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Maybe the iPad mini won't have the iPad 2 or iPad 3 resolution but something in between. I know there is a lot of argument that it has to be one or the other for app developers' sake, but my friend who is a programmer scoffed at that and said it is not at all difficult to do and I'm not sure apple would feel the need to cater to app developers necessarily and cripple its iPad mini with a low ppi or bad battery life. Mind you I don't know much about this and I'll get flamed to hell, but maybe there will be an iPad mini with a ~216 to 250 ish ppi screen like the competition.
 
Personally I think iPad Air is an awful name. We don't have different names for different sized Macs why do we need it for the iPad?
 
Maybe the iPad mini won't have the iPad 2 or iPad 3 resolution but something in between. I know there is a lot of argument that it has to be one or the other for app developers' sake, but my friend who is a programmer scoffed at that and said it is not at all difficult to do and I'm not sure apple would feel the need to cater to app developers necessarily and cripple its iPad mini with a low ppi or bad battery life. Mind you I don't know much about this and I'll get flamed to hell, but maybe there will be an iPad mini with a ~216 to 250 ish ppi screen like the competition.

What about 1536by1152? On a 7.85 would be 244 ppi.
I want to believe! :apple:
:D
 
I really wouldn't be surprised if Apple introduced an in between resolution. They clearly don't care. They introduced a new weird iPhone resolution.
 
This is the same battery watt hours as the Nexus 7 which has nearly 10 hour battery life and 216 PPI. For comparison, the iPad 3's retina display is 264 PPI. So if the Nexus can deliver a high quality PPI with that battery, why can't the iPad Mini? I think retina is still a possibility.
Because Apple only deals with resolution in integer steps. It's either 163 ppi or 326 dpi.
(Assuming all the rumours are true regarding it running iPad apps in a physically smaller form because then it needs to have the exact same resolution of either the iPad 2 or the iPad 3, and given the physical dimensions that results in the PPIs I just mentioned.)
 
I can't understand why they would release a device with a lower resolution than current devices... especially if this is marketed as an "e-reader" (ibooks). Granted, its a smaller screen so the argument of "why need higher res" might apply but doesn't seem logical to me - but what do I know.
 
I'm not following your logic here. Ipod Touch 5 Gen is sold for 300 USD. How could this be priced the same ?
They are not directly competing. iPod shuffle, nano and touch (and the iPhone) are all wearable devices. The iPad mini and the iPad are not wearable devices.
 
What about 1536by1152? On a 7.85 would be 244 ppi.
I want to believe! :apple:
:D

Apple so far has been very resistance on picking a native "Retina" resolution that's not doubling the old one. I suspect it's either the old iPad resolution or the new 3rd gen Retina resolution with no other possibility.

They are not directly competing. iPod shuffle, nano and touch (and the iPhone) are all wearable devices. The iPad mini and the iPad are not wearable devices.

Exactly. Also the iPod Touch is a 32GB device that follows the traditional 32GB iPod Touch pricing. The new iPad Mini/Air is a new category of device. A 32GB iPad Air/Mini still might cost more than the new iPod Touch.
 
That is *your* opinion, and is completely counter to the entire Apple ethos. They don't produce products to be cheaper, they don't produce products to compete with others (because Apple missed the boat), they don't play catch up. They aren't a price-oriented product company, so if they do turn and head in that direction (that's a big *if*), it's a huge turn and one that signals a very different Apple in years to come.

If Apple is true to Apple, they will produce this Mini with superior specs, and they will charge for it. People will see the price and say, "but look at that device, it's got much higher resolution, still longer battery life, excellent cellular connectivity, it's fast, and on and on...". That's Apple, and that's what I expect from Apple if they are true to themselves. Copying products out there in an inferior way and selling for more money (but still at the cheap end of the market), that's not Apple at all.

I think the education market is what provides Apple incentive to produce it.

Soon almost all school districts will go to tablets with textbook licensing fees paid every year. Whoever sells to districts will get 1) initial hardware sales, 2) residual percentage from academic software sold through the ecosystem as well as yearly licensing cut from textbooks, 3) "mind share" hooking kids on iOS at a young age.

The big stumbling block for this so far has been cost of iPad being so high. It's especially hard to justify iPad vs. Kindle Fire when one is double the price of the other. $299 is the price they need to hit, and I suspect they will (institutional/bulk discount).

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Apple so far has been very resistance on picking a native "Retina" resolution that's not doubling the old one. I suspect it's either the old iPad resolution or the new 3rd gen Retina resolution with no other possibility.


Exactly. Also the iPod Touch is a 32GB device that follows the traditional 32GB iPod Touch pricing. The new iPad Mini/Air is a new category of device. A 32GB iPad Air/Mini still might cost more than the new iPod Touch.

Good chance you're right and $349(retail) is the price, although I think 299 (retail) is far more competitive for a mini.

What I can't imagine is that the Touch and Mini will be priced the same. ...Which makes it weird that the touch isn't a 249 product.
 
Apple so far has been very resistance on picking a native "Retina" resolution that's not doubling the old one. I suspect it's either the old iPad resolution or the new 3rd gen Retina resolution with no other possibility.

I used to think this could be true; but the iPhone 5 pretty much kills the argument. Changing aspect ratio was a significantly bigger deal in terms of coding (or "fragmentation", as people here like to mock Android over) than having non-integer differences in resolution ever was.
 
Anyone who thinks Apple needs to match the price of a Kindle Fire or Nexus 7 to sell the iPad mini doesn't understand value.

Apple could release an iPad mini that was identical in specifications to a Nexus 7 but at a 50% premium and not only would people buy it but they'd be making a good value choice to boot. Tablets are all about apps and ecosystem. That's why Android tablets are failing.

People are so hung up on the device that they fail to see what the real value proposition is. An iPhone is worth more than an identical spec device from someone else. An iPad is worth more than an identical spec device from someone else. Why? Because of iTunes, the App Store, Apple's retail stores and customer services, iOS, iCloud and all that other stuff.

Apple sells a digital lifestyle, not just gadgets. If I bought an iPad mini, as an iPhone, iPad and Apple TV owner the value proposition is immense. Even if I only owned an iPod and used iTunes the value of knowing that my new iPad would sync with software I already have and know how to use and would be able to sync my playlists and podcasts with minimal fuss would be a killer feature.

So, don't worry, Apple has not lost it's mind if this $299 pricing turns out to be accurate. An iPad mini would be worth that at least.

I think a description like this totally misses the improving ecosystem that Amazon is building and the interest of Hollywood studios and other media companies in making sure there's competition (out of self-interest).


The Kindle already has HBO GO, Hulu, & Netflix

Games are the bigger differentiator but I think for the top games will inevitably migrate.

The smaller tablet form factor (7 inch) market is developing along price lines more than feature lines and Apple can't offer enough differentiation at this point to NOT compete to some extent on price.


I thought $299 seemed like a reasonable entry point until the Touch came in at $299, which makes me very uncertain about the Mini pricing but leaning toward seeing it come higher than rumored. But I confess that Apple's pricing matrix here is confusing (hard to fit in a Mini at particular prices that make sense, if it replaces the iPad 2 that suggests a higher than people expect $399)

Apple does not face that competition in the Touch or full-size iPad, where it was the and remains a market innovator. Also, Apple has worked to keep the iPad price down through strategic supply management. Tablets that match Apple on price are inferior. Tablets that match Apple on features (aside from ecosystem) are more expensive. Even Microsoft seems to be falling into that trap.

But with the Kindle and new Nook manufacturers have figured out how to build as "almost as good" device for a lot cheaper.

Yes, Apple will sell a lot of iPad Minis but it won't dominate the market like it did for full size. It might even lose out on sales to the Nook & Kindle.

The holiday buying season will be interesting to watch.
 
I think a description like this totally misses the improving ecosystem that Amazon is building and the interest of Hollywood studios and other media companies in making sure there's competition (out of self-interest).


The Kindle already has HBO GO, Hulu, & Netflix

Games are the bigger differentiator but I think for the top games will inevitably migrate.

The smaller tablet form factor (7 inch) market is developing along price lines more than feature lines and Apple can't offer enough differentiation at this point to NOT compete to some extent on price.


I thought $299 seemed like a reasonable entry point until the Touch came in at $299, which makes me very uncertain about the Mini pricing but leaning toward seeing it come higher than rumored. But I confess that Apple's pricing matrix here is confusing (hard to fit in a Mini at particular prices that make sense, if it replaces the iPad 2 that suggests a higher than people expect $399)


I think they decided to give Touch a good camera and Retina in order to justify it being close to the cost of the mini.

The mini will still look solid at original iPad resolution, and there simply isn't much need of a camera. If include one on the mini I'd be surprised if it's as nice as the touch. The loop wrist strap seems to suggest they the iPod can be a point and shoot replacement.
 
I used to think this could be true; but the iPhone 5 pretty much kills the argument. Changing aspect ratio was a significantly bigger deal in terms of coding (or "fragmentation", as people here like to mock Android over) than having non-integer differences in resolution ever was.

I actually think iPhone 5 confirms my belief. Instead of changing the pixel density by a factor that's not an integer, Apple just added more real estate to it. This keeps the UI target size consistent and development is still kept pretty straight forward, relatively speaking.

Basically there has been very little indication that Apple will pick a resolution that's not a 1024 x 768 or 2048 x 1536, especially since all the rumours are pointing to a very specific 7.85" which means no aspect ratio change.
 
No retina, no buy. Simple as that. I don't think it's about saving the consumer money. If Apple did this, they would be doing it solely to expand their upgrade upgrade possibilities. If that's the case, Apple won't get my money.

I think Apple needs to remember their roots, get back to quality, and focus on their current products. They seem to have spread themselves too thin. Each OS launch has been worse than the last- in terms of stability, product launches occur with greater margins for error, and software development is becoming stagnant- take a look at Mac Server.

Please Apple, please- don't trade your quality for sales, because down the road, when everyone questions your quality (long time Mac users already do), you may find yourselves back in the 90's...:(

I understand that as a consumer you want the best thig your money can buy. What resolution would satisfy the technophiles? And is "that" resolution technically feasible. Are display manufacturers able to make said "retina" screen at 7.85" and not break the iPad app ecosystem? All I hear are alot of "I want retina" comments but no proposed solutions to make retina work for this years release. Although I do believe that the display tech by 2013 will be able to make a "retina" based display that will work for the iPads app ecosystem
 
I guess my question is how will 163ppi look I can't even remember life pre-retina it may not be so bad on the 7.8 in form factor, though I would love them just to introduce a new resolution that provides retina without it being as high as the iPad 3 , it may take a couple weeks for the popular apps to add "mini" support but I'd be more than willing to wait. I mean the original iPad had to start somewhere in the beginning apps were sparse but soon skyrocketed the mini would be in a even better position than the original iPad because all devs would have to do is add support for the new resolution but I'm no dev so maybe it's not that easy
 
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If they can't do retina now, then wait and release this next year when the 4th gen iPad comes out.
 
What would people think about some type of innovative LTE pricing something along the lines of a 1GB a month price for $10 or a 1 year plan for $99 for 1GB a month.
 
I know for a fact that the device has been put on hold due to production issues. Oct 23rd not gonna happen.

Well I know you are wrong, perhaps you would care to wager your milk money, car payment, house mortgage or even whole house on it, and one of us will be happier then the other come October 23rd.
 
Sorry i don't believe its going to happen at all i just think its people just making random rumours up

I used to agree with you. I was still pretty sceptical until I read this rumour. It's a part leak. The last three products that have had part leaks, all have turned out true: iPod touch 5, iPhone 5 and MacBook Pro with Retina Display.
 
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