Hi from a newbie! I am looking to purchase an IPad and never having used one before I want to get it right. As there seems to be more and more different models, versions etc. could someone give me a guidance as to which might be the best one. Preferably one with a fair amount of memory. Cheers and thank you. I rather like the look of the new mini version but someone has said they are not easy to see or handle............

I like my mini. Light weight easy to hold for long periods, I can see it just fine. I got the 64 GB version as I like lots of space.

Thank you. That sounds a good recommendation. I have an Ipod touch and dont find that difficult to use so presumably I wouldn't have any difficulty with the mini. I'd like to see one in action and haven't I chosen a good time of the year to be starting - Christmas - !!!!! Thank you again.

if for games then avoid mini and grab ipad because in long term its not good for eyes especially for kids unless if spend only 5 minutes on games then its fine with it

Originally Posted by mrcupu

if for games then avoid mini and grab ipad because in long term its not good for eyes especially for kids unless if spend only 5 minutes on games then its fine with it

The mini is great for games. With the 3 and 4 kids will get carpel tunnel syndrome.

I would recommend going to the apple store and sit down and use both the 9.7 and the 7.9 models and see which one you like personally they didn't put the newer chip in the mini and that bothers me for what you pay I want the most advanced tech for my $ but the good thing is if you choose now and,down the road want to upgrade the newer the device the better re-sale value

I am Mr Williams and I approved this message

Thank you all for advice. I am not really into games so I dont think that would come into the situation. and I am not really quite sure what is meant by the newer chip in the mini? but I will certainly raise the question when buying. I just want to buy the right product and from what I have read about the mini with the 64GB I dont think I would ever want to upgrade or re-sell or whatever. just so long as I can see it ok, the eyesight not being what it used to be!!! From what I can gather the IPad seems a bit like mobile phones, some quite easy to read and texting easy but others can be a pain. I think the good advice is to call into the Apple store, in my area the nearest one is the centre of Leeds, West Yorkshire and parking (YUK)!! Might leave until after Christmas!! Thanks again.

Hi and welcome to the Forum!

There is the ipad2, the new iPad (ipad4) and the mini. All come in 16, 32 and 64 GB sizes also you may have wifi or Wifi plus cellular. It will depend on what you want to do with your iPad for which size you get. If you want Movies which are the big space users, then go for the biggest. Keep in mind that it's not until you get an iPad that you discover all the wonderful things that it can do.

To me the iPad mini is all about portability, it's just so light and easy to handle. I have an ipad2 and plan on getting a mini also!

Wifi plus Cellular models have a sim and you can use your iPad wherever there is coverage from your carrier. It's great if you travel, as you can just buy a sim for wherever in the world you happen to be, no more paying daily hotel Internet connection fees. But the thing I love about these iPads is the true GPS capability. As the GPS chip is built into the iPad you don't need a charged sim for this to work.

Going to an Apple store and having a play with them all is the best idea for you to really see the difference in the iPads.

The IPad Forum is a community of members from all walks of life and from all over the world coming together to share our experiences and to help each other learn about this wonderful piece of technology the Ipad. There is a wealth of information already here in the many threads we have so doing some searches will answer most of the questions you have. If then you cannot find the answer you are seeking then by all means post your question. There are many friendly and informed members here only too willing to help you.

We also have our own App - It is a very simple app to navigate.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/discu...412896524?mt=8
Reading the IPad manual is a great place to start so please download a copy of these.
http://www.support.apple.com/manuals/ipad/
3 very informative threads from which you will learn many tips and shortcuts for the IPad.
http://www.ipadforums.net/ipad-gener...dont-know.html
iOS5 Tips and Tricks
Easy pictorial shortcuts & Helpful places. - For People new to the iPad.
We have rules like any Community so please read these also
Forum rules - everybody please read!!

Once again we welcome you here and are so pleased you have joined us!

Originally Posted by mr williams

I would recommend going to the apple store and sit down and use both the 9.7 and the 7.9 models and see which one you like personally they didn't put the newer chip in the mini and that bothers me for what you pay I want the most advanced tech for my $ but the good thing is if you choose now and,down the road want to upgrade the newer the device the better re-sale value

Hmm....if you compare the 16GB iPad mini LTE version, the price is $458USD. The off-contract price if a 16GB LTE iPhone 5 is $649. A difference of $191.

If you put the latest tech in the iPad mini, that would mean you need to be making 7.9-inch screens with 326 ppi...that tech is not ready yet. And if it were ready, there should still be issues with cooling and battery life, as the bright retina display should suck down a lot of juice.

Note that buying the top end iPhone 5 off contact is $849. The top end iPad 4 is $829. With the iPhone, you get a phone, but a retina display at 300+ppi). With the iPad, you get the larger screen (at lower 250-ish ppi, BTW).

If you buy a retina iPad mini, top end, you pay $529. If there was a version of the mini with a retina display, it would have the same resolution as the iPhone 5, but the bigger screen would drive the price over $849.

I don't know why people are expecting a retina iPad mini at the current prices. It will never happen. Even if they offer it next year, that 300+ ppi screen will drive the price up.

I think Apple priced the iPad mini fairly. Also, given the current state of tech, I think they had to offer it without the retina screen. Putting in an A6X chip or even an A6 chip would have been a total waste of money because with the 163 ppi screen, the mini plays all games well. There is no point of putting in more chip than is needed to get top performance. With the iPad 3, there was a point because on some tasks the cpu was not powerful enough to update the screen quickly enough. Apple solved that issue with the iPad 4.

When Apple releases a mini with a 2048 x 1536 pixel screen, there could be technical issues. That's more pixels than on an iPhone 5, but the same as the iPad 4, so the performance will be the same. But the mini is smaller, so heat dissipation will be a problem compared to the larger iPad. Also, because the mini is smaller, there could be battery-life issues, too. The mini's battery is a good bit smaller than that in the iPad 4. All of this has to be considered when bringing a device to market. If not, then what results is a poor end user experience. So people talking about specs without regard to the impact of what tech goes into the device are just wrong headed. Apple knows this business far better than the most consumers do. They always try to offer the best tech to create the best experience, no matter what people say (oh, they are holding off until next year so they can milk more money -- if that were true, then why update the iPad with an A6X chip?).

Hello and welcome to the forum!

Good luck on your decision !