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iPad mini

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Re: iPad mini

#271

Post by untog »

Shivetya wrote: post #209
untog wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any discussion involving the terms "apple hater" or "apple fanboy" immediately disappears into a hole of stupidity. That said, Apple are inviting some of these comparisons. "More expensive", for example. The iPad Mini is more expensive than a Nexus 7, by a significant margin. Apple invited the comparison by comparing the two devices themselves on stage .

Apple vs Google is the tablets akin to Microsoft vs Apple. For me what it comes down to in the end is the same, which is easier to hand off to a relative and not worry about. Answer : the iPad. I provided many family members with PCs over the years all the while using Apple products. Why? Because I knew they could just pop into a local store and buy software for it. Because I knew Windows was common and they most lik…

Even phrasing it as "Apple vs Google" is counterproductive. In this example, we have two products. One is more expensive, but better built and with a larger software library. The other is cheaper, a little more plastic-y but with a better screen.

Neither is "better" than the other, it entirely depends on your circumstances- what you want your tablet to do, how much money you have, etc. etc.

Re: iPad mini

#272

Post by tayl0r »

I hate that you can't use the iPad mini as a cell phone. It's small enough now that in a lot of situations you can carry it around with you. And in those cases, it would be nice to only have to carry your iPad mini and leave your phone at home.

Sure, with the 3g model you can still use iMessage, Whats App, Skype, etc- but you're missing out on regular voice calls and SMS.

From an engineering perspective- is it that difficult to add a sim card slot and the extra cell antennas?

Re: iPad mini

#274

Post by freehunter »

jiggy2011 wrote: post #134
Flow wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Read the front of an Everglade spray can. I think it says "The Essence of Nature". Then read the back. The back is full of skulls... While I agree some of the texts on the iPad mini page could have been better written, it's as usual just marketing speak designed to push interested customers that extra cm they need to do a purchase.

Well that sounds about right, the essence of nature is that everything dies.

And also everything is poisonous when condensed enough. Essence usually means condensed to a high content.

Re: iPad mini

#275

Post by ryanwaggoner »

bane wrote: post #246
Joeri wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Underwhelming is the operative word. Apple's product iterations get more boring with each upgrade. Classic innovator's dilemma. The iDevice line-up sells too well to change the formula, but there's no wow factor anymore. I always figured at some point they would slap a proper navigation UI on the ipad (the icon grid offers a really poor ux), but i suspect they'll stick with evolutionary steps for years to come. I'm p…

It doesn't help that they are clearly playing follow the leader now too. Bigger phone, smaller tablet...yawn.

Who is the leader exactly?

Re: iPad mini

#276

Post by DigitalJack »

warfangle wrote: post #266
nicholassmith wrote: post #212

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"It's going to suck the oxygen out of the $300-$500 price range for anything with a screen." Which is very clever, they know their competitors are going for price, but now they've forced them to commit to seriously low margins. Always helpful to keep your competition struggling to make meaningful profit.

And the best alternative to the iPad mini is well below the $300-$500 range: the N7 is in the $200-$250 range.

Yeah, I think they made a mistake here. Of course I have no idea what their margins are, but $299 looks a whole lot better than $329. Would $30 really make or break them?

[edit: math (doh!)]

Re: iPad mini

#277

Post by sswezey »

podperson wrote: post #79
AlexMuir wrote: post #19

How underwhelming. At 7.9 inches, it’s perfectly sized to deliver an experience every bit as big as iPad What does that even mean? Either it's perfectly sized, and the iPad is the wrong size. Or it's not. There can surely only be one perfect size to deliver an iPad experience??? Either it's 10" or it's 7.9". I think Apple's marketing has always been the same - it's just that for a while they were ahead of the curve a…

It's the same size an a Kindle Fire / Nexus 7, but lighter, with better battery life, a bigger display, better battery life, and a faster processor. Oh, and it's an iOS device so you can actually use it for something other than bragging about how cheap it was and propping up wobbly tables.

You should have some citations there: (I'm assuming Kindle Fire HD)

* Lighter - that is correct, it is ~75g lighter than KF & N7

* Better battery life - citing the tech specs, it gets 10h browsing, surfing etc. the same as N7 and 1h less than KF's (these are all advertised)

* Bigger display - Yes it is bigger in inches, but it is lower resolution than both KF and N7 - meaning pictures are going to look worst. And the mini won't be able to do true 720p.

* Faster processor - Comparing apples and oranges here, provide a citation.

Re: iPad mini

#278

Post by abhinavg »

warfangle wrote: post #266
nicholassmith wrote: post #212

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"It's going to suck the oxygen out of the $300-$500 price range for anything with a screen." Which is very clever, they know their competitors are going for price, but now they've forced them to commit to seriously low margins. Always helpful to keep your competition struggling to make meaningful profit.

And the best alternative to the iPad mini is well below the $300-$500 range: the N7 is in the $200-$250 range.

I think the idea behind pricing at ~$300 instead of $200 (as with N7 or Kindle Fire) was to separate themselves from what they want people to believe are cheap knock-offs.

Re: iPad mini

#279

Post by jmelloy »

Littleme wrote: post #84
SoftwareMaven wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I totally agree. I really like my iPad for a lot of things, but it has been disappointing for pleasure reading of books because it is just too heavy. Given that my primary use case will be reading, I now have to decide between a Kindle Paperwhite or the iPad Mini, with the one additional input that my kids would love to have another iPad in the house.

I use a Kindle for reading simply because of the lack of distractions. On the iPad I see notifications every time someone posts on Facebook, every time I get a new e-mail... it's hard to lose myself in the book.

"Facebook would like to send you push notifications." - Do Not Allow

Re: iPad mini

#280

Post by jonnathanson »

mark_l_watson wrote: post #241
tharris0101 wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I couldn't have said it better myself. I'd never use this product but I'm sure it will do great. I've been really critical of Apple lately, but I can't find any reason to get upset over this announcement. I find it funny how people are railing against this announcement just because its not useful to them. There are a million different needs and uses out there for different people.

You triggered something: I have been wondering why Apple does not have iPads support multiple user accounts that are easy to switch between? With iCloud, it would seem reasonable for a family to have a min, a standard iPad, and perhaps a future "iPad whopper" (with perhaps a 14 inch screen). They could be left laying around the house and anyone could just pick up the appropriate device as-needed. I can answer my own…

"I can answer my own question: Apple doesn't want people to share these devices: fewer sales."

Bingo.

Apple wants people to share iPads only to the extent that doing so gives other people a trial of the product, and ideally, a burning desire for it. Apple doesn't want the kids sharing Mom's iPad; Apple wants kids bugging Mom half to death for their own iPads.

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