Apple iPad Mini Review: Our New Favorite Size, But...That Price?

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i realize this is a gadget guy site, so it's all about specs and "value" (i.e. cheap) here.

but to totally ignore the mini's main justification for its higher price - the Apple ecosystem - and the secondary reason - its "just works" UI - throughout the entire piece is myopia.

and an intriguing question worth discussing is whether the majority of consumers simply prefer its 4:3 aspect - more flexible, better for web browsing - than 16:10.

Apple has always focused on consumers for whom $150 extra all by itself is not a deciding factor. there are at least a billion of them.
 
Some typos:
"Apple tax" didn't become a thing because the company every made a conscious effort to compete based on pricing. But in this case, the difference is particular egregious.
Click to expand...

Good review, but I would still like to see some sort of idle battery test (screen on, but all other bells and whistles off) to simulate ebook reading. Still can't find any tech review sites doing idle battery tests.
 
there is an adapter you can buy that allows you to use micro sd cards with this thing .. the issue here is they by the time you buy all the adapters and things to make this as useful as other devices you have already spent way to much money on it..
 
What "experts" don't seem to realize is that the iPad Mini is a MINIATURE iPad. It has every feature of its larger sister except it is miniature. It is not cheapened. It even has stereo speakers - an additional feature. Thus, like anything miniature, it is priced accordingly. It is not less expensive, it is just as expensive. It is entirely worth its price as an iPad but in miniature. Women and children LOVE this model. Doctors love it as well since it fits well in a coat pocket.
 
I wonder if the price isn't a placeholder for the Retina model. Apple likes to have early adopters pay a premium for the privilege. We will see.
 
[citation][nom]chumly[/nom]Do your eyes agree with your benchmarks? The colors do NOT look deeper on the top pictures. They look OVERSATURATED. Note on both the purple and the blue, you cannot see the distinguishing features of the flower pedals. It's like an over exposed picture from a camera. Color bleeding is not acceptable.[/citation]

I think the colours on the bottom look washed out.

Either way it's a flawed test because, as they even state, we're not looking at the tablet screens, we're looking at pictures of the tablet screens on our personal monitors (lol)
 
[citation][nom]traumadisaster[/nom]Just purchased our first tablet for my wife (i have a galaxy note phablet). Ipad 1 for $200 on ebay and the screen is fine for me, im surprised from reviews the screen didnt look like sd tv. especially my wife would never know hd.[/citation]
Well, that's probably because 1024x768 pixels, where each pixel has precise control over hue, saturation, and brightness (or red, green, and blue, if you prefer), is far superior to the blurry mess that is SDTV: 240 rows per frame, interlaced, with a horizontal resolution somewhere between "ugh" and "how the hell did we watch this for 30+ years!?"
 
I already have an Ipad and a phone its called a Galaxy Note 2. Who needs Apple, not I.
 
I don't really care about which company makes the product but I really don't get why apple people seem to think android is hard to use or something like that. Since 2.2 or so Android is just as easy to use if not easier (pretty much the same really) than ios. People that think it is not user friendly havnt used it since like 1.6 or before.
 
[citation][nom]blankzr[/nom]I don't really care about which company makes the product but I really don't get why apple people seem to think android is hard to use or something like that. Since 2.2 or so Android is just as easy to use if not easier (pretty much the same really) than ios. People that think it is not user friendly havnt used it since like 1.6 or before.[/citation]
I suppose you missed my coment, basically after the first 6 months I have gone to battle with this note. Web crashes, goes to home screen, but no icons appear, im staring at a background then apps slowly show up. As im typing the keys hang and hold. If i delete old texts and call log it improves for then repeat. If there is one specific function you need such as screen size, replaceable battery or memeory then you choose to put up with the wanna be os.
 
[citation][nom]traumadisaster[/nom]I suppose you missed my coment, basically after the first 6 months I have gone to battle with this note. Web crashes, goes to home screen, but no icons appear, im staring at a background then apps slowly show up. As im typing the keys hang and hold. If i delete old texts and call log it improves for then repeat. If there is one specific function you need such as screen size, replaceable battery or memeory then you choose to put up with the wanna be os.[/citation]

I am a happy owner of a brand new LG Motion 4G with ICS. It is one of the few products I have ever purchased that has actually exceeded almost every expectation I have had for it. With that said, and my previous experience with Android 2.2 and 2.3, the reality is that my expectations were not terribly high to begin with. Yeah, Android does seem like a wannabe OS for people who are not tech savvy. You have to root it to get the full configurability you would expect from a desktop OS like Windows (without rooting), but you lack the simplicity afforded by iOS.

I am hoping that Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 is the happy medium between configurability and simplicity. But currently no WP8 device is available on my network, or almost any prepaid network (sans T-Moble).

Surface looks ok, but I think I will hold out for Pro before I even consider that platform at that price...

The ultimate solution is to just have a single device, a phone, with great battery life, that you can simply dock when you want to work on it, dock when you want to use it for multimedia, dock when you want a tablet form factor, and then undock when you need it on the road again, all with an OS that is dock aware, and changes interface based on how it is docked.

2 things need to happen for this to actually work. Chemistry needs to catch up to technology in terms of battery life. Technology needs to be a bit more powerful on the portable side. There needs to be a tried and true OS that can work on all platforms with all interfaces. Finally, there needs to be a set of standard sized devices so that the docks will work interchangeably...

To be honest, Apple may be the closest to my set of criteria right now. MS is knocking at that door. But due to the lack of standards, none of this will likely take shape for at LEAST another decade, if not more...
 


I am mainly an androider and I can't stand how ios has no freaking back or menu buttons. Just one big home button! :)

So I agree.
 
Much ado about nothing...

What do we get? As configured: An over-priced under-powered gadget aka a netbook sans keyboard & Still no universal USB port & yet Another port to nowhere at an exorbitant price!

What would have been worthwhile?
A converged phone & tablet, facilitating browsing & the utility of a converged phone (aka the Note2).
What would make it compelling?
Secure remote terminal emulation implemented at the OS level - re: ssh & RDP - providing a reliable & stable tightly integrated means to access a computer remotely, access real applications, push or pull data, allowing one to forgo the need to lug about a laptop while providing very useable functionality & reducing the security exposure of carrying a laptop.
 
Also, why are these devices equipped with 1-2 easily exchanged high capacity (min 64GB each) memory ports, where data, music libraries, etc., can be easily exchanged and updated providing utility for MULTIPLE functions?
 
The iPad mini is going to sell the pants off all these other devices. In your review you just talked speeds and feeds and price, but not applications, ecosystem, user experience, compatibility with physical devices. An ipad is more than just a web and media consumption device and has unique and useful apps across medical, scientific, learning and disability areas the androids can't match. Also the $130 difference is a fair bit, but if you decide you will keep a device for say 12 months, then the calculation is more like, "we'll that's just $11 or so more a month" for a perceived more premium device with a lot better app support. The iPad started a movement, the androids provide a lesser cheaper alternative and people know that. As for the useless derogatory remarks in the comments, it lessens the appeal of your site, gosh I've got to skim read past dozens of hapless trash talk to get to something educated and worthwhile, whatever camp the writer is in.
 
[citation][nom]BigMack70[/nom]Overpriced iCrap #1 is not overpriced if compared only to overpriced iCrap #2? Who knew??!??!?![/citation]

I love watching Idiots waste their time by hating Apple ;-)
 
I will say looks like the mini failed almost every test... BUT NOT THE COLOR ACCURACY. I know accurate vs over saturated. The Nexus 7 pictures are oversaturated, the mini looks closer to true. The unwashed masses always find grossly inaccurate pictures pleasing, but Apple has always been fantastic about making accurate displays for the professionals and those with discerning taste. The Mini is overpriced garbage, but please the Nexus 7 has a terrible color temperature, gamma and color gamut. The problem with the Mini is not in the display (excepting resolution).
 
I was just about to purchase the Nexus 7 for my international trip. The decision that made me change my mind at the last minute was the fact it had no rear camera. There are so many apps that use the rear camera for AR and for translating languages. I did not want to get a big tablet (so all the 10" ones were out of the question). Samsung Galaxy was my next choice, but there is such a lack in apps that I need I eventually I had to cave in and buy the Mini 🙁
 
I had an iPad and loved it. I also had an iPhone, which I loved, but I couldn't browse the internet or watch videos at home with it. I found the screen too small for that.

Im wondering how small the screen of the iPad / Nexus 7 is. I'd love to get how, the nexus is so cheap. Im just scared of the screen size.
 
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