<p>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?</p>
<p>[Tablet</a> prices: here’s how the $329 iPad mini fits in | CITEworld](<a href=“http://www.citeworld.com/tablets/20979/tablet-prices-heres-how-329-ipad-mini-fits?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+citeworld%2Frss+(CITEworld)]Tablet”>http://www.citeworld.com/tablets/20979/tablet-prices-heres-how-329-ipad-mini-fits?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+citeworld%2Frss+(CITEworld))</p>
<p>[iPad</a> Mini vs. Nexus 7: A Head-to-Head Tablet Comparison CIO.com](<a href=“http://www.cio.com/article/719751/iPad_Mini_vs._Nexus_7_A_Head_to_Head_Tablet_Comparison?source=rss_mobile_wireless&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+cio%2Ffeed%2Fdrilldowntopic%2F3061+(CIO.com+-+Mobile%2FWireless)]iPad”>http://www.cio.com/article/719751/iPad_Mini_vs._Nexus_7_A_Head_to_Head_Tablet_Comparison?source=rss_mobile_wireless&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+cio%2Ffeed%2Fdrilldowntopic%2F3061+(CIO.com+-+Mobile%2FWireless))</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>Speaking of CNET, there is this, today, about the attractive, in theory, Microsoft Surface:
“Innovative tablet stranded in an app desert”
[Microsoft</a> Surface RT Review - Watch CNET’s Video Review](<a href=“Microsoft Surface review: Innovative tablet stranded in an app desert - CNET”>Microsoft Surface review: Innovative tablet stranded in an app desert - CNET)</p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>(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.)</p>
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<p>Sounds like politicians. ;)</p>
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<p>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?</p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>The cool thing is, I was thinking about getting D an ipad for school, and now there are great deals on the refurb ipad3s!</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>The NYT has a review of the Surface in today’s paper: <a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/24/technology/personaltech/microsoft-unveils-the-surface-its-first-tablet-review.html[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/24/technology/personaltech/microsoft-unveils-the-surface-its-first-tablet-review.html</a></p>
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<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
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<p>Apples product cycle was predictable most of the time-- iPads refreshed springtime, iPhones in June/July, iPods early fall. I guess Apples product refresh cycles will be shorter in the future. Will there be a thinner, lighter iPad 5 this March/April? Probably. How about the release of a new iPad mini with Dual-core A6X with quad-core graphics next June/July? Most likely. A new iPhone next Sep/Oct? Of course. </p>
<p>I balk at the need to shell out dollars for home office software upgrades annually. I find it interesting that Apple has great faith in Mac diehards and their bottomless wallet to shell out hundreds of dollars for a product that has a two to three quarter cycle. But its okay for the top 1% in AGI. Or even the top 5%. The iProducts will just be part of the wardrobe refresh every season.</p>
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<p>Sumo wrestlers finally have the perfect size with iPadMini! :)</p>
<p>[At</a> last a satisfied iPad user uncovered iPhone Application Reviews | iPhone Latest News | iPhone Latest Reviews | iPhone Accessories](<a href=“http://www.itsaboutiphone.co.uk/ipad-sumo-wrestler/]At”>http://www.itsaboutiphone.co.uk/ipad-sumo-wrestler/)</p>
<p>There’s a solid, interesting review of the Surface RT at AnandTech. He does his usual thorough job. I suggest digging it out.</p>
<p>He enjoyed being able to access the desktop and do geeky things. I point this out because my belief is MS is, as I’ve noted in other posts, making the Surface as a long-term project designed more to replace the desktop business. This approach is very different from Apple & Google; they sell tablets as user-friendly devices where the complexity is hidden and which is enabled for you by apps. He enjoyed the ability to put two programs side by side on screen. </p>
<p>He notes that Office performance is lousy and spends some time discussing reasons, including an unreleased Windows 8 tablet from another manufacturer he got to test. </p>
<p>About the only part of the review that struck me oddly was the way he discussed the touch cover and type cover. He describes them as making it easy to switch between use modes and as relatively good for typing. But he does this in comparison to typing on screen with your finger when I think the better comparison is against an add-on keyboard. The difference then is turning on bluetooth but for that you get a better keyboard. And for less money than either of the covers. </p>
<p>But the main thrust of the review is that MS is betting on more desktop-like operating system, one that it has admirably managed to run efficiently in a tablet. Will that matter? I don’t know. It may be a terrible bet. It’s a huge gamble: the entire future of MS may rest on whether consumers want a desk-top like experience on a tablet. </p>
<p>Some differences are temporary. I’m unsure how deep that runs. Google and Apple can allow you to put multiple apps on screen at the same time. But access to the desktop is not part of the Android tablet or iOS experience. I’m seeing the “settings” app on iOS already has become unwieldy. It has been jiggered but will be revamped into deeper panels I’m sure. Is that the same as the “desktop”? No, because you can’t batch process files. You would need an app to do that in Android and iOS. Can there be an app for that? Sure. If the tablet business really wrecks the desktop / laptop business so people have no “base” computer, then they’ll build in more of these functions.</p>
<p>How many people care you can get to the desktop? How many companies care? I’ve “tinkered in the registry”, which you can do in Windows RT, but most people avoid it like the plague. You can go into the “settings” app in iOS and change application settings. Does it really matter that I can do that from the desktop with the traditional Windows settings methods? </p>
<p>How do you sell this vision of the future? The other vision, that computers are an appliance, that they become as easy to use as a toaster, is Apple and it is largely what Google has adopted.</p>
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<p>One could hope that there are more substantial improvements between the two versions. Overheating, extremely slow charging time, and wifi connections have plagued the “new” iPad. </p>
<p>We will know in a few weeks as consumers report the real changes, as opposed to the current sources, namely a very supportive of Apple media.</p>
<p>I have had none of the issues with my iPad 3 that xiggi mentions above. I am very happy with my iPad, just wish it wasn’t outdated before I even got a finger print on it 
I am well aware with most electronics now a days they tend to be outdated before you have a chance to really use it; I just never expected Apple to replace so quickly and drop a product completely from their line.</p>
<p><strong>This was in response to post #34 by xiggi; don’t know why it is showing as post #1!</strong></p>
<p>The iPad 4 has a better processor and maybe Apple fixed the problems with the Retina screen power consumption which required a bigger battery in the iPad 3.</p>
<p>iOS Apps development is done on Intel Macs and you build and test your Apps on native Intel versions before building and deploying on ARM. I don’t think that it would be hard for Apple to have an environment where you could run iOS Apps on Mac OS X if their screens were touch enabled and they added the additional sensors and devices that are seen in mobile devices.</p>
<p>I have no idea as to whether or not they are interested in doing this. My guess is that they will wait to see how convertible ultrabooks do.</p>
<p>BTW, I’d love to have a Retina MacBook Pro that could run iOS Apps as a tablet.</p>
<p>The sandboxing of Mac apps is a step toward enabling iOS apps on the Mac. Build the right walls and …</p>
<p>The iPad4 has better cameras, better image stabilization and more LTE varieties - which is a subject of its own - along with what seems to be a much faster processor. I think the 4 is still a few millimeters thicker. Another thing is Apple is now pushing the display up to the glass, eliminating the milimeter or so gap. Improves clarity.</p>
<p>I’ve been thinking about how I use my iPad to see if the key or touch cover on the Surface is a big deal. I’m typing this on my iPad. But the main steps are that to use it I had to take it out of its case and unlock it with a passcode. I’m not going to walk around with it unlocked and not in a case. If I want to type in an address for maps, I still have to take it out. I also turn on the cell if I need it - or want it because wifi is often slow in public. There are two extra steps for using the keyboard I have, but only one for most people: I attach two clips and turn on bluetooth. Well, maybe there are three steps because I simultaneously turn on the keyboard. Since I’m in settigs already, this takes a second. Many keyboards are in cases so you just open the case so that’s one less step. I trade the extra step for having a full size Apple wireless keyboard for typing. I took an extra from an iMac. So big deal? To me, only if you’re comparing the touch or type cover to using your finger not to using a keyboard. I still have to take it out and unlock it.</p>
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<p>And you obviously did not forget to correct the iPad native … it’s. :)</p>
<p>its is correct. it’s is the contraction for ‘it is’. </p>
<p>Plural possessives have no apostrophe, such as hers, his, theirs, ours, its.</p>
<p>PS - my autocorrect rant is that my blackberry changes “were” to “we’re”. no i mean the past tense of are.</p>
<p>Not only can you use a keyboard with a mini, you could use it with an iPhone–not that I have. But that would be back to the future of the Osborne, the first portable (actually, luggable) computer, with a commodious 5" screen. </p>
<p>The Surface is a great concept, a tablet tightly integrated with the huge installed base of PCs and Xboxes, but will it work in real world. And I already have, for $1.99, Splashtop, which allows me connect to and control my desktop remotely. Splashtop also has an app that allows you to use your iPad as a second, wifi connected monitor, for your PC or MAC. Pllus with stuff like Google drive (formerly docs) I can have access to all my Word files without connecting to my desktop.</p>
<p>Given that, the Surface has a high bar to climb over.</p>
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<p>Are you writing this for my benefit, or for the Cupertino genius who wrote or copied the iPad spellchecker? </p>
<p>I thought my post was clear. The use of its in the quoted post was indeed correct, but to accomplish that one HAS to overwrite the moronic iPad spellchecker/autocorrect. </p>
<p>The iPhone autocorrect remains funnier!</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.damnyouautocorrect.com/21623/the-15-funniest-autocorrects-of-may-2012/[/url]”>http://www.damnyouautocorrect.com/21623/the-15-funniest-autocorrects-of-may-2012/</a></p>