Any of you Android users tempted by the new iPad Mini?

[Sensamic]

Im really happy with my Nexus 7 2013, but the multitouch issue is making me consider the new Mini, although I prefer Android 1000 times more than iOS.

Im gonna wait until 4.4 to see what new features it brings and if it fixes the multitouch.

One thing I really want is iTunes backup for my games. Im not rooted yet on the Nexus 7, but I really dont see how Titanium Backup is a good option... I bought the Nexus 7 because I wanted to play games more often than I did on my Nexus 10.

I hate the new Mini is more expensive than before. It just makes me appreciate even more what Google is doing with their Nexus lineup. The Nexus 5 will be even cheaper than the new Mini!

 

[MRU]

Well i just sold my Nexus 7. My biggest thing is now to decide whether to go for iPad mini or new iPad air now it's smaller and lighter. I'm ering more towards the air.

 

[AAPLinc]

Nope happy I just got the new N7. It's a steal for 229$ (benchmarks are pretty ridiculous) and the 16gb limit won't hurt me at all. I like iOS on my phone (have a 5S) but Android on my tablet.

I wasn't able to see the air or new mini, I didn't catch the presentation, but no regrets considering the new minis pricing.

 

[lighthouse_man]

I've always thought I should have one Android device and one iOS device and since I'm getting a Nexus 5 to replace my iPhone 4, I was considering adding an iPad mini to the original Nexus 7 that I got.

I was watching the stream and for a minute, I received a phone call and when I came back, I saw the iPad mini at 299 and thought awesome, I'll definitely get it to realise shortly afterwards that it was the price of the original mini. With the mini retina at 399 I had to go see what's been happening on the iTunes store, looked at the top 100 paid iPad apps and then just decided to forget about it.

 

[gotluck]

Yes. Though I think I will hold up on purchasing a new tablet until the new x86 windows tablets are reviewed. A full os sounds appealing, but the mini is gorgeous in every other respect. I would have a hard time choosing between retina mini and the air.

 

[rillrill]

dat price....

 

[Fireblade]

No, too expensive for what you get.

 

[Greg.]

Nope. You're overpaying for the Apple branding. Besides, I don't think I could ever go back to iOS from Android - it feels (and now looks!) like a operating system for kids!

 

[tbayrgs]

Maybe down the road a bit but not right now, Nexus 7 fits my needs just fine.

I like the smaller form factor of the iPad Air but I just picked up the new Galaxy Note 10.1 and it's no slouch in the size department, plus the added functionality of the S-Pen and multi-window are a much bigger draw for me on a larger tablet.

 

[Ddyracer]

No thanks, I'll take a more narrow pocketable tablet any day of the week.

 

[onthecouchagain]

Before today's official announcement, I was considering the new iPad Mini. I thought, if it got Retina Display, I could go for it since I do want to have a hand in iOS' ecosystem, and I've always said the shortcomings of iOS are far more forgivable on the tablet than on the iPhone. Also, conversely, Android's tablet experience isn't as buttoned up as it is on their smartphones.

The iPad Mini did get Retina, but I didn't expect the price mark up. Pretty shocked, in fact. The $399 is a heck of a premium to have to pay, and that's for the 16GB. If I want to match my 2013 Nexus 7's 32GB storage, I would have to go up to a whopping $499! Either that, or deal with measly 16GBs. That just doesn't feel right.

And again, for an operating system that is still inferior. iOS's tablet experience definitely has a few undebatable strengths over the Android tablet experience: optimized apps and more exclusive games. But $399-$499 is a heck of a price to pay for a few advantages. Nearly everything else, Android does better (file management, keyboard, customization, etc).

It would've been a slightly different story if it kept the same price (to be perfect honest, I was actually even expecting a price reduction! They can afford to with their Retina MacBook Pro line, why not with the iPad?) or offered 32GB as default. But alas, no dice.

While the Android tablet experience has plenty of room to grow -- there's no debating that -- I'm going to stick with my Nexus 7. I've actually become quite enamored by this very capable tablet.

----------

Furthermore, Apple pricing the iPad 2 at a whopping $399 is just a slap in the face. This is a 2.5 year old device (I checked, no update to the internals at all) that came out in March 2011. Shouldn't the iPad 4 have been shuffled to this slot? Or at the very least, the iPad 3?

Ludicrous pricing that turns me off even more from their iPad line in general.

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Related: I think, however, the iPad Air is a winner if anyone is in the market for a full size iPad. The only shame is that it's lacking Touch ID. For the same price point, you get a heck of a lot more than you would've with the previous generation. And when I say more, in certain cases, I mean less (weight, size, bezels). Quite a beauty.

It'll be interesting to see how Google counters with the Nexus 10 this year.

 

[MRU]

Nope. You're overpaying for the Apple branding. Besides, I don't think I could ever go back to iOS from Android - it feels (and now looks!) like a operating system for kids!

Note 8 is €399 here for a 1280 x 800 res screen

So €389 for the Retina iPad Mini here doesn't seem like you are 'overpaying' to me. It is competitively priced with the other 8" tablets.

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The iPad Mini did get Retina, but I didn't expect the price mark up. Pretty shocked, in fact. The $399 is a heck of a premium to have to pay, and that's for the 16GB.

Really ? I've been banging on about expecting the retina mini to be $399 for ages especially when they level the hardware with the bigger ipad.

 

[onthecouchagain]

Really ? I've been banging on about expecting the retina mini to be $399 for ages especially when they level the hardware with the bigger ipad.

I guess I always thought the $329 price point for the original iPad Mini (with multi-year old specs, low resolution screen) was overpriced to begin with. Did not expect the mark up, personally. It is nice that it's the same internals as the iPad Air, though, for sure.

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BTW, great 5 minute recap of today's entire event:

 

[Lloydbm41]

I have been gone all day and away from the interwebs and thought the previous poster in this thread was joking when they said the 'iPad Air'.

With that name, it would seem that Apple is killing off the MacBook Air in favor of the tablet/keyboard (a la Surface Pro) option. It would not surprise me on bit if the MacBook Air was no longer offered in 2014.

 

[PerfectDB]

I guess I always thought the $329 price point for the original iPad Mini (with multi-year old specs, low resolution screen) was overpriced to begin with. Did not expect the mark up, personally. It is nice that it's the same internals as the iPad Air, though, for sure.

I had always assumed that Apple had priced the original Mini higher with the future cost of a retina screen in mind, so that when came to update it they could do so without upping the price or deceasing their margins. Oh well...

Makes me love Google's pricing strategy all the more.

 

[tbayrgs]

I have been gone all day and away from the interwebs and thought the previous poster in this thread was joking when they said the 'iPad Air'.

With that name, it would seem that Apple is killing off the MacBook Air in favor of the tablet/keyboard (a la Surface Pro) option. It would not surprise me on bit if the MacBook Air was no longer offered in 2014.

I doubt it. The MacBook Air line is still a big seller and is capable of far more productivity than an iPad. To me, the renaming suggests a future iPad Pro, something more robust (there have been rumors that Apple is testing a larger 12" form factor), mimicking their computer line up. Who knows, maybe that would be a sort of 'bridge' product starting to bring iOS and OS X into one.

 

[rillrill]

Before today's official announcement, I was considering the new iPad Mini. I thought, if it got Retina Display, I could go for it since I do want to have a hand in iOS' ecosystem, and I've always said the shortcomings of iOS are far more forgivable on the tablet than on the iPhone. Also, conversely, Android's tablet experience isn't as buttoned up as it is on their smartphones.

The iPad Mini did get Retina, but I didn't expect the price mark up. Pretty shocked, in fact. The $399 is a heck of a premium to have to pay, and that's for the 16GB. If I want to match my 2013 Nexus 7's 32GB storage, I would have to go up to a whopping $499! Either that, or deal with measly 16GBs. That just doesn't feel right.

And again, for an operating system that is still inferior. iOS's tablet experience definitely has a few undebatable strengths over the Android tablet experience: optimized apps and more exclusive games. But $399-$499 is a heck of a price to pay for a few advantages. Nearly everything else, Android does better (file management, keyboard, customization, etc).

It would've been a slightly different story if it kept the same price (to be perfect honest, I was actually even expecting a price reduction! They can afford to with their Retina MacBook Pro line, why not with the iPad?) or offered 32GB as default. But alas, no dice.

While the Android tablet experience has plenty of room to grow -- there's no debating that -- I'm going to stick with my Nexus 7. I've actually become quite enamored by this very capable tablet.

----------

Furthermore, Apple pricing the iPad 2 at a whopping $399 is just a slap in the face. This is a 2.5 year old device (I checked, no update to the internals at all) that came out in March 2011. Shouldn't the iPad 4 have been shuffled to this slot? Or at the very least, the iPad 3?

Ludicrous pricing that turns me off even more from their iPad line in general.

----------

Related: I think, however, the iPad Air is a winner if anyone is in the market for a full size iPad. The only shame is that it's lacking Touch ID. For the same price point, you get a heck of a lot more than you would've with the previous generation. And when I say more, in certain cases, I mean less (weight, size, bezels). Quite a beauty.

It'll be interesting to see how Google counters with the Nexus 10 this year.

on the money here. apple has always be pricier, but their products where years ahead of any of their competitors. In 2013 that isn't the case anymore. The Nexus 4 was really a great device for the price. The Nexus 5 will be the same. The iPad Air seems to be the only reasonably priced device i saw today.

And kudos to apple for making their OS free. Smart move to keep their users up to date. Google does it. Microsoft does it. Apple now too.

 

[tech4all]

Nope.

I was considering getting an iPad, but at the price they are charging for what you get, it's laughable at best. iPad 5 with 16GB at $499?! The Nexus 10 is $100 cheaper. If it was at 32GB at $499 I would have considered. And the price on the mini went up. Too little to late IMO.

I shall wait for the Nexus 10 II. Sorry Apple, but I'm not buying into the "experience" as many claim makes it worth it.

 

[onthecouchagain]

on the money here. apple has always be pricier, but their products where years ahead of any of their competitors. In 2013 that isn't the case anymore. The Nexus 4 was really a great device for the price. The Nexus 5 will be the same. The iPad Air seems to be the only reasonably priced device i saw today.

And kudos to apple for making their OS free. Smart move to keep their users up to date. Google does it. Microsoft does it. Apple now too.

I would add the retina Mac books to the list of worthwhile devices.

 

[MRU]

Re. Prices today

Actually the mac pro 2013 may be expensive but when you look at the hardware in the closest workstation it's actually good value for a $3000 device (if that makes sense)....

As for 13 Retina MBP well its now a good $200 cheaper than the chrome book pixel. Now if you want to talk about overpriced devices for what you can do with them, then there is a clear example.

 

[onthecouchagain]

Just to put into perspective how old the iPad 2 is, its camera is 0.7 MP. You can't even pluralize the word "Mega Pixel."

$399.

 

[Vegastouch]

Nope

 

[JerZyT28]

i was looking forward to getting a tablet that can handle iOS7 (since it made my iPad 3 unusable) but that all changed. The prices are ridiculous..the name iPad Air sounds just plain dumb to me, and honestly...the iPad 2 BS was a slap in the face. I lost all hope in these iDevices. Ill stick to my MBP, Nexus 7, S4, and whenever the hell it comes out, the Nexus 5

 

[THE JUICEMAN]

Any of you Android users tempted by the new iPad Mini?

The announcements today actually did the opposite for me. $399 for the retina mini is insane when I can get the excellent nexus 7 for $229.

I was holding out for the full sized iPad redesign but I just don't feel like spending $499 on a tablet like I thought I did. For $79 more I can get a spanking new nexus 5 AND a new nexus 7. I know cheaper is not even close to always being better but in this case it's a no brainer and I still think I'll get a fantastic experience.

 

[JeffiJers]

I will pick one up after they hit the refurb store. No way will I pay MSRP.

Had the ipad4 and Hated it due to size and weight. Planned on the mini but now that the "air" is so light I might end up with that.