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Why everyone loves the iPad mini (even though the screen sucks)
- afterburner 14y agoThe weight of the iPad was always it's biggest problem. Glad to see that demonstrated so clearly.
- abdophoto 14y agoSome good points. I wouldn't call Retina displays disruptive. I wonder if we'll even see a Retina mini next year.
- rayiner 14y agoRetina displays aren't so much disruptive as they are hard to give up after you've used one. The display is probably the single most important part of a tablet. A Retina display makes surfing the web, reading PDF's, and reading e-books just a totally different experience. I've taken to doing all of these things on my iPad instead of my MBP because its so hard to go back to a low-resolution screen. We may not see a Retina Mini next year, because of supply issues with components, but not because Apple doesn't think it's important. Apple, unlike Microsoft (cough Surface RT cough), realizes how important the display is.
- uptown 14y agoI'd bet on it.
- thoughtsimple 14y agoI'm not so sure. The reason that the iPad3 and 4 are thicker than the iPad 2 is because of the extra battery needed for the Retina display. Unless there is a breakthrough on displays (IGZO maybe) I don't think Apple will be doing a retina display for a while because of the added cost, weight and thickness needed for a bigger battery.
- abdophoto 14y agoAnandTech also thinks a Retina display mini is unlikely next year: http://www.anandtech.com/show/6429/ipad-mini-review/5 http://www.anandtech.com/show/6429/ipad-mini-review/5
- taude 14y agoFor some reason, I'm not as enamored or impressed with the whole Retina-thing as everyone else. Even when I bought a new 15" MBPro a couple months ago, I went with the standard screen (though I do use my laptop plugged into external monitor 75% of the time). Sure, the Retina is nice, and I'll appreciate it when it's the default standard in a few years, but I don't look at it and think "WOAH, THIS IS AMAZING, I NEED THIS NOW."
- rahoulb 14y agoI find it more like HDTV. I wasn't unhappy with standard definition, but I ended up watching more and more HD over time. Now, when I watch SD, I notice it - not enough to put me off, but enough that it's ever-so slightly annoying.
- untog 14y agoI'm the same. The difference on the iPhone seemed significant, but when I see it on a laptop it really isn't (probably because the pixel density is different- 'retina' is a deliberately vague term). I'm currently choosing between a 13" Retina or a 13" Air for my next purchase, and I'm leaning towards the Air. The Retina just isn't that big a factor.
- scott_meade 14y ago"even though the screen sucks" reminds me of Lewis C.K.'s "Everything is amazing and nobody is happy". How soon we feel anything less than retina sucks. Really? We're spoiled people when we look at a piece of technology like the iPad mini and our response is "this screen sucks!". Sheesh.
- Kylekramer 14y agoPeople jump to the "everything is amazing and nobody is happy" thing way too quickly. It is a funny bit for sure. But if we take it as a life philosophy, a: we would never function cause we just being standing around gawking in amazement at almost everything b: things would never improve. Apple makes high quality displays for all of its iOS products besides the Mini. So, yeah, the Mini's screen sucks. Especially when competitor's products are already more "amazing" in screen resolution for less price.
- deleted 14y ago[deleted]
- AlexandrB 14y agoI think it's less about gawking in amazement and more about perspective. Getting wound up about small technical drawbacks is very "first-world problem".
- rayiner 14y agoLook at it this way: if Apple released an MBA without a big glass touchpad, wouldn't everyone say "the touchpad sucks?" It's not that the old touchpads weren't usable, it's just that it's really hard to go back after you've used a new-style touchpad.
- technoslut 14y agoYou presented the wrong problem. In your situation Apple gave them something they didn't ask for and was an incremental upgrade to a 20 year-old way of the solution. Society's problems, from Louis C.K.'s POV, is that everyone expects everything to be faster and they always expect to be amazed. As we all know, that occurs very rarely in technology.
- GiraffeNecktie 14y agoThe iPad mini is "disruptive" only if you live in an alternative and exclusively Apple universe. The smaller Android tablets and large phones (like the Galaxy Tab), which have been out for a long time, disrupted the iPad and forced the introduction of the mini.
- Shivetya 14y agoIt would be nice if I could actually lay my hands on a 16g Nexus 7, no local retailer carries it. Well I should not say none do, one does at the old price. I can find 32g Nexus 7 tablets at most office supply stores and the like, the few that don't carry Nexus usually carry Kindle. So where are they at? I can go to Best Buy, Target, Wal Mart, or even an Apple store, for all things iPad but finding the Android tablets is... In other words, smaller Android tablets forced nothing, unless your counting Kindle Fire's as androids. You can barely find them; I live in Atlanta and looked; but I can certainly find Apple products.
- Toady 14y agoAndroid tablets haven't been very successful. Android fans may not like it, but the public loves the iPad, so the iPad mini becomes a disruptive product. It's the smaller tablet that people have been waiting for. There's more to the success of a product than being first to market. Apple has been proving that for the duration of its existence.
- MattRogish 14y agoTechnology is all about tradeoffs, film at 11. But seriously, I held a Mini yesterday. As an iPad3 owner I can say I'd trade my retina and larger screen for the weight of the Mini any day. The weight of the 3 is really difficult to hold for long periods of time. Of course, I'd highly prefer a full-sized iPad that was as light as the Mini (or "proportionally light", like the iPhone5 vs 4). I'm not sure if battery technology will improve quickly enough to make that happen in the near term.
- thoughtsimple 14y ago>The weight of the 3 is really difficult to hold for long periods of time. I have to say I've never really understood this complaint. Do people use iPads standing up or something? I have the iPad in my lap or on my chest if reading in bed. The amount of time I spend using it while I have to hold it unsupported is minimal. The iPad 3&4 weigh about the same as a large hardcover book. Do people find the weight of hardcover books difficult to hold for long periods of time? The Hobbit is about 1.2 pounds, the iPad 4 is about 1.44 pounds. Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon is about twice the weight of The Hobbit.
- potatolicious 14y ago> "Do people use iPads standing up or something?" Not much, because it's too heavy to use standing up. Or rather, in the usual stand-up use cases (e.g., on a bus, boat, or train) you usually want to one-hand the device, and its weight prevents you from doing so. > "The amount of time I spend using it while I have to hold it unsupported is minimal." Is that because tablets naturally don't have "unsupported" use cases, or because the current implementation fulfills said use cases poorly, and therefore you don't use them that way? > "Do people find the weight of hardcover books difficult to hold for long periods of time?" While standing or one-handing it? Yes. > "Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon is about twice the weight of The Hobbit." And how many times have you seen someone reading a book that size on the subway/bus/ferry? ;)
- thoughtsimple 14y ago
- nicholassmith 14y agoI know a couple of people who've said, hands down, they'd take a Mini over an iPad 3. I would, in a heartbeat (and probably will next year, for 'testing') and I love the Retina displays, I just don't think you miss it that much with the iPad Mini unless you're reading, you have excellent eyesight and you hold it really close. I know some people will inevitable go "you can SEE the pixels, right there, there's a pixel", and that's fine for them. But it's a bit like audiophile headphones, one person can pick up an extra set of dulcet tones but for that guy over there? He doesn't care too much, he likes the other one that's technically not as good but suits him more.
- aw3c2 14y agoI looked at a friend's iPhone with high resolution display the other day. I was really impressed how I could not see any pixels. Then I pulled out my old nexus one to compare how crappy it would look now. As it turned out I could not tell a difference. the 800x480 screen already is dense enough for me to not see any pixels. Confirmation bias is a bitch. Edit: Typo fixing and capitalisation.
- nicholassmith 14y agoWhen I bought my iPad 2 I was very happy, then used it, then convinced myself I could see the pixels. 100% convinced, I was horrified thinking "I bought the wrong one, I should have spent the extra and got the iPad 3". Roll forward a couple of days after using it and I realised that I'd mostly talked myself into thinking I could, and that it was a non-issue.
- untog 14y agoThe Android community is terrible with this (and I say this as a very happy Android user). People complain about PenTile, SLCD vs AMOLED, etc. etc., but I swear- if you did a blind test, 90% of users wouldn't even be able to guess the screen resolution, let alone the technology used to make it. If you stare at a phone/tablet in the store for long enough you can find any number of flaws in it. When you actually use the thing day to day to read e-mail and navigate your way around a city it doesn't matter one jot.
- CletusTSJY 14y agoMy iPad Mini arrived last weekend and I love it. He's absolutely right about the size and weight being the killer feature. Since I haven't used a retina display for long periods of time, I don't even notice the lower quality of the screen. I'll probably get a larger one at some point but I'm satisfied with my choice to start with the Mini.
- steele 14y agoOn every single flight I take, the main reason why everyone loves my iPad Mini is because it is a Nexus 7. Edit: People ask: "is that the mini?". I avoid being a jerk about it and just say "It's the google one. One of the Nexus products. The mini wasn't out when I bought this but I really like it. etc etc"
- dpcan 14y agoI have a 2 year old Galaxy Tab 7" and the same thing happens to us while the kids are playing with it out in public. Everyone thinks it's an iPad mini and wants to see it, even tho it's about a quarter inch thick. It's 2 years old and it seems to run all modern games at full speed, no problem at all, Minecraft, etc. When playing a game, it would be easy to mistake it for a mini. It's true that the retina displays aren't disruptive. It's not like I can't fully enjoy our current games and apps without a retina display, so it's just one of those "that would be nice" kind of features. As far as processor speed is concerned. Again, my 2 year old device runs most modern games and apps at what appears to be full speed. I have no lag, no choppiness, no problem. So why would I need something faster? I feel like Apple is about to hit the same brick wall PC's have been faced with for years. From a developer's perspective, they have already entered the chaotic realm of fragmentation and backwards compatibility issues, and it's messy. Things will be changing for Apple. Where they do they go from here?
- Simucal 14y agoI could see how the average consumer would get confused between the two. It is kind of hard for a tablet devices to differentiate themselves in their looks when the entire face of the device is a glass display. I now own the iPad Mini and up until a week ago I also owned the Nexus 7. The build quality, weight, and battery life of the iPad Mini beats the Nexus 7 hands down. The frame of my Nexus 7 would "creak" along the edge if you put pressure on it. The Nexus 7 was my first Android device and despite claims that Jelly Bean had finally fixed the platform's major performance issues, I still felt noticeable lag in certain situations when scrolling or paging to different home screens. It wasn't a major issue but I still feel like Android could make some improvements in this regard. I also felt that the quality and polish of the major apps that I use was better on the iOS platform (with a couple exceptions such as the HTPC remote app on Android that was amazing). The main thing that I miss from my Nexus 7 is the combination of Voice Actions and the Android Intents system. It felt like a magical moment when I would tell my Nexus 7 to "play some music by Nine Inch Nails" and it would launch Spotify automatically and play the requested music. It kind of blew my mind that I could simply ask this device to play music by almost any artist in the world and it would start playing immediately.
- drivebyacct2 14y agoOr the cheaper, ~lighter,~ faster, higher-res Nexus 7?
- BryantD 14y agoThe Nexus 7 isn't lighter. Check the specs.
- bryanlarsen 14y agoIt isn't even as much smaller as you'd expect. The two are so close in size/weight that the difference is not significant for most use cases. But the Nexus 7 wins one use case: fitting in pant packets. They both fit in some pant pockets, they both don't fit in others. The difference is the Nexus 7 fits in a lot more pant pockets than the iPad mini does. That use case probably doesn't outweigh the "does it have the games I want" question, though...
- hollerith 14y ago>But the Nexus 7 wins one use case: fitting in pant packets People with big hands can hold the Nexus 7 in what I will call the "beer-can grip". The mini's extra half inch or so of width makes the beer-can grip a lot less comfortable or a lot less reliable (secure).
- drivebyacct2 14y agoYou're right, my apologies. (For others, iPad Mini: 308 or 312 grams; Nexus 7: 340 or 347 grams.) Thanks for the correction.
- mcantelon 14y agoTLDR: pixel density doesn't matter that much... the mini is good because it's small and looks good.
- rdl 14y agoI don't have a mini (yet...), but I can't imagine any situation where I can carry the mini but not the full-sized iPad. Neither will fit in my pocket comfortably (like a phone), and either fits fine in any bag I own. Since I reach for my MBA13 as frequently (more like 4x as often) as iPad when both are sitting in front of me, I don't think I'd be that likely to go for the mini vs. iPad at home or where I had both devices. It seems like it makes sense for females with purses, maybe people wearing coats with big and not huge pockets, and very small people (kids, etc.) for whom the weight of an iPad is too much.
- jws 14y agoI'm liking the mini precisely because I have it with me. It fits in my coat pockets. When spring comes around I'll probably have to start wearing clown pants.
- thedufer 14y agoThis is one of the biggest advantage the Nexus 7 has over the mini. It fits, if a bit snugly, into the back pockets of my jeans.
- rdl 14y agoCan you sit on it, though? I usually carry an iphone 5 in my back pocket, and it's small/durable enough that sitting on it isn't a big deal. I actually have cargo pants which will fit an iPad 1 in the cargo pocket (barely). I used that a lot on military bases where you weren't allowed to take a bag into the cafeteria (for fear of bombs).
- mtgx 14y agoWow. Look at every Apple user come out and say how much like they a smaller screen now, after downplaying all the 7" Android devices for being too small before the iPad Mini. And please don't tell me it makes such a big difference between a 7" and a 7.9", because in my mind the bigger display size is actually a disadvantage, as it's not a very comfortable one-handed device anymore. You can't use it like you would a smartphone anymore. You're still using it the same way you'd use a bigger iPad. It's just that it's lighter, while a Nexus 7 is both lighter and more comfortable to hold with one hand. Next you're going to tell me that a phone with a bigger display than the "perfect" 3.5" size is better, too. Oh wait. I'm sorry for being so sarcastic, but after all the articles about how Apple "brilliantly" picked all those perfect sizes and screen ratios (iPhone 5 now switching to 16:9, anyone?), that have also topped HN, it's hard not to pick on this and call out the hypocrisy. In fact, I feel it's my duty to point this out. If even one person comes to the realization that Apple is not as perfect as the media makes them out to be, then I'll be happy.
- bonch 14y ago"Every Apple user" didn't downplay 7-inch Android devices. You already didn't like Apple and needed a justification to complain about Apple and their fans, like some tablet platform warrior. Most Apple fans are the opposite of how they're portrayed. Rather than accept everything Apple does, they over-analyze and complain about nearly everything. If Apple slightly mismatches the color of a button, it will get mentioned in a whiny thread on the Apple support forums.
- Adirael 14y agoWow, EVERY Apple user, it's nice to know you have all that data to look at. The Nexus 7 and the iPad Mini are tablets, not phones, both are uncomfortable in one hand and not big enough to be productive on them, unless a 10" tablet is too big for you I wouldn't even look at them. Phone wise: smaller is better. I prefer the 4S screen size to the 5. Galaxy Note and huge Android devices are laughable from my point of view.
- untog 14y agoWow, EVERY Apple user, it's nice to know you have all that data to look at. [...] both are uncomfortable in one hand and not big enough to be productive on them [...] smaller is better [...] huge Android devices are laughable from my point of view If you're going to criticise someone for making blanket statements, I wouldn't then immediately follow it up with a series of blanket statements.
- stcredzero 14y ago> screen volume
- topbanana 14y agoUh-oh, my bullshit buzzer went off at "Retina displays aren’t disruptive". Didn't read the rest of the article.
- snuze 14y agoAgreed. I will never go back to a non-retina screen. I bought the Nexus 7 to see what the Android ecosystem is all about and I always reach for the iPad instead. The screen is the deciding factor. The 7" screen is too small. The text is not crisp. The colors are bland. My devices: iPad (3rd gen) iPhone 4S Nexus 7
- dpcan 14y agoI think it's not disruptive because to be disruptive it has to be more wide-spread disruptive. There are just too many people, like myself, who look at the retina display and wonder why the heck I'd pay more for the smaller pixels. It's just not important to way to many people to be considered disruptive.
- rogerchucker 14y agoI own an iPad 3 and played with the mini at an Apple Store. The screen really felt unimpressive. Also dimension-wise, Nexus 7 felt more "natural" on my palm compared to the iPad mini, although iPad mini more than compensates with its tablet-specific app selection and what not. So I guess the perfect tablet for me would be the one with the Nexus 7's dimensions, came with Google Now (and other Google-integration), was equipped with Retina Display, and finally ran iOS and the iPad-specific apps. Am I asking for too much? :)