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The iPad Mini

K

Kurdel

Banned
Aluminum vs. Plastic is something that is important for me.

I know it's a matter of subjective taste, but I find plastic tech to feel cheap and fragile. Even a 600$ Galaxy S III feels odd to me, because of the clash of a beautiful screen on a plastic device. On theother hand, a shitty screen on a beautiful device might be just as jarring, so I am looking forward to the reviews.

Also, the bezel of the Fire HD is pretty intense.

Minor complaints for some, but for me, the look and feel of a device is important.

All that being said, I fucking love my Kindle ereader because it feels disposable. I am also planning on getting a Nexus 7 as a travel device, because it's so cheap.
 
D

dallow_bg

nods at old men
Yeah, I realize I'm paying a premium with the mini for the design and App Store.
Considering how satisfied I've been with those two things on nearly all their products, I'm fine.

It's a definite upgrade to my iPad 2.

Target seems like they'll have the mini and accessories as well on Nov 2nd.
Hmm, may return Apple's and purchase there since I'll save with the Red card.
 
T

Totakeke

Member
With all the devices on my radar that I want to acquire for the next few months, iPad Mini seems like the one that would be superseded by a direct upgrade the earliest. Is it a stretch to imagine that there'll be significant refresh after six months?
 
V

Vyer

Member
Porthos said:
This comparision is even better: http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.ht..._t=1401&pf_rd_p=1408870442&pf_rd_i=1000846051

The more I see stuff like this, the more I realize what a rip-off the Mini is. It is just too bad that Amazon doesn't sell the Fire in Canada. Hopefully Google shows something at their event that completely convinces me to get something other than the Mini.
Click to expand...

Why does this comparison say no to Kindle and Amazon Instant Video, when both have apps for iPad?
 
NYR

NYR

Member
dallow_bg said:
Yeah, I realize I'm paying a premium with the mini for the design and App Store.
Considering how satisfied I've been with those two things on nearly all their products, I'm fine.

It's a definite upgrade to my iPad 2.

Target seems like they'll have the mini and accessories as well on Nov 2nd.
Hmm, may return Apple's and purchase there since I'll save with the Red card.
Click to expand...
The iPad mini has the same guts as a iPad 2. It's not an upgrade - it's like saying trading in a blue car for a red car is an upgrade.
 
L

leng jai

Member
NYR said:
The iPad mini has the same guts as a iPad 2. It's not an upgrade - it's like saying trading in a blue car for a red car is an upgrade.
Click to expand...

Useless analogy that makes no sense. It's an upgrade for people who were looking for an iPad 2 in a smaller form factor. I don't know how anyone with half a brain could think it's the same as changing the colour.
 
N

Ninja Scooter

Member
malyce said:
That's like saying you're "upgrading" from a 4 door Accord to a Coupe, because you decided you want 2 doors.
Click to expand...

if someone really would prefer a coupe to a 4 door, how is it NOT an upgrade? Why is it so hard for some of you to grasp that not everyone puts the same level of priority on the same things you do?
 
entremet

entremet

Member
malyce said:
That's like saying you're "upgrading" from a 4 door Accord to a Coupe, because you decided you want 2 doors.
Click to expand...

What a weird comparison. Vehicles to tablets? A smaller form factor makes sense for tablets due to variety of reasons:

It's lighter so more comfortable and easier to hold for long periods of time.
Easier to carry in purses, bags, etc.
Easier to conceal.
 
M

mcfrank

Member
I dont think Apple is trying to tell people that the iPad mini is an upgrade from the iPad 2. If they were trying to say that, would they still be selling the iPad for 70 dollars more? Probably not. It is an iPad 2 that is a bit smaller, a bit cheaper and way way lighter. I would imagine that is going to appeal to a lot of people.

My wife and I messed with a Kindle Fire HD today at Best Buy, trust me a slightly smaller iPad 2 is a huge damn upgrade from a Kindle Fire HD. The touch response on the Kindle was extremely bad, it took forever to load plants vs zombies, and when I told my wife that it would be showing ads and you have to pay more money to turn them off she looked at me like I was crazy.
 
D

dallow_bg

nods at old men
NYR said:
The iPad mini has the same guts as a iPad 2. It's not an upgrade - it's like saying trading in a blue car for a red car is an upgrade.
Click to expand...

Uh, it most definitely is an upgrade for me. (not even taking into account the smaller form factor which is a personal preference)

My iPad 2 had a horrible VGA front camera, grainy as hell back camera. It had no Siri despite getting iOS 6.
And never got navigation as a result though I doubt I'll use that specific feature much.

I expect sound to be better and/or louder as well since it has two speaker grills. (likely not true stereo though)
 
V

victreeb3l

Member
ive heard either meh to bad things about the kindle fire HD. apparently theres ads everywhere on it? from what i saw on youtube, the OS and keyboard looked sluggish and i have no idea how the app selection is for that device, besides all the amazon stuff.
 
W

WordAssassin

Member
NYR said:
The iPad mini has the same guts as a iPad 2. It's not an upgrade - it's like saying trading in a blue car for a red car is an upgrade.
Click to expand...

Uh, no? As other people have pointed out your analogy is shit, but to use it and make it work,

It's taking the guts of a truck, and putting them in a go-kart.

Better front and back cameras
Lightning connector
lighter
more portable
faster cellular data
less expensive

That's called an upgrade. If I took my black iPad 2, and exchanged it for a white iPad 2, then your example would work.
 
G

giga

Member
WordAssassin said:
Uh, no? As other people have pointed out your analogy is shit, but to use it and make it work,

It's taking the guts of a truck, and putting them in a go-kart.

Better front and back cameras
Lightning connector
lighter
more portable
faster cellular data
less expensive

That's called an upgrade. If I took my black iPad 2, and exchanged it for a white iPad 2, then your example would work.
Click to expand...
+150mbps wifi
+better ppi
+siri
 
G

Gamecocks625

Member
Shearie said:
How'd you pull that off? I wanna save an extra 40+ bucks too.
Click to expand...

I called and said that Target would be offering a $40 giftcard to those buying iPads this week. I mentioned that I had ordered the Mini online with Apple and asked if there was anything they could do to match that. I didn't think they would wipe off $40 from the price so I just suggested a iPad mini smart cover. The guy I spoke with was totally chill and said that wouldn't be a problem at all and is shipping me one free of cost.

Sort of takes care of my search for any case for the time being.

NYR said:
The iPad mini has the same guts as a iPad 2. It's not an upgrade - it's like saying trading in a blue car for a red car is an upgrade.
Click to expand...

Yeah like others have said, this can certainly be viewed as an upgrade from the iPad 2 due to the higher PPI, better front and rear cameras, portability, etc.

I actually sold my iPad 3 to order a iPad mini. Of course the PPI will be a downgrade so it will be interesting to see how I handle a 163PPI verses the retina display. Everything else is an upgrade to me in terms of portability, thinness, weight (huge upgrade right there), and especially the heat factor. My iPad 3 could get very warm and it was honestly uncomfortable to hold at times. With the 32nm A5 in the Mini, it's going to be cooler just like the iPad 2. Plus, in terms of CPU speed, there's no difference. GPU on non-retina apps will be slower though, of course.

I have a feeling that the reduction in weight and thinness will be a big factor for many people. The big question will be how the smaller screen size affects (or doesn't affect) the experience.
 
Z

Zeth

Member
The white one I ordered Friday afternoon says it delivers Nov 16. If I get a chance I'll probably just pick one up at a store this weekend assuming they're available. I'm guessing you can cancel an order up until it preps for shipping? Should give me time to find on this weekend if it's still two weeks away.

Re: comparisons with other tablets- if the physical device itself is as good as it looks, and indeed makes the others feel like toys, that's s big deal to me. Especially if you're holding it and traveling with it constantly. It's a lot like the difference between and macbook and a plastic Toshiba laptop. The fact that it runs all the iPad apps i already own in exactly the same way is icing on the cake. I wont deny the Fire and Nexus are better choices for a lot of people, just not me.
 
S

Spiderjericho

Member
Aesthetically, the iPad manages to adhere to the Apple philosophy of attractive devices. But after the Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD, etc, it just seems to be a misstep from a price standpoint since it's still using A5. The experience will be smooth and the performance will be similar to the iPad 2 with the revised A5 chips.
 
D

dallow_bg

nods at old men
Gamecocks625 said:
I called and said that Target would be offering a $40 giftcard to those buying iPads this week. I mentioned that I had ordered the Mini online with Apple and asked if there was anything they could do to match that. I didn't think they would wipe off $40 from the price so I just suggested a iPad mini smart cover. The guy I spoke with was totally chill and said that wouldn't be a problem at all and is shipping me one free of cost.

Sort of takes care of my search for any case for the time being.
Click to expand...
Heh, I saw that at Target this week and was tempted to call for the same reason.
 
M

Mecha_Infantry

Banned
Spiderjericho said:
Aesthetically, the iPad manages to adhere to the Apple philosophy of attractive devices. But after the Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD, etc, it just seems to be a misstep from a price standpoint since it's still using A5. The experience will be smooth and the performance will be similar to the iPad 2 with the revised A5 chips.
Click to expand...

Yeah I feel the same, I thought that the iPhone carrying the A6 should = the iPad mini carrying it too.

I was kinda dissapointed in that. But I have a full iPad, but if I never had one, I'd wait for the next revision or new iPad. What they did with the iPad 3 and iPad 4 has left a little sourness in my mouth
 
A

Alchemy

Member
Anastacio said:
Ugh, I were supposed to receive my Product Red Smart Cover for iPad Mini today but I wasn't home. Will get it in 2 days.
Click to expand...

I'm presigning for all my stuff so they just leave it at my door. Haven't had any problems before and the door to my side of the duplex is pretty well covered. I will probably take lunch Friday to go home and pick it up the iPad though, my cover should be safe.
 
P

Pachimari

Member
Alchemy said:
I'm presigning for all my stuff so they just leave it at my door. Haven't had any problems before and the door to my side of the duplex is pretty well covered. I will probably take lunch Friday to go home and pick it up the iPad though, my cover should be safe.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but now DHL can't even find my package lol, so I have to call customer service tomorrow.
 
S

Stat Flow

He gonna cry in the car
Sold my iPad 3 for $440. Lucky. I don't know if I'll get an iPad Mini though. The Nexus 7 is attractive at so much less but iPad apps are so goddamn superior, as is the build quality.
 
C

Cheebo

Banned
Opus Angelorum said:
Nexus 10 not interest you?
Click to expand...

Seeing how he sold his iPad 3 for either a Nexus 7 or iPad mini it seems like he wants the 7 inch form factor. And form factor and apps are just as much issues with Nexus 10. Apps more so. The Nexus 7 is small enough that the mostly phone optimized android apps don't look terrible on the Nexus 7, they would look really bad on the giant Nexus 10.
 
P

-Pyromaniac-

Member
Stat Flow said:
Sold my iPad 3 for $440. Lucky. I don't know if I'll get an iPad Mini though. The Nexus 7 is attractive at so much less but iPad apps are so goddamn superior, as is the build quality.
Click to expand...
as someone who has used both extensively, you'd have trouble switching to a nex7 and feeling the same enjoyment. Take my word for it.
 
A

asdad123

Member
Ordered a mini today. Black 16gb.

Only have 8gb used on my ipad 3 32gb so I figured 16 should be enough. Didnt get the 4g this time since I only used it one month on this iPad. If anything, Ill tether my phone.

Meeting someone to sell my iPad 3 for $550 tomorrow.

Ill try the free smart cover thing in a little bit lol.

edit: Blah, they said no :(
 
G

Gamecocks625

Member
asdad123 said:
Ordered a mini today. Black 16gb.

Only have 8gb used on my ipad 3 32gb so I figured 16 should be enough. Didnt get the 4g this time since I only used it one month on this iPad. If anything, Ill tether my phone.

Meeting someone to sell my iPad 3 for $550 tomorrow.

Ill try the free smart cover thing in a little bit lol.

edit: Blah, they said no :(
Click to expand...

Yeah I read on MacRumors where people were trying it and getting shot down today. Looks like I got in just in time.
 
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