iPad Maybe no retina iPad mini this year?

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by volwrath

The iPad 3 only weighs 0.11 lbs or 1.75 oz or 8% more than iPad 2, which is not significantly heavier, but it is noticeable.

With the iPad Mini being a mere 300g though, I reckon the resulting increase in weight to maintain its current battery life would be much more noticeable. Perhaps it might even be a deal breaker for some.

[Josieb1]

The screen quality is far more important to me than the weight.

[BenG]

You may be dazzled by the screen at first but if its too heavy you'll find that you use it for reading less and less. At least, that's been my experience.

[Graham]

Originally Posted by BenG

You may be dazzled by the screen at first but if its too heavy you'll find that you use it for reading less and less. At least, that's been my experience.

But how heavy is too heavy?

Out of interest I just went and weighed my Sony PRS-650 and my Nexus 7, both in their leather cases. I've been happily reading off the Sony for years and both my wife and I are happy reading from the Nexus 7 for long periods.

The Sony came in at 350g and the Nexus 7 at a whopping 500g.

I think Apple has some leeway there with weight.

Graham

[tubemonkey]

New low-cost iPad mini expected to debut alongside Retina model in 2014

But a Retina display iPad mini isn't in the cards for this year, he said, due to technical issues. Specifically, a 7.9-inch Retina display reportedly consumes too much power, which has required Apple to redesign all components in an effort to improve power efficiency.

Poor Apple... a victim of Steve's thin policy

[HarryT]

Yes, that's essentially what we've been saying already, that a Retina screen in the current Mini would have too high a power consumption.

[tubemonkey]

Not if they put a bigger battery in it

[HarryT]

I agree with you, but unfortunately the "market" seems to demand that each generation be smaller and lighter than the one before it.

[robinson]

Do you think it's the "market" or the "marketing" that has put the focus on being lighter and lighter each time?

I think a substantial portion of the market would trade some weight for much longer battery life, at least in the iPhone realm. OTOH, a low-power CPU can make all the difference--i.e., the new Haswell MacBook Airs! Same weight, but incredible 12-14 hour battery life--even better than the iPad's!

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by Graham

But how heavy is too heavy?

Out of interest I just went and weighed my Sony PRS-650 and my Nexus 7, both in their leather cases. I've been happily reading off the Sony for years and both my wife and I are happy reading from the Nexus 7 for long periods.

The Sony came in at 350g and the Nexus 7 at a whopping 500g.

I think Apple has some leeway there with weight.

Curious, do you read single-handed? One reason I didn't get a folio-type case for my Nexus 7 is because its base weight (~350g) is pretty much my hard limit for single-handed operation. I've got a Nook Color (~450g) and it's already in the realm of what I'd consider too heavy.

Ideally, I'd like something that weighs the same as my PRS-350 (lighter is also good). I just don't see it happening anytime soon.

[afv011]

Originally Posted by robinson

Do you think it's the "market" or the "marketing" that has put the focus on being lighter and lighter each time?

Spot on. Some people might want thinner and lighter devices, but I for one don't mind some bulk if that means my battery lasts that much longer.

[Rev. Bob]

Originally Posted by afv011

Spot on. Some people might want thinner and lighter devices, but I for one don't mind some bulk if that means my battery lasts that much longer.

Similarly, one of the reasons I get cases for my iStuff is that it's expensive and thin enough that I worry about breaking it if I don't use a case. Make it a little chunkier, so I don't worry about it snapping like a twig and I get better battery life, and I'm a happy guy.

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by robinson

Do you think it's the "market" or the "marketing" that has put the focus on being lighter and lighter each time?

I think a substantial portion of the market would trade some weight for much longer battery life, at least in the iPhone realm.

For smartphones, yeah, I'd gladly trade thinness and weight for longer battery life. All the new smartphones are practically weightless anyhow. The tablets, though, I think could still benefit from some weight loss.

Originally Posted by robinson

OTOH, a low-power CPU can make all the difference--i.e., the new Haswell MacBook Airs! Same weight, but incredible 12-14 hour battery life--even better than the iPad's!

I've been waiting for x86 (okay, just Intel, really, didn't really hold high hopes for AMD) to catch up to ARM in terms of power consumption. Glad to see it finally happening. I've wanted an x86 tablet since before the iPad came out but battery life has always been a deterrent. Looks like I might finally be getting my wish.

[Graham]

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

Curious, do you read single-handed? One reason I didn't get a folio-type case for my Nexus 7 is because its base weight (~350g) is pretty much my hard limit for single-handed operation. I've got a Nook Color (~450g) and it's already in the realm of what I'd consider too heavy.

I hold the device in one hand and swipe the screen with the other, but thinking about it, I usually rest the reader on something else as well, so I'm not taking the weight.

But I never have an issue with finding somewhere to rest it when I'm reading for long periods; the only time I can think of when I have to hold the device purely in one hand is when reading standing up on a train. I don't notice it as heavy then, but I suppose the duration of those sessions is shorter.

However, what definitely limits my reading time is the resolution of the screen. I can read longer on the Nexus 7 than the Touchpad, so with respect to the iPad mini I'd certainly feel that a Retina screen would be worth some extra weight.

Graham

[Josieb1]

I have a kindle Paperwhite which is perfect for reading one handed, but at home I end up using my ipad 3 most of the time and read on that if my Kindles not near me, i rest it on my lap and its fine, works really well as an ereader.

I bought a Nook HD for travelling as I need a good screen, for me a cheaper lighter mini iPad is no good if the trade off is a screen resolution worse than the Nook HD which is around 243. The current mini ipad is 163. I don't want to see pixels when I read.