Seriously, why is it so hard for some people to grasp that the "User Experience" they claim is the reason they love Apple products is more than the sum of technical specs. Some people won't settle for anything less than a retina display and the pricier chip to run it and the heavier battery to power it. They have the iPad 3/4. Others will have their user experience greatly enhanced by a thinner lighter device. The mini has a larger screen and yet is the thinnest tablet of it's kind. It's thinner than the iPhone 5! It's also the lightest while having the largest screen in it's class. And yet, it has all the capability of the full sized iPad 4. (hard core games, still to be determined). If the iPad 4 was priced at $329, I (and many others I'm sure) would still opt for the mini. I expect the mini to to give me my BEST overall user experience of any of the three iPads I've owned.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPad Mini - Stop Complaining About The Specs!
- Thread starter ghsDUDE
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Anybody else want to take a stab at explaining how Apple can get away with this marketing disparity?
In their iPad Mini video, they say specifically "you can still pick it up and easily use it with one hand." Easily. But according to their iPhone 5 campaign, one of the main talking points is that anything larger than a 4" smartphone is unusable with one hand. (Here's the vid: http://www.apple.com/ipad-mini/overview/#video-ipad-mini-features At around the 2:10 mark.)
So either the iPad Mini is easy to use one handed and therefore so are other smartphones, or nothing over 4" is easy to use with one hand in which case the video is a lie?
In their iPad Mini video, they say specifically "you can still pick it up and easily use it with one hand." Easily. But according to their iPhone 5 campaign, one of the main talking points is that anything larger than a 4" smartphone is unusable with one hand. (Here's the vid: http://www.apple.com/ipad-mini/overview/#video-ipad-mini-features At around the 2:10 mark.)
So either the iPad Mini is easy to use one handed and therefore so are other smartphones, or nothing over 4" is easy to use with one hand in which case the video is a lie?
I don't get the one hand thing. I use one hand to hold my old itouch and 1 hand to "tap" things. What's the big deal about 1 hand? Most people have 2 hands, and if your doing something where you only have 1 hand free, you probably shouldn't be texting, etc...
I get it, user experience is the key. You have people that swear streaming HD movies from Apple/Etc are superior to Blu Ray since its more convenient and that there is no difference in quality (to there eyes). If the consumer is happy and buys the product thats all that matters
What they meant was an iPad mini can be held easily with one hand and operated with the other. Watch the example uses in the video.
Watch the video. Ive specifically says "you can still pick it up and easily use it with one hand..." And there are moments where you see the person swiping with one hand. Earlier in the video, they make the distinction that you can hold it with one hand, but at the 2:10 mark, they're clearly talking about using it with one hand.
Going by that reasoning, any device can be used one handed. So one of the two marketing campaigns is a lie from Apple.
Either the iPad Mini can be used one handed (like it says in the video) and therefore so can other smaller smartphones, or nothing above the iPhone 5 screen size (like it says in the iPhone campaigns) can be used one handed in which case the iPad Mini video is a lie.
Did Apple flub this one?
----------
I agree. That's what a lot of people have been saying about larger screened smartphones for the past year or so.
Honestly, many of the talking points against larger screens/devices are usually non-issues, e.g. the impossibility of one hand use or the impossibility of pocketing the said device, etc.
Last edited:
I'll go ahead and point out - we have no idea what the technical specs are yet as no one has gotten their hands on an iPad mini.
Sure we "know" the mini has a 1024x768 resolution, but that's not all that makes a screen great or terrible. We also "know" that the A5 is under the hood - we have no idea where Apple clocked it at OR how much RAM is on board. And given Apple's track record of comparable performance using under clocked processors with less cores, I'd say let's hold off on the "mini bashing" until we actually get some benchmarks and hands-on reviews.
I find Amazon's "comparison" hilarious. I think a majority of the points have to do with the screen.
1024x768 vs 1280x800
163 ppi vs 216 ppi
SD vs HD (even though this one isn't really wholly true)
However - the Fire HD has a better looking screen than the N7 (imo, I've played with both of them) and they both have a 1280x800 resolution. The iPhone 5 has a better screen (and arguably the best on the market) than the iPhone 4S yet they both have the same ppi. Resolution and ppi do not a quality display make.
Hell - you wanna go by screen res/ppi? The Surface is DOA....RT has a 1366x768 10.6" display - that's about 115 ppi (avg). The Surface Pro will have roughly the same ppi as the iPad mini (and cost 2.5 times more).
All these "specs" mean very little.
----------
Simple - its marketing fluff....every company does it to promote their products. How about instead of going by what a company tells you about their products, you go by what you like and think about the products.
Not a company out there (at least any successful company) is going to tell you "Meh the other guys are doing the better job so we're going to do the same type of thing". They'll tell you THEIR device is amazing, the next big thing, innovative and whatnot. I don't choose Apple because Ive recites some marketing BS - I buy Apple because I prefer most everything about their products. But I also recognize there are people who don't - who prefer another company's products. And that's totally fine!
The people I have a problem with are the ones who feel the need to tell me what my iPhone/iPad/Mac can't do or tell me I'm some blind follower who would buy a turd wrapped in tinfoil if Apple put their logo on it - generally I assume this is based out of insecurity in one's own choice, but who am I to judge. I don't go around bashing Samsung's INCREDIBLY unrealistic commercials depicting how their S-beam and NFC features work (I just bash the commercial in the privacy of my own home). Its all marketing nonsense - gotta learn to wade through the BS.
Sure we "know" the mini has a 1024x768 resolution, but that's not all that makes a screen great or terrible. We also "know" that the A5 is under the hood - we have no idea where Apple clocked it at OR how much RAM is on board. And given Apple's track record of comparable performance using under clocked processors with less cores, I'd say let's hold off on the "mini bashing" until we actually get some benchmarks and hands-on reviews.
I find Amazon's "comparison" hilarious. I think a majority of the points have to do with the screen.
1024x768 vs 1280x800
163 ppi vs 216 ppi
SD vs HD (even though this one isn't really wholly true)
However - the Fire HD has a better looking screen than the N7 (imo, I've played with both of them) and they both have a 1280x800 resolution. The iPhone 5 has a better screen (and arguably the best on the market) than the iPhone 4S yet they both have the same ppi. Resolution and ppi do not a quality display make.
Hell - you wanna go by screen res/ppi? The Surface is DOA....RT has a 1366x768 10.6" display - that's about 115 ppi (avg). The Surface Pro will have roughly the same ppi as the iPad mini (and cost 2.5 times more).
All these "specs" mean very little.
----------
Simple - its marketing fluff....every company does it to promote their products. How about instead of going by what a company tells you about their products, you go by what you like and think about the products.
Not a company out there (at least any successful company) is going to tell you "Meh the other guys are doing the better job so we're going to do the same type of thing". They'll tell you THEIR device is amazing, the next big thing, innovative and whatnot. I don't choose Apple because Ive recites some marketing BS - I buy Apple because I prefer most everything about their products. But I also recognize there are people who don't - who prefer another company's products. And that's totally fine!
The people I have a problem with are the ones who feel the need to tell me what my iPhone/iPad/Mac can't do or tell me I'm some blind follower who would buy a turd wrapped in tinfoil if Apple put their logo on it - generally I assume this is based out of insecurity in one's own choice, but who am I to judge. I don't go around bashing Samsung's INCREDIBLY unrealistic commercials depicting how their S-beam and NFC features work (I just bash the commercial in the privacy of my own home). Its all marketing nonsense - gotta learn to wade through the BS.
This I agree with. Apple, like almost every company out there, know they can release this iPad Mini now and within 12 months release a "better" one and every user out there will get the newest Mini forsaking their original. It's simple business. Look how many people buy the newest iPhone, and they're coming out almost every year so you know many of these people aren't due for their 2 year upgrade. I'm not faulting Apple, but just saying they do what most every company does
Nexus just announced updated N7 pricing.
16 gig wifi - $199
32 gig wifi - $249
32 gig 3G/HSPA+ - $299
Wait a second...3G/HSPA and not LTE??? Time for everyone to flip flop and say that specs are important again!!
Seriously though, I'm taking a long look at both....the N7 is looking more and more appealing...
16 gig wifi - $199
32 gig wifi - $249
32 gig 3G/HSPA+ - $299
Wait a second...3G/HSPA and not LTE??? Time for everyone to flip flop and say that specs are important again!!
Seriously though, I'm taking a long look at both....the N7 is looking more and more appealing...