I've had the iPad mini since day 1 of its release. And how I'm using it is much different than I would have anticipated. Here are 5 personal iPad mini myths that have been debunked over time.
I loved reading The Daily on the iPad mini, and I'm going to dearly miss that publication.
Myth 1 - I'll use the camera more: I thought because the iPad mini was smaller that I would be more prone to using its built-in camera. Nope. I still reach for my iPhone 4S for mobile photography. I can send the image to the iPad in a matter of seconds using PhotoSync. The iPhone is a better image capture device. The iPad is a superior viewing device.
Myth 2 - I won't use it as a mobile portfolio because it doesn't have a Retina display: Wrong again. Even though I much prefer the Retina display on my iPad 3, my photos still look terrific on the mini. I use it all the time as a mobile portfolio. And it's much lighter to carry around and hand to a client.
Myth 3 - I'll use the mini for image editing just like I do my iPad 3: Wrongo in the Congo. I'm much more comfortable using Snapseed, iPhoto for iOS, and Photogene on the full size iPad. I will use the mini in a pinch. But I much prefer the iPad 3 for image editing. In an odd sort of way, the iPad 3 had become more of a computer to me since having the mini.
Myth 4 - I'll still use the iPad 3 for periodical and magazine reading: Sorry, but that hasn't panned out at all. I love reading the San Francisco Chronicle, USA Today and other periodicals on the mini. And I'm really going to miss The Daily (shown above), which I have been a subscriber to since its launch. The mini is far more comfortable to hold for reading than a full-sized iPad. And as a result, I'm reading more than ever on an iPad. I would go so far as to predict that the mini is really going to help us make the transition to digital periodicals.
Myth 5 - The mini will never become my favorite iPad: Hmmm, the jury is still out on this one. No way I would ever want to give up the beautiful iPad 3. But around the house, 3 times out of 4, I'm picking up the mini. And that surprises me the most.
Not that I haven't said this before, but - if a Retina Mini would've meant it was going to be somewhat thicker and heavier (as happened with the iPad 3), I'd prefer the non-Retina display and a lighter device.
I love my Mini! Not that I didn't regularly play with my wife's full-size iPad, but - having had a Mini for a few weeks, I think this is THE right sized device if you want to balance portability and usefulness.
I agree. It's hard to argue with the decisions Apple made with the mini, once you actually use it. It's the physical experience that gets you hooked.
Try Flipboard for your news. Really good, and great on the mini.
Thanks for the tip, Chris. I will indeed. (Heard good things about it...)
I too am going to miss The Daily. I also want to get a hold of an iPad Mini for most of my portable computing needs.
Nice list of myths about the mini :-)
I really enjoyed the size and features of the mini but found small text (like toolbar text in Chrome/Safari) to be tiring to read. I even preferred the lovely 5th gen iPod touch for those usage scenarios (reading/tapping on small text).
I always thought that pixel density was uber-important and that since the iPad mini fits iPad 2 levels of pixels into a smaller size it would be more readable for me. However, I did not find this to be the case, the larger size of the iPad 2 screen made up for its lower PPI for my eyes whereas shrinking the iPad 2 UI* down onto the iPad mini screen was not pleasant to my eyes.
*if Apple used larger size for UI elements on the mini, this would alleviate my issue with it and I would have kept it.
As it was, I eventually returned my iPad mini and am instead using my HTC EVO LTE
http://pixensity.com/list/htc-evo-4g-lte-145/
which I find to have an extremely pleasing screen and reasonably sized UI elements.
However, for all of the useful purposes you listed, the mini it sounds like a great fit for you :-)
If Apple eventually releases a higher resolution screen in the mini form factor, or adjusts the iOS UI specifically for the mini, I will definitely be purchasing.
Thanks for your nice site, I have added it to my Google Reader feed list!
Best regards,
-JD
Every time I come to your site my bank account quivers in fear. This time you're forcing me to reconsider that second member of the iPad family. The iPad 3 is too big for me to hold comfortably in bed (increasingly arthritic hands), so maybe it's time.
Does anyone know of a great back for the Mini that has a slip-through hand strap? That would cinch the deal for me.
Just wondering do you use a case or keyboard with it? If so which?