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All iPads Which iPad is suited for me: iPad Mini or iPad 4?

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gamecube117

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Mar 7, 2012
280
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I want an iPad where I can browse through the internet and watch videos on my bed with the occasional bring it out to travel or go to school.

I was really going for the iPad 4 but after seeing my friend with an iPad Mini it made me change my mind. Going through the internet, Facebook, it didn't seem too small. But the one thing I don't like is that the iPad Mini will never have the same quality as the overall iPad (camera, quality, etc).
 
gamecube117 said:
I want an iPad where I can browse through the internet and watch videos on my bed with the occasional bring it out to travel or go to school.

I was really going for the iPad 4 but after seeing my friend with an iPad Mini it made me change my mind. Going through the internet, Facebook, it didn't seem too small. But the one thing I don't like is that the iPad Mini will never have the same quality as the overall iPad (camera, quality, etc).
Click to expand...

without more information on if you plan on doing heavy duty (heavy duty as in long time) reading and exactly what you would be reading, it's hard to say which would be best.

on the surface, i would say the iPad Mini would be better for your situation. but without more info, it's hard to say. also

1) what do you value more? portability/weight/size or screen resolution?
2) what size/capacity iPad are you looking to get and specifically why?
3) what type of reading will you be doing? just webpages, or iBooks, or Magazine apps, or PDFs?
4) are you intending the iPad to ever be used as a laptop replacement or are you just looking for something to complement your laptop?
 
gamecube117 said:
But the one thing I don't like is that the iPad Mini will never have the same quality as the overall iPad (camera, quality, etc).
Click to expand...

The mini has the same cameras as the iPad 4. That being said, I never use the back camera on my iPad for two reasons: one looks pretty odd taking pictures with a tablet and my iPhone's camera is better and has a flash. The build quality seems the same to me as well.

If you're only planning to use it in bed, I'd get the mini. The extra power and screen size of the 4 would probably not be especially useful and the reduction in size and weight would be great. For my purposes, I love my iPad 4. I use it for all sorts of things, so I appreciate the extra power it has, and Retina is of the utmost importance to me.
 
Medic311 said:
without more information on if you plan on doing heavy duty (heavy duty as in long time) reading and exactly what you would be reading, it's hard to say which would be best.

on the surface, i would say the iPad Mini would be better for your situation. but without more info, it's hard to say. also

1) what do you value more? portability/weight/size or screen resolution?
2) what size/capacity iPad are you looking to get and specifically why?
3) what type of reading will you be doing? just webpages, or iBooks, or Magazine apps, or PDFs?
4) are you intending the iPad to ever be used as a laptop replacement or are you just looking for something to complement your laptop?
Click to expand...



iThinkergoiMac said:
The mini has the same cameras as the iPad 4. That being said, I never use the back camera on my iPad for two reasons: one looks pretty odd taking pictures with a tablet and my iPhone's camera is better and has a flash. The build quality seems the same to me as well.

If you're only planning to use it in bed, I'd get the mini. The extra power and screen size of the 4 would probably not be especially useful and the reduction in size and weight would be great. For my purposes, I love my iPad 4. I use it for all sorts of things, so I appreciate the extra power it has, and Retina is of the utmost importance to me.
Click to expand...

The only thing I would want to use it for is browsing around: so internet, forums, YouTube, Facebook, etc... not much of a gamer, I have a desktop, I have a macbook pro but never liked it because it was too heavy. Camera is a plus but not a necessity. Don't really care about power life to be hoenst

I just wanna know watching movies: the iPad Mini, is the screen too small? Like is it good to watch for a long period of time? I feel like I'd be squinting if I watched a 45 minute episode on that thing.
 
gamecube117 said:
The only thing I would want to use it for is browsing around: so internet, forums, YouTube, Facebook, etc... not much of a gamer, I have a desktop, I have a macbook pro but never liked it because it was too heavy. Camera is a plus but not a necessity. Don't really care about power life to be hoenst

I just wanna know watching movies: the iPad Mini, is the screen too small? Like is it good to watch for a long period of time? I feel like I'd be squinting if I watched a 45 minute episode on that thing.
Click to expand...

the Mini is great for watching movies - screen is not too small
 
Medic311 said:
the Mini is great for watching movies - screen is not too small
Click to expand...

Hm... that was one of my main problems. Besides browsing - they're great on both iPads.

Only cons for me is ... (in order)
1. Video watching

and

2. Quality overall (i.e the iPad chip, quality, everything about it is better)
 
My gf has been through a kindle fire HD 7", ipad 4, and has finally settled on an ipad mini. She uses for basically the same things you are listing and she loves it. The screen is big enough to easily browse the web or watch tv/movies. She hasn't complained at all about the screen size even though she watches several episodes almost every night.

The weight was a big factor for her because with the kindle fire and ipad 4 it was just too heavy to hold in a comfortable position for very long. The ability to get a cover that doubles as a stand helps in most situations but if you get stuck holding it that ipad 4 gets very heavy after a short time (to her).

Hope this helps with your decision, I'm sure either way you will be happy.
 
It sounds like the mini would be perfect for you. I have the 3rd iPad and thought about getting a mini. My only concern with the mini is the iPad 2 internals. This may become an issue with multiple tabs open in safari or memory intensive apps. I think I'm going to hold off until the second mini comes along, but sometimes I'm impatient. The screen size doesn't seem too small and I love the weight and overall size.
 
gamecube117 said:
I want an iPad where I can browse through the internet and watch videos on my bed with the occasional bring it out to travel or go to school.

I was really going for the iPad 4 but after seeing my friend with an iPad Mini it made me change my mind. Going through the internet, Facebook, it didn't seem too small. But the one thing I don't like is that the iPad Mini will never have the same quality as the overall iPad (camera, quality, etc).
Click to expand...

What is more important to you? If you would rather it be lighter and cheaper than go with the mini. If you want a better screen, better processor, more RAM, etc. Go with Retina.
 
For longer support, go with the 1G ram Ipad 4. U mentioned browsing so Ipad 4 is much better. Better screen, better size, better durability. U dont want to walk pass little girl holding a fullsized and you playing in bed with an Ipad "mini".

As for the weight, get some gym time and grow more muscle.
 
Hey, i would like to suggest you go with iPad mini rather than iPad 4. It has the same quality as iPad 4. One another advantage is that, it will fit into a purse, and you can easily take it with one hand.
 
gamecube117 said:
Which iPad is suited for me: iPad Mini or iPad 4?
I want an iPad where I can browse through the internet and watch videos on my bed with the occasional bring it out to travel or go to school.
Click to expand...
None of that helps us to help you narrow it down. Either one would work.

gamecube117 said:
I just wanna know watching movies: the iPad Mini, is the screen too small? Like is it good to watch for a long period of time? I feel like I'd be squinting if I watched a 45 minute episode on that thing.
Click to expand...
Subjective matter. For some it is, for others it isn't. Only you can tell us if you'll find it too small. Have you checked it out in person? It seems like you just need to sort out your preferences and select the one that suits you best.

Worst case, buy one and figure out if it works for you before your return period runs out. If it doesn't, return and get the other.
 
gamecube117 said:
I want an iPad where I can browse through the internet and watch videos on my bed with the occasional bring it out to travel or go to school.

I was really going for the iPad 4 but after seeing my friend with an iPad Mini it made me change my mind. Going through the internet, Facebook, it didn't seem too small. But the one thing I don't like is that the iPad Mini will never have the same quality as the overall iPad (camera, quality, etc).
Click to expand...

If you read webpages frequently the iPad Mini may not be for you. For web surfing and reading I typically have to zoom in to make the text legible. Never really had this issue when I had my iPad 3 as the smallest text was still legible.

This is one thing you should determine...
 
gamecube117 said:
I want an iPad where I can browse through the internet and watch videos on my bed with the occasional bring it out to travel or go to school.

I was really going for the iPad 4 but after seeing my friend with an iPad Mini it made me change my mind. Going through the internet, Facebook, it didn't seem too small. But the one thing I don't like is that the iPad Mini will never have the same quality as the overall iPad (camera, quality, etc).
Click to expand...

Remember that portability and "handiness" are qualities, i.e. not to be totally ignored - although you're the only one who knows how important it is to you.
 
racoonboy said:
As for the weight, get some gym time and grow more muscle.
Click to expand...

It takes more than "some gym time" to make all affected muscles tolerate the static strain of holding an iPad 4 over longer periods. My father is one of the strongest people I know, yet still he got really bad problems with his arm by using a computer mouse at work (rubber ball mouse, this was in the 90s).
 
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