iPad Maybe no retina iPad mini this year?

[MeSue]

This is not the first report like this I have seen. I'm going to be really disappointed if it turns out to be true.
http://www.slashgear.com/ipad-mini-2...-why-12290280/

My sister just bought an iPad mini so I will be able check one out more thoroughly when she visits toward the end of this month. Will be interesting to compare Marvin on the iPad 3 and mini side by side with my preferred reading settings.

[drofgnal]

I find the resolution on the mini just fine. It's like arguing about 720p vs 1080p on a 26 in LCD.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by MeSue

This is not the first report like this I have seen. I'm going to be really disappointed if it turns out to be true.
http://www.slashgear.com/ipad-mini-2...-why-12290280/

In what way do you find the current resolution unsatisfactory? It looks just fine to me.

[Valkrider]

As I have said before I don't see what all the fuss is about with Retina displays. My iPad mini screen is great as far as I am concerned for reading with Marvin, Skype, Facetime, Emails and some web browsing. It is my portable device. I have an iPhone 4 and a MacBook Air and my eyes don't perceive any noticeable improvement of display with these over the mini.

I see this as a lot of hype, others with better eyesight looking at the screen from a few inches away may be able to notice but for me I am more than happy with the current display resolution on the mini.

[meeera]

I'm fine with my original iPad for wittering time away playing games or web browsing or chatting on Twitter, but I really notice the poorer resolution when reading graphic novels or reading longer-form text. My partner has a retina iPad and I have an iPhone 5, so there's plenty to compare it to, and the difference is quite stark to my eyes at a normal reading distance.

I'm rather jealous of people who can't see the difference!

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by meeera

I'm rather jealous of people who can't see the difference!

^ this

[MeSue]

Originally Posted by HarryT

In what way do you find the current resolution unsatisfactory? It looks just fine to me.

I noticed a big difference when I went from an iPad 2 to an iPad 3. Mainly with text. When I looked at a mini in an Apple store briefly, with my preferences for reading, I could see the individual pixels in the text. It isn't smooth like printed text as it is on the iPad 3. I know it will be better than an iPad 2 though, so that's why I'm looking forward to a side by side comparison when my sister visits.

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by meeera

I'm fine with my original iPad for wittering time away playing games or web browsing or chatting on Twitter, but I really notice the poorer resolution when reading graphic novels or reading longer-form text. My partner has a retina iPad and I have an iPhone 5, so there's plenty to compare it to, and the difference is quite stark to my eyes at a normal reading distance.

I'm rather jealous of people who can't see the difference!

The original iPad has a much lower resolution than the mini. At some point you reach the law of diminishing returns. Where that point is is different for different people but most everyone can see the iPad 1 and 2 have less resolution.

Dale

I'm not sure why some get so bent out of shape when others have issues with device screens, be it a Kindle Paperwhite or a Mac Mini. Everyone's eyesight is unique to them, so some will be fine with a screen and some will have issues. Get over it! If your eyes are fine with a screen, just be thankful, and please shut the bleep up with your arguing against those who don't have as good of eyesight as you. It is stupid and it is childish and it is as futile as trying to prove or disprove the existence of god.

As far the Mini, it is on the bottom edge of readability with only about 163 dpi, compared to other similar sized tablets anyway. Some will have no issue with it, some will. I've said this before, there is no reason to put a double number of pixels into the Mini Screen, which is what Retina does. A 2048 x 1536 screen that is 7.9" will yield 324 dpi. Terrific, but overkill for a tablet. Using a 1280 x 960 screen would increase the Mini pitch to 203 dpi, and that would make a huge difference without breaking the bank.

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by DaleDe

The original iPad has a much lower resolution than the mini.

It has exactly the same number of pixels.
A mini held closer to your face will look exactly the same as an iPad 2 held further from your face. Making something smaller doesn't magically give it more detail.
An iPad mini cannot be used to read all the detail on a fullscreen magazine page or a doublepage comic spread, as it simply doesn't have enough pixels to resolve the small text. A retina iPad mini could.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by murraypaul

It has exactly the same number of pixels.
A mini held closer to your face will look exactly the same as an iPad 2 held further from your face. Making something smaller doesn't magically give it more detail.

It does, however, give it a higher pixel density, and that's what determines how smooth text looks.

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by HarryT

It does, however, give it a higher pixel density, and that's what determines how smooth text looks.

No smoother than just holding the iPad 2 further away from your face.
The same pixels and the same angle of view will result in the same image.
The advantage of the mini is in being more portable.

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by murraypaul

No smoother than just holding the iPad 2 further away from your face.
The same pixels and the same angle of view will result in the same image.
The advantage of the mini is in being more portable.

The advantage is also pixel density over the iPad 1 and 2. Most people will view the screen at the same distance or nearly the same distance on both devices. Unlike the iPhone which is so small you have to hold it closer to your face or read with 1/2 dozen words per page. You don't normally need retina on a iPad 3/4 unless you hold it as close to your face as you would a iPhone. the resolution of the iPad mini is the same as most e Ink eBook devices on the market. Everyone raved about these same devices when they came out. They, and the mini, are quite readable at the distance usually reserved for such devices. YMMV

Dale

[afv011]

Apple are victims of their own hype. "Retina this", "retina that", and now everybody expects a retina mini and, if it does not come out, there will be a big outcry.

With the new N7 and new Fire rumoured to come out with full HD screens, and at what is likely to be a fraction of the price of the mini, the new mini is seriously at risk of being obsolete even before it comes out.

[afv011]

Originally Posted by jswinden

A 2048 x 1536 screen that is 7.9" will yield 324 dpi. Terrific, but overkill for a tablet. Using a 1280 x 960 screen would increase the Mini pitch to 203 dpi, and that would make a huge difference without breaking the bank.

Do you remember the trouble it gave developers when the iphone 5 went just taller? You had apps with black bars! Now introduce a whole new resolution for the new mini, and all hell breaks loose. It's not going to happen, apple is between a rock and a hard place - stick with the old resolution, and see your device fall further behind the competition, or put a retina and face the technological challenges that come with it.