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I think this is going to be an Apple product that I'll actually need to see in person before making a decision. I'd rather just wait for a retina model, but if it looks good enough, I might buy. I have an iPad 2 currently, and I really wanted to upgrade to a retina display, but at the same time, I hate that the new generation iPads are actually heavier and thicker. I still feel even like the iPad 2 is too heavy to hold for long periods (maybe not "heavy" but more "awkward"), so I know I wouldn't be completely satisfied with an iPad 3 or 4.

Then again, maybe I just say eff it and keep my iPad 2 for another year :)
 
I "downgraded" (sold my 32GB iPad 3) for a 32GB Mini.

I would surf the web, play games, or type assignments on my iPad 3...and sure, I loved the resolution...but a lot of Apps weren't Retina.

I hope going to this resolution doesn't bother me. Looking at an iPad 2 I can definitely tell the difference and I don't like it...but answer me this...is the iPad Mini's resolution/screen better than the iPad 2/iPhone 3GS?

I keep seeing people say it's screen is like a 3GS and I don't/can't really believe it.

Not a downgrade at all. It's a new iPad and an idea finally put into implementation after much speculation. Sold my 16 GB 3rd-gen for this, as well. Don't worry about the resolution difference that much. Folks invited to the special event's hands-on area sum up the display as something along the lines of... the Mini screen looks night and day better than the iPad 2, but obviously not as razor sharp as the iPad 3/4. Keep in mind, these are newer displays and don't feature the layered glass screen on digitizer approach that the iPad 2 and iPhone 3GS had... so with the better lamination and display quality, you can expect even better colors than the 3G / 3GS screen, despite the similar PPI figure. So essentially, it'll look better than both the iPad 2 and the 3GS overall. And besides... iPhone iOS and iPad iOS are different, so with the larger text sizes on iPad, the screen will show the texts crisper than it did on the 3GS (which had smaller text proportions as a 3.5" smartphone display).

Dont forget you'll use an iPad a bit further away from your eyes so it might not seem as bad as the 3GS when using it.

This. Yes, indeed.

Really? I cringed even at the iPod nano I looked at in store and wiki says it's 220 ppi. I actually thought it was much lower based on how bad the font looked.

This is different altogether. The nano screen is tiny. The font will look bad because the text is minuscule and uses less pixels for visualization, even at 220 ppi. The Mini will look more pleasant to the eye because of larger texts. And for that other stuff? You can zoom in, I suppose. Not possible on the limited nano OS.
 
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It's amusing how 6 months and a new product changes the collective mantra around here...when the "new" iPad was released it was all about how if it ain't retina, it ain't ****...overnight my iPad 2 turned into an unreadable, fuzzy, blurry, pixelated piece of crap, at least according to the vocal collect wisdom around here...

Now, half a year later, we have the iPad Mini with its decidedly non-retina display...funny and right on cue, how everyone (ok slight exaggeration) is tripping over themselves to explain/justify/hope/pray how, well, you know, non-retina isn't that bad...
 
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This is different altogether. The nano screen is tiny. The font will look bad because the text is minuscule and uses less pixels for visualization, even at 220 ppi. The Mini will look more pleasant to the eye because of larger texts. And for that other stuff? You can zoom in, I suppose. Not possible on the limited nano OS.

well that is good to know. I don't really understand the technical part of all this.. I just know that in store the iPod nano screen looked really crappy to me.
 
Because you are comparing Apples to oranges.

That's not going to cut it. The facts say that they will look the same so far as sharpness goes. If you can see the pixels on an iPhone 3gs, you'll be able to see them on the Mini.
 
Because you are comparing Apples to oranges.

Disagree. Yeah you hold the iPad mini a bit further away, but I wouldn't go so far as to say apples to oranges. the 163 PPI of the 3GS is the best we have to compare it to at the moment.
 
I am too, which is why I got a Kindle Paperwhite. The difference for long reading is night and day. I can't read a book on my iPad. My eyes get tired after a short while. Not to mention I jump onto macrumors or launch a game after a while. The PW lets me focus on reading for longer periods of time. But that's me. :D

+1

I love my Paperwhite, too! I prefer that for reading over my iPad 3.
 
The iPad mini has a IPS display.

The 3GS/3G/2G did not. BIG difference.

Even the iPad 2 with its 132 dpi looked better than 3GS thanks to the IPS technology...
 
So how will the new improved iPhone5's display quality compare with the iPad Mini? I could certainly live with the iPad Mini's display if it turns out that it looks as good as the iPhone 5.
 
So how will the new improved iPhone5's display quality compare with the iPad Mini? I could certainly live with the iPad Mini's display if it turns out that it looks as good as the iPhone 5.

iPhone 5 has a significantly higher ppi. Almost double? More than double? the quality is going to be much better on the iPhone 5 in terms of sharp image quality.
 
ITS $329, This isnt like buying a new car. If you use for a whole year its like $27 a month. IF they release a retina or something better next year...just give this as a gift and get another one.
I dont hear people crying this much about buying an xbox or a PS vita.
If an iphone is at least $700 without contract, this is a steal.
stop the crying.
 
The iPad mini has a IPS display.

The 3GS/3G/2G did not. BIG difference.

Even the iPad 2 with its 132 dpi looked better than 3GS thanks to the IPS technology...

This, shouldn't this be the big difference. Didn't the 3G have a tn screen or something like that. I'm not sure
 
Well would you rather use an IPS monitor with 163ppi or an old school CRT with 163ppi?

The 3gs screen was still excellent when measured against everything else available at the time of launch. It had reasonable colors and viewing angles. Yes, the Mini, just like my iPad 1, is better in other ways. Even so, I still see the pixels in my iPad every time I pick it up.
 
Dont forget you'll use an iPad a bit further away from your eyes so it might not seem as bad as the 3GS when using it.

Exactly my thoughts, i was really amazed at first glimpse of video on a 4s screen when holding it up to my nose!
 
Well would you rather use an IPS monitor with 163ppi or an old school CRT with 163ppi?

For color accurate, black levels, and response rate, the CRT.

For energy usage & footprint, the IPS LCD.

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I know everyone is saying why doesn't the Mini have Retina...but I don't think it's a problem.

I think people feel as if they're going from an iPad 3 to and iPad2. When in all reality the iPad Mini has a better PPI. 163 in the Mini vs 132 in the iPad 2.

The iPad 3 has an amazing display. Very noticeable different between the iPad 3 and iPad 2.

However, I'm using a 24" 1080p LCD monitor with is about a 92 ppi and I don't have a problem with it.
 
So basically all I'm asking is...does the iPad Mini have a better display than the iPad 2? Will you notice less pixels on the Mini compared to the pixels I can notice (if I really look) on the iPad 2.

So from best to worse iPad 3/4 > iPad Mini > iPad 2

Can someone answer this?
 
Can someone answer this?

Some people here have X ray vision and can tell the difference between 161 and 162 ppi. For these exceptionally gifted human beings, the display is not better.

I suspect that for the rest of use mere mortals, the Mini screen will look gorgeous and better than the iPad 2.

So "someone" can answer your question, but the answer will depend on their visual acuity and superhuman perception capabilities.
 
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