ipad Mini (retina) or regular iPad?

[Shane R]

Originally Posted by afv011

That's very true, but in this case the main weakness of this device is in the screen, something you constantly stare at and interact with

You can't see it with the naked eye in normal everyday use. Maybe in specialized use. But not everyday use.

It's not a general weakness. It's a "weak for x" weakness.

[afv011]

Originally Posted by jocampo

... that alleged gamut thing.

Alleged? It's been proven well beyond the shadow of a doubt.

[JTravers]

Originally Posted by Shane R

You can't see it with the naked eye in normal everyday use. Maybe in specialized use. But not everyday use.

It's not a general weakness. It's a "weak for x" weakness.

Great point.

Every device has weaknesses. The question is when actually using the device (not just regurgitating tech specs) do those weaknesses actually affect your enjoyment/use/productivity with the device.

[JTravers]

A great and balanced summation regarding the iPad mini retina.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7519/a...lay-reviewed/6

Final Words

When I concluded our iPad Air review I assumed the iPad mini with Retina Display was a true no-compromise, smaller alternative to the iPad Air. In many senses that’s true. Wireless connectivity is identical between the models, battery life is pretty much the same as well. Peak performance is close and you no longer have to accept a lower resolution display. Last year’s iPad mini was easy to recommend, and this year’s is even easier. To my surprise however, the iPad Air continues to hold some advantages that may resonate well with some users.

The biggest in my eyes is the iPad Air’s wider gamut display with full sRGB coverage. The mini’s Retina Display is good, the Air’s is just better. There’s also more thermal headroom on the iPad Air, which can come in handy if you’re doing compute intensive work on it. If neither of those things matters to you, then the decision becomes one of usage model and portability. I believe the iPad Air does a better job of approximating a primary computing device, particularly in its ability to give you a reasonable sized virtual keyboard to work on. The iPad mini on the other hand is substantially more portable. Although the iPad Air is light enough to come along with me more than any prior iPad, the mini’s form factor makes it even more likely that’ll I’ll bring it with me (the best tablet is the one you have with you?).

As much as I prefer the iPad Air’s display and as much as I love having more performance, I’d probably lean towards the mini personally. The lower weight and smaller form factor are just tough to give up. Apple could’ve made the decision a lot easier by giving the mini true display parity with the Air though.

The mini with Retina Display sits at an interesting point in Apple's iPad lineup. Priced at $399, the higher-end mini is priced identically to the iPad 2 - which Apple continues to sell. I honestly can't see a situation outside of having poor vision where I'd recommend the iPad 2 over the iPad mini with Retina Display.

If you're on the fence about upgrading from an older iPad (or even the first gen mini), the iPad mini with Retina Display is a tempting target. Compared to virtually all previous iPads you're going to notice a substantial increase in performance thanks to Apple's A7 SoC. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that the performance improvement over the previous generation mini (featuring Apple's A5) can be just as noticeable of an uprade as the display. The new mini is a leap forward in performance compared to its predecessor.

While Apple has the 10-inch tablet market more or less locked up with the iPad Air, the mini faces stiff competition. The biggest comes from Google with the $229 2013 Nexus 7. You get an incredibly affordable device and a display with full sRGB gamut. What the mini offers is a faster SoC, a wider display (a Nexus 8 would be nice) and of course, iOS. I’ve heard varying opinions on iOS vs. Android when talking about tablet or smartphone use. Some users prefer Android on one and iOS on the other, vice versa or find themselves exclusively in one camp. This one is best left up to personal preference. At $229 the Nexus 7 is a great option. If you prefer iOS however, the iPad mini with Retina Display is quite nice. The price hike vs. the standard mini can be a tough pill to swallow, but the A7 and display are definitely worth it.

[HansTWN]

The bottom line is some people would be better off getting the Air instead of the Mini because of the screen.

Seems we have two major camps here: Those who support afv011 being able to comment about a device he doesn't own. Those in this camp don't seem to have any iOS devices. Hmmmm? And the other camp with folks who don't like trolls who only come around to be negative.

BTW, I have both the iPad Mini Retina and the Nexus 7.2. The Mini R does have less gamut coverage and that at first turned me away from it. That is, until I went to an Apple store and compared the Mini R with the Air, side by side. I bought the Mini R and I'm happy I did. Is the screen less vibrant in some cases than an Air or Nexus 7.2. Yes, assuming you look really hard and bring up a color chart. Is it so noticeable as to make the Mini R a bad buy. Hell no! I do a lot of prosumer photography, and I cannot see any reason why the Mini R cannot be used as well as an Air or Nexus 7.2. And I'm picky about my photography.

Bottom line is this, people should go compare things for themselves rather than listen to those who have never owned nor ever seen that item, especially when said person(s) are known to be against that company or product.

[JTravers]

Originally Posted by HansTWN

The bottom line is some people would be better off getting the Air instead of the Mini because of the screen.

And some might be better off with the mini since it has a sharper screen (higher DPI) than the Air.

[Canuck_in_Japan]

Originally Posted by jswinden

Seems we have two major camps here: Those who support afv011 being able to comment about a device he doesn't own. Those in this camp don't seem to have any iOS devices. Hmmmm? And the other camp with folks who don't like trolls who only come around to be negative.
.

Predictably, you are wrong as I own an iPad Air. As I've already noted, for some reason you seem to believe that only people who own the device in question are allowed to criticize it. As far as I know anyone has the right to do so. I don't need to buy a GM car before I can say that I don't like it.

[HansTWN]

Originally Posted by jswinden

Seems we have two major camps here: Those who support afv011 being able to comment about a device he doesn't own. Those in this camp don't seem to have any iOS devices. Hmmmm? And the other camp with folks who don't like trolls who only come around to be negative.

BTW, I have both the iPad Mini Retina and the Nexus 7.2. The Mini R does have less gamut coverage and that at first turned me away from it. That is, until I went to an Apple store and compared the Mini R with the Air, side by side. I bought the Mini R and I'm happy I did. Is the screen less vibrant in some cases than an Air or Nexus 7.2. Yes, assuming you look really hard and bring up a color chart. Is it so noticeable as to make the Mini R a bad buy. Hell no! I do a lot of prosumer photography, and I cannot see any reason why the Mini R cannot be used as well as an Air or Nexus 7.2. And I'm picky about my photography.

Bottom line is this, people should go compare things for themselves rather than listen to those who have never owned nor ever seen that item, especially when said person(s) are known to be against that company or product.

Actually my wife has an iphone4 and I am in charge of maintaining it. And I have been saying the same thing you did --- people should be aware of the difference in the screens and have a look at it in the store. "Don't worry, the Mini's screen is good enough" doesn't help anybody. So why all the fuzz about people pointing out an objective issue? (which may well be a non-issue for most, but people deserve to be made aware and make an informed decision). What afv011 says is undoubtely true, the real question is, who will actually notice the difference? Anyway, his comments may get some people to buy an Air instead of a buying a Mini. No problems with that, no regrets later.

[HansTWN]

Originally Posted by Canuck_in_Japan

Predictably, you are wrong as I own an iPad Air. As I've already noted, for some reason you seem to believe that only people who own the device in question are allowed to criticize it. As far as I know anyone has the right to do so. I don't need to buy a GM car before I can say that I don't like it.

Or, to be closer to this case -- you don't have to buy a GM car before you can say that it gets XXX mpg according to official data.

[DuskyRose]

Originally Posted by jswinden

Bottom line is this, people should go compare things for themselves rather than listen to those who have never owned nor ever seen that item, especially when said person(s) are known to be against that company or product.

I agree. When ever someone asks me about one device or another, I tell them to research first, but when ever possible hold one in your hand. All the great specs in the world won't do you any good if you find you dislike something about the device once you pick it up and test it. Everyone is different that way, and you have to just judge for yourself.

Hubby just got an iPad Air and loves it. At the same time I replaced my 1st gen mini with the Retina Mini and I'm thrilled with mine. I also have a 1st gen Nexus 7 to compare them both with, and while I like it, it's not the tablet I want to go to all the time.

We're both happy and feel like we got what we wanted. In the end, that's what really matters. Sometimes, you really do have to do the comparisons yourself no matter what someone else thinks.