iPad iPad Mini 1 or iPad Mini With Retina?

[johnnyb]

Originally Posted by mgmueller

We've all read on Notebook displays twice the size of iPad Mini with lower resolution a few years ago perfectly fine...

While that is true, I find it so much comfortable now, to actually look at screens that approximate the smoothness of at least everyday use laser-printed pages...
And not only for reading but for everything except games (where I don’t notice it much) and videos (which are often way below both screen resolutions anyway)...

And AlbertaCowboy, maybe your wife will do some more reading once she discovers Newsstand and iBooks or Kindle

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by afv011

Very insightful, the original question was



and your answer is

This member [&&&&-----andreix---&&&&] was banned as a spammer, so his comments are meaningless. When trash comes in, it doesn't take us long to take out the trash.


Don
(Moderator)

[VictoriaP]

Originally Posted by mgmueller

Always the same: If you want to focus on it, it will be obvious. Once I had seen the gaps between housing and frame on my Nook HD, I couldn't stand it anymore. I couldn't read, I couldn't play games. All I saw was the low build quality.
Same for the resolution of the display: If you want to check out the pixels, you will see them. But if you just start reading, it should be perfectly fine.
We've all read on Notebook displays twice the size of iPad Mini with lower resolution a few years ago perfectly fine...

Unless she's a heavy reader who plans to switch all her reading to the new Mini, or she has eyesight issues, I actually think the regular Mini is fine. I've had one for a year now, and the retina wasn't particularly tempting--even after my husband brought home a shiny new iPad Air with that very crisp screen. I've used my Mini for just about everything--all my RSS feeds and article readers such as Pocket, plus some gaming, a little video (was just watching the 49ers-Carolina game on it for a few), and even (gasp!) reading books! It really is a constant companion, rarely out of reach, and used a LOT more than my laptop.

As mentioned above, I don't really feel the lack of retina until I start to focus on it. At which point, I remind myself that I'm not going to waste money to upgrade
a serviceable device that's not showing it's age yet processor-wise.

Then I go back to using it.

(For the record, I use a Kindle PW2 for my primary reader. This isn't anything against my Mini's non retina screen for that usage; it's a focus problem with my ADD-raddled brain and tablets. Using the Kindle is a more focused, immersive reading experience for me. But the Mini makes an awesome PDF reader, along with magazines and things like cookbooks.)

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by VictoriaP

As mentioned above, I don't really feel the lack of retina until I start to focus on it. At which point, I remind myself that I'm not going to waste money to upgrade
a serviceable device that's not showing it's age yet processor-wise.

There's a big difference, though, between upgrading an existing device and buying a new one. Given the choice between buying an "old" iPad Mini and the Retina, for me it's a no-brainer that the Retina is a better machine, and well worth paying a bit extra for. Much faster processor, great battery life, and excellent display - what's not to like about it?

[AlbertaCowboy]

Thanks for all the opinions, folks.
I'm gonna go ahead and get the Retina Mini, mostly for the faster processing speed, and being more "future proof" than the original.
Who knows, wifey might even like to read on it, and ditch her PRS-350.
Cheers,
AC

[jocampo]

Originally Posted by AlbertaCowboy

My lovely wife has expressed a desire for an iPad Mini for her birthday. If it were up to me, I'd go with the Mini 2 with Retina display, mainly because I like tech and new toys, but in all honesty, all she'll use it for is for marathon Plants VS. Zombie sessions, web browsing and Facebooking.

Does anyone have hands on with both Minis? Is the speed and retina display worth another hundred bucks or so?

Also please note that she does not want a full sized Pad, even though the price difference makes it worthwhile to get the iPad Air, she emphatically wants a Mini.

Me :-)

And difference is noticeable. Not only in terms of reading experience and how crisp and nice fonts can be, but in terms of speed.

The Retina is way faster! After most recent iOs update, the old Mini becomes even more slow. The new one also streams YouTube faster. My old mini had way more buffering than the new one and I have a 70 Mbps download connection, so it was my hardware, not my Internet.

The only positive thing, besides price of course, is that the old Mini is a bit lighter. But the higher contrast and better display on the new one I think compensates that.

I kind of wish the Kindle PW2 would be like the new Mini in terms of contrast and reading experience. But I am keeping my PW2 because it beats the Mini in terms of battery and out door experience.

Unless you are really tight on your budget, I would certainly recommend getting the new Retina Mini.

[shanghaichica]

Originally Posted by jocampo

Me :-)

And difference is noticeable. Not only in terms of reading experience and how crisp and nice fonts can be, but in terms of speed.

The Retina is way faster! After most recent iOs update, the old Mini becomes even more slow. The new one also streams YouTube faster. My old mini had way more buffering than the new one and I have a 70 Mbps download connection, so it was my hardware, not my Internet.

The only positive thing, besides price of course, is that the old Mini is a bit lighter. But the higher contrast and better display on the new one I think compensates that.

I kind of wish the Kindle PW2 would be like the new Mini in terms of contrast and reading experience. But I am keeping my PW2 because it beats the Mini in terms of battery and out door experience.

Unless you are really tight on your budget, I would certainly recommend getting the new Retina Mini.

I've seen the new mini and the screen is noticeably better, I don't doubt that it is faster too. However, the first gen mini is fast enough for me. Providing I have a stable internet connection, streaming is absolutely fine. It doesn't buffer and the quality is good. I've watched Netflix, YouTube, amazon instant video and movies from my cable provider, as well as streaming from the icloud. It doesn't buffer.

[shanghaichica]

Originally Posted by AlbertaCowboy

Thanks for all the opinions, folks.
I'm gonna go ahead and get the Retina Mini, mostly for the faster processing speed, and being more "future proof" than the original.
Who knows, wifey might even like to read on it, and ditch her PRS-350.
Cheers,
AC

I think you have made a good choice. Whilst I am happy with my first gen mini, if I were buying now I'd definitely get the retina mini. I just can't justify an upgrade when my mini is working perfectly fine and I've just shelled out for an iPhone 5S, so I have to wait a bit before I can justify a new gadget purchase.

[solitarywolf]

I'm glad to see you are going for the Mini II, it will be a better investment later for you. Not only do you get a better screen, you are really getting the advantage of the faster A7 processor. When you see the differences in loading time, you will be happy you did go for the Mini II.

[AlbertaCowboy]

UPDATE:
I did end up getting the Mini II, and I'm very impressed.
My wife LOVES it, and I've ordered an Oberon Designs cover for her as well.
I must say that it beats the hell out of my Samsung Tab!
I'm curious as to whether my wife will end up reading on it though. She has a PRS-350, and loves it, but I wonder if she will ditch the 350 if she doesn't have eyestrain issues with the retina display on the pad.
Thanks again for the opinions, folks.
Cheers.
-AC

[Bookworm_Girl]

Awesome! Thanks for sharing your decision and the news that your wife LOVES it!

[script]

buy something new instead of old devices

[athlonkmf]

just wanted to drop my opinion even though the TS has already chosen.

When people say they can't notice a difference between retina-screen and normal. That could very well be because they're testing it in a store. Where the iPads are fixed on hiplevel.

When you use the iPad as you would in normal use (much closer to you), the difference will be much clearer. If you read stuff (magazines) in landscape, then you will doubt which one you'd buy.

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by athlonkmf

When people say they can't notice a difference between retina-screen and normal. That could very well be because they're testing it in a store. Where the iPads are fixed on hiplevel.

When you use the iPad as you would in normal use (much closer to you), the difference will be much clearer. If you read stuff (magazines) in landscape, then you will doubt which one you'd buy.

I think this boils down to individual eyesight. I can definitely notice a difference between the original iPad Mini and the retina version. My mom, she barely notices the difference between the iPad 2 and the iPad 3, which I think is a more radical improvement. Neither version of the iPad Mini would work for her - she needs/prefers the bigger screen (and larger font size by default).

[dordale]

Don't have a mini, but just upgraded from in iPad2 to an iPad air--and I certainly notice the difference when reading!! After using the air almost exclusively for the last couple of months, I recently picked up the iPad2 and opened a book in Marvin. Everything looked kind of blurry to me. Surprised me a little, because before I had the air, I was perfectly happy reading on the iPad2. But now, I'd absolutely hate to have to go back to reading on it!!