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Nihiliste posted:If you're going to go for the top of the line, a Mini would save a little cash and be more portable. The Air is more practical if you're at home and/or using it for work. It's cheaper and more portable, but I often end up using it as a PDF viewer which makes me think bigger screen might make more sense. I figure I'll put together a set of the more challenging PDFs I've needed to read, put them up someplace where I can download them, and hit the Apple Store sometime after the 1st to check out the Air's ergonomics with the change in size weight and check how they work on the mini screen size. It won't be the resolution of the Mini Retina display, but should still give a hint to how it'll be. e: plus the likely-supply-constrained Mini vs the likely-available Air.
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Oct 29, 2013 16:24
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fordan posted:It's cheaper and more portable, but I often end up using it as a PDF viewer which makes me think bigger screen might make more sense. I figure I'll put together a set of the more challenging PDFs I've needed to read, put them up someplace where I can download them, and hit the Apple Store sometime after the 1st to check out the Air's ergonomics with the change in size weight and check how they work on the mini screen size. It won't be the resolution of the Mini Retina display, but should still give a hint to how it'll be. This is the same issue I have. I've never had an iPad before and I'm looking to use it mainly as a PDF reader/annotator for journal articles. They look great on full size iPads but the mini definitely has an appealing form-factor. I'm thinking of waiting until the Mini is released, buying one, and then comparing it with the air to make a final decision. Thanks for those KAVAJ cases. Those look like exactly what I want! Residency Evil fucked around with this message at 17:34 on Oct 29, 2013 |
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Oct 29, 2013 17:24
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Keep in mind that one of the reasons people are all excited about the Retina Mini is that its resolution should make documents (and websites) MUCH more legible. If your vision is good, you're not losing much by switching from 9.7 inches to 7.9.
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Oct 29, 2013 19:26
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I'd kinda rather they were going the other way with the ipads. I have a full ipad, and wish the screen was larger. Smaller I have my iphone for already.
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Oct 29, 2013 19:33
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Nihiliste posted:Keep in mind that one of the reasons people are all excited about the Retina Mini is that its resolution should make documents (and websites) MUCH more legible. If your vision is good, you're not losing much by switching from 9.7 inches to 7.9. One other note, if you don't need to view full pages at once, the iPad mini screen in landscape is about the same width as the iPad Air in portrait. So you can get the same viewing size, but have to scroll vertically to view a single page. I guess one thing to try out might be to print PDFs out at a shrunken scale just to simulate how they'd look in real life, to see if the physical viewing size is adequate enough.
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Oct 29, 2013 19:40
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Nihiliste posted:Keep in mind that one of the reasons people are all excited about the Retina Mini is that its resolution should make documents (and websites) MUCH more legible. If your vision is good, you're not losing much by switching from 9.7 inches to 7.9. Right, but below a certain effective font size it doesn't matter how perfectly formed the characters are with sub-visible pixels; you still aren't going to be able to read them. The retina iPhones and the non-retina iPads aren't that far off in resolution, but reading a full page PDF on an iPhone without zooming is less possible than on the iPad. It's one of the reasons I'm ok with testing on the current Mini; if the font is fuzzy and hard to read due to character definition, I assume retina will clean that up. If it's just too small to read, then it'll still probably be too small to read with retina.
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Oct 29, 2013 19:43
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Having done all my mobile browsing and reading on my iPhone, I think a mini would be perfectly fine for me, especially since I'd be taking it out with me often. I guess it really just depends on preference and what's more comfortable.
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Oct 29, 2013 19:59
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Went flying with a friend with an iPad for the first time last night, and I can now see the appeal of a mini. A full size iPad in the front seats of a 172 with two full grown men is... ...Personal.
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Oct 29, 2013 20:38
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MrYenko posted:Went flying with a friend with an iPad for the first time last night, and I can now see the appeal of a mini. A full size iPad in the front seats of a 172 with two full grown men is... With a good kneeboard-style mount a full-size iPad is not too bad, though the mini seems a better form factor for that. And approach charts are already almost Mini-sized to start with.
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Oct 29, 2013 20:48
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iPad Air reviews are out: http://anandtech.com/show/7460/apple-ipad-air-review/
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Oct 30, 2013 02:15
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The article claims that the Air has only 1 GB of RAM, identical to iPad 4. My guess is rMini will also get 1 GB. If the article is true on that fact.
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Oct 30, 2013 02:31
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Hey guys, I'm selling my iPad 3. MacBook Air has taken over my internets and AOL! Seriously I broke my iPad, I got it replaced, and I just don't use it anymore. Oh and I have one for work so... http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3577386
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Oct 30, 2013 02:48
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Having immense difficulty deciding between the iPad Air and iPad Mini Retina. I will mostly be using it to read PDFs and comic books. I wish I could go compare them in store, but when the mini is finally released it's likely to be extremelly hard to come by.
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Oct 30, 2013 03:06
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Philthy posted:I'd kinda rather they were going the other way with the ipads. I have a full ipad, and wish the screen was larger. Smaller I have my iphone for already. There's sort of a practicality limit, though. I actually agree with you and find that a 10" screen is at the low end of what I want, but you can't really go much larger without things getting really unwieldy. I think Apple hit a pretty good sweet spot at 9.7" or whatever the fatty iPad is. Nihiliste posted:Keep in mind that one of the reasons people are all excited about the Retina Mini is that its resolution should make documents (and websites) MUCH more legible. If your vision is good, you're not losing much by switching from 9.7 inches to 7.9. Aside from what other people have said, there's also the issue of actually being able to tap on things. A lot of normal sized links are just barely tappable on a full size iPad. It doesn't matter how legible a piece of text or a button happens to be, you'll still be zooming to tap on it if it's too small. Obviously that's not going to matter to some people, but one of the things I love about the iPad is that I can browse in portrait mode with absolutely no zooming. It's no different from browsing on a computer.
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Oct 30, 2013 03:09
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I had no idea so many people read comics.
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Oct 30, 2013 03:11
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eddiewalker posted:I had no idea so many people read comics. I hadn't touched any comics in probably six or seven years before the iPad 3 came out, but reading them on a big, high pixel density display is amazing. I almost want to say that it's a better experience than actual paper.
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Oct 30, 2013 03:13
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FlashBangBob posted:The article claims that the Air has only 1 GB of RAM, identical to iPad 4. My guess is rMini will also get 1 GB. If the article is true on that fact. I'm really disappointed by this. On my current Mini I can't have more than 1 tab open in safari without the others having to refresh. Many apps have to reload when I switch between them, which can be annoying if you're copying links or just iMessaging someone. RAM is my biggest complaint about the Mini, and I don't want to keep having to deal with this on a new device that I just shelled out $500+tax to buy (more if you buy more memory or cellular).
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Oct 30, 2013 03:26
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eddiewalker posted:I had no idea so many people read comics. I only started after I bought an iPad. Looks gorgeous on the screen. Even ones that are crappily drawn like Walking Dead.
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Oct 30, 2013 03:37
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eddiewalker posted:I had no idea so many people read comics. Same day as print releases on Comixology got me to buy comics on a weekly basis. The iPad 3 is awesome for it.
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Oct 30, 2013 03:52
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chupacabraTERROR posted:I'm really disappointed by this. On my current Mini I can't have more than 1 tab open in safari without the others having to refresh. Many apps have to reload when I switch between them, which can be annoying if you're copying links or just iMessaging someone. RAM is my biggest complaint about the Mini, and I don't want to keep having to deal with this on a new device that I just shelled out $500+tax to buy (more if you buy more memory or cellular). The old Mini has half as much memory as the Air.
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Oct 30, 2013 03:59
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Stutes posted:The old Mini has half as much memory as the Air. Yes, but it is still going to be an issue because as noted by the anandtech review, 64-bit apps use more memory, so really it's like 50% more RAM than the old mini, which frankly still seems unacceptable for a brand new top of the line device.
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Oct 30, 2013 04:07
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chupacabraTERROR posted:Yes, but it is still going to be an issue because as noted by the anandtech review, 64-bit apps use more memory, so really it's like 50% more RAM than the old mini, which frankly still seems unacceptable for a brand new top of the line device. I'd recommend not buying it then.
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Oct 30, 2013 04:14
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Keep going back and fourth between a red or black Smart Cover for my upcoming air purchase. Definitely think that review is going to convince me to go with a red one. Looks nice with the black iPad air. Kinda bummed that it looks like they won't have any leather smart covers.
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Oct 30, 2013 04:16
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Suqit posted:I'd recommend not buying it then. Don't get me wrong, I'm still going to buy it. I'm just bitching about it because I really don't understand the decision Apple made.
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Oct 30, 2013 04:23
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The issues with adding RAM are talked about a little in the Anandtech article too. RAM is a constant and consistent power drain -- whether it's in use or not, it's always sucking power. So it's a balance of cost, performance, and battery life. I think this year they moved to the more power efficient LPDDR3 which is more expensive, so that's probably why they opted not to increase capacity. e: I wouldn't be surprised if next year the top of the line iPhone, iPad Air, and iPad mini all shipped with 2GB of RAM.
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Oct 30, 2013 04:25
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chupacabraTERROR posted:Don't get me wrong, I'm still going to buy it. I'm just bitching about it because I really don't understand the decision Apple made. Pretty simple when you think about it actually. These devices are not for power users. Most people will not notice or care about an app being reloaded (fairly quickly with the new chip) occasionally.
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Oct 30, 2013 04:55
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Nuntius posted:Having immense difficulty deciding between the iPad Air and iPad Mini Retina. I will mostly be using it to read PDFs and comic books. I wish I could go compare them in store, but when the mini is finally released it's likely to be extremelly hard to come by.
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Oct 30, 2013 05:38
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cowofwar posted:Order the mini ASAP. Then go to the Apple store and play with both. If you prefer the air, buy it and cancel your mini order. Otherwise wait for your mini. Alternatively, take delivery of the mini and then try to eBay it in the ensuing pre-Xmas shortage frenzy.
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Oct 30, 2013 08:37
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I'm getting an iPad. I've never owned one before, but it's time. I know the Air is out now, but is it a significant upgrade from the previous model? I can get the iPad4 with a decent discount these days, will it be worth it or should I just get the newest model?
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Oct 30, 2013 09:40
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The new one weighs only 1 pound. That is a huge difference.
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Oct 30, 2013 09:53
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To rephrase: Are there any significant upgrades besides the slightly smaller weight and size?
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Oct 30, 2013 10:00
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It's also a lot faster. And it's more than "slightly smaller weight", it's closer to the iPad mini's weight than it is to the iPad 4.
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Oct 30, 2013 10:07
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The Anandtech review settled it, iPad Air for me. it looks like a good size, now that the bezel is narrower.
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Oct 30, 2013 14:16
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euroboy posted:To rephrase: Are there any significant upgrades besides the slightly smaller weight and size? It's not a slight difference, although that might be difficult to realize if you've never used one before. Even the weight difference between a 2 and a 3/4 is very noticeable, and that's tiny by comparison. The Air is looking to be a much better device in every way that matters.
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Oct 30, 2013 14:24
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The Anandtech review pushed me towards the full size over mini -- that and I want it asap, and don't want to get stuck ordering the last week of November, and waiting until late December for a delivery.
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Oct 30, 2013 14:31
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Paradoxish posted:It's not a slight difference, although that might be difficult to realize if you've never used one before. Even the weight difference between a 2 and a 3/4 is very noticeable, and that's tiny by comparison. The Air is looking to be a much better device in every way that matters.
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Oct 30, 2013 15:48
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Paradoxish posted:There's sort of a practicality limit, though. I actually agree with you and find that a 10" screen is at the low end of what I want, but you can't really go much larger without things getting really unwieldy. I think Apple hit a pretty good sweet spot at 9.7" or whatever the fatty iPad is. Oh definitely. Mine mostly sits on my ottoman for controlling my home theater, queuing up music, and doing web searches when the wife and I argue over some actor we haven't seen in over a decade. The only time it really moves is when we go on vacation and then it becomes a what-to-do kiosk that sits on the bedside in the hotel room. Having it larger wouldn't offer any negatives for me, only more positives (magazine and comic book reading!). When I'm mobile it's all iphone and its more than enough. I think the way they're going with the air might lend to making a larger version that might end up being the weight of the original ipad. I'm not sure how many people like me who would want one are out there though. Philthy fucked around with this message at 16:40 on Oct 30, 2013 |
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Oct 30, 2013 16:38
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I just want you all to know that despite not being an incredibly wealthy household, we're not selling any of our 2 current iPads as I get an Air. Instead, I'm going to get a specialized picture frame and hang it on the wall downstairs and strip it of ALL apps except home automation ones. This will be good if our phones or iPads aren't handy, or also for the nanny. Right now, our iDevices can control: Our Sonos system. The baby monitor Dropcam. My Nest thermostat. Our Philips Hue Lights and lightstrips throughout the house. Possibly a video doorbell thinger one day soon. And the upside is one day my 10 month old can have that older iPad. (Sorry if any of this post sounded douchey. I'm real big into home automation!  ) Bonus image of my Philips Hue Lightstrips mounted behind my TV. Not just a novelty, but great ambient lighting for TV watching.
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Oct 30, 2013 17:10
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Philthy posted:I think the way they're going with the air might lend to making a larger version that might end up being the weight of the original ipad. I'm not sure how many people like me who would want one are out there though. At that point, Apple would be venturing into Surface Pro/Win 8 tablet territory. It might almost make more sense to add a touchscreen to the MacBook Air!
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Oct 30, 2013 17:11
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Echoing that the Anandtech review has swung it for me. I've not had an iPad for a few years after I sold my iPad 3 as I wasn't really using it enough. I had a 32GB then but I think I'm going to go for the 16GB now as I'm unlikely to store much on it other than PDF/eBooks. My music will be on my laptop or iPhone and I'll be streaming any video. Am I crazy for thinking 16GB is enough? My iPhone is 32GB and will have most of my photos on and anything large I'll store on an external drive or laptop until I want to use it.
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Oct 30, 2013 17:28
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