Apple iPad Mini launch

[BenLaw]

Thanks for your thoughts JD. I suspect not being able to connect to a display is the sort of thing I'll never miss if I don't have it. Can I ask, how do you find finish and build quality compare to an iPad? How easy is to hold for a while in one hand? Do you find the screen ratio better or worse than that of an iPad in normal use? And do the swipe gestures work consistently well? Thanks for your help.

 

[John Duncan]

Just passing so will give you a detailed response later. Some good, some less so.

 

[BenLaw]

Thanks JD, I look forward to the full response

 

[BenLaw]

Another one for die hard apple fans

Indeed.

Very good. And much better at integrating biblical references than Prometheus! (Tho tbh the sentence with commas, hyphens and a colon confused me somewhat. Edit: still an odd hyphen followed by a comma!)

 

[hammill]

Is the app available for Kindle Fire? Otherwise you would have to sideload it (if possible).

I would assume it is possible to sideload it, as I've read that you can even sideload Google Play Store onto the Kindle Fire, if you root it. However not having tried it myself I cant be 100% sure.

Thanks for the feedback. I currently control squeeze server from a web browser on a laptop - would that not do the trick?

 

[landzw]

The mini looks like a rushed product to me. The specs are horrible and the price is too high.

The new new ipad??? looks quite nice - but why no widescreen?

Rushed ? i would have to disagree, the problem is everyone whats the best for a low cost so specs have to be lower to make it more affordable

I think they missed the boat with widescreen, i bet microsoft would take them to court saying it looks to much like the surface tablet if Apple did that, and how would that stand for Apple if they changed there design concerning the Samsung galaxy Tab? The would be no more court battles

 

[John Duncan]

Thanks for your thoughts JD. I suspect not being able to connect to a display is the sort of thing I'll never miss if I don't have it. Can I ask, how do you find finish and build quality compare to an iPad? How easy is to hold for a while in one hand? Do you find the screen ratio better or worse than that of an iPad in normal use? And do the swipe gestures work consistently well? Thanks for your help.

Right. It's obviously not as hewn-from-solid-block-of-aluminium as the (hewn-from-etc) iPad. It's a two piece construction, with a plastic back 'snapped' onto the bezel (I know this because when I dropped it on day two, the back separated from the front slightly, but it snapped back fine).

Don't be put off by the fact that it's plastic-backed - it's what car manufacturers might call 'soft-touch', and I actually find the feel of it rather better than the iPad, which is a bit cold and smooth and slippy in comparison. It's great for holding one handed, and the slightly elongated shape make it easy to swipe from left to right one-thumbed (reading the Times while strap-hanging, for example, which wasn't possible with the big iPad). OS swipe movements are perfect, but apps themselves can be variable - sometimes takes a couple of goes with the papers or kindle (though at least the latter has a one-touch page turn).

The screen glass is very nice, better than the couple of droid phones I've tried which have felt a bit scratchy.

I find aspect ratio fine. Sometimes it feels a bit tall, and one odd thing is that browsers tend, depending on site, to slightly stretch the site heightwise, so text looks a bit elongated on eg here and BBC (god bless 'er) at zero zoom. Firefox and Chrome don't consistently behave the same. This sorts itself out when you do zoom, however, and I suspect the dpi hack some have tried would fix it. (As an aside, I am finding Firefox a bit buggy). EDIT - also, it makes MUCH more sense now that they've enabled home screen autorotation - without it it was a portrait-aspect device, IMO, as it just behaved stupidly.

It's NOT an iPad. Primarily because right now, apps aren't as good (generalising). If you think of it, however, as a Kindle with knobs on (book reader, browser, occasional music and video usage - great from a screen def point of view but the free Transformers one I tried that came with it was a bit juddery), and compare it in price to one of those instead, then I think it's well worth the premium. If you've already paid for loads of apps on iPad or iPhone though, you might find replacing them on a different device - if they're even available - starts to take away the differential between it and the Mini.

 

[bigboss]

I think they missed the boat with widescreen

Well, they had to maintain the aspect ratio & the pixel density (similar to iPad 2) so that current iPad apps are fully functional on the mini. Otherwise, developers would have been forced to create a 3rd iOS app (after iPhone & iPad). Apple would have been even more unpopular with that.

 

[micks_address]

the most surprising thing for me with the mini is the screen resolution.. with the drive by apple to retina displays in everything.. i would have thought the mini would have been the same? i have a nexus 7 and dont find it a miserable experience as apple would like me to believe it is.. in terms of the form factor its great for the cummute to work and reading/watching video on the go.. will the lower resolution on the ipad mini be noticeable worse than the nexus 7? the big letdowns with the nexus for me are lack of an SD slot and a lack of 'nice' accessories that are available for apple products.. i have a cheapish smart cover from ebay that doest the job, but its not nearly as nice as some of the apple smart covers i've seen.

I have mine rooted and i can plug in memory sticks etc.. but its a hassle id rather not have to go through.. bit bummed there's a 32gb model on the way to for the same price i paid for my 16gb..

 

[bigboss]

I'm not surprised at all at the screen resolution. Apple had to compete in the budget 7-inch sector. It's evident that the tablet has been built to a price. The processor is from a 2-year old tablet, & the screen only ensured to match the resolution of the iPad 2 so the apps work properly. A retina display would've cost a lot more.

Nexus 7 is being sold at £199, but Google isn't making any profit here. They're selling it at cost price. Apple's here to make a profit.

For the vast majority of buyers, these tech specs won't mean anything. For them, the iPad is "only" £70 more than the Nexus 7 & is a lot more desirable. I won't be surprised at record breaking sales of the mini.

 

[landzw]

I'm not surprised at all at the screen resolution. Apple had to compete in the budget 7-inch sector. It's evident that the tablet has been built to a price. The processor is from a 2-year old tablet, & the screen only ensured to match the resolution of the iPad 2 so the apps work properly. A retina display would've cost a lot more.

Nexus 7 is being sold at £199, but Google isn't making any profit here. They're selling it at cost price. Apple's here to make a profit.

For the vast majority of buyers, these tech specs won't mean anything. For them, the iPad is "only" £70 more than the Nexus 7 & is a lot more desirable. I won't be surprised at record breaking sales of the mini.

i have to agree with you on that, its going to sell very well

 

[professorhat]

If you've already paid for loads of apps on iPad or iPhone though, you might find replacing them on a different device - if they're even available - starts to take away the differential between it and the Mini.

That's a bastard of a good point. I was thinking about one of these smaller tablets, but I've so many apps for the iPhone now, many of which would be useful.

Will have to see how many of the crucial ones are free on the Google store...

 

[AnotherJoe]

Is the app available for Kindle Fire? Otherwise you would have to sideload it (if possible).

I would assume it is possible to sideload it, as I've read that you can even sideload Google Play Store onto the Kindle Fire, if you root it. However not having tried it myself I cant be 100% sure.

Thanks for the feedback. I currently control squeeze server from a web browser on a laptop - would that not do the trick?

yes it would - i hadnt thought of the webbrowser!

 

[AnotherJoe]

RE: The Nexus 7 and no HDMI output.

There is a way around this for playing films and stuff. Connect an HTC medialink HD to your tv and download an app call wi-fi media. It lets any android device stream videos,photos from the android itself (or networked upnp server) to the tv via the medialink.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bianor.amscavium&hl=en

 

[John Duncan]

If you've already paid for loads of apps on iPad or iPhone though, you might find replacing them on a different device - if they're even available - starts to take away the differential between it and the Mini.

That's a bastard of a good point. I was thinking about one of these smaller tablets, but I've so many apps for the iPhone now, many of which would be useful.

Will have to see how many of the crucial ones are free on the Google store...

There are *crucial* apps?!?!

 

[professorhat]

Well... crucial might be a bit strong. Really important apps then.

Like the one where you move your finger up and down behind the camera to make it look like the photo of your mate is talking.

 

[BenLaw]

Thanks for your thoughts JD. I suspect not being able to connect to a display is the sort of thing I'll never miss if I don't have it. Can I ask, how do you find finish and build quality compare to an iPad? How easy is to hold for a while in one hand? Do you find the screen ratio better or worse than that of an iPad in normal use? And do the swipe gestures work consistently well? Thanks for your help.

Right. It's obviously not as hewn-from-solid-block-of-aluminium as the (hewn-from-etc) iPad. It's a two piece construction, with a plastic back 'snapped' onto the bezel (I know this because when I dropped it on day two, the back separated from the front slightly, but it snapped back fine).

Don't be put off by the fact that it's plastic-backed - it's what car manufacturers might call 'soft-touch', and I actually find the feel of it rather better than the iPad, which is a bit cold and smooth and slippy in comparison. It's great for holding one handed, and the slightly elongated shape make it easy to swipe from left to right one-thumbed (reading the Times while strap-hanging, for example, which wasn't possible with the big iPad). OS swipe movements are perfect, but apps themselves can be variable - sometimes takes a couple of goes with the papers or kindle (though at least the latter has a one-touch page turn).

The screen glass is very nice, better than the couple of droid phones I've tried which have felt a bit scratchy.

I find aspect ratio fine. Sometimes it feels a bit tall, and one odd thing is that browsers tend, depending on site, to slightly stretch the site heightwise, so text looks a bit elongated on eg here and BBC (god bless 'er) at zero zoom. Firefox and Chrome don't consistently behave the same. This sorts itself out when you do zoom, however, and I suspect the dpi hack some have tried would fix it. (As an aside, I am finding Firefox a bit buggy). EDIT - also, it makes MUCH more sense now that they've enabled home screen autorotation - without it it was a portrait-aspect device, IMO, as it just behaved stupidly.

It's NOT an iPad. Primarily because right now, apps aren't as good (generalising). If you think of it, however, as a Kindle with knobs on (book reader, browser, occasional music and video usage - great from a screen def point of view but the free Transformers one I tried that came with it was a bit juddery), and compare it in price to one of those instead, then I think it's well worth the premium. If you've already paid for loads of apps on iPad or iPhone though, you might find replacing them on a different device - if they're even available - starts to take away the differential between it and the Mini.

Sorry for the delay in my reply JD, I really appreciate your considered and detailed input. I'd read similar views about the tactility of the casing, I think I might prefer the nexus. Good news about the glass. Slightly worried about the swiping and aspect ratio stretching, but I guess that's one of the compromises I'd have to accept by not spending the extra on an iPad.

The reality is I would be using it as, as you put it, a kindle with knobs on. I need it to replace a very expensive and very heavy work book and to give me permanent access to some other work material in the main. After that, I want to be able to control Sonos, use spotify and have a generally web browser. I don't have many expensive apple apps. I don't think I can justify a premium of £150 for the 32gb iPad, so assuming the 32gb nexus 7 is out in the next month or so it sounds like the one for me.

Thanks again

 

[John Duncan]

No problem. If your text books are kindle ones (or pdf), then I wouldn't worry - the Kindle app is perfectly responsive from a swipey/click to turn point of view.

 

[BenLaw]

Yep, PDF. Good to know, thanks again.

 

[hammill]

Reading the Kindle Fire HD reviews, it seems fine if you consume all of your content from Amazon but otherwise pretty hopeless (even transferring your own mp3s seems to be a nightmare unless you pay extra to keep everything in the cloud). I will be watching the Google announcement with interest, the Nexus seems the way to go.