iPad mini 2 with Retina display may not ship in October

[Silenus]

To me there's still a huge difference between a 7" tablet and a 10" tablet for viewing pleasure. I watched a whole season of Homeland on my Nexus 7 and it was meh at best. While it was easy to hold, I felt like the experience was limited with its small screen. On the Nexus 10, it felt like a laptop. I was definitely more immersed in the experience.

The N7 looks great on paper, but everytime I see it in person, it just feels too small. I prefer picking up the Nexus 10 in the morning to check a few emails and read Anandtech forums for these nonsensical debates

That's funny because I feel the exact opposite. Everytime I hold my N7 I think it feels 'just right' because the 10" tablets are too big. My mom has an iPad 3 and while the 'specs look great on paper, everytime I see it in person, it just feels too big. I prefer picking up the Nexus 7 in the morning to check a few emails and....' well you get the idea.

This is why having tablets in these two size brackets seems to be working I think. Everyone is different and has varying needs/wants. For me....maybe it's because I'm on the small side and don't have big hands...and use the tablet in bed lying down, or often with one hand....the 7" size is just right for me

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

That's funny because I feel the exact opposite. Everytime I hold my N7 I think it feels 'just right' because the 10" tablets are too big. My mom has an iPad 3 and while the 'specs look great on paper, everytime I see it in person, it just feels too big. I prefer picking up the Nexus 7 in the morning to check a few emails and....' well you get the idea.

This is why having tablets in these two size brackets seems to be working I think. Everyone is different and has varying needs/wants. For me....maybe it's because I'm on the small side and don't have big hands...and use the tablet in bed lying down, or often with one hand....the 7" size is just right for me

In terms of ergonomics? Yeah the N7 is better, but if I'm going to hold it portrait and read that way, I might as well use my phone. For the N10, I have it setup in landscape. Either tablet is a bit weird to hold in landscape to use the keyboard, so if it's going to be awkward, might as well get the larger display

 

[MrX8503]

I know someone who is not at all invested in the Apple ecosystem who just (happily) got the mini. When they told me I had to choke back what I was going to say....because TO ME of course...how can you even consider it when the 2013 Nexus 7 exists at $100 less. Just goes to show the power of that brand I guess. To be fair though...they do have plenty of tablet optimized apps..and games. And since she is going to use a lot for games, and her friends will almost all have iphones....it probably was the best (inevitable?) choice.

I've learned that its best to use the device rather than look at the spec sheet.

 

[poofyhairguy]

I know someone who is not at all invested in the Apple ecosystem who just (happily) got the mini. When they told me I had to choke back what I was going to say....because TO ME of course...how can you even consider it when the 2013 Nexus 7 exists at $100 less. Just goes to show the power of that brand I guess. To be fair though...they do have plenty of tablet optimized apps..and games. And since she is going to use a lot for games, and her friends will almost all have iphones....it probably was the best (inevitable?) choice.

Honestly if a family member or friend of mine bought an iPad Mini right now I would shit bricks, but not because of competition but because its about to get a refresh. I have hammered in all their heads that if Apple has a mobile product more than 9 months old you wait for the refresh or expect my face to melt.


If the iPad Mini 2 lacks a retina screen it will be the biggest failure coming from Apple since the Pippin.

 

[jpeyton]

I've learned that its best to use the device rather than look at the spec sheet.

Which is the exact reason why a Retina Mini will destroy full-size iPad sales.

It's not about the spec sheet, it's about the Mini having a better overall form factor and a much lower price.

The only thing currently holding it back is its garbage screen, which for a tablet is a deal-breaker.

iPad Mini

Nexus 7 (2013)

 

[Eug]

Which is the exact reason why a Retina Mini will destroy full-size iPad sales.

It's not about the spec sheet, it's about the Mini having a better overall form factor and a much lower price.

The only thing currently holding it back is its garbage screen, which for a tablet is a deal-breaker.

A Retina iPad mini will definitely eat into iPad Retina sales. However, it won't displace it. There are distinct advantages to using a 10" device over a 7" device, and I say this as one of the biggest proponents of an iPad mini before the mini was released.

I value the 7" device for portability and lower weight, but when I am watching a 30 minute video for example, I prefer a 10" device. For neither am I holding the device for the entire 30 minutes. I put it in a stand or else rest it on a sofa pillow something, since even a 7-8" device is tiring to hold for that long. Like I said before, if I were buying one for my wife, I'd definitely get the 10", and it would be a no-brainer decision for me.

 

[blackened23]

Disappointing news. Considering the Nexus 7 2nd gen is a very viable tablet, I was hoping that Apple would have something suitable to compete against it. Fact of the matter is that the Nexus 7 costs 100$ less than the existing iPad mini making the mini a horrible value - and the N7 has a superior screen resolution as well. So basically, you're buying an iPad mini for the apple software alone, and android really isn't a slouch in the software department. Yes, Apple is still better in terms of software, but is worth 110$ more and a worse screen? I don't know.

REALLY hoping that this news isn't true. Apple needs a better competitor against the 2nd gen N7. The current ipad mini isn't it, The N7 is (IMHO) better - and I say that as someone who really likes the iPad and owns one.

 

[QueBert]

I know someone who is not at all invested in the Apple ecosystem who just (happily) got the mini. When they told me I had to choke back what I was going to say....because TO ME of course...how can you even consider it when the 2013 Nexus 7 exists at $100 less. Just goes to show the power of that brand I guess. To be fair though...they do have plenty of tablet optimized apps..and games. And since she is going to use a lot for games, and her friends will almost all have iphones....it probably was the best (inevitable?) choice.

Apps... I'm not an Apple fan, I don't own a Mac, no Apple TV, outside of my iPhone and iPod I won't buy another Apple product. The Nexus 7 could be $99 and I'd still take a iPad Mini because of the ecosystem. What good are all the uber specs in the world if there aren't quality apps to back it up? I'll never buy a tablet, but if I was to it wouldn't be an Android one, octo-core with a 4k screen wouldn't make the apps good.

 

[MrX8503]

Disappointing news. Considering the Nexus 7 2nd gen is a very viable tablet, I was hoping that Apple would have something suitable to compete against it. Fact of the matter is that the Nexus 7 costs 100$ less than the existing iPad mini making the mini a horrible value - and the N7 has a superior screen resolution as well. So basically, you're buying an iPad mini for the apple software alone, and android really isn't a slouch in the software department. Yes, Apple is still better in terms of software, but is worth 110$ more and a worse screen? I don't know.

REALLY hoping that this news isn't true. Apple needs a better competitor against the 2nd gen N7. The current ipad mini isn't it, The N7 is (IMHO) better - and I say that as someone who really likes the iPad and owns one.

There hasn't been an announcement yet.

 

[Eug]

I have a Nexus 7. It does the job I need it to do, which is surfing, email, and occasional MKV videos.

However, there's no question that iOS in general is simply slicker. The Nexus 7 still seems like an afterthought. Although many decent Android apps exist, a lot of them don't mesh right with the Nexus 7, because they're built for Android smartphones, not tablets. Similarly, sometimes it can get really irritating surfing on Android tablets, because the web designers still are not fully QA-ing their sites with the Nexus 7 as a target. So, what you sometimes get are either full-on websites with Flash that doesn't work on the Nexus 7, or else sometimes you'll get phone-oriented mobile sites that just look dumb on the Nexus 7.

But yeah, regardless of the rumours, most of us still believe Apple will play catch up with the iPad mini's screen this year. They didn't have to last year though, because they knew they'd sell a bazillion of them even with the 1024x768 screen. That said, I earlier said we can't absolutely count on Retina, and I still stand by that. Apple could decide to delay it another year.

 

[Puddle Jumper]

Apps... I'm not an Apple fan, I don't own a Mac, no Apple TV, outside of my iPhone and iPod I won't buy another Apple product. The Nexus 7 could be $99 and I'd still take a iPad Mini because of the ecosystem. What good are all the uber specs in the world if there aren't quality apps to back it up? I'll never buy a tablet, but if I was to it wouldn't be an Android one, octo-core with a 4k screen wouldn't make the apps good.

I have a work iPad mini and it's simply garbage compared side by side with the Nexus 7 2013. The Mini 's screen sucks and on iOS 7 it's a laggy mess while the Nexus is blazing fast. Besides as someone who has actually used both platforms the Nexus has no shortage of apps.

 

[lopri]

I have a work iPad mini and it's simply garbage compared side by side with the Nexus 7 2013. The Mini 's screen sucks and on iOS 7 it's a laggy mess while the Nexus is blazing fast. Besides as someone who has actually used both platforms the Nexus has no shortage of apps.

Well, some of us have made up our minds and it will take a seismic shift to bring about changes. He says he prefers iDevices because of its ecosystem - I think that is a valid reasoning, just as I won't consider an iPhone Next even if it came with a 5" screen and cost $99 (off-contract ^^). The earlier we settle this as something that we can agree to disagree on, the more productive our discussions will be.

 

[QueBert]

I have a work iPad mini and it's simply garbage compared side by side with the Nexus 7 2013. The Mini 's screen sucks and on iOS 7 it's a laggy mess while the Nexus is blazing fast. Besides as someone who has actually used both platforms the Nexus has no shortage of apps.

I have both platforms too, and unless the Nexus 7 has access to a magical Play store that all of my Android phones didn't, you can't seriously be comparing the selection of apps. Technically, yeah there's no shortage of apps. But there are many that aren't on the Play Store, and many that are that are lacking or flat out suck. iOS people have to settle on many things, but apps isn't one of them. I use my device for apps, so blazing fast without solid apps is pretty pointless. I'll take a mid level PC with Windows 7 over the greatest PC ever with Linux. Programs for it being the reason. And Linux has no shortage of programs just like Android, but the ones they have are 90% meh.

 

[MrX8503]

I have a work iPad mini and it's simply garbage compared side by side with the Nexus 7 2013. The Mini 's screen sucks and on iOS 7 it's a laggy mess while the Nexus is blazing fast. Besides as someone who has actually used both platforms the Nexus has no shortage of apps.

I've learned to test the device myself for responsiveness. I've heard the "no lag at all" comments from android users for 5 years now.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=mi4DC2UYEa0

Looking at the vid, you wouldn't know that the mini is a last gen device. It's quite responsive and far from "garbage".

 

[cheezy321]

I have a work iPad mini and it's simply garbage compared side by side with the Nexus 7 2013. The Mini 's screen sucks and on iOS 7 it's a laggy mess while the Nexus is blazing fast. Besides as someone who has actually used both platforms the Nexus has no shortage of apps.

Except netflix had major issues with the nexus 7 until a month ago and Amazon instant streaming doesn't even have an app on android period.

But you know, besides those two major apps everything is gravy. Except for random rebooting. and Wifi issues.

 

[QueBert]

I've learned to test the device myself for responsiveness. I've heard the "no lag at all" comments from android users for 5 years now.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=mi4DC2UYEa0

Looking at the vid, you wouldn't know that the mini is a last gen device. It's quite responsive and far from "garbage".

Also he's comparing the brand new Nexus 7 against a device that's a year older than it. 2012 Nexus 7 vs iPad Mini he couldn't say the same things. It's like the people who compare their GS4 to an iPhone 5 to prove how the iPhone sucks. It's realistically the only way they can compete here.

 

[Puddle Jumper]

I've learned to test the device myself for responsiveness. I've heard the "no lag at all" comments from android users for 5 years now.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=mi4DC2UYEa0

Looking at the vid, you wouldn't know that the mini is a last gen device. It's quite responsive and far from "garbage".

So in other words you haven't used an iPad Mini and new Nexus 7 side by side? Have you even used a new Nexus 7?

Also that isn't running iOS 7 which performs far worse on the Mini, not like I could revert back to 6 either.

Sure the Mini was fairly "smooth" on iOS 6 but who really cares when everything is painfully slow.

Except netflix had major issues with the nexus 7 until a month ago and Amazon instant streaming doesn't even have an app on android period.

But you know, besides those two major apps everything is gravy. Except for random rebooting. and Wifi issues.

I have never had any issues with Netflix on my Nexus 7 2013 and I've had it since before the official launch day.

People actually use Amazon instant video? I never had a desire for it but the apps were ripped from the Fire long ago, I assume that still works.

 

[MrX8503]

So in other words you haven't used an iPad Mini and new Nexus 7 side by side? Have you even used a new Nexus 7?

Also that isn't running iOS 7 which performs far worse on the Mini, not like I could revert back to 6 either.

Sure the Mini was fairly "smooth" on iOS 6 but who really cares when everything is painfully slow.



I have never had any issues with Netflix on my Nexus 7 2013 and I've had it since before the official launch day.

People actually use Amazon instant video? I never had a desire for it but the apps were ripped from the Fire long ago, I assume that still works.

In other words your perception of the mini being garbage is off base. The Mini a last gen device being competitive with the 2nd gen N7 is pretty crazy.

 

[jiffylube1024]

I've learned to test the device myself for responsiveness. I've heard the "no lag at all" comments from android users for 5 years now.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=mi4DC2UYEa0

Looking at the vid, you wouldn't know that the mini is a last gen device. It's quite responsive and far from "garbage".

Try the mini with ios 7. It's much slower and the dated hardware is showing its age. I used my wife's ipad mini with ios 7 and it's not very pleasant. My ipad 4 on the other hand is still super smooth on ios 7. The mini desperately needs a refresh now.

 

[cheezy321]

So in other words you haven't used an iPad Mini and new Nexus 7 side by side? Have you even used a new Nexus 7?

Also that isn't running iOS 7 which performs far worse on the Mini, not like I could revert back to 6 either.

Sure the Mini was fairly "smooth" on iOS 6 but who really cares when everything is painfully slow.



I have never had any issues with Netflix on my Nexus 7 2013 and I've had it since before the official launch day.

People actually use Amazon instant video? I never had a desire for it but the apps were ripped from the Fire long ago, I assume that still works.

Just recently the most popular android tablet was an amazon kindle. Not sure if that is still the case but its still in the top 3.

So yeah, I would say people actually use amazon services like instant streaming.

http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/nexus/XPjN_uMaFjI[26-50-false]

Netflix had a lot of issues on the nexus 7 just a month ago. Sounds like some people still have big time issues.

 

[Eug]

I had some issues with Netflix on my Nexus 7, but then again I have had issues on both my PCs and my TV set top box and Blu-ray players too.

 

[jpeyton]

I've learned to test the device myself for responsiveness. I've heard the "no lag at all" comments from android users for 5 years now.

Unfortunately, after testing iOS 7 on an iPad 4 and iPhone 5, Apple users should now be well versed in lag.

It's a shame because iOS 6 was incredibly smooth by comparison. Adding a boatload of visual flair and animations has slowed the iOS experience noticeably on all but the very newest device.

 

[MrX8503]

Unfortunately, after testing iOS 7 on an iPad 4 and iPhone 5, Apple users should now be well versed in lag.

It's a shame because iOS 6 was incredibly smooth by comparison. Adding a boatload of visual flair and animations has slowed the iOS experience noticeably on all but the very newest device.

iOS7 on the 5 is pretty good.

 

[Eug]

iOS7 on the 5 is pretty good.

Agreed. I think it's great on the iPhone 5, aside from a couple of specific areas, which weirdly enough includes choosing a camera roll picture to set as a background.

In fact, I even think it's pretty good on the iPad 2, although some people may want to turn off parallax, etc.

 

[Oyeve]

Is the res on the mini that bad? I use an Asus memo HD 7" because it was dirt cheap and was a significant upgrade from my pokey Galaxy Tab 2 7". I was gonna get the mini but it was too much $$$. I was kinda hoping the mini would drop in price and get that just for netflix and browsing while in bed but I never compared it to any other semi-hi res 7" tabs. How bad is it? Like, asus transformer 101 bad?