Ipad Mini or Ipad Retina?

[ark_ader]

I am not sure which product to go for. It is not for entertainment uses as I am a dire hard Android user, and just got a Sony Xperia Z 10 for all my productivity (its awesome).

I need it for an upcoming exam, and after some of the reviews the Ipad Retina looks like kak. Most people say the screen looks nice but it not worth the money, while on the mini side the reverse is true.  I'm looking at both LTE models, so which one should I go for?  Also there is a weight factor to throw into the mix.  Money is no object but if I can get away with cheap for IOS6 even better.

[CoryBee]

From a die hard android\pc hardware guy, I say get the cheapest one you can find if you absolutely need it.

Cheers!

[jdbailey1206]

Ark if you want an iPad just as a helping had I would go for the mini.  I've heard both sides of the fence but the only major difference is that the Retina Display sports a dual core A6X processor and most reviews will tell you that in a side by side comparison you really can't tell the difference.  I would also go for the mini due to the footprint.  And if you are going to just use it on a whim the HD size probably wont matter. 

[ark_ader]

Ark if you want an iPad just as a helping had I would go for the mini.  I've heard both sides of the fence but the only major difference is that the Retina Display sports a dual core A6X processor and most reviews will tell you that in a side by side comparison you really can't tell the difference.  I would also go for the mini due to the footprint.  And if you are going to just use it on a whim the HD size probably wont matter.

.

Thanks.  I went with your advice and got the 16gb Mini 4G.  It wasn't the cheapest CB but I did get a decent data plan with it.   

It won't be as good as the Sony, but it will get the job done.

Much appreciated.

[CoryBee]

Ark if you want an iPad just as a helping had I would go for the mini.  I've heard both sides of the fence but the only major difference is that the Retina Display sports a dual core A6X processor and most reviews will tell you that in a side by side comparison you really can't tell the difference.  I would also go for the mini due to the footprint.  And if you are going to just use it on a whim the HD size probably wont matter.

.

Thanks.  I went with your advice and got the 16gb Mini 4G.  It wasn't the cheapest CB but I did get a decent data plan with it.   

It won't be as good as the Sony, but it will get the job done.

Much appreciated.

 

[lilshawn]

Retina Display sports a dual core A6X processor

I have the 4th gen Ipad that has the newer 1.4 ghz A6 processor. it's okay but i still find it struggles with some things. mainly because, I think, the GPU portion only runs at 300mhz.

My LG Optimus G smartphone has a Snapdragon S4 quad core (APQ8064) which is very similar to the A6 speed wise @1.5ghz. but has 2 additional cores and a GPU@400mhz that is basically a renamed ATI Imageon chip (after qualcomm bought them out).

Cores aside, it doesn't seem like 100mhz would make much of a difference but it seems to. I have no problem playing emulators, HD video and such on my phone, where the iPad seems to struggle a little with some of it. (waits a few seconds to play video, dropping a few frames to catch up occasionally. etc.)

It could just be a difference in program efficiency between them (Android vs iOS) or maybe even an enhanced instruction ability...like how the MMX  instruction set changed the performance of the pentium.

[ark_ader]

Personally speaking and remember it is my own opinion now so don't get all your fanboi on me (yuk) 

But Apple's version of Mac OSX doesn't cut it on a tablet, any more than windows 8 RT or those old XP tablets of old.

The apple iPad looks pretty, cool, hip but doesn't impress as an iPhone.  I find it quite clunky.

I think when you increase the real estate on any device, the operating system needs to accommodate and that is why apple and m$ fail.  Android works just as well on a phone (sometimes too well - like do I need ICS to make a call when honeycomb did just as well? - my old galaxy S is a perfect example) as it does on a console, dongle, TV, and net book.

I'm talking keyboard and mouse operation.  Most of my legacy laptops had android before puppy Linux.  This post is   a prime example.  Started with the Sony Xperia Z 10, the interface decided to change my text input for me.  Yes I can turn it off, but it should be intelligent enough to ask questions.

So is the iPad all show?  Not really but it doesn't cut it in the office productivity department like it should do.  Maybe in applications like education or medical where the interface shines.  But not in heavy use like real estate, construction or accounting....  I do not see tablets being cradled or loved, most of the time I see them docked or abandoned on the desk.  Are tablets too heavy?

I'm finding that tablets are perfect for IT work, for remote desktop and troubleshooting.  The ability to have a 100 PDFs of technical books is impressive and very handy.

This is not a my dad is bigger than your dad argument, but something to do with cognitive psychology.  Pre attention and cognitive choice all impact on how a user treats your interface, thus  can make or break your margins.  Too many tiny items on a screen impacts cognitive load and adds stress.  Maybe this is one reason for the eye tracking implementation  techniques we will see in new technology.  Which should add to the cognitive load and stress us out more.  I tend to keep my interface free of icons and group my apps into folders.  Now when I turn on said device I am more productive.

Apple has taken notice and put some long term goals into ios6.  But since the organ grinder has died the chimps have failed to impress.  They are not alone in this problem.  Or maybe it is all just a fad, a bump in the road, and eventually we will have these bracelets with all these fancy gadgets to moan about.   

[lilshawn]

i think i'd have to agree.

the ipad really is just an oversized ipod touch/iphone 

there is absolutely nothing special about the OS on the tablet side. 

while yes, they wanted to keep things the same to keep users from having to re-learn their OS, they instead just cloned the existing OS. 

the ipad does nothing more than an ipod touch or iphone can do and is much less portable. 

they kinda dropped the ball.

[crashwg]

If you could have waited until the holiday season, I believe the Mini is planned to come with Retina.

[Diet_Pepsi]

@ Ark -- you make some great points, but I would like to introduce a different perspective.

I agree that the ipad uses the same OS as the iphone, but the larger screen allows me to use features on the ipad that I wouldn't use my iphone for.  I am in mid-level management and run a mid-sized organization at a mid-sized company (not trying to be obscure, just using this to illustrate that there are lots of guys like me out there).  Although my organization is responsible for some technical matters, I spend the vast majority of my time clearing e-mails, reviewing documents, managing my calendar and attending meetings (often times outside of normal business hours).

I find that these functions are easier for me to perform using a tablet as opposed to my phone.  Although my phone can do all of these things, I find that I do not want to squint at my phone screen when viewing a document over webex, reviewing expense report receipts or reading an abnormally long e-mail string.  And I find that I am able to type on my tablet almost as quickly as a keyboard.

For me the tablet is a perfect solution for tasks such as these that require a screen larger than 4 inches, but do not require me to spend 10 minutes booting up my laptop and logging onto VPN.  Since I have started using it, I have been able to spend more time at home with my family, knowing that I am able to do these things on a second's notice, without being hampered by a small screen or a long boot-up and acclimation sequence.

Could they have integrated more features?  Yes, but from my perspective this device passes with flying colors.

You mentioned things such as "fail", "clunky", "doesn't cut it in the office productivity department like it should".  I guess it all depends on what you are measuring this device with.  Against my requirements, the device is far from any of these terms and has provided me with a tremendous amount of value. 

You also mentioned "margins".  I don't think Apple is doing to bad there...

[ark_ader]

@ Ark -- you make some great points, but I would like to introduce a different perspective.

I agree that the ipad uses the same OS as the iphone, but the larger screen allows me to use features on the ipad that I wouldn't use my iphone for.  I am in mid-level management and run a mid-sized organization at a mid-sized company (not trying to be obscure, just using this to illustrate that there are lots of guys like me out there).  Although my organization is responsible for some technical matters, I spend the vast majority of my time clearing e-mails, reviewing documents, managing my calendar and attending meetings (often times outside of normal business hours).

I find that these functions are easier for me to perform using a tablet as opposed to my phone.  Although my phone can do all of these things, I find that I do not want to squint at my phone screen when viewing a document over webex, reviewing expense report receipts or reading an abnormally long e-mail string.  And I find that I am able to type on my tablet almost as quickly as a keyboard.

For me the tablet is a perfect solution for tasks such as these that require a screen larger than 4 inches, but do not require me to spend 10 minutes booting up my laptop and logging onto VPN.  Since I have started using it, I have been able to spend more time at home with my family, knowing that I am able to do these things on a second's notice, without being hampered by a small screen or a long boot-up and acclimation sequence.

Could they have integrated more features?  Yes, but from my perspective this device passes with flying colors.

You mentioned things such as "fail", "clunky", "doesn't cut it in the office productivity department like it should".  I guess it all depends on what you are measuring this device with.  Against my requirements, the device is far from any of these terms and has provided me with a tremendous amount of value. 

You also mentioned "margins".  I don't think Apple is doing to bad there...

I agree completely, but tablets have a long way to go before they can completely replace the laptop.  Like I was saying in the previous post, I was typing away happily on the the Sony Xperia (Android) and if I wasn't paying attention, I might have accidentally posted something intelligent, as it changed all my words to what it thought I typed. Now we "experienced fellows"just turn it off, but for the rest of the population figuring out the remote control is easier than customising the tablet.

Notice how I now use a generic term for the device, as it doesn't really matter now which flavour we are using, the results tend to be the same.  Now we all have our favourites.   I like android as I can share my apps with my other android devices, can use flash and have some expansion capability.  I don't have all that on the Ipad mini and that can be a real hindrance and a blessing.

The latest management buzzword in my arena is (Bring Your Own Device)BYOD, which unless you have a cloud portal can be a right nightmare when you have to support it.  I can remember the nightmares with those crap blackberry or Microsoft Windows Mobile 6 phones, which we lost hair and some sanity over.  Ipads have a calming effect in this situation, but comes with its own connectivity problems, which we are overcoming.

We bought a bunch of Ipads in for the management to "play with" and after the first few weeks we got a lot of calls on technical support, we thought we cracked it as the calls stopped a few days later.  The wow factor got replaced with laptops as the management had to resort to pencil and paper to get their ideas across during video conferencing meetings.  I actually got into hysterics hearing this during my monthly meeting, and got a few of those "techno" idiots a Galaxy Note 10.1 just to rub it in. (well you all know how my sense of humour works)

Until we get some proper applications that work with our own finger and thumb ineptitude and just maybe when Microsoft gets its head (or rather Stevie BadBoy Ballmer dream that M$ is a hardware company) out of their collective asses and make some proper apple ipad and android friendly versions of office, then we might be able to fudge the screen with our fat fingers and do some proper work.  Unless you have some fat finger friendly apps your productivity will remain in the realms of internet browsing and angry birds.  I won't get into the finger grease issue after a busy day of pointing, but the eye tracking applications of very soon would cut through that problem faster than windex.

Margins...28% of the market.

[UFO]

I use a "phablet" the Note 2.

Ive used both Apple and Android and now would not go back to Apple. The OS is closed and I dont want MY device to be controlled completely by one business.

My Note 2 handles anything thrown at it, and with the addition of a stylus my very busy calendar is a breeze. Syncing is great from music, business, connectivity (including sharing my unlimited plan)...

Note all the way for me from now on...

[lilshawn]

I find that I do not want to squint at my phone screen when viewing a document over webex

that's a problem with an iPhone with it's 3 1/2" screen.

not so much with the Samsung Galaxy S4's 5" screen 

my LG Optimus G with it's 4.7" screen is maybe a little large for those with small girly hands. It's fine for my giant ogre hands. still readable. I can type one handed... heck, i don't even turn my phone landscape to type on the keyboard anymore. I often use teamviewer to access my home computers and work computers on the go, and have no issues with not being able to see things without zooming way in

[Diet_Pepsi]

@ls I should have said smartphone instead of iPhone.  I, in fact, am using an s4.  Although I enjoy the large screen, it just isn't big enough to view many of the documents or email strings that I often need to.  But, the large screen is just big enough to allow me to type in portrait, which is a huge plus.  Ad it's the best smartphone I have ever used, by a wide margin.

@ark I agree that using a generic term is the way to go here.  Funny you should mention the test group idea - I am part of a tablet pilot with my company due to my frequent travel, and I find that, when i travel, i am moving away from my laptop and smartphone and more towards my tablet.  And I TOTALLY AGREE with the need for a more user friendly version of Microsoft office...can't tell you how many times I have cursed at the fact that track changes is not viewable on my tablet...

And BYOD is a bad word at my company.  I prefer Android, but am stuck with whatever platform my IT guy chooses to support. For phones, I am allowed to use Samsung, but for tablets it's strictly apple.

[ark_ader]

For phones I use a Samsung Galaxy Note 2 with a backup Note 1.  I don't use the stylus much,  but it is a different story on my Note 10.1.  The photoshop app is great for those moments of  explaining how things work to my "boss ", the device is heavy, but the Sony is like a feather.  No happy medium. 

The ipad will get some hands on, and maybe it will go to my old dear, as she is getting bitten by the tablet bug.  Well she cannot break it or get into trouble.

I have been getting to grips with Siri.  He definitely steals the iPad show.