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But it is faster, only a tiny bit though.

1.4 ghz vs 1.3 ghz

i know the specs i have a mini and an air.

you wouldn't be able to tell a difference....

what do you think that .1 ghz really affects? everything else is the same.
 
When could we expect the refurbed Airs to show up on the Apple store ?

The only reason to buy a refurb is you get the 14 day no questions asked return. Otherwise there is plenty of retailers and on line stores that have discounts. Not just iPads too. Easy to get 10% or more discount. Although they say refurbs are checked I don't believe that they are as pedantic as what some people send back for, so most likely you are getting someone else's problems. I prefer a product that has not been used for 2 weeks then returned for any reason.
 
I have a ipad 3 and I am completely sold on the rMini. Now I just need to get a buyer completely sold on my iPad 3!
 
Why bother getting a mini when they keep making phones bigger and bigger. Even the iPhone 6 is rumored to be 5.5 inches.

I guess I'll finally go for a hands-free setup even in my living room if the alternative someday is holding a 27-inch "phone" to my ear. ;)

Meanwhile I can't decide whether to upgrade my mini or get the iPad Air. I promised my old mini to a kid in the neighborhood but that doesn't mean I'm necessarily going to get another mini. Still, I think I would miss it because I can't tote an iPad in a regular size handbag. Talk about first world problems... I'm embarrassed to spend all this much time dithering over it.
 
Why bother getting a mini when they keep making phones bigger and bigger. Even the iPhone 6 is rumored to be 5.5 inches.

When Apple comes out with an iPhone with a 7.9 inch screen in a 4:3 aspect ratio, then I'll consider it. :)
 
We're lucky enough to have both in our house and I think it's just a matter of personal preference. I like my mini but my husband swears by his air.
 
Switched from iPad2 to iPad mini. Not looking back.Mini was the way to go, since portability was one of the top priorities. The mini fits perfectly in my pocket at work. Sure, reading is more comfortable on an Air, but after using the mini for 2 months, that thing just looks too bulky to me.
 
The Air would be way to big for me. I much prefer the retina mini! It depends on your preferences. I got a rMBP for the big stuff.
 
The only reason to buy a refurb is you get the 14 day no questions asked return. Otherwise there is plenty of retailers and on line stores that have discounts. Not just iPads too. Easy to get 10% or more discount. Although they say refurbs are checked I don't believe that they are as pedantic as what some people send back for, so most likely you are getting someone else's problems. I prefer a product that has not been used for 2 weeks then returned for any reason.

Not sure that's accurate about refurbs. They can't claim they've replaced items and not do it. Why would they risk that? And, the fact that they give refurbs a full one year warranty does say they are as confident of them as a new device which also has a one year warranty.

The two refurbs I've purchased have been excellent and indistinguishable from new. Just saying.
 
I just recently went from an iPad 2 to a retina Mini. Love the Mini, including its size. True, it won't fit into most standard pockets as will my iPod Touch, but the reduction in size relative to the iPad 2 makes it much more portable and useable. I'm using its GPS function a lot for measuring and mapping distance and elevation gain while hiking. It slides easily into a sleeve on my pack. I did have concerns during the purchase process about the screen being large enough to easily read websites, newspapers, etc. But concern was unfounded. The screen size is perfectly adequate, even for my 71 year old eyes that need glasses. Did spend some time comparing the Mini and Air screens in the Apple Store to see if all the hoopla about gamut, missing pixels, etc. was relevant to me - it wasn't. And the screen on the one I got has no noticeable defects or shortcomings.

Bottom line for me is that the Mini was absolutely the right choice. If I needed to replace it I would get another Mini without even considering the Air.
 
This January I was in a dilemma which iPad to keep (get).

I wanted a tablet to mainly use at home, on the couch and on bed, and in my office. When traveling my iPhone is more than sufficient and I don't use an iPad.
I got the Mini and while I loved the smaller size (it's a great gadget), I hated the screen, which is vastly inferior to the iPad Air's display. Another thing that disturbed me is that the interface on some occasions isn't optimized for such a small screen. Some apps also had small text, and in Safari I had to zoom in much more often than on my Air.
Because of all these reasons I sold it and got an iPad Air again. Of course I prefer the lighter mini, and typing is also easier on the mini, but for my usage scenario is the better device. I understand though why someone would prefer a Mini.
Steve Jobs was right though. The smaller screen does change the user experience to the worse. Some people don't care though...
 
I wish Apple came out with a tablet size in between the mini and Air, that still retained the 4:3 screen format for web browsing.
 
This January I was in a dilemma which iPad to keep (get).

I wanted a tablet to mainly use at home, on the couch and on bed, and in my office. When traveling my iPhone is more than sufficient and I don't use an iPad.
I got the Mini and while I loved the smaller size (it's a great gadget), I hated the screen, which is vastly inferior to the iPad Air's display. Another thing that disturbed me is that the interface on some occasions isn't optimized for such a small screen. Some apps also had small text, and in Safari I had to zoom in much more often than on my Air.
Because of all these reasons I sold it and got an iPad Air again. Of course I prefer the lighter mini, and typing is also easier on the mini, but for my usage scenario is the better device. I understand though why someone would prefer a Mini.
Steve Jobs was right though. The smaller screen does change the user experience to the worse. Some people don't care though...

At least you stated reasons why you feel the Air is superior. To me, the Mini wins with price and portability only. There were enough threads Air versus Rmini earlier on and professional reviews.

A preference does not equate to something being better. People prefer a Corolla over a Camry, does not make the Corolla better.

People don't care as you stated. That's fine, Apple made two devices for people to choose from so ....
 
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@ Petvas

Steve Jobbs said this in a time of non Retina screens. My "Mini with Retina Display" does the same as my "new iPad" did before without drawbacks.
 
Steve Jobbs said this in a time of non Retina screens. My "Mini with Retina Display" does the same as my "new iPad" did before without drawbacks.


What does retina have anything to do with it? Retina displays just double the resolution. User interface elements are exactly as small as on non retina screens.
 
Its because Jobs didn't complain about user interface but experience while surfing and reading. That changed with the higher resolution display. Do you think 18% (rounded) bigger buttons make them easier to hit? Most certainly yes - but will this change user experience that much that you can say small screens are inferior? No.
 
Its because Jobs didn't complain about user interface but experience while surfing and reading. That changed with the higher resolution display. Do you think 18% (rounded) bigger buttons make them easier to hit? Most certainly yes - but will this change user experience that much that you can say small screens are inferior? No.


No. The screen is inferior because of its lower gamut. Size has nothing to do with quality.
Surfing the Internet isn't as enjoyable on the Mini as it is on the Air. I used it and while it was certainly not bad, text was many times very small and I had to double tap very often to be able to read the text correctly. This is of course a non issue for many people who appreciate the smaller size, but for me it was annoying. I understand Steve's opinion and I believe he was right.
 
The mini hardly seems bigger than my Note 3.

I have a Note 3 and a mini.

The Note 3 is what I end up using, something I didn't anticipate when purchasing the mini. The width of the mini makes it uncomfortable to hold one handed, which defeats the purpose.

Also the lack of a swiping keyboard and the highly versatile and functional Android OS, are the deal breakers for me. Proving once again one simply doesn't know till you buy one and use it for awhile.
 
No. The screen is inferior because of its lower gamut. Size has nothing to do with quality.
Surfing the Internet isn't as enjoyable on the Mini as it is on the Air. I used it and while it was certainly not bad, text was many times very small and I had to double tap very often to be able to read the text correctly. This is of course a non issue for many people who appreciate the smaller size, but for me it was annoying. I understand Steve's opinion and I believe he was right.

Yepp it comes down to personal preference again I guess. In everyday use me and my colleagues can't see any difference in Display quality. We use it for note taking, paper and book reading as well as Internet research. Maybe the screen is inferior if your into photography or design. But everything else is just made up. They could also have made 2 equally specced devices differing in screen size alone. But then the price would also have to be the same. They did not go this route and I am happy with it.
I really can't complain at all. We all have near to perfect devices (although I had to exchange mine twice to get the perfect screen). The gamut thing is made up - believe me because we like experimenting a lot ;)
 
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