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New iPad Air and iPad Mini

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Re: New iPad Air and iPad Mini

#311

Post by jxdxbx »

0x38B wrote: post #306
chipotle_coyote wrote: post #273

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Depending on what you want for PDF Annotation, Readdle's PDF Expert (as close to full-fledged Acrobat as you're likely to get on the iPad) or the intriguingly weird LiquidText are good options. https://pdfexpert.com/ios https://www.liquidtext.net

It's worth getting over LiquidText's initial weirdness. I downloaded it and then didn't use it for half a year, but when I gave it a go with some PDFs I was reading, I was hooked. Grabbing parts of a book out into the workspace is easy, and then you can quickly review your workspace of highlights and notes later for a refresher. Also, viewing two places in a single PDF is as easy as tapping and holding on two highlig…

Liquid Text is one of the cleverest apps I have ever used. And PDF Expert also rules

Re: New iPad Air and iPad Mini

#312

Post by qalmakka »

tw04 wrote: post #268
qalmakka wrote: post #182

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because this is just an update of the old model; they haven't changed everything they could keep the same (see TouchID instead of FaceID) to avoid having to modify their production lines in any way, thus minimizing costs. They kept lightning because the first-gen Apple Pencil recharges using it, and putting USB-C inside of the newer iPads would have either required updating the outdated pencil to USB-C (expensive) or…

Why do you think a switch from lighting to usb-c would be "expensive"? They were part of the USB-C design committee and there's no licensing involved. From a physical change perspective lightning has only 8 lanes, USB-C has 24 - I'm confident they can find a way to make the transition pretty painless, especially since the pen only really needs to support charging by that port.

It's a matter of modifying both the logic board and the chassis to accommodate the different components. It has a reasonable cost and also requires substantial modifications to the existing accessory ecosystem and product lines. Even the smallest changes have deep and profound economical ripercussions at these scales, no matter how small they are. Companies like Apple invest a lot of money on designs and they want to stretch the amount of times they use them as long as they can.

Re: New iPad Air and iPad Mini

#313

Post by sambe »

sambe wrote: post #245

Does anyone know how much RAM this has, or will that information only come to light when it gets opened up? I've always had the feeling that RAM becomes the limiting factor for long-life of such a device (because newer iOS/apps/websites use more and more of it - once you are healthily into multi-core you don't have to worry so much about CPU/GPU performance). I think 2GB has been around for years in non-Pro models, b…

Via MacRumors, supposedly 3GB:

https://browser.geekbench.com/v4/cpu/12452488

Re: New iPad Air and iPad Mini

#314

Post by baq »

jackfrodo wrote: post #3

I'm 24 years old, work in software. Neither I nor any of my friends uses a tablet for work or pleasure. I guess I know a couple of people who have Surface Pro's, but that's about it. I'm wondering if the appeal of these begins when you get older? Seems like a lot of the market for these is people who are 50+, but I'd like to know if any people under 25 are interested in them.

have kids, with some kid-proof rubber armor that doubles as a stand it's the single best portable video player in existence.

Re: New iPad Air and iPad Mini

#315

Post by geerlingguy »

hiteho wrote: post #16
jackfrodo wrote: post #3

I'm 24 years old, work in software. Neither I nor any of my friends uses a tablet for work or pleasure. I guess I know a couple of people who have Surface Pro's, but that's about it. I'm wondering if the appeal of these begins when you get older? Seems like a lot of the market for these is people who are 50+, but I'd like to know if any people under 25 are interested in them.

I know a few private charter pilots who are massively excited this morning. The iPad Mini is the only iOS device that is big enough to use at arms length, small enough to fit in a cramped cockpit, and approved by the FAA. They use a handful of apps during flight for planning, weather, approach data and whatnot. There has been a lot of fear among the local pilot community that the Mini would be discontinued. While the…

Similarly, in the medical field, there have been some areas where the mini was a perfect fit for a doctor's pocket or certain devices, and they had a lot of custom apps and mounts so they could replace a lot of other types of devices.

Re: New iPad Air and iPad Mini

#316

Post by elbac »

Slightly off topic: I'd really love to see a new iPod, one that isn't a slimmed down iPhone.

I run a lot and miss the iPod Nano (7th Generation). It was a really good single purpose device. It worked perfectly and was super light.

I realize the replacement is the Apple Watch. But the Apple Watch still doesn't replace my Garmin from a running perspective.

Plus, I haven't found a pair of Bluetooth headphones that work as well or reliably as a pair of $15 Sony ear buds.

Re: New iPad Air and iPad Mini

#317

Post by kraftman »

cm2187 wrote: post #140
kbd wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is why Microsoft's Surface line is great. I have the Go and the stand is wonderful. Plus it transforms into a tiny laptop by snapping on the keyboard.

The problem with the surface is that it is not good at "use it for 10mim, switch it off, and reuse it 30min later" kind of use case. It either goes to sleep then takes a while to wake up, or doesn't go to sleep and sucks the battery. It doesn't have the instantly on and available behavior that smartphones and non windows tablets have.

restore from soft shutdown is pretty quick, restore from sleep is very quick. The problem is that both still drain battery pretty quick.

Re: New iPad Air and iPad Mini

#318

Post by threatofrain »

addicted wrote: post #9
crazygringo wrote: post #4

So happy the Mini didn't get discontinued as nearly everyone was assuming, with zero updates in three and a half years . Interesting it still seems visually identical to the last one. So while iPhones change their "look" to be recognizably new as a status symbol (e.g. the notch), nobody seems to care about that with their iPad. (I mean, I certainly don't.)

I can’t imagine using the iPad without the bezels. With a phone you grip the phone by its back, so you can go bezelless without impacting visibility and causing too many phantom screen taps. With a tablet, however, you will usually grip it by its sides. Having the bezels is almost a necessity here.

There's a difference between the iPad Air/Mini and iPad Pro bezel profile; so do you think the iPad Pro goes too far in trading away ergonomics?

Re: New iPad Air and iPad Mini

#320

Post by chrisseaton »

scarface74 wrote: post #240
chrisseaton wrote: post #174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think these are pretty obtuse use-cases these days for the vast majority of people. I also manage videos and things but I do it via the cloud like most people. You may disagree with a that but it explains why they went that route - it wasn't a case of them not thinking.

Are you trying to manage large videos via the cloud with only a crummy WiFi connection shared with an entire school?

The problem is your WiFi then, not the iPad's design. It's intended to be used with a reasonable network connection.
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