iPad Mini: Do You Believe?

[eSheri]

iPad Mini WiFi 16GB $329. 32GB $429.
.68lbs, 7.9", No retina display. 5MP rear cam (I forget front cam specs)
Shipping November 2!
Enjoy!!

[ilovejedd]

I won't be buying an iPad Mini. However, one nice surprise to today's keynote was the announcement of a 4th gen iPad. I thought I was going to have to wait until April to buy a refurb 3rd gen iPad with LTE. Would've bought the iPad Mini had the 4th gen iPad not been announced (and a resulting price slash on 3rd gen iPads not occurred). Alas, that's not the case and I'm willing to bear with the weight of the latter for the much, much clearer text.

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by jswinden

iPad mini has 7.9" screen at 1024*768 pixels = 162 ppi. That's not particularly impressive for reading. It looks nice, but screen wise it is a year behind the Fire HD and similar 7" tablets. It is certainly a good choice for those wanting a smaller iPad for web surfing, etc. I don't think it will be very good as an eBook reader though. I suspect the iPad mini 2 will have retina and then it will be a terrific reader.

It will be perfect for users wanting a higher resolution screen than the iPad 2. No software upgrade needed, just exactly a miniature iPad 2 with a better back camera. It will likely obsolete the iPad 2 that was kept around after the iPad 3 was released.

Dale

[tubemonkey]

Think of the iPad mini as a device similar to the iPod touch. Both have weaker specs and features compared to their older siblings, the iPad and iPhone respectively. It's Apple's way to force you to upgrade if specs and features matter to you.

Expect the mini to always be a generation or two behind the iPad.

[jswinden]

For those who already have an iPad3 I think the iPod touch 5 is better compliment to it than the iPad mini, unless of course they own an iPhone 5 then substitute it for the touch 5. For those who don't own an iPad the mini might be a good option if they don't need the larger screen.

Personally, I would prefer a 5" retina iPod touch to either current touch/mini as it would be better suited for reading and still be portable/pocketable. But since it took Apple 2+ years to provide a 7.9" mini and at least that long to provide a 4" iPhone/touch even though most phone makers have been offering 4.5" and 5" models for well over a year, I figure it will be at least 2014 until we see a 5" iPhone/touch.

[Love.Forever.]

It starts at $329 here in Canada, just saw it on the Apple website. I like that it's a smaller version of the iPad, so it might be easier to carry around. Hmm, and it would be a bit better to buy than the new iPod. So tempting... May have to pass on this one.

[tubemonkey]

The iPad mini is best compared to the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, with the GT 2 winning:

Galaxy Tab = iPad mini

• Resolution -- 169 ppi vs 163 ppi
• Processor -- 1 GHz dual-core vs 1 GHz dual-core

Galaxy Tab vs iPad mini

• RAM -- 1 GB vs 512 MB
• mSD -- yes vs no
• GPS -- yes vs no
• FM Radio -- yes vs no
• Price -- $199 (8 GB) vs $329 (16 GB)

iPad mini vs Galaxy Tab

• Display -- 7.9" vs 7.0"
• Front Cam -- 1.2 MP vs 0.3 MP
• Rear Cam -- 5.0 MP vs 3.0 MP
• Battery -- 10 hrs (claimed) vs 7 hrs

[Graham]

Shouldn't this thread be renamed "iPad Mini: Now Do You Believe?"

[tubemonkey]

Come Nov 2nd, I want to see Tom work his magic on this magical device

[jswinden]

Apple is charging $100 per 16GB upgrade, which is greed squared!

• 16GB = $329
• 32GB = $429
• 64GB = $529

Amazon is only charging $50 per 16GB upgrade.

• 16GB = $199
• 32GB = $249
• 64GB = N/A

Amazon doesn't offer a 64GB version of the Fire HD, but their cloud actually works and syncs as opposed to the Apple cloud, which is more like an annoying fog than a cloud.

[Bilbo1967]

Originally Posted by jswinden

Apple is charging $100 per 16GB upgrade, which is greed squared!

• 16GB = $329
• 32GB = $429
• 64GB = $529

Amazon is only charging $50 per 16GB upgrade.

• 16GB = $199
• 32GB = $249
• 64GB = N/A

Amazon doesn't offer a 64GB version of the Fire HD, but their cloud actually works and syncs as opposed to the Apple cloud, which is more like an annoying fog than a cloud.

I agree that the Apple prices are a rip-off, but purely as a point of order, the $100 difference between the 32GB and the 64GB is for a 32GB upgrade, not a 16GB.

[jswinden]

Originally Posted by Bilbo1967

I agree that the Apple prices are a rip-off, but purely as a point of order, the $100 difference between the 32GB and the 64GB is for a 32GB upgrade, not a 16GB.

Good catch. That's a bit more in line, although I find even the $50 per 16GB charged by Amazon and others to be too expensive too when compared to SD cards. But of course if any of them used an SD card slot they couldn't sell the extra memory very easily!

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

The iPad mini is best compared to the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, with the GT 2 winning:

Galaxy Tab = iPad mini

• Resolution -- 169 ppi vs 163 ppi
• Processor -- 1 GHz dual-core vs 1 GHz dual-core

Galaxy Tab vs iPad mini

• RAM -- 1 GB vs 512 MB
• mSD -- yes vs no
• GPS -- yes vs no
• FM Radio -- yes vs no
• Price -- $199 (8 GB) vs $329 (16 GB)

iPad mini vs Galaxy Tab

• Display -- 7.9" vs 7.0"
• Front Cam -- 1.2 MP vs 0.3 MP
• Rear Cam -- 5.0 MP vs 3.0 MP
• Battery -- 10 hrs (claimed) vs 7 hrs

I would say almost a full inch larger and a 3:4 ratio is a real plus for eBook reading although the small display may fit in a pocket or purse easier. The length, by the way, is likely very similar. The cameras on the iPad are certainly better. An an upgradeable OS is a plus as is the number of apps. 16GB is way better these days and battery life is important. I am not so sure the GT is automatically the winner in this comparison. I do like the GT GPS feature.

Dale

[Graham]

I'd say a better comparison would be with the Galaxy Tab 7.7"...

http://www.samsung.com/my/consumer/m...800LSAXME-spec

Galaxy Tab 7.7 = iPad mini

Display -- 7.7" vs 7.9"
Widescreen vs 4:3 -- depends on user preference
Battery -- 10 hrs vs 10 hrs
Body - both have aluminium bodies
Thickness -- 7.89 mm vs 7.2 mm (maybe should go to the iPad but the difference is less than three quarters of a mm, and I think on balance that these would feel the same, and giving it to the iPad would raise as many eyebrows as calling it a tie)

Galaxy Tab 7.7 beats iPad mini

Resolution -- 197 ppi vs 163 ppi
Pixels -- 1280 x 800 vs 1024 x 768
Processor -- 1.4 GHz dual-core vs 1 GHz dual-core
RAM -- 1 GB vs 512 MB
mSD -- yes vs no
GPS -- yes vs no
Audio -- dual speakers vs one speaker
Front Cam -- 2 MP vs 1.2 MP

iPad mini beats Galaxy Tab 7.7

Weight -- 308 g vs 340 g
Rear Cam -- 5.0 MP vs 3.0 MP
Price -- £269 for the mini in the UK (16 GB) vs anything from £259 up to ridiculous for the 7.7 - but I'm generally seeing the price of the Samsung as more expensive than the iPad mini. This might be down to lack of stock - in some places the 32 GB version is cheaper!

Graham

[DaleDe]

Yes, the GT 7.7 is a much better direct comparison to the iPad mini. Thanks for sharing.