iPad mini et al - Page 2

razorsharp · 10-23-2012, 09:48 PM

Whether they are mobile apps or just tablet apps, they are still apps that work on the Nexus 7 and there are over 600,000 of them. I only use about 20 apps and they are more than what I need.

Krlilies · 10-23-2012, 10:03 PM

"I got dumped after 6 months!" --my iPad 3

I just got my iPad 3 over the summer. I feel burned as if I bought FB at the IPO price. Can I return it and exchange it to an iPad 4?

snowball · 10-23-2012, 10:18 PM

I also just purchased my iPad 3; I have had it all of 5 weeks. I can not believe Apple is just dropping the iPad 3 from the line, but keeping the iPad 2. While I don't have to have the newest and greatest, I am a bit ticked off that an item that is only 7 months old is considered outdated and will no longer be carried.

That all said, I think my husband will get the mini as he doesn't own a Kindle; the mini will fit the bill for him.

xiggi · 10-23-2012, 11:16 PM

^^

Given the issues that surfaced, it is not surprising Apple dumped it. The only question is if the last version will correct those issues or confirm the slide in quality and innovation of 2011 and 2012.

You just made an untimely bet.

BunsenBurner · 10-24-2012, 01:39 AM

Quote:

I'd wait for Haswell on the Surface Pro

Thanks, BC. Makes sense to me. Are they waiting to release the Pro b/cause of it?

The next chapter in the ultrabook saga: 'Haswell' | Business Tech - CNET News!

Intel's even thinner ultrabook of the future | Microsoft - CNET News

BCEagle91 · 10-24-2012, 02:01 AM

I think that Haswell is mid-Spring and I don't think that Microsoft can wait that long. It's possible that Intel does some kind of exclusive deal with Microsoft like they have done with Apple in the past but I think that it's more because they couldn't necessarily execute on all of the product launches at the same time. The products are Windows 8, Windows 8 RT, Surface RT, Windows Phone 8, and Surface Pro. This is somewhat of a new area for Microsoft in doing tablets and it would be reasonable to space out launches.

emeraldkity4 · 10-24-2012, 08:29 AM

The main difference I can see between the iPad 3&4 is the dock connector.
If the iPad 3 is doing what you bought it for, why get your knickers in a twist it isn't the newest one?

dstark · 10-24-2012, 08:29 AM

Tablet prices: here's how the $329 iPad mini fits in | CITEworld

iPad Mini vs. Nexus 7: A Head-to-Head Tablet Comparison CIO.com

latichever · 10-24-2012, 08:49 AM

I went from iPhone 4 to iPhone 5. I have an iPad 2, and I'm fine with that, but my wife is sticking with her iPhone 4, and getting the iPad mini with cellular.

She always carries a purse, so, for her, the mini is the perfect size and weight for portability. No issue of fitting into a pocket. The old iPhone will become more and more a phone, and the iPad mini will be for everything else, including the latest iOS apps, features, etc. She also likes that the mini is only two ounces heavier than her iPhone 4, and can be used with one hand for many functions. Given that she has been using her phone much more, and the PC much less, she just would like a bigger screen, and I'll be able to stop handing her my iPad.

People over at place like CNET endlessly debate the minutiae of the specs of Apple versus the world, but things like the ineffable lightness of being count for something in the consumer world.

Speaking of CNET, there is this, today, about the attractive, in theory, Microsoft Surface:
"Innovative tablet stranded in an app desert"
Microsoft Surface RT Review - Watch CNET's Video Review

Full disclosure: I am a shareholder--although as a hedge I recently bought some Google. I guess I'm deeply into the Apple ecosystem, but all our PCs are Windows. In the phone world, I started out with an iPhone 3G, when corporate Blackberry and its tiny screen was the main smartphone alternative. With PCs I'm ok with all the messing and tweaking, but with my phone I'm content to be a sheep in Apple's walled garden where everything just works. There is this role reversal. In the PC world, they're the ones with all the software. In phones, it's Apple.

(Re yesterday's presentation. Ironic that for the mini, Apple is pushing how their small tablet is bigger than the competiton, but for the phone they're pushing that it's smaller than the competiton. That said, they're saying the mini is both smaller--thinner--and bigger. Meanwhile, Samsumg which is pushing how the S3 has a bigger screen is also coming out with a smaller screen phone. So everyone is all over the map and saying whatever they think they need to for each product.)

emeraldkity4 · 10-24-2012, 08:56 AM

Quote:

So everyone is all over the map and saying whatever they think they need to for each product.

Sounds like politicians.

BCEagle91 · 10-24-2012, 09:15 AM

> Sounds like politicians.

The most annoying commercials to me right now are those in the Presidential race and the ones from Samsung. I can understand the they feel that they need to annoy us by whacking the other guy but is this the way you want to sell luxury products? By pointing out how bad they are when they're not running any commercials at all?

Lergnom · 10-24-2012, 11:20 AM

As for pricing, the Nexus is $80 less for 16GB. The Fire starts at 16GB at $199 so there's more of a difference there. I think of the Fire as a true entry kind of tablet and the Nexus as a "better" product. The min has a bigger screen, is lighter, etc. The screen resolution is 163 PPI, which is better than the iPad2 (133 PPI) but of course not 266 PPI of retina display. Nexus has GPS at the lowest level, while the iPad (mini and regular) wifi only models don't. That's the only hardware differentiator I see on the Nexus side.

As I noted yesterday, analysts believe Apple will be supply constrained, partly because these devices are manufactured to such a high tolerance. They should maintain similar margins on the hardware. I haven't seen an intelligent estimate yet, just speculation based on history.

Yes, the mini works with keyboards. It works the same as a regular iPad. As a note, I see the hardware differentiator for the Surface seems to be that the key cover - can't really call it a keyboard because it's sort of but not sort of one - doesn't need to be turned on, that it integrates into the system. I have no idea if that's important to people. I use a keyboard with my iPad and have no issues with flipping the bluetooth setting on. Is the idea that inspiration strikes and you dash it off on the key cover? I think the Surface is kind of big for that, being a full-sized tablet. But who knows.

As to the iPad4, I think it's pretty obvious this is the tablet they would have sold instead of the 3 if it were ready. But it wasn't and they felt they needed to get a 4G tablet out. It's a big leap in power. I had no interest in a 3, may be interested in a 4. Don't know yet.

emeraldkity4 · 10-24-2012, 11:33 AM

The cool thing is, I was thinking about getting D an ipad for school, and now there are great deals on the refurb ipad3s!

she has learning differences, & there are lots of ios apps to help students, but the iphone is just a little too small for much real work.

Booklady · 10-24-2012, 12:22 PM

The NYT has a review of the Surface in today's paper: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/24/te...et-review.html

Quote:

How would you like to move into a stunning mansion on a bluff overlooking the sea — in Somalia? Or would you like the chance to own a new Ferrari — that has to be refueled every three miles? Would you take a job that pays $1 million a year — cutting football fields with toenail clippers?

That’s the sort of choice Microsoft is asking you to make with the spectacularly designed, wildly controversial Surface tablet.

BCEagle91 · 10-24-2012, 12:29 PM

At the moment, I prefer the Nexus 7 to the ipad Mini but that's because I have two other iPads so the Apps aren't as big of an issue. If I want tablet apps, I'll just grab an iPad.

There are a bunch of reviews and articles out on the surface and it does appear to have some performance issues. One notable issue is with Microsoft Word (which is bundled). A reporter comments that character display doesn't keep up with typing.

Someone in an Intel forum mentioned that Intel is coming out with a 10 Watt chip in January and maybe Microsoft is waiting on the Pro for that chip. I don't think that's a Haswell chip.