iPad Maybe no retina iPad mini this year?

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by DaleDe

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.

I would strongly disagree with that. I replaced an iPad 1 with a 3 immediately because of how much better the screen was.
You might not [b]need[\b] it for standard fiction, but once you had it you wouldn't want to go back, and for other types of reading it enables things that simply aren't possible on a 1/2, such as reading a broadsheet newspaper at full width without zooming, or a double page comic spread.
If a retina iPad mini (or an Android near-equivalent) does come out, I'll most likely get one.

[HarryT]

As an iPad 3 owner I entirely agree that it's a heck of a lot better than the original iPad, but the iPad Mini, although not up to the pixel density of the iPad 3, still has a significantly higher pixel density than the iPad 1.

[WillysJeepMan]

Originally Posted by 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.

I agree. An existing investment in the iOS ecosystem would be the only reason that I can think of in selecting an iPad mini over the less expensive Fire HD and N7.

[meeera]

Originally Posted by HarryT

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

I don't see how that will help with graphic novels, however, which is my sticking point. The ones which currently have only borderline-readable text on my iPad original will be just as difficult to read on the Mini.

I've looked at the Mini in stores, repeatedly. The screen is not good enough for me. Do you still not believe me, or are you gonna argue some more?

[HarryT]

I'm not arguing with you. I haven't responded to you at all in this thread. I was talking to the original poster.

[afv011]

Originally Posted by WillysJeepMan

I agree. An existing investment in the iOS ecosystem would be the only reason that I can think of in selecting an iPad mini over the less expensive Fire HD and N7.

And it would have to be a serious investment indeed. The $100+ difference between the mini and the competition buys lots of apps.

[robertc88]

The mini slaughtered the larger iPads in sales. Guess why the mini with retina will not be available for awhile.

[robertc88]

Originally Posted by WillysJeepMan

I agree. An existing investment in the iOS ecosystem would be the only reason that I can think of in selecting an iPad mini over the less expensive Fire HD and N7.

That in itself is reason enough.

I would not know sales figures mini versus n7 but ......

[kyteflyer]

Its all a matter of horses for courses. For a long time I have been unable to read on my iPad 3, simply because of its weight. I will read a little whilst sitting at a table, and I tried getting a kind of reading stand thing so I could use when sitting on the lounge, but I hated the darn thing. I decided to get a mini now before iOS7 comes out, just in case it stays as revolting as it was in beta 1 and 2 (though I hear 3 has improved the appearance somewhat)... I wanted the choice to remain at iOS6 and you dont get that with a new device with the new OS.

In short, the mini is actually exactly the right size for me. Yes, the pixel density is not as great, but I find no difficulty coping with it, and am reading a lot more on that, than on the iPad 3, in spite of the obvious differences in screen quality. I wish it had a "retina" screen... but it works fine the way it is. I like it.

[tubemonkey]

Just an FYI for perspective

Pixel Densities Compared

• 300 ppi --- Nexus 10
• 264 ppi --- iPad 3 & 4
• 256 ppi --- Nook HD+
• 254 ppi --- Fire HD 8.9
• 243 ppi --- Nook HD
• 216 ppi --- Nexus 7 / Fire HD / Kobo Arc
• 189 ppi --- Galaxy Note 8.0 / Galaxy Tab 3 8.0
• 169 ppi --- Fire 1 & 2 / Galaxy Tab 2 & 3 7.0 / Nook Color & Tab / Kobo Vox
• 163 ppi --- iPad mini
• 149 ppi --- Galaxy Note 10.1 / Galaxy Tab 2 & 3 10.1
• 132 ppi --- iPad 1 & 2 / HP TouchPad

[afv011]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Just an FYI for perspective

Pixel Densities Compared

• 323 ppi --- (rumoured) new N7 and Fire
• 300 ppi --- Nexus 10
• 264 ppi --- iPad 3 & 4
• 256 ppi --- Nook HD+
• 254 ppi --- Fire HD 8.9
• 243 ppi --- Nook HD
• 216 ppi --- Nexus 7 / Fire HD / Kobo Arc
• 189 ppi --- Galaxy Note 8.0 / Galaxy Tab 3 8.0
• 169 ppi --- Fire 1 & 2 / Galaxy Tab 2 & 3 7.0 / Nook Color & Tab / Kobo Vox
• 163 ppi --- iPad mini
• 149 ppi --- Galaxy Note 10.1 / Galaxy Tab 2 & 3 10.1
• 132 ppi --- iPad 1 & 2 / HP TouchPad

Added new devices (as rumoured screen spec) for comparison purposes.

[ilovejedd]

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!

+1. If I happen to look at the screen on the retina iPad long enough, I can see edge pixels on diagonal lines and curves (although it's not something I normally notice).

I have a 9.7" Android tablet which can switch between 1600*1200 (206 ppi) and 2048*1536 resolution (264 ppi). The difference is really noticeable particularly reading double-page spreads with small text.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by afv011

Added new devices (as rumoured screen spec) for comparison purposes.

Thanks; and the poor mini will lag even further behind.

Notice how Samsung is playing Apple's game with even more devices? These are the resolutions we were seeing three years ago.

[drofgnal]

Originally Posted by kyteflyer

Its all a matter of horses for courses. For a long time I have been unable to read on my iPad 3, simply because of its weight. I will read a little whilst sitting at a table, and I tried getting a kind of reading stand thing so I could use when sitting on the lounge, but I hated the darn thing. I decided to get a mini now before iOS7 comes out, just in case it stays as revolting as it was in beta 1 and 2 (though I hear 3 has improved the appearance somewhat)... I wanted the choice to remain at iOS6 and you dont get that with a new device with the new OS.

In short, the mini is actually exactly the right size for me. Yes, the pixel density is not as great, but I find no difficulty coping with it, and am reading a lot more on that, than on the iPad 3, in spite of the obvious differences in screen quality. I wish it had a "retina" screen... but it works fine the way it is. I like it.

I'm fine with it as well. I'm reading and responding to this forum on it, which is much smaller text than I use for reading, and it is just fine.

[Rev. Bob]

Originally Posted by drofgnal

I'm fine with it as well. I'm reading and responding to this forum on it, which is much smaller text than I use for reading, and it is just fine.

My main complaint with my mini is the phone-app rendering mode, which looks like it'll get upgraded in iOS 7 anyway. (Short form: the rendering mode is currently blockier than it needs to be.) If that's true, I'll be a happy guy; a Retina mini would have a higher pixel density than I need, at the expense of battery life. I saw the same problem when I went from my iPod touch 3 to 4; it looked nice, but the battery life was abysmal.