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Source: Apple to discontinue iPad mini

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Re: Source: Apple to discontinue iPad mini

#51

Post by falcolas »

lisper wrote: post #44
fooker wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

These rumors are likely used to gauge the community reaction before decisions like this.

OK, then listen up any Apple folks lurking here: this would be a huge mistake. The iPhone 7 plus is too small. The regular iPad is too big. The iPad mini is Just Right for a lot of applications. Don't discontinue it.

I agree with every point, and I'll even emphasize the "iPhone 7 plus is too small" claim. Reading a book on the iPhone [67]+ is not a good experience. It's also too oddly sized for browsing most of the web; mobile sites make everything too large, and switching to desktop versions makes everything too small. Videos also tend to lack a lot of detail.

The mini, in comparison, is much like a Kindle for reading books (that is it's comfortable to read, especially the retina displays), and I can read just about any web site without special handling when in portrait mode.

I've bought 3, and the only reason I haven't bought more is because they still work perfectly.

Re: Source: Apple to discontinue iPad mini

#52

Post by pdelbarba »

moftz wrote: post #46
pdelbarba wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yea, these things are absolutely loved in the general aviation industry. Big enough to run Foreflight but small enough to fit in a C172

Does the iPad require any sort of FAA approval to be used in that manner? I know that anything that physically connects to the plane usually has some stringent regulations but I haven't heard about pilots using iPads before. Can you mount the iPad on the instrument panel?

The FAA issued a blanket approval for all EFBs that are not permanently mounted to the aircraft:

https://www.faa.gov/documentlibrary/media/advisory_circular/...

Most people either use them an kneeboards or use a ram-style mount to attach them to the yoke.

Re: Source: Apple to discontinue iPad mini

#56

Post by protomyth »

lostmsu wrote: post #53
protomyth wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Weight of device and easier to handle

So it has nothing to do with size, right?

Easier to handle is size based[1]. The smaller size generally means less weight than a bigger iPad of the same generation.

I am a bit worried about Apple's desire to remove the bezel since that will cause some problem and iBooks likes to flip a lot of pages if your thumb strays.

1) [edit] the iPad pro is just a no go because of its size, and the iPad 9.7 is too big for a lot of children and some adults. Remember, a lot of activities are hold it up with one hand for long periods of time while tapping with the other.

Re: Source: Apple to discontinue iPad mini

#57

Post by BinaryIdiot »

xd1936 wrote: post #18

Makes sense. The difference between the iPad Mini's 7.9″ screen, and the iPhone 7+'s 5.5″ screen makes it hard to differentiate the two.

> The difference between the iPad Mini's 7.9″ screen, and the iPhone 7+'s 5.5″ screen makes it hard to differentiate the two.

Have...have you ever used the two? I own a bigger iPhone and an iPad Mini. If you put one on top of the other the size is significant. Yes the mini isn't, say, twice the size but it's not insignificant either.

This makes the iPad Mini not really "pocketable" but the iPhone still is.

Re: Source: Apple to discontinue iPad mini

#58

Post by gnicholas »

miguelrochefort wrote: post #45
gnicholas wrote: post #41

As someone with an 11" MBA, it makes no sense for me to buy a full-sized iPad. I love the mini and use it for personal use and to demo my apps at conferences. Now it looks like the 11" MBA is being phased out, and the mini also. My hope is that the bezel on the 13" laptops will continue to shrink so that the footprint ends up about the same as the old 11", and then maybe I can upgrade to a 13" laptop and a full-sized…

What about the 12" Macbook? It's the same size as the 11" MBA.

Insufficient ports.

Re: Source: Apple to discontinue iPad mini

#59

Post by manicdee »

fooker wrote: post #31
pbreit wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, it's just an unsourced rumor at this point. My guess is it's not accurate.

These rumors are likely used to gauge the community reaction before decisions like this.

Riffing on the "Apple trial balloon" feedback:

My best experience was with the iPhone 4, iPad mini and MacBook Air. Phone was small enough to be unobtrusive, iPad mini was good enough for reading, MBA was just about perfect for casual computing (though I would love a SD or micro-SD slot). My uses were Django programming & photography.

The iPhone 6 & 7 are awkwardly sized: too large to be unobtrusive too small for easy reading.

Re: Source: Apple to discontinue iPad mini

#60

Post by ksec »

protomyth wrote: post #56
lostmsu wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So it has nothing to do with size, right?

Easier to handle is size based[1]. The smaller size generally means less weight than a bigger iPad of the same generation. I am a bit worried about Apple's desire to remove the bezel since that will cause some problem and iBooks likes to flip a lot of pages if your thumb strays. 1) [edit] the iPad pro is just a no go because of its size, and the iPad 9.7 is too big for a lot of children and some adults. Remember, a l…

The handling issues has mostly to do with weight rather then size. If someday the iPad 9.7 has much less bezel, half as thick, and much lighter. Would that still be a problem?

I think that is where iPad is heading. Some argue Apple is obsess with thinness, personally I think both iPhone and especially the iPad has a long way to go before it is Too Thin.

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