 7! Wow.

The full size iPad is awesome for that class of tablet. The iPad Mini is an obvious reaction to the market, but Apple cannot price it properly, due to it's ipod Touch pricing, and it failed with the product. It should have given it a retina screen and an A6 SOC. They could have charged a bit more then even and got away with it.

But that's just my view, full iPad winner, iPad Mini fail.

 

[gnasher729]

The consensus seems to be that Apple made too many compromises in making the Mini, while not pricing it competitively enough. May not make as much of an impact on small tablet sales as they were expecting. This is the most rapidly growing segment of the tablet market, and Apple may have to react quickly to avoid being on the outside looking in. Great news for Google and the Nexus, though, as their market share should continue to steadily increase.

What consensus? There are people talking about tablets and looking at specs, and then there are people who look at the iPad Mini, and they just want one. (And of course a large number of people who want a large tablet, 10" and not 8").

 

[kas23]

I just came here to watch all the fanatics try to rationalize their unwise purchase.

It's really quite funny.

Bottom line, the iPad Mini is an overpriced piece of crap with a flawed OS and a crappy screen.

Nexus 7 is the best 7" tablet on the market. You just can't get around that unless you start making up stuff.

Serious question; where does one have to go to see a Nexus 7? I have been to Best Buy, Best Buy Mobile, RadioShack, and AT&T. None of them have a Nexus 7 on display. How are they expecting to sell any when no body had them? I only bring this up because the mini has piqued my curiosity.

 

[apolloa]

The consensus seems to be that Apple made too many compromises in making the Mini, while not pricing it competitively enough. May not make as much of an impact on small tablet sales as they were expecting. This is the most rapidly growing segment of the tablet market, and Apple may have to react quickly to avoid being on the outside looking in. Great news for Google and the Nexus, though, as their market share should continue to steadily increase.

I totally agree with this. Apple screwed up. Sure the device will sell, but, they cannot compete with the Fire HD and the Nexus 7. Because it's lower specified then these products and more expensive, sure it has the OS and eco system, but Android has gathered a LOT of favouritism with tech journalists and the public.

As I said, Apple should have built a device with say a 7.6" screen, so you can actually hold it with one hand, put in a retina screen and an A6 SOC, then charged more for it then they should have and increased the quality.
iFixit gave the iPad Mini a repairability score of 2 out of 10 mainly because the entire thing is nearly entirely glued together! So again it's a throw away device once the battery dies.

 

[gnasher729]

Do I detect more of the Microsoft negative spin machine at work here? Every time Apple launches a new product, a cadre of negative critics appears from out of nowhere to rubbish it.

Absolutely not. It's not Microsoft.

"The consensus" meaning tech writers.

I'm going to wait for the holiday season's quarter report before I come to any conclusions.

This is the same crowd who thought the iPod Mini wouldn't succeed, after all.

So if we get 100 tech writers, then a quarter of them buy a Kindle Fire and some Android tablet, the rest doesn't buy an iPad or iPad Mini to avoid losing face. On the other hand, among 100 tech writers' wives, 95 buy the iPad mini, and among tech writers children, most get an iPad Mini for Christmas, while the rest end up in tears and hate their dad.

 

[0029937]

So again it's a throw away device once the battery dies.

I have never heard of a iPhone or iPad battery die. If you have I'm sure it's a less than 1% of people with that problem.

 

[cycomiko]

You mentioned you thought the Mini felt cheaper than the iPad 2/3/4. I think lightness=luxury. Only has the iPhone 5 and iPad Mini made me start to think like this though. Different people, different opinions, it's cool. I was trying to imply after using the Mini I personally wouldn't care much to go back to my iPad 2 unless I was in bed laying down. Anywhere else where I have to hold the device the Mini just feels so spectacular (in my opinion).

Where as I believe something with substance means luxury. I cna buy a 100$ android tablet that is lighter than an ipad2, but does not make it luxury.

 

[0029937]

I totally agree with this. Apple screwed up. Sure the device will sell, but, they cannot compete with the Fire HD and the Nexus 7. Because it's lower specified then these products and more expensive, sure it has the OS and eco system, but Android has gathered a LOT of favouritism with tech journalists and the public.

As I said, Apple should have built a device with say a 7.6" screen, so you can actually hold it with one hand, put in a retina screen and an A6 SOC, then charged more for it then they should have and increased the quality.
iFixit gave the iPad Mini a repairability score of 2 out of 10 mainly because the entire thing is nearly entirely glued together! So again it's a throw away device once the battery dies.

Aren't we just comparing a 3 series BMW entry model to a fully loaded mid-size sedan from Ford? I always loved when people do these car comparisons. Apple didn't screw up just like BMW didn't screw up to offer "luxury" base model when the competition has better "specs(options)" for cheaper.

----------

Where as I believe something with substance means luxury. I cna buy a 100$ android tablet that is lighter than an ipad2, but does not make it luxury.

Weight is not the only important thing (obviously). The finish of the device matters a lot which just kills your 100$ android tablet argument. I like metal/glass>plastic. Can we just agree it's AWESOME to have options where I can have my mini and you can have your 10" tablet and we can BOTH be happy? Sweet