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iPad iPad Retina Mini and iPad Air the same price: which do you choose?

Well

  • air, no brainer

    Votes: 44 39.3%

  • Mini retina, no brainer

    Votes: 23 20.5%

  • Air, but tough choice

    Votes: 17 15.2%

  • Mini retina, tough choice

    Votes: 28 25.0%
  • Total voters
    112
M

Misskitty

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 18, 2010
448
2
Cause it will be this weekend (for cdns at least), where target is giving $100 gift cards with purhcase of ipad air. Use that gift card on other stuff you need and you pretty much see the deal (at least i do) as $100 savings on the ipad. I just see more value that way, when you view it as getting $100 off the air vs $100 worth of toilet paper and misc household items.

Jist curious which you would choose and why.

Lets say both of these were the same price everyday, which do you think sells better?

I dont know targets exact pricing on the air, but this deal might actually turn out to be where the air is $20 cheaper than the rmini.
 
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Making them the same price makes the decision more difficult...but for me it still comes down to the portability factor. I have owned every iPad model aside from the 4th gen, but my favorite was the mini. After the Air was announced, I found myself mesmorised by the Air and that gorgeous screen. Much more than the rMini. So I finally brought one home. Within one night of fitting it into my life, I quickly realized it was far too big for me. The very next day I went back and exchanged it for my rMini. I do miss the vibrant screen on that thing, but for me the mini is the perfect size.
 
The Ipad is a device I use for hours every day. As such, the difference in price between the models you mention isn't very important to me; for something I use that much, I want to choose the device that suits my needs and preferences most closely.

In my case that's the retina mini. The additional portability is, for me, much more important than what are for me the minor advantages of a larger screen (and the gamut, given my use and preferences, is almost a non-issue). I've written why in more detail in numerous other threads. I would choose the retina mini if it were more expensive than the Air.

And I don't see the point of a poll. Undoubtedly, the Air is a better choice for some other people. Perhaps it's a better choice for most other people. That has nothing to do with what's the best choice for me.
 
The rMini, its a no brainer :D The gorgeous screen, and the smaller form factor makes its a winner for me.
 
Another one for mini no brainer. One day with the mini has made me realise I don't want to go back to a full iPad again.
 
They pretty much are the same price in the UK. I chose the rMini because of it's form factor. Money isn't an issue.
 
i was a bit jealous of the mini form factor when i had the older iPad. but once the air came out it was a winner and it really feels no heavier than the mini retina.
 
The Air. It is even a better value to me at the same price but I bought it over the rMini regardless.
 
navas said:
I choose the ipad air because 10-inch is realy better for games, book and surf it's more confortable and not so cumbersome
Click to expand...

Funnily enough, that's my exact rationale for the ipad mini with retina. The size and shape are more like a normal book or kindle so it's great for reading. It's much easier to control games that rely on tilting with the mini. I'm not sure why you would find the mini MORE cumbersome and LESS comfortable than the air. It's lighter and smaller. I give the nod to the air for web surfing however.

To put thing in perspective, I went ipad 1 -> ipad 2 -> ipad 3 (with retina) -> ipad mini -> ipad mini with retina.

Even though the iPad mini was underpowered and lacked retina, it was still my favorite iPad I had owned at that point and worth the compromise.

The iPad mini with retina is just perfection for me.
 
Mini retina, no brainer
I have and love both. The portability of the retina Mini and it's gorgeous screen make it my choice. If I could have only one, it would be the retina Mini.
 
Air for me without hesitation. The screen size works better in my device lineup and the extra screen real estate is much preferred for web browsing.
 
I'd go for the mini retina, I love the form factor.
Air is ok if you use the iPad only at home, if you're travelling a lot Mini is the best choice
 
I wonder if there is really a price difference for Apple to manufacture the iPad Air over the rMini. They use the same technologies and the different amount of materials used is negotiable. I can also imagine some of the rMini components being slightly more expensive.
 
If I can only choose one, I'd go for the Air. The bigger size is useful for more comfortable reading of fine print without zooming and showing stuff to other people with less than perfect eyesight. It also makes for more comfortable typing in landscape mode.

That said, I prefer the size and weight of the rMini for recreational reading.
 
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It all boils down to needs. If portability is important then the rMini is the best choice. If it's not important and you prefer and value screen real estate more then the Air is the best choice.
 
Mini Retina, provided all other specs other than screen size are the same.

I'm a small screen guy I guess. It's infinitely more portable and more comfortable to hold, and I can fit it in my pocket. I find it way easier to read on as well (and I have poor eyesight and require glasses for everything). After having my mini for so long the Air feels so stretched and I hate how big fonts look on it. Mini for life!
 
Rodster said:
It all boils down to needs. If portability is important then the rMini is the best choice. If it's not important and you prefer and value screen real estate more then the Air is the best choice.
Click to expand...

And it's not like the Air is an immovable brick. It's plenty portable, especially if you carry a bag anyway. For example, I have to carry papers with me back and forth to work, so I'm always carrying a bag big enough to fit the Air. Adding the Air to my bag doesn't add that much weight. I almost always bring my Air with me wherever I go.
 
iPad Mini. No question.

It just has the perfect form factor, size and weight. I've tried out the Air as well as the older iPads back in the day. The Mini is the only one that I've ever found good enough to keep.
 
Since I'm taking it to work daily portability was a priority so I went mini retina.
Love this little thing! (Coming from ipad2)
 
apolloa said:
Colour gamut issue? What colour gamut issue?
Click to expand...

As others have mentioned in other posts. It's not until you compare the colors to the Air will you see a difference. I have an Air and tried both the Mini and rMini and I could see a slight difference in the colors.

apolloa said:
their is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING wrong with the Mini Retina's screen... it is gorgeous...... :D
Click to expand...

There's nothing wrong with the rMini screen until you compare it with a Galaxy Tab S. ;)
 
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