“The iPad Mini is proof positive why technical specs don’t matter anymore,” Devindra Hardawar writes for VentureBeat. “It’s slower than both the third and fourth-generation iPads, and it features a significantly lower resolution screen that doesn’t even meet HD video standards.”
“And yet, its miniscule size and overall convenience makes it the best iPad I’ve ever used and the best tablet on the market,” Hardawar writes. “With its 7.9-inch screen, the iPad Mini is slightly larger than its 7-inch Android counterparts. But it still has all the makings of a small tablet, and that extra screen real estate actually makes it far better for reading. Apple has struck a balance between size and performance with the iPad Mini — and it’s one that will resonate in the tablet market for years to come.”
Hardawar writes, “I can go on and on about the iPad Mini’s thinness and lightness — but really, you have to hold this thing to understand why it’s so special. At just .68 pounds and 7.2 millimeters thick, it weighs about the same as a typical paperback book, and it’s thinner than the already ridiculously thin iPhone 5… I’ve been recommending the iPad Mini without hesitation over the past week.”
Read more in the full review here.
Related articles:
InfoWorld reviews Apple’s iPad mini: Far superior; outclasses Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD, Google Nexus 7, Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 – November 6, 2012
Thurrott reviews Apple iPod touch and iPad mini: ‘demonstrably better than the competition; incredibly desirable tech devices’ – November 6, 2012
Ars Technica reviews Apple’s iPad mini: You’ll find yourself reaching for it over a full-sized iPad with Retina display – November 6, 2012
24 hours with Apple’s iPad mini: This is the real iPad – November 6, 2012
Why I just dumped my iPad 3 for iPad mini – November 5, 2012
DisplayMate: Apple’s iPad mini offers ‘just a very capable display’ – November 5, 2012
Apple’s iPad mini and ultra-mobile computing – November 5, 2012
Demand for Apple’s new iPad mini is huge – November 5, 2012
The Register reviews Apple’s iPad mini: ‘The tablet even Apple anti-fans won’t be able to leave alone’ – November 5, 2012
Apple sells three million iPads in three days; double previous first weekend sales – November 5, 2012
The Independent reviews Apple’s iPad mini: High-end gadget is worth the price – October 31, 2012
CNET reviews Apple’s iPad mini: The new standard for little-tablet design – October 31, 2012
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
Duh!!!!
“It’s slower than both the third and fourth-generation iPads”
Not true, at least about the third-generation iPad. It is a common misconception that the iPad (3) had a faster processor than the iPad 2. It didn’t. The A5X chip in the iPad (3) had a quad-core GPU, compared to the dual-core GPU in the A5. This difference in GPU didn’t make the iPad (3) any faster, it just allowed it to push enough pixels for the Retina Display.
The A5 chip in the iPad mini has the exact same dual-core CPU clocked at 1GHZ as the iPad (3).
It does have half the RAM of iPad 3, though, which makes it slower if you switch apps a lot (everything has to reload). But it’s not bad.
Good point. I have noticed apps having to reload a lot on the iPad mini. Sometimes I wish I could order an iPad with extra RAM.
The thought of speccing out an iPad like I used to spec out desktop computers makes me laugh. Haha!
I sold my iPad 2 to get an iPad mini and sold my iPad 3 to get an iPad 4.
I received my iPad mini (64GB LTE) yesterday. I love it! So far it’s my favorite. It can fit in jacket pockets and even mount in my car! The battery life is very impressive and it charges fast, using a lot less power (which is good when I’m traveling and charging it via external battery).
The iPad 3 pushed the retina envelop too hard. I haven’t received the iPad 4 LTE yet, but my hope is that it will be more ready for retina than the iPad 3 was… not that I didn’t like the iPad 3.
Best apple product I’ve owned since 1986. I’m finding my productivity on numbers, pages and keynote has gone up since starting to use the mini, which really surprises me, I got it because it was small and light and cheap, but find it is actually easier to use than the bigger iPads.
Got mine yesterday; magical!
Had mine for 7 days, absolutely breathtaking!
Thanks for my iPad mini Apple!!!
“Doesn’t even meet HD video standards” hmmmmm, It records in 1080P, FaceTime’s at 720 P .
Video formats supported: H.264 video up to 1080p, 30 frames per second, High Profile level 4.1 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps per channel, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) up to 35 Mbps, 1280 by 720 pixels, 30 frames per second, audio in ulaw, PCM stereo audio in .avi file format
Granted the screen is only 1024-by-768 resolution so it can only display 720P at native resolution but 720P is still HD in my book, so it does meet HD video standards, just not Full HD video standards.
I was confused by this HD video thing as well. After looking into it I learned 720p really means a resolution of 1280×720. (720 is only the number of vertical pixels)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Vector_Video_Standards4.svg
So, the iPad 2 and iPad mini have to downscale all HD video for the display, but I think HD video still looks really good on the mini.
If the iPad had a 16×9 display it would have plenty of horizontal pixels for HD video. The iPads 4×3 display is much better for everything besides HD video.
I picked one up in my local Apple Store today to check it out. Simply amazing. You don’t understand just how thin and light it is and how effortlessly you can hold it in one hand and use it. It’s much more than a smaller iPad.
That will be my next iPad (my teenage son has an original iPad, I have an iPad 2, and my wife an iPad 3).
UPS delivered my iPad mini on opening day. It’s an awesome device and I rarely go to my MBP 13″ that I bought in May. Apple did very well on the mini, I wish the stock market saw that.