What? No iPad mini Retina (are you kidding me???)!!!

[AQ_OC]

Thanks, AQ!

I just couldn't wait any longer, I've been chomping at the bit for this mini for a long time! Maybe I would have noticed the Retina display-but that's ok. The stats on the current mini sounds just as impressive!

Just for the record, I love my mini!

 

[skimonkey]

Just for the record, I love my mini!

I totally believe you and everybody else who has one!

 

[ardchoille]

For what it's worth, I have had the iPad mini for a while and now have an iPad 4. Despite being a picky and impatient person who specializes in graphic artwork.. the lack of retina on the iPad mini isn't noticeable to me. I have a feeling some folks over-emphasise the situation and try to portray the iPad mini as "lacking" a vital feature. Making mountains out of mole hills and all.

</opinion>

 

[Kaykaykay]

For what it's worth, I have had the iPad mini for a while and now have an iPad 4. Despite being a picky and impatient person who specializes in graphic artwork.. the lack of retina on the iPad mini isn't noticeable to me. I have a feeling some folks over-emphasise the situation and try to portray the iPad mini as "lacking" a vital feature. Making mountains out of mole hills and all.

</opinion>

It's probably eyesight differences.

I have an iPad 2, iPad 4, iPhone 4S, touch 5 and a friend loaned me a mini iPad while traveling for months. I can instantly see the differences among all the screens. Just using IPF, I can see the diffs in characters and logos.

I can live with a fuzzier screen on iPad 2 since it's an older device. But given the choice, I'd rather have retina and newer guts on any new purchase.

I'm surprised how little I've used the borrowed mini. (My friend even let me wipe it to factory settings and load all my apps.) I figure it's because its primary advantage to me -- weight -- is not useful because my friend's mini is wifi-only, so I don't take it out. At home, I'd rather use a full-size screen, unless reading a book, in which case my Kindle Fires both have better screens than the mini.

 

[learniiburn]

Love my mini so much. Best impulse buy ever. Bought it at a Best Buy vending machine deal at LAX. Had an iPad 3 and Nexus 7 before it. Gladly sold both after this thing entered my life. I use it for everything and the weight/battery life are the selling points for me. The mini rocks!

 

[leelai]

Woohoo--I just ordered my iPad mini! I am ok without having retina display--quite honestly, I don't think I would have noticed. My shipping date to the store is next Thursday!! Yippee!!

Woohoo! You are just going to love it!

 

[AQ_OC]

It's probably eyesight differences.

I have an iPad 2, iPad 4, iPhone 4S, touch 5 and a friend loaned me a mini iPad while traveling for months. I can instantly see the differences among all the screens. Just using IPF, I can see the diffs in characters and logos.

I can live with a fuzzier screen on iPad 2 since it's an older device. But given the choice, I'd rather have retina and newer guts on any new purchase.

I'm surprised how little I've used the borrowed mini. (My friend even let me wipe it to factory settings and load all my apps.) I figure it's because its primary advantage to me -- weight -- is not useful because my friend's mini is wifi-only, so I don't take it out. At home, I'd rather use a full-size screen, unless reading a book, in which case my Kindle Fires both have better screens than the mini.

It must be eyesight differences, because I can easily see the differences in the non retina mini. I view lots of documents with equations and one needs retina for that kind of thing. For tablets, since i have tried most of them, the iPads just seems better implemented with more useful and polished apps...and that's why, in my mind, I can live with the mini (since I have a 3nd Gen already). But I want a retina screen mini. And since I got the LTE mini, my mini goes more places with me, unless at work, where I typically take my 3nd Gen iPad. BTW, when at home, my 3nd Gen iPad lives in a stand at my desk. I use it for viewing my photos. I have my Nexus 10 in a similar stand at another location. My Nexus 7 is gathering dust. I'm going to be looking to gift it to someone.

It is very likely that once the retina mini comes out, I will never buy another full-sized iPad. Actually, I don't see myself buying another full-sized iPad anyhow.

 

[Kaykaykay]

It must be eyesight differences, because I can easily see the differences in the non retina mini. I view lots of documents with equations and one needs retina for that kind of thing. For tablets, since i have tried most of them, the iPads just seems better implemented with more useful and polished apps...and that's why, in my mind, I can live with the mini (since I have a 3nd Gen already). But I want a retina screen mini. And since I got the LTE mini, my mini goes more places with me, unless at work, where I typically take my 3nd Gen iPad. BTW, when at home, my 3nd Gen iPad lives in a stand at my desk. I use it for viewing my photos. I have my Nexus 10 in a similar stand at another location. My Nexus 7 is gathering dust. I'm going to be looking to gift it to someone.

It is very likely that once the retina mini comes out, I will never buy another full-sized iPad. Actually, I don't see myself buying another full-sized iPad anyhow.

I see myself buying a retina mini with cellular unless they keep the innards generations behind. I will continue to buy full-size iPads unless they make an even bigger model, in which case I'd buy those for home use and mini for on the go, if mini met my criteria.

 

[knrstz64]

Can someone explain to me why it is either retina display or the current resolution? If they can't manage to get the specs and battery life where they want it with the next generation mini, why can't they have a minor or half way upgrade to retina display?

 

[AQ_OC]

Can someone explain to me why it is either retina display or the current resolution? If they can't manage to get the specs and battery life where they want it with the next generation mini, why can't they have a minor or half way upgrade to retina display?

In order not to ruin all the apps in the market, and thus cripple developers, they always double the resolution in each direction. What we know as retina on the iPad 3nd and 4th gen is simply 2X in each direction...so all the apps that worked on previous iPads work in the 3nd and 4th gen just fine. Since the iPad 2 as 132 ppi, that makes the 3rd and 4th gen iPads 264ppi. The mini, which is 1024x768, works out to be ~162 ppi (because of the physically smaller screen). A doubling there brings the iPad mini retina to ~334 ppi, which is the same as the iPhone 4s and iPhone 5.

BTW, the next version of the Nexus 7 was announced today....replete with a 332 ppi screen and one extra hour of battery life (ok...the current nexus 7 sucks for battery life, so an extra hour is not all that). I think this is evidence that it is hard to keep the battery life up there while giving a retina screen along with faster CPU/GPU. Trades have to be made someplace. Google is willing to make them...let's see if Apple is...

Other evidence is that Samsung, the maker of many of the best screens, is NOT doing retina-level screens on most of the Samsung-branded tablets. Those tabs rock in all the other specs, though.

 

[AQ_OC]

I see myself buying a retina mini with cellular unless they keep the innards generations behind. I will continue to buy full-size iPads unless they make an even bigger model, in which case I'd buy those for home use and mini for on the go, if mini met my criteria.

You may just get your wish for the larger one.

 

[Kaykaykay]

You may just get your wish for the larger one.

Yes, I heard rumblings several months ago that Apple might be testing one, and other manufacturers have been selling 13" tabs, so I figured Apple might be following in their footsteps, too.

 

[AQ_OC]

I got my mitts on the new 2nd Gen Nexus 7. All I can say is Apple had better release a mini with a retina display and beefed up internals. They seriously risk losing market share otherwise.

 

[learniiburn]

I got my mitts on the new 2nd Gen Nexus 7. All I can say is Apple had better release a mini with a retina display and beefed up internals. They seriously risk losing market share otherwise.

Nice! Picking up my Nexus 7 2 tomorrow as well. I love my mini to death, but I always need to keep an Android device handy too for certain projects in my line of work. Are you liking your new Nexus so far?

 

[Appleipaduser]

I got my mitts on the new 2nd Gen Nexus 7. All I can say is Apple had better release a mini with a retina display and beefed up internals. They seriously risk losing market share otherwise.

Apple in the past has made incremental changes to their product introductions. But with the Nexus jumping Apple's technology ladder by 2 or 3 rungs; I would be surprise that they introduced the iPad Mini Retina 2015 for Fall 2013.