All iPads The iPad's weight is the proverbial elephant...

[WLS]

I think you are right on that the mini indicates a design direction that the iPad will take. The new iPad 4 design wise is getting pretty tired. The mini looks fresh. I expect the ipad 5 will move to the newer mini look next year.
I sold my ipad 3 for enough money to cover the cost of a new mini and I'm not going to worry about the display. When a better display comes along I will upgrade, no big deal. Apple took two years to move to retina on the big ipad so why wait.
The ipad IS too heavy and awkward for best ease of use. There are lots of people with conditions of tendonitis (tennis elbow) and carpal tunnel that find it painful to hold for long. To dismiss them like the above poster is just ignorant and arrogant.

 

[zhenya]

Whether it is heavy or not depends on what you expect from it. If you are a person who reads paperback books while holding them in front of you for long periods of time, and expect to be able to do that with the full sized iPad, you'll be unhappy. Me, I almost always rest a book on my legs or place it on a surface while reading - and used that way, I'm only ever 'steadying' my iPad, not supporting the entire weight. In that case, the iPad is not too heavy. Sure, it will be great when they can reduce it, but for now I'll take the best possible device over the lightest possible device.

 

[TheMadBrewer]

My iPad2 and I were practically inseparable. I really liked the screen of the iPad3 but it was just enough heavier that I don't use it much anywhere but on the couch. I had a trip this past summer were weight was an issue (bike trip from Dunkirk to Vienna) and ended up with a Galaxy Note as my book reading/video watching device.

The iPad mini won't likely replace the Note (since the Note is also a phone) but I expect I will carry it around more than the iPad3.

 

[darngooddesign]

Haha, you have a point. Although I'd argue that for many (perhaps even the majority) when choosing between iPad models it will come down to price and size before specs (of course size is a spec, but I mean specs like ppi, RAM, CPU, etc.).

When choosing between regular iPads, people will see the $100 and ask the difference. Specs can be explained by twice as much this, four times as much that, etc.

 

[urkel]

only if your cripple or just a ***** one would think the ipad is heavy..

really heavy? come on wtf am i the only one who doesn't think it has a weight issue?

over time it will get lighter thinner but it really is not a heavy machine

i am on my 3rd ipad and use it pretty much more than my mac and iphone on a regualr basis. i usually lay it flat or on my lap with my knees up my point is sometimes there are better options than to just holding it.

Youre a pure bundle of contradictions. You claim the iPad is only heavy to "cripples" and declare that it has no weight issues. And then you welcome it eventually thinning out and list ways to handle it that dont involve actually supporting its weight and holding it.

People like this are ridiculous because they go around slamming people who make the initial complaint, and then when Apple addresses the issue they praise Apple for solving a problem that they denied ever existed. This is reality distorted.

 

[poloponies]

Youre a pure bundle of contradictions. You claim the iPad is only heavy to "cripples" and declare that it has no weight issues. And then you welcome it eventually thinning out and list ways to handle it that dont involve actually supporting its weight and holding it.

People like this are ridiculous because they go around slamming people who make the initial complaint, and then when Apple addresses the issue they praise Apple for solving a problem that they denied ever existed. This is reality distorted.

In my somewhat long life (so far) I've read thousands of books, hardcovers, paperbacks, on Kindle (several generations) and a couple of generations of iPads. I haven't found any to be especially cumbersome. The "it's uncomfortable to read for 8 hours" argument falls flat because sitting in the same spot in the same way for 8 hours is uncomfortable, no matter what you're doing. I read daily, I read for extended periods on some days and I'm sometimes in bed, sometimes in a chair or seat and sometimes standing on a train. In any of those cases, I'm more fatigued by holding a position too long than by what I'm holding. So yes, I can see where someone can argue that it's not especially heavy but also state that they tend to hold it on their laps when they're sitting. There's no contradiction there.

 

[Zetaprime]

The iPad 3 is too heavy. That is a fact. I forgave it, because it had the best display on the market, and I value the display quality over weight. Those days are gone, though.

When Google lets the Nexus 10 loose in the wild, the iPad 4 will not have the best display, and it will (probably) be lighter. Yeah, yeah, I know all about the apps and the operating systems, and that is why I have the iPAd on the table next to me

But, come this time next year? I don't know. Probably the Nexus 7 and 10.

The Nexus makes more sense than the Mini cause it's cheaper and has a better screen. The shape also makes the Nexus easier to hold in one hand.

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In my somewhat long life (so far) I've read thousands of books, hardcovers, paperbacks, on Kindle (several generations) and a couple of generations of iPads. I haven't found any to be especially cumbersome. The "it's uncomfortable to read for 8 hours" argument falls flat because sitting in the same spot in the same way for 8 hours is uncomfortable, no matter what you're doing. I read daily, I read for extended periods on some days and I'm sometimes in bed, sometimes in a chair or seat and sometimes standing on a train. In any of those cases, I'm more fatigued by holding a position too long than by what I'm holding. So yes, I can see where someone can argue that it's not especially heavy but also state that they tend to hold it on their laps when they're sitting. There's no contradiction there.

The full size iPad can be unwieldy relative to smaller tablets in exactly the same way that a hardcover book is clumsier to handle than a paperback. If you're out and about the paperback/small tablet is the way to go.

 

[palpatine]

The Nexus makes more sense than the Mini cause it's cheaper and has a better screen. The shape also makes the Nexus easier to hold in one hand.

Maybe. I've been critical of the screen, processor, and RAM, but I am certainly impressed with how the Mini looks. I'll wait until I hold one to say anything about how it feels. I have the Nexus 7 and think it is extremely well-designed, but I have a feeling this (how it feels in your hands) will probably not measure up to the Apple device. I have yet to use a device (computer or tablet) that does, and I have used a lot. It's not worth $100+ to me, to by the Mini, especially with the inferior parts, but it is certainly worth considering.