• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

Why buy an iPad Air when the Mini has A7/retina?

TreVader

TreVader

Platinum Member
I mean, why? I am definitely ordering a Mini w retina display, but I just don't even see why anybody would buy an iPad Air.

It's not that it's a bad product, I actually think it's awesome but the mini w/retina is just too awesome, for less money! The last mini was IMO useless because it was crippled by paltry performance and a garbage screen compared to the Nexus 7, but this new one is amazing.


Do you think the Air is worth an extra $100?
 
Yup.

For my wife I'd definitely get the Air over the mini. We're going to try to hang onto the iPad 2 for now though. Maybe an Air in a year or two.
 
Eug said:
Yup.

For my wife I'd definitely get the Air over the mini. We're going to try to hang onto the iPad 2 for now though. Maybe an Air in a year or two.
Click to expand...

Really? I actually think the smaller size of the older mini was it's only saving grace.


I agree that were they the same price, i'd go air but for 25% more? No thanks. You can't tell me there wasn't a massive difference between the previous 4th gen iPad and the previous mini that is now pretty much gone.

There has to be other people who agree with me.
 
I would prefer a larger screen over a smaller one in most cases. I pretty much only use my tablets at home, so portability isn't an issue. The air is so light that weight isn't a factor for me either. I suppose price is a factor, but if I'm going to get an ipad anyway I don't think I'm going to skimp and risk regretting it later.

Anyway, I've already got a nexus 7 2013. It would be somewhat redundant to get a mini on top of that.
 
TreVader said:
Really? I actually think the smaller size of the older mini was it's only saving grace.


I agree that were they the same price, i'd go air but for 25% more? No thanks. You can't tell me there wasn't a massive difference between the previous 4th gen iPad and the previous mini that is now pretty much gone.

There has to be other people who agree with me.
Click to expand...


If the retina mini was still $329, then it would be hard to justify the Air. But for just $100 extra, plenty of people would rather have the bigger screen.
 
TreVader said:
Really? I actually think the smaller size of the older mini was it's only saving grace.


I agree that were they the same price, i'd go air but for 25% more? No thanks. You can't tell me there wasn't a massive difference between the previous 4th gen iPad and the previous mini that is now pretty much gone.

There has to be other people who agree with me.
Click to expand...
Anyhoo, this is exactly why years ago I said Apple MUST produce a 7-8" iPad. Not everyone has the same preferences. In fact, preferences for individuals may even change just for the intended use. While I actually preferred the larger screens for home use, I also prefer smaller screens for mobility (and weight).
 
I think the better question is, is the iPad mini $170 (74%) better than the Nexus 7. Unless you're really invested in the Apple ecosystem, I don't see the draw of the iPm over the N7. I've hardly seen them out in public either, bookstores, coffee shops, etc. I see tons of ~10" iPads and ~7" Android tablets, but few iPm's and few ~10" android tablets.

For me, it's just not enough screen. I have a ~10" 3rd gen iPad for web-browsing and entertainment and a 6" Kindle touch as a reader.
 
It depends if you're using it at home or on the go. I like the larger screen of the Air, but I do like the portability of the Mini.
 
jaydee said:
I think the better question is, is the iPad mini $170 (74%) better than the Nexus 7. Unless you're really invested in the Apple ecosystem, I don't see the draw of the iPm over the N7. I've hardly seen them out in public either, bookstores, coffee shops, etc. I see tons of ~10" iPads and ~7" Android tablets, but few iPm's and few ~10" android tablets.

For me, it's just not enough screen. I have a ~10" 3rd gen iPad for web-browsing and entertainment and a 6" Kindle touch as a reader.
Click to expand...

I think that's a question for very very few people. The A7 is far, far higher performance than an underclocked Krait 300. The Nexus is a budget tablet in comparison the the iPad... it's plastic and anybody to whom $170 is a big enough deal to drop both performance and aesthetics isn't going to buy an apple product anyway.

If you were to ask this about the last generation, you'd be right because the Nexus is much better than the old mini in performance (but not aesthetics). In this case, the Nexus has been outclassed
 
I just think it's amazing that here we have a ~8 inch device that can easily outperform the vast majority of much larger tablets in every category except size.
 
TreVader said:
I think that's a question for very very few people. The A7 is far, far higher performance than an underclocked Krait 300. The Nexus is a budget tablet in comparison the the iPad... it's plastic and anybody to whom $170 is a big enough deal to drop both performance and aesthetics isn't going to buy an apple product anyway.

If you were to ask this about the last generation, you'd be right because the Nexus is much better than the old mini in performance (but not aesthetics). In this case, the Nexus has been outclassed
Click to expand...

But who's craving more performance out of a 7-8 inch tablet? The majority of people aren't buying these things so they can run benchmarks to impress all their friends. Can you name something practical that more than a tiny fraction of consumers would do with the iPm that they can't with the N7 (2013 ed.) due to it's hardware? Or something that it can do measurably better?

The build quality is certainly in favor of Apple, but is it worth almost double the cost? N7 may be plastic, but it isn't exactly a 2010 CVS special tablet, it's a solid design. Don't most people have some sort of cover for these anyway?
 
I really hate the design of the N7, and refuse to buy any more black plastic tablets.

The N7 has several issues that just get glossed over as well.

"It keeps doing this" and the response is "Well, it only costs X, so what do you expect"
 
I'm on my 4th Nexus 7 2012.

One I broke on the sidewalk so my fault, but two had the lifting-screen-bezel issue.

#4 has been decent though.

However, certain aspects still scream cheap (besides the above). What I still find amusing is the sticker on the back for the serial, etc. Not only is it crappy, it's crappily placed as well, partially over the bulge for the microUSB port.

And what I still find irritating is the software home button.

But yeah, I don't complain too much because it costs so much less than the iPad mini.
 
jaydee said:
But who's craving more performance out of a 7-8 inch tablet? The majority of people aren't buying these things so they can run benchmarks to impress all their friends. Can you name something practical that more than a tiny fraction of consumers would do with the iPm that they can't with the N7 (2013 ed.) due to it's hardware? Or something that it can do measurably better?

The build quality is certainly in favor of Apple, but is it worth almost double the cost? N7 may be plastic, but it isn't exactly a 2010 CVS special tablet, it's a solid design. Don't most people have some sort of cover for these anyway?
Click to expand...

I read somewhere that iMove encoding is 2x faster than the previous gen. At the moment there's nothing that can stress the A7, but I'd rather have the hardware there so debs can use it.
 
jaydee said:
I think the better question is, is the iPad mini $170 (74%) better than the Nexus 7. Unless you're really invested in the Apple ecosystem, I don't see the draw of the iPm over the N7. I've hardly seen them out in public either, bookstores, coffee shops, etc. I see tons of ~10" iPads and ~7" Android tablets, but few iPm's and few ~10" android tablets.

For me, it's just not enough screen. I have a ~10" 3rd gen iPad for web-browsing and entertainment and a 6" Kindle touch as a reader.
Click to expand...

For me, the iPad mini is worth the extra money simply because I find the Nexus 7's screen a bit too small to be a do-everything tablet. Surfing the web on the N7 is cramped. It's amazing for reading books and games, but for other web-related tasks it's too small.

TreVader said:
I think that's a question for very very few people. The A7 is far, far higher performance than an underclocked Krait 300. The Nexus is a budget tablet in comparison the the iPad... it's plastic and anybody to whom $170 is a big enough deal to drop both performance and aesthetics isn't going to buy an apple product anyway.

If you were to ask this about the last generation, you'd be right because the Nexus is much better than the old mini in performance (but not aesthetics). In this case, the Nexus has been outclassed
Click to expand...

The A7 is a great performer, but the Nexus 7's quad core is no slouch either. The A7 is definitely faster in benchmarks, but I don't think people will be buying the iPad mini over the N7 because the N7 performs badly - it performs great!

A nuisance of both the iPad mini w/ retina and iPad air is that they only come with 1GB of RAM, and 64-bit apps have an even larger footprint than 32-bit apps. The Nexus 7, meanwhile, has a nice, beefy 2GB of RAM, meaning webpages and apps don't get purged out of RAM nearly as often.

With respect to the iPad mini w/ retina, you're paying your money:

1. because it's an apple product
2. for the superior build quality - aluminum, very thin glass/screen/touch layer
3. for Apple's tablet ecosystem (which is better)
------

If the Nexus 7 was an 8" tablet with something like a 1920x1200 screen, it would be a tougher call for me. Having used both the iPad mini (non-retina) and Nexus 7 extensively, I can say that I prefer the width and extra screen area of the iPad mini's screen over the N7 enough that I'm going to go for a retina iPad mini as my exclusive tablet once I can get my hands on an iPad mini w/ retina.

The Nexus 7 makes a fantastic second tablet, though. One thing is that 5"+ smartphones are somewhat eroding the N7's value, and I feel like something in the 8" range (+/- 0.2") is a really nice tablet sweet spot.
 
Eug said:
I'm on my 4th Nexus 7 2012.

One I broke on the sidewalk so my fault, but two had the lifting-screen-bezel issue.

#4 has been decent though.

However, certain aspects still scream cheap (besides the above). What I still find amusing is the sticker on the back for the serial, etc. Not only is it crappy, it's crappily placed as well, partially over the bulge for the microUSB port.

And what I still find irritating is the software home button.

But yeah, I don't complain too much because it costs so much less than the iPad mini.
Click to expand...
Oddly enough, build quality has been great with my GS4, i dropped it once and the bezel is slightly dented but the screen is fine and it didn't break or have any real affect on the screen.

Plastic can be done well, or it can be done poorly. The real issue is with plastic, there's no way to tell whether it's one or the other until you use it and it does or doesn't break.

The Android OS.... is another story. Lets just say I'm going to be getting an iPhone 5s soon, and not for TouchID or the A7.
 
jiffylube1024 said:
For me, the iPad mini is worth the extra money simply because I find the Nexus 7's screen a bit too small to be a do-everything tablet. Surfing the web on the N7 is cramped. It's amazing for reading books and games, but for other web-related tasks it's too small.



The A7 is a great performer, but the Nexus 7's quad core is no slouch either. The A7 is definitely faster in benchmarks, but I don't think people will be buying the iPad mini over the N7 because the N7 performs badly - it performs great!

A nuisance of both the iPad mini w/ retina and iPad air is that they only come with 1GB of RAM, and 64-bit apps have an even larger footprint than 32-bit apps. The Nexus 7, meanwhile, has a nice, beefy 2GB of RAM, meaning webpages and apps don't get purged out of RAM nearly as often.

With respect to the iPad mini w/ retina, you're paying your money:

1. because it's an apple product
2. for the superior build quality - aluminum, very thin glass/screen/touch layer
3. for Apple's tablet ecosystem (which is better)
------

If the Nexus 7 was an 8" tablet with something like a 1920x1200 screen, it would be a tougher call for me. Having used both the iPad mini (non-retina) and Nexus 7 extensively, I can say that I prefer the width and extra screen area of the iPad mini's screen over the N7 enough that I'm going to go for a retina iPad mini as my exclusive tablet once I can get my hands on an iPad mini w/ retina.

The Nexus 7 makes a fantastic second tablet, though. One thing is that 5"+ smartphones are somewhat eroding the N7's value, and I feel like something in the 8" range (+/- 0.2") is a really nice tablet sweet spot.
Click to expand...
I think the RAM question has more to do with how the OS allocates resources than any real hardware bottleneck. I can remember when 1GB ram was plenty to run full desktop versions of photoshop and illustrator, and I really doubt the krait 300 is at the level of even a 1st gen core 2 duo.

I agree that at the moment at least there are very few apps that tax my GS4 (1.9Ghz 4core krait 300) enough to cause issues but android is not a very efficient operating system. When I look at available memory in the system settings on my phone, rarely is there more than 400MB free even at idle.

I just see the Nexus 7 as in a much lower league than an A7 powered mini. There is pretty much nothing the Nexus has on it besides price... but i guess price trumps all for some.

Apple has put out a great product at an amazing price. If you want to look at competition... there are a TON of 10 inch tablets that are going to compete with the Air on a much more serious price-performance tradeoff than the Mini. The Air is competing at $729 with tablets that will come in around $349 for a 32GB w/ cell service. And at $929 for the 128GB air, you'd have to be a fool not to just buy an 11" MBA.
 
TreVader said:
I mean, why? I am definitely ordering a Mini w retina display, but I just don't even see why anybody would buy an iPad Air.

It's not that it's a bad product, I actually think it's awesome but the mini w/retina is just too awesome, for less money! The last mini was IMO useless because it was crippled by paltry performance and a garbage screen compared to the Nexus 7, but this new one is amazing.


Do you think the Air is worth an extra $100?
Click to expand...

Hard to say if it's worth 100$ more. I would've like to see the Air's storage start at 32GB instead of 16GB to differentiate it a bit from the Mini Retina.

But here are a few reasons to pick the bigger screen:
1. Larger text so you can hold it further away like a magazine.
2. More space for gestures like exiting out of apps.
3. It's bigger so I'm less likely to drop it. 😀
 
The way Apple decided to roll out the Mini in late November rather than at the same time as the Air I'm assuming is because they don't want the Mini to canabalize (sp?) sales and profit margin in the Air, or at least to try and minimize its effect.

If the Mini's price remained unchanged then there's no doubt in my mind I would get the Mini, but because of it's price premium I see the Air as a better value. Mini is nice to have, but not a must have now, given the Air's reduced weight and size dimensions.
 
I fall into the category of people that doesn't understand the point of the Mini. Especially now with a lot of smartphones coming with 5'' screens. I will say the 7'' form factor is probably better for reading eBooks. But if you're going that route, why not just get a Kindle, it's cheaper.

The 10'' iPad is easier to work with, especially for web browsing and typing, reading magazines, or doing any sort of content creation/editing on. It feels more like a real computer to me. Now if only Apple would open up iOS like a real computer, that would be something.
 
Portability is a huge part of the iPad mini's appeal. It can fit into a small bag/purse and can be carried around more easily than a full sized ipad. It can be used as a GPS if you've got LTE or tethering. You can travel easier with the iPad mini.

I can understand preferring the iPad Air to the iPad mini, but to not even see the point of the mini.... Are you serious? Not everyone just uses these things at home!

PeeluckyDuckee said:
The way Apple decided to roll out the Mini in late November rather than at the same time as the Air I'm assuming is because they don't want the Mini to canabalize (sp?) sales and profit margin in the Air, or at least to try and minimize its effect.

If the Mini's price remained unchanged then there's no doubt in my mind I would get the Mini, but because of it's price premium I see the Air as a better value. Mini is nice to have, but not a must have now, given the Air's reduced weight and size dimensions.
Click to expand...

I think it's a combination of sales cannibalization and manufacturing issues. They apparently won't be able to satisfy demand for this holiday season as is; they are probably building up stock now to avoid very early sell outs for the iPad mini (*cough* Nexus 5 *cough*).
 
Last edited:
Looks like I'm gonna have to get one for my Dad as a Christmas gift.... man I'm gonna go broke even more as I spent all on power cables. 🙁


cheez
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top