Help me decide iPad mini or iPad air ??? i can't make up my mind

[Rickee67]

The weight? What weight?? My new Air is a feather compared to my old pad4, I held it comfortably all day today with one hand while drawing on Sketchbook.

 

[Danceking]

The iPad Air is a powerful being. Don't sack it. Use it and you will slowly get used to the weight. But then, its your iPad, you will need it, its your wish to select whats perfect for you, this was my opinion.

How do you work that out ??

The iPad Air and iPad mini have identical specs and performance .. intact it can be added that the iPad mini might be slightly faster due to pixelating screen size etc.

But have i missed something if so please enlighten me because i believe the specs of the iPad Air and the iPad mini retina 2 which is yet to be released is the same ??

 

[Danceking]

The weight? What weight?? My new Air is a feather compared to my old pad4, I held it comfortably all day today with one hand while drawing on Sketchbook.

I think its cos i went in to Apple store and played around with the mini and i have not had my iPad 3 for a week now so forgot its weight .. It just feels heavier compared to the mini thats my point.

 

[abababababab]

I don't know whether 112 grams makes any difference to you, but it may. Sure the iPad Air is the same as iPad Mini RD, but its just for the consolation of mind. If we had conducted an experiment, where people bought iPad Mini RD, instead of iPad Air, even though they had all resources for it, the results would be that 95% of them would have cursed themselves for buying iPad Mini RD and not iPad Air. If you are one of the 5%, you may buy Mini. As I told, its your iPad, its your work, its your entertainment - its your choice. Good luck!

 

[Danceking]

Well I got ipad mini 2 today and hmmmm .. I like it a lot but not significant difference in weight but it is easier to handle .. Going to play with it for few days and report back

 

[AQ_OC]

I don't know whether 112 grams makes any difference to you, but it may. Sure the iPad Air is the same as iPad Mini RD, but its just for the consolation of mind. If we had conducted an experiment, where people bought iPad Mini RD, instead of iPad Air, even though they had all resources for it, the results would be that 95% of them would have cursed themselves for buying iPad Mini RD and not iPad Air. If you are one of the 5%, you may buy Mini. As I told, its your iPad, its your work, its your entertainment - its your choice. Good luck!

Where do you get such numbers? Plenty if folks would rather have a mini than an air. In fact, even with the reduced weight of the air, I think the mini will outsell....heck, it cost a full $100 less and has a better screen!

 

[alicepattinson]

Go for IPAD AIR mini retina is great as well. But if your buget is just enough the retina is good. But if you can afford more then go for the air. the best!

 

[Danceking]

Well I hate to say it but advice I've been given here appears to be good and right .. If I could afford it I would keep both. I think the ipad mini will become redundant if apple releases a bigger wider iphone because that will plug the gap for me. But for now this is what I'm finding.

Ipad Air is deffo feeling like it's the way to go .. I find I type quicker on iphone and Air than the mini and it all comes down to the size of the device and how I hold it .. Iphone I hold in one hand and type with my thumb . Ipad air is used on my lap or table and I use 2 hands
to type with. Or hold it on palm of left hand and use other hand/ fingers to type with.
Ipad mini is different .. My other hand ends up partially covering edges of the screen where I hold it .. I find I'm slower typing stuff in to because of how I hold it .. If I lay on table I'm slower because the screen is smaller and so is key board .


However I feel the screen on the mini is sharper special when watching videos and films ..

My I'm leaning towards the air ... I currently have both devices one will get returned ..

On another note .. It's stupid for apple stores to have the ipad air encased in blocks of glass so I couldn't pick it up and feel it .. This has led to me ordering the device so I could hold it and touch it ..this must cost apple more than if they had the actual device or even a mock up (dud) on display because I can't have been the only one to do this .. (Glass encasing blocks of ipad air was in Birmingham UK store btw) So I've ordered and got two devices to compare and one will go back .. Sad I couldn't do this In store ..

One other thing damn auto correct is flaming annoying you get to end of sentence and realise it don't make sense because autocorrect has changed half your words ..

But today I'm leaning towards Ipad air mobility I have my iphone .. Gonna have to deal with the weight difference..

 

[AQ_OC]

I think it is interesting how different people can be. I find the mini to be much easier to do just about anything on. I'm typing this while holding the device in landscape mode and using the split keyboard. Much better than a larger device. And I can't wait to get my mini retina because then the screen will be as good as an iPhone. Also, I find the size if the minis screen to get good enough if I want to watch a netflix or youtube. I don't need a full size iPad for that. Any tablet screen is far smaller than a real HDTV and as such is a big compromise to the experience. Hence I don't need big but 7.9 inches is good enough. Of course, I've been typing since the 9th grade and I play clarinet, so maybe I'm just better at using my fingers than most here.

I still thing the iPad mini is the perfect size tablet and will taken over as the main iPad that most will own. Just wait until folks get a load of the new mini with retina display and fully spec'ed guts!

I'm thinking I will keep my old mini and get rid of my 3nd iPad and nexus 10. I'll have a mini 1, a mini 2, and a nexus 7 (2013).

 

[NZBred]

I've seen so many sites on this topic now and like many others, was struggling on what my 2013 upgrade would be. After a iPad 1, 2 & 3, moved to the iPad Mini and loved it. The Mini 2 was without a doubt the logical choice - however....

....after spending 24 hours with a friends Air at home and then around 45 minutes - at the Apple store - putting the Mini 2 through its paces, I left with a iPad 128gb LTE Air and couldn't be happier.

Don't get me wrong, the Mini 2 was great and what I expected, but at a distance, I couldn't tell the difference between that and my Mini, given the smaller screens. Up close is a completely different story and the Retina shines through, but as part of a small majority, I never found the Mini screen that bad day-to-day.

I've had a number of friends ask me which one is better, however it isn't that clear cut. I use my iPad a lot for work, read a lot of proposals, PDFs and have always liked the iPad experience in Portrait mode. Understand this is personal preference. I've had the Air for two days now and went back to my existing Mini this morning and found it so small. When heading out, I naturally grabbed the mini on both occasions and it will be a habit that may take some time to break. I thought about keeping it as a spare, but couldn't really see the point and its currently listed on eBay.

Shaving the side dimensions down from the 2/3/4 really makes a huge difference in my experience and the reduction in weight is noticeable, but not sure the AIR reference is the right one and one I would have given the Mini, but what do I know?

So, is it all good? Well, yes but it isn't without its compromises. I could lay down on the couch for hours with the Mini and never notice the weight. Not so with the AIR as you do notice the weight and I found myself sitting up more and laying the AIR on my legs or stomach to give my arms a rest. Its not that they hurt, but it is noticeable.

Weighed up against the bigger screen, ability to type faster and easier reading experience on mail/safari/documents (not zooming all the time), I think I have made the right choice. I can always return it if I change my mind but not sure if that will happen. Additionally, I also use Cloud On for Office documents and so MUCH better on the bigger screen.

As many others have said, it's what you need it for and a personal choice and either model is great. Will I miss the Mini? Absolutely.
Am I happy with my new AIR? I wouldn't say absolutely as the Mini was such a great experience but I've always liked the larger tablets.

My wife has a Mini and is getting the Mini 2. Her Mini lives in her hangbag so its a no-brainer. She doesn't have a SMARTPhone so finds this an excellent companion to her blackberry.

I'll update again in a couple of weeks...

 

[s2mikey]

Lots of votes here for the Mini. That's cool but IMO the full sized screen experience trumps any slightly better portability that you get with the mini. That's the thing too, the mini still does NOT fit into pants or jacket pockets. You need a handbag or briefcase to really tote the mini around and in that case the Air would also fit. The mini is lighter and more svelte and I suspect that can be felt when holding it for long periods. But, the Air has gotten lighter and more svelte too and the larger screen simply rocks for web surfing, gaming, and most other tasks.

My three cents.

 

[AQ_OC]

Lots of votes here for the Mini. That's cool but IMO the full sized screen experience trumps any slightly better portability that you get with the mini. That's the thing too, the mini still does NOT fit into pants or jacket pockets. You need a handbag or briefcase to really tote the mini around and in that case the Air would also fit. The mini is lighter and more svelte and I suspect that can be felt when holding it for long periods. But, the Air has gotten lighter and more svelte too and the larger screen simply rocks for web surfing, gaming, and most other tasks.

My iPad mini fits in the pockets of the pants I have on right now...but I'd never carry such an expensive device in a pocket...it might get crushed, I'm surprised that people would consider this for any tablet...phones are a different story.

I can hold my mini in my fingers for long periods while inside a case. People seem to forget about cases, which I ALWAYS put my iPads into. Yeah, the Air weighs around a pound...but what about when you add a case? That's where the extra weight savings of the mini comes to its real advantage...you can include a nice case (I have a Khomo - a tight form-fitting case with four-folds on the cover to ensure it works well in movie viewing mode). Yet, even inside this case, this machine is light weight and can be held for hours without fatigue. It's the perfect travel device, too, because while people keep making out like the screen is tiny, it is not that small at 7.9-inches. In fact, if I watch a movie framed at 16:9 on my mini and on my Nexus 7, the image is larger on the mini. I still use my 3nd gen for viewing images and what not because the screen on the 1st gen mini is just not that good for colors (in fact, the 2013 Nexus 7 in better in this regard). The new mini will have an excellent screen. It will be my perfect iPad and I will not miss the 9.7-inch screen at all. Of course, I have excellent up-close vision and my finger tips aren't fat like those of most men (I still wear extra large gloves, and sometimes those are too small depending on brand)...so I'm finger-nimble, which no doubt plays a role.

It's good to have choices!

 

[Danceking]

Well I've decided and after all that I decided on the Air ..

I found myself naturally preferring to use it for the larger screen .

If I never had the larger screen in the first place and had just purchased the mini no doubt I would of been very happy with it and not known any better .

I decided that I feel Apple will release a larger iPhone 2014. (Or at least I hope) that I will buy and use my more mobile device.
I currently use my phone anyway so I prefer to have the bigger device at home having compared both dispite the weight difference that does bother me but the bigger screen more so and can deal with the weight issue ..

Ipad air it is for me

 

[s2mikey]

My iPad mini fits in the pockets of the pants I have on right now...but I'd never carry such an expensive device in a pocket...it might get crushed, I'm surprised that people would consider this for any tablet...phones are a different story. I can hold my mini in my fingers for long periods while inside a case. People seem to forget about cases, which I ALWAYS put my iPads into. Yeah, the Air weighs around a pound...but what about when you add a case? That's where the extra weight savings of the mini comes to its real advantage...you can include a nice case (I have a Khomo - a tight form-fitting case with four-folds on the cover to ensure it works well in movie viewing mode). Yet, even inside this case, this machine is light weight and can be held for hours without fatigue. It's the perfect travel device, too, because while people keep making out like the screen is tiny, it is not that small at 7.9-inches. In fact, if I watch a movie framed at 16:9 on my mini and on my Nexus 7, the image is larger on the mini. I still use my 3nd gen for viewing images and what not because the screen on the 1st gen mini is just not that good for colors (in fact, the 2013 Nexus 7 in better in this regard). The new mini will have an excellent screen. It will be my perfect iPad and I will not miss the 9.7-inch screen at all. Of course, I have excellent up-close vision and my finger tips aren't fat like those of most men (I still wear extra large gloves, and sometimes those are too small depending on brand)...so I'm finger-nimble, which no doubt plays a role. It's good to have choices!

I hear ya....it is nice to have both sizes. I guess by pocket fit I meant more like the phones or iPod touch which literally just drop into any pocket and you almost don't even notice they are there.

 

[quadtronix]

Personally, I will most likely be going with the Air (very soon hopefully)... Because I had the mini (first gen) and I have the N7 (2nd gen) and I have a few other small tablets that I just couldn't resist, which sit on the shelf as backups... I kind of miss my full sized iPads too. For me, the N7 is my favorite small tablet so to buy a retina mini for $400 would probably be a little redundant and a waste of money. The Air on the other hand, is more what I'm in the market for right now... It's frankly going to be between that and the Asus Nexus 10, but I'm 99% sure its gonna be the Air. I can't wait!


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