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All iPads Which iPad is the right one for me?

L

LDKprime

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 3, 2013
3
0
Hi everyone, this is my very first post on this forum! Hooray for me!

Before I do anything further, I would like to introduce myself. I live in New Zealand and I'm a huge fan of Apple and their products, I watch their keynotes for every event they have and even watch past ones when I'm bored. Yeah, I obviously don't have anything better to do. Steve Jobs trolling in iPhone unveiling keynote for the win! Jokes aside, I have two of their products:

One is a iPhone 4S that I bought way back in 2011. It's the black 64 GB model. I absolutely loved it, still love it now and I'll have to say it's the best phone and the experience is just great unlike any that I have ever purchased. I just love touching it! I have upgraded to iOS 7 and never looked back. I use it every day to check my emails, watch Youtube videos, go on Macrumors on Safari, SMS and iMessage, etc. I use apps on a regular basis for my productivity, finance, and social needs. 64 GB for the win!

The other product that I have is the baseline 13-inch 2012 MacBook Air with an upgrade of 8GB of RAM. This product also blew my mind and the way I think about laptops. I run Mavericks on it and bootcamp Windows 8, both legitimate copies. I use Mavericks like how I use my iPhone because the trackpad experience is better on OS X in my opinion. Mavericks for daily mails and surfing when I want to access a bigger screen and productivity apps like Pages and Ulysses just look and work better on the big screen. The problem is, it's not touch screen, haha. Oh and I must not forget Airplay! Just used it again last night to watch a movie. My father was blown away at the technology. For those wondering why I got Windows 8, it was to satisfy my gaming side because I have Steam with a massive games in the library. I also use Windows 8 to surf the internet, but that is it. I have no problem booting back and forth between OS X and Windows.

At this point by now, a lot of you may be wondering, "Why does this guy even need an iPad? He's happy with his products!" Yes, I am very happy with my Apple products. But there is something that the iPhone and the MacBook Air can't satisfy. The iPhone screen is a bit small to consume content but I can use it on the bed whilst the MacBook Air has the bigger screen but really a hassle to use it on the bed. But that's not all. I really want the iPad for the ebook experience, consuming media content, productivity apps like Pages on the go. I think carrying my MacBook Air around in public is not a good idea so I honestly believe that a tablet might suffice for these needs. Who wouldn't want an iPad to watch and read in bed?

There is one new iPad, the iPad Air and the soon-to-come iPad Mini with Retina Display. I'm planning to get a Space Grey, 128 GB Wifi + Cellular model. But my dilemma is this: which iPad? Air or the new Mini with Retina Display? I like the Air for the bigger screen but I also like the Mini for it's compact design and ease of carrying it around because I have tried both the iPad 4th Generation and the iPad Mini in a store. The iPad Air is getting released in New Zealand tomorrow. So I'll go have a look.

What do you think? Will I be better off with the bigger screen? Or a smaller, compact version of it with the exact same specs? Big brother or little brother? Feel free to comment and ask questions. In the end, it will be my decision to buy either one, but I really want to know the opinions of new and veteran iPad users.

Thanks a tonne for bearing with me and this large post. And my British English, hoho.

TLDR: Which iPad is the right one for me? Hook me up with info please!
 
Play with both yourself. I think that's really the only way to know which one is the better option for your usage. The nice thing about the new iPads is there's no compromise in performance. Both feature retina displays and the A7 CPU. It's just a matter of what form factor you prefer and that's not exactly something that's easy to determine sight unseen.

I already have an iPad 4 so I'm getting the retina Mini this time around. We'll see which one I end up using more this coming year.
 
rui no onna said:
Play with both yourself. I think that's really the only way to know which one is the better option for your usage. The nice thing about the new iPads is there's no compromise in performance. Both feature retina displays and the A7 CPU. It's just a matter of what form factor you prefer and that's not exactly something that's easy to determine sight unseen.

I already have an iPad 4 so I'm getting the retina Mini this time around. We'll see which one I end up using more this coming year.
Click to expand...

I agree here. Use my iPad for reading charts on music gigs so the bigger screen is a plus.
 
Your post makes me think mini would hit your needs better but you won't go wrong with either.
 
Last edited:
Original poster here!

Thank you all for your support. Yes, now I'm thinking about the Mini with Retina because when I handled the previous generation at the local electronics store (we don't have Apple Stores in New Zealand) the Mini's screen didn't feel small in my hands and it felt like it was perfect for ebooks! But who am I kidding, I need to try them both when they come out. Kudos!
 
The increase of weight and size, the iPad 5 does bring, in comparision to the Mini... is negliable, because the bigger screen is much more important, as long as the device is not planned for solely usage as a dedicated e-book reader.
 
Which iPad is the right one for me?

I'd agree with those who say a Mini. I have a 13" Air and that with the Mini is a perfect combo. I had a full size iPad 4th generation but just didn't use it enough so I sold it.

I'm waiting for the retina Mini to be launched.
 
I would say take a look at both when they are in the store. It will be the best way to decide.
 
If you want it tomorrow, the Air is your only choice. You're not going to see mini retinas in NZ any time soon. I have a 3 so I'm likely to get an Air I think, but there's a good chance I'll end up with a mini too :)
 
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