The Author's Hands-On Experience with the iPad Mini

With my thumb in that position, apps wouldn't cooperate, so I realized that Apple has accommodated the idea that shorter bezels or smaller bezels would still allow you to hold on to the iPad without touching the bezel. Without interrupting your experience, they've still had some work to do with this. Of course, now it's making a liar out of me – it's working well. It's just something that I didn't like. The Smart Cover works, but I found that a few times when I would go to slap it on, it wouldn't be perfectly aligned and I would have to readjust it. Again, it's making a liar out of me. Let's see if I can get it to misalign again. There we go, so sometimes it didn't align perfectly. I mean, oh gosh, you're just going over every little detail. Well, I'm just saying that's something that I didn't like.

Another thing I didn't like, and I'm going to see if I can better demonstrate this here, is the smart cover. It wasn't very sturdy, so as I was tapping around, uh, you know, if I'm on a web page, typing in text, I would find that the iPad would bounce a bit there'd be almost too much wobble in the iPad with this particular Smart Cover. I wish Apple did a better job or could do a better job with the Smart Cover so that's less about an iPad shortcoming more about the iPad accessory shortcoming. I guess those two things.

Why Isn't the iPad Mini Retina?

There have been questions of why isn't this retina, and why isn't it more powerful? I think those reasons are pretty clear: one price, two battery, and three supplies. To keep the iPad Mini running at 10 hours plus battery life, the screen can't be pushing too many pixels because then the battery wouldn't be able to handle or wouldn't be able to last as long. Of course, price is also a factor; a higher DPI display is likely to cost more. And, of course, supplies – Apple's already having issues keeping up with demand across their product lines.

Future Expectations for the iPad Mini

In the future, I would certainly expect to see a retina display iPad Mini. Being said, if you're interested in the iPad Mini and retina isn't that important to you or you can't see the difference between the two, because many people can't, don't let that hold you back from getting an iPad Mini today if it's in your budget. That being said, when the next iPad mini is released, I believe they'll still continue to sell the first-generation iPad Minis at a lower price much like they have with the iPad 2. Apple continues to sell that at a lower rate than the what would you call it – the leading iPad iPad fourth generation. So, I would expect to see the same thing happen and this iPad Mini may come closer to the $200 Mark but it's still a good machine even at $329.

The Future of iPad Mini Hardware

I don't think you're going to see the latest-generation hardware in the iPad mini for a few different reasons. One reason is that this is not a workhorse; it's definitely an iPad, and you can get stuff done on it, but it's not their Pro machine. Their Pro machine is likely going to continue to be their 9.7-inch model or the classic iPad. I think you're always going to see uh the processor running one or two generations behind in the iPad Mini if only because it's smaller. As the Battery Technology advances, in order for Apple to boast a longer battery life in the classic iPads and the 9.7-inch iPads, they have to have a bigger battery. Well, if they're wanting to keep this small and lightweight, that battery has to be you know placed in lock step with a processor that's going to be able to keep it at the same battery or performance level.

Personal Experience with the iPad Mini

As a guy, I have liked the iPad Mini; definitely gets a pass from me. One of my favorite tablet experiences is every bit as computer as any other computer that I've used and I'm happy with it. But I'm not the only one who's been happy with it – Diana has something to say about the iPad Mini too.

"I love it," Diana says.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthank you for watching liking commenting sharing and subscribing right now hello world I'm Chris Perillo this is my iPad mini and this is my iPad Mini review and don't forget one of my Instagram followers is going to be getting this iPad Mini on Thanksgiving Day no matter where you happen to live on the planet all you have to do is follow me on Instagram at Chris Perillo I've been using this iPad almost exclusively as well my iPad of choice because I wanted to see what it was like having used an iPad from the first generation all the way to the fourth generation uh I was really interested in knowing how I would feel about a smaller screen that is still rather large of course if you've looked up the specs you know that the iPad Mini measures 7.9 compared to the classic iPad measuring 9.7 see they just transpose the numbers easy way to keep those numbers straight uh yes this is an iPad but smaller than the iPad that you were used to and that's exactly what the experience is some people have gone as far far as to say the size of this iPad the iPad Mini is the size the iPad should have been all along and I could see why they would say that it's a good screen it's a good size one thing that I happen to like is that all of my iPad apps worked perfectly on this smaller screen and I didn't have any issues with that and of course you know what 275,000 iPad optimized apps in the App Store and a lot of them are very good and I have so many apps many and these are all folders uh of them I'd already highlighted in my iPad tour that I did last year so I don't want to dive into that at this point in time uh the system was responsive as responsive as I was used to with the iPad 2 certainly not as fast as the iPad fourth generation but no slouch either uh when I would load a web page it didn't seem to lag any uh you know I I was able to you know get around iOS like I've gotten around iOS before on an iPad on a smaller screen another thing that kind of surprised me and I appreciated this though the iPad Mini has a lower DPI or dots per inch than its retina cousins um it's not that bad I mean yes if you put your face right on top of the screen you can see the images aren't as sharp and the text isn't as crisp but it's not so bad when you're holding it an arms length away or like this this is not even a full arms length away I would be shocked if you would be able to tell the difference between the iPad Mini DPI or a retina display DPI and that's not to say that it couldn't be better because certainly it could be better but it's not bad and I'm not the only person to say that if you have a chance to see something like this in person an iPad Mini then you can judge for yourself the average person probably isn't going to see much of a difference or if they do they're not going to think about it much it was most pronounced when I saw text that hadn't necessarily been optimized for this screen so another thing that I liked was that it's very lightweight like extremely lightweight like it's almost not even in there uh it's very balanced I felt like I could hold on to it like this I felt like I could hold on to it like this uh I felt like I could hold on to it like this and it just never really caused any degree of fatigue uh it felt a bit more comfortable holding the iPad Mini in landscape mode compared to Portrait uh but either way was very very comfortable uh and certainly nothing that would cause me any uh concern for the things that I would be looking for so this is the same iOS experience it's an iPad but it's smaller so things that I didn't like and yes there are a few things one the display could have been sharper certainly I mean you're never going to hear me argue no it's too sharp who would say that nobody so that's one thing that I would have appreciated having another thing I didn't like is if you're holding the iPad in a portrait orientation and your thumb or finger is just over the bezel sometimes even though iOS has now been optimized you can you can see my thumb is in the middle of the screen I can still browse and navigate sometimes even with my thumb in that position apps wouldn't cooperate so I realized uh Apple has accommodated the the idea that shorter bezels or smaller bezels would still allow you to hold on to the iPad without touching the bezel uh without interrupting experience they still have some work to do with that of course now it's making a liar out of me it's working well it's just something that I didn't like uh the Smart Cover works it works well although I found that a few times when I would go to slap it on it wouldn't be perfectly aligned and I would have to readjust it of course again it's it's making a liar out of me let's see if I can get it to misalign again there we go so sometimes it didn't align perfectly I mean oh gosh you're just going over every little detail well I'm just saying that's something that I didn't like another thing I didn't like and I'm going to see if I can better demonstrate this here the smart cover and this is really less about the iPad's issue and more about the smart cover's issue in relation to the iPad uh it wasn't very sturdy so as I was tapping around uh you know if I'm on a web page typing in text I would F find that the iPad would bounce a bit there'd be almost too much wobble in the iPad with this particular Smart Cover I wish Apple did a a better job or could do a better job with the Smart Cover so that's less about an iPad shortcoming more about the iPad accessory shortcoming I guess those two things but there's still things to keep in mind so there's been a question of why wasn't this retina why isn't it more powerful and I think those reasons are pretty clear one price two battery and three supplies so to keep the iPad Mini running at 10 hours plus battery life uh the screen uh can't be pushing too many pixels because then the battery wouldn't be able to handle or wouldn't be able to last as long and of course price too because a higher uh DPI display is likely to cost more and then of course supplies Apple's already having is issues keeping up with demand across their product lines so I do believe that this is one of the reasons why the iPad Mini shipped in the state that it did with the screen resolution screen size battery Etc so in the future I would certainly expect to see a a retina display iPad Mini that being said if you're interested in the iPad Mini uh and retina isn't that important to you or you can't see the difference between the two because many people can't uh don't let that hold you back back from getting an iPad Mini today if it's in your budget that being said when the next iPad mini is released it's my belief that they'll still continue to sell the first generation iPad minis at a lower price much like they have the iPad 2 as Apple continues to sell that at a lower rate than the what would you call it the leading iPad iPad fourth generation so I would expect to see the same thing happen and then this iPad Mini this first gen iPad Mini may come closer to the $200 Mark but it's still a good machine even at at $329 uh another thing that I would expect to see in the future is uh and I I'm trying to figure out how to explain this and and and make the point very clear I don't think you're going to see the latest generation Hardware in the iPad mini and for a few different reasons one uh this is not a a Workhorse it is definitely an iPad you can get stuff done on it but it's not their Pro machine their Pro machine is likely going to continue to be their 9.7 in model or the classic iPad I think you're always going to see uh the processor uh running one or two generations behind in the iPad Mini if only because it's smaller so as the Battery Technology advances uh in order for Apple to you know boast a longer battery life in the classic iPads the 9.7inch iPads it has to have a bigger battery well if they're wanting to keep this small and lightweight that battery has to to be you know placed in lock step with a processor that's going to be able to keep it at the same battery or performance level so that's one of the reasons why I do believe you're never going to see the latest Gen processor in the latest version of an iPad Mini I do believe the target audience is females but as a guy I have liked the iPad Mini it definitely gets a pass for me one of my I would say best tablet experiences this is every bit of computer as any other computer that I've used and I've been happy but I'm not the only one who's been happy with it Diana has something to say about the iPad Mini too I love itthank you for watching liking commenting sharing and subscribing right now hello world I'm Chris Perillo this is my iPad mini and this is my iPad Mini review and don't forget one of my Instagram followers is going to be getting this iPad Mini on Thanksgiving Day no matter where you happen to live on the planet all you have to do is follow me on Instagram at Chris Perillo I've been using this iPad almost exclusively as well my iPad of choice because I wanted to see what it was like having used an iPad from the first generation all the way to the fourth generation uh I was really interested in knowing how I would feel about a smaller screen that is still rather large of course if you've looked up the specs you know that the iPad Mini measures 7.9 compared to the classic iPad measuring 9.7 see they just transpose the numbers easy way to keep those numbers straight uh yes this is an iPad but smaller than the iPad that you were used to and that's exactly what the experience is some people have gone as far far as to say the size of this iPad the iPad Mini is the size the iPad should have been all along and I could see why they would say that it's a good screen it's a good size one thing that I happen to like is that all of my iPad apps worked perfectly on this smaller screen and I didn't have any issues with that and of course you know what 275,000 iPad optimized apps in the App Store and a lot of them are very good and I have so many apps many and these are all folders uh of them I'd already highlighted in my iPad tour that I did last year so I don't want to dive into that at this point in time uh the system was responsive as responsive as I was used to with the iPad 2 certainly not as fast as the iPad fourth generation but no slouch either uh when I would load a web page it didn't seem to lag any uh you know I I was able to you know get around iOS like I've gotten around iOS before on an iPad on a smaller screen another thing that kind of surprised me and I appreciated this though the iPad Mini has a lower DPI or dots per inch than its retina cousins um it's not that bad I mean yes if you put your face right on top of the screen you can see the images aren't as sharp and the text isn't as crisp but it's not so bad when you're holding it an arms length away or like this this is not even a full arms length away I would be shocked if you would be able to tell the difference between the iPad Mini DPI or a retina display DPI and that's not to say that it couldn't be better because certainly it could be better but it's not bad and I'm not the only person to say that if you have a chance to see something like this in person an iPad Mini then you can judge for yourself the average person probably isn't going to see much of a difference or if they do they're not going to think about it much it was most pronounced when I saw text that hadn't necessarily been optimized for this screen so another thing that I liked was that it's very lightweight like extremely lightweight like it's almost not even in there uh it's very balanced I felt like I could hold on to it like this I felt like I could hold on to it like this uh I felt like I could hold on to it like this and it just never really caused any degree of fatigue uh it felt a bit more comfortable holding the iPad Mini in landscape mode compared to Portrait uh but either way was very very comfortable uh and certainly nothing that would cause me any uh concern for the things that I would be looking for so this is the same iOS experience it's an iPad but it's smaller so things that I didn't like and yes there are a few things one the display could have been sharper certainly I mean you're never going to hear me argue no it's too sharp who would say that nobody so that's one thing that I would have appreciated having another thing I didn't like is if you're holding the iPad in a portrait orientation and your thumb or finger is just over the bezel sometimes even though iOS has now been optimized you can you can see my thumb is in the middle of the screen I can still browse and navigate sometimes even with my thumb in that position apps wouldn't cooperate so I realized uh Apple has accommodated the the idea that shorter bezels or smaller bezels would still allow you to hold on to the iPad without touching the bezel uh without interrupting experience they still have some work to do with that of course now it's making a liar out of me it's working well it's just something that I didn't like uh the Smart Cover works it works well although I found that a few times when I would go to slap it on it wouldn't be perfectly aligned and I would have to readjust it of course again it's it's making a liar out of me let's see if I can get it to misalign again there we go so sometimes it didn't align perfectly I mean oh gosh you're just going over every little detail well I'm just saying that's something that I didn't like another thing I didn't like and I'm going to see if I can better demonstrate this here the smart cover and this is really less about the iPad's issue and more about the smart cover's issue in relation to the iPad uh it wasn't very sturdy so as I was tapping around uh you know if I'm on a web page typing in text I would F find that the iPad would bounce a bit there'd be almost too much wobble in the iPad with this particular Smart Cover I wish Apple did a a better job or could do a better job with the Smart Cover so that's less about an iPad shortcoming more about the iPad accessory shortcoming I guess those two things but there's still things to keep in mind so there's been a question of why wasn't this retina why isn't it more powerful and I think those reasons are pretty clear one price two battery and three supplies so to keep the iPad Mini running at 10 hours plus battery life uh the screen uh can't be pushing too many pixels because then the battery wouldn't be able to handle or wouldn't be able to last as long and of course price too because a higher uh DPI display is likely to cost more and then of course supplies Apple's already having is issues keeping up with demand across their product lines so I do believe that this is one of the reasons why the iPad Mini shipped in the state that it did with the screen resolution screen size battery Etc so in the future I would certainly expect to see a a retina display iPad Mini that being said if you're interested in the iPad Mini uh and retina isn't that important to you or you can't see the difference between the two because many people can't uh don't let that hold you back back from getting an iPad Mini today if it's in your budget that being said when the next iPad mini is released it's my belief that they'll still continue to sell the first generation iPad minis at a lower price much like they have the iPad 2 as Apple continues to sell that at a lower rate than the what would you call it the leading iPad iPad fourth generation so I would expect to see the same thing happen and then this iPad Mini this first gen iPad Mini may come closer to the $200 Mark but it's still a good machine even at at $329 uh another thing that I would expect to see in the future is uh and I I'm trying to figure out how to explain this and and and make the point very clear I don't think you're going to see the latest generation Hardware in the iPad mini and for a few different reasons one uh this is not a a Workhorse it is definitely an iPad you can get stuff done on it but it's not their Pro machine their Pro machine is likely going to continue to be their 9.7 in model or the classic iPad I think you're always going to see uh the processor uh running one or two generations behind in the iPad Mini if only because it's smaller so as the Battery Technology advances uh in order for Apple to you know boast a longer battery life in the classic iPads the 9.7inch iPads it has to have a bigger battery well if they're wanting to keep this small and lightweight that battery has to to be you know placed in lock step with a processor that's going to be able to keep it at the same battery or performance level so that's one of the reasons why I do believe you're never going to see the latest Gen processor in the latest version of an iPad Mini I do believe the target audience is females but as a guy I have liked the iPad Mini it definitely gets a pass for me one of my I would say best tablet experiences this is every bit of computer as any other computer that I've used and I've been happy but I'm not the only one who's been happy with it Diana has something to say about the iPad Mini too I love it\n"