CNET reviews Apple’s iPad mini: The new standard for little-tablet design

“The App Store is Apple’s great gold mine, and the iPad Mini’s [sic] price seems to be banking on you knowing that. And, in that sense, the iPad Mini may be worth its price,” Scott Stein reports for CNET.

“The iPad Mini is really a shrunken-down iPad 2. Or, a larger iPod Touch. The original iPad was a larger iPod Touch, too, in a lot of ways. That didn’t make it any less appealing. Here, the use case isn’t laptop alternative,” Stein reports. “This is a compact reader/viewer. Of documents, magazines, movies, games. Maybe even of editing or creating. And it’s spectacular at being portable.”

Stein reports, “What’s unique about the Mini? Without a doubt, it’s the design. It’s cute, it’s discreet, and it’s very, very light. It feels like a whole new device for Apple. It’s light enough to hold in one hand, something the iPad was never really able to achieve for extended periods of time. It’s bedroom-cozy. Other full-fledged 7-inch tablets feel heavier and bulging by comparison. This is a new standard for little-tablet design. It makes the iPad feel fresh. After a week of using the iPad Mini, it seems to find a way to follow me everywhere. It’s extremely addicting, and fun to use.”

Read more in the full review here.

Related articles:
NYT’s Pogue reviews Apple’s iPad mini: ‘All the iPad goodness in a more manageable size; it’s awesome’ – October 31, 2012
USA Today’s Baig reviews Apple’s iPad mini: ‘A splendid choice; terrific for reading, watching movies and playing games’ – October 31, 2012
Mossberg reviews Apple’s iPad mini: ‘An impressive feat; the perfect solution’ – October 31, 2012

20 Comments

  1. Gee, the positive reviews are really piling up. Could Steve Ballmer have been uh, wrong, when he remarked “I don’t think anyone has done a product that I see customers wanting”?

    1. Yes, Steve Ballmer was wrong long ago…

      People love iPad.
      People love iPhone.
      People really love the iPadMini.
      People are still loving iPod touch.

      Ballmer must have been hiding in the mountains with Osama bin Laden to be so OUT of touch.

  2. Yep great review
    Most telling is the price difference and the retina display or lack of it.
    Most of us who own retina products will find the pictures less crisp and wanting for more..

    1. Please, it’s “once in a while”. I’m seeing this more and more. Let’s not perpetuate another “take another tact” (should be “tack”, as when a sailboat changes course), or “hone in” on something (one either “homes in”, or “hones” a sharp edge).

  3. Can’t wait till next year when the iPad mini gets the retina display and the current one drops in price by a hundred dollars. Then watch the competition really howl. Just about the time they get their hardware finally out the door the rug gets pulled out from under them …again.

  4. Got to hold an iPad mini and compare it to several other tablets today. Apple pulled a clever trick, when others make 7″ tablets they make the 8″ iPad mini, which is clearly bigger device and in it’s own category. Nothing wrong with it, even the display is sharp enough.

  5. iPad mini equals iPad 2 with 20% sharper display, less than HALF the weight, and $70 discount. It’s not a lesser iPad; it’s an enhancement of the iPad experience.

    People are starting to figure it out… 🙂

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