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iPad mini rivals
- Thread starter Samtb
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Why create an 8" tablet when google (and others) have very good 7" tablets. I think the N7 is a great product and one that I'm very tempted to buy.
Galaxy Note 8" is a rumor that is gaining some steam. For some reason, to me the N7 feels like a big phone, while the ipad mini feels like a real tablet. I think its the slim bezel on the sides, but I really like the ipad mini feel. Now just to get something that size not on ios...
No. Google already has a tablet which came out before the iPad mini and is kicking the ipad mini's butt. The Nexus 7.
No offense, but the existence of a sub-par POS like the ipad mini is almost an insult, given its price point.
Are you just regurgitating Internet stuff again? The iPad Mini is a great product. While I realize the screen isn't the best (and this may effect others), the overall build quality, app support, and usability is quite superb.
To OP, i think your best bet would be the rumored 8in Note. Honestly, I wish Apple would partner with Walcomm and make an iPad with a good stylus. I tried to give the Galaxy Note a chance but Android was a bit laggy and the features seemed to be half baked (which is weird to me because i love my GS3). I think if Apple would make a killing off of a polished stylus and touch interface. just think of the possibilities for education
The Mini could be made out of titanium and unobtanium, but that still doesn't mean much when it is running iOS. Not to mention that screen. Big mistake there. However, if Samsung or Google come out with an 8 inch tablet, I will sell my N7. I just wouldn't bother with a mini. Might as well play with a Seiko calculator watch vintage 1980. They do about the same thing.
An 8 inch tablet would be too big to carry where I cary my Nexus 7 so that isn't an advantage to me.
Samsung is doing the 8" tablet to be release soon! Yet they have all size tablet from 7",7.7",8.9", and 10.1" 
To be honest I'm far from an apple ( or any computer whatever ) fan however I just got an ipad mini and its a fantastic device IMO, it's got the perfect screen size, and the size and weight of it are perfect in my eyes.
Sure on paper and in benchmarks the processor/graphics could be better, but my apps open almost instantly and I have had zero lag or crashes.
In terms of the screen, i have decent eye sight and considering the distance I myself and most people would hold a tablet, your never really gonna see pixels and if u don't try and look for them your never going the see the screen as a problem. You will probably notice the difference if u held a "retina" screen right next to it of course, but only nerds will really choose a device because of these specifications.
I was actually going to get a nexus 7 because of the price difference and specs included on the device, but opted for the ipad mini simply because of apps. And the apps selection can't be downplayed enough, the selection of tablet optimised apps for the ipad mini simply blows away the android tablet app market, and I don't think that can be Denied.
The nexus 7 is an awesome device though and it's great to have choice, just wish the tablet apps would start to improve at a faster rate because it seems to me most of the tablet android apps are just scaled up mobile versions that have been tweaked slightly.
Googles own tablets show what you can do with the android system though, just a shame developers won't do the same.
I agree wholeheartedly with this. I was gifted a iPad mini for Christmas and think that is a perfect compliment to my SGS3 and Nexus 4. As for the screen, I was able to compare a retina iPad to an iPad mini last week side by side and could tell the difference, once I took the retina display device away though the mini was perfect, I have come to the conclusion that (for my eyes) the mini is more than adequate, I can't see the pixels from normal distance use.
Aye that's my view as well, I also have a sgs3 and will probably never go back to the iPhone. IMO the latest and greatest android phones wipe the floor with iPhones for a few reasons, hardware and the software is simply more customisable oh and you get bigger screen sizes and most of the apps on the iPhone you can get on android phones , and the apps are nearly the same.
However I have found the app selection on tablets to be in a worse state.
It's great though having the ecosystem of apple for a tablet and also having the customisation and advantages of android for my mobile, it's a great option/team to have.
They don't need to make a 8" tablet. What's the point? Will it be cheaper? Yeah. But we're still stuck with very poor "tablet support" apps. Which is the main reason I got rid of my rooted Kindle Fire. I can't do the stuff I WANT on an Android tablet, nor can I wait for things to get better. And considering that ICS was launched in 2011, and developers/manufacturers are still targeting Gingerbread even though we're at Jelly Bean, it's NOT getting any better.
You can doubt the Apple ecosystem all you want, but you're only fooling yourself wasting all your time on upgrades. Tell me what exactly are you getting from those Tegra chips? Faster GMail sending speeds? I have NFC on my S2, what exactly can I use it for again since I can't get Google Wallet?
I can guarantee you that I will still have the same iPad Mini three years from now while the rest of you continue to struggle with trades and upgrades every six months with the announcements of a new OS version. And I will still be using my high quality note taking apps, my high quality weather apps, my high quality drawing apps, and my high quality music creation apps. What will you be doing? Watching Netflix? Browsing the internet? Reading an ebook? Playing Angry Birds? Trying to figure out what icon set/wallpaper matches your mood of the day? I thought you bought that tablet to be more PRODUCTIVE, not to waste your time watching TV and messing around?
You can doubt the Apple ecosystem all you want, but you're only fooling yourself wasting all your time on upgrades. Tell me what exactly are you getting from those Tegra chips? Faster GMail sending speeds? I have NFC on my S2, what exactly can I use it for again since I can't get Google Wallet?
I can guarantee you that I will still have the same iPad Mini three years from now while the rest of you continue to struggle with trades and upgrades every six months with the announcements of a new OS version. And I will still be using my high quality note taking apps, my high quality weather apps, my high quality drawing apps, and my high quality music creation apps. What will you be doing? Watching Netflix? Browsing the internet? Reading an ebook? Playing Angry Birds? Trying to figure out what icon set/wallpaper matches your mood of the day? I thought you bought that tablet to be more PRODUCTIVE, not to waste your time watching TV and messing around?
I must admit that I was worried about the integration of Calander, mail, contacts etc but have been pleasantly surprised at how easy it actually is, I use Calangoo and contacts sync on my ipad which syncs with my Google account and for music I find that Plex is superb on all devices.
While Apple was stubbornly bashing 7" tablets as too small & a category that was useless, I bought a 7" Galaxy Tab to try. It was a very handy portable size. I enjoyed it so much I bought the Nexus 7 as soon as it was released.
I don't care for apps when you have a device large enough to use the browser and full web pages (not mobile sites) to do your work. Because pinch to zoom is now the norm & so fast and easy it makes a 7" screen quite useful.
When Apple finally caved into competitive pressure, they built an 8" mini to avoid eating their words & producing a 7" tablet. Even though the general public is clueless & naturally compared a mini to the industry standard 7" size.
As a true Apple enthusiast I bought a mini. It's quite nice as I expected. The biggest difference is the much higher resolution of the Nexus 7, as well as the slightly narrower form factor. With its nice grippy back panel it's far more comfortable to hold. That's not a knock on the mini, just an advantage of the Nexus.
Until you've used Android 4.2.x there's no way to understand just how much better Android is than iOS in its current iteration. Apple needs to stop riding on its laurels and do some catching up.
I don't care for apps when you have a device large enough to use the browser and full web pages (not mobile sites) to do your work. Because pinch to zoom is now the norm & so fast and easy it makes a 7" screen quite useful.
When Apple finally caved into competitive pressure, they built an 8" mini to avoid eating their words & producing a 7" tablet. Even though the general public is clueless & naturally compared a mini to the industry standard 7" size.
As a true Apple enthusiast I bought a mini. It's quite nice as I expected. The biggest difference is the much higher resolution of the Nexus 7, as well as the slightly narrower form factor. With its nice grippy back panel it's far more comfortable to hold. That's not a knock on the mini, just an advantage of the Nexus.
Until you've used Android 4.2.x there's no way to understand just how much better Android is than iOS in its current iteration. Apple needs to stop riding on its laurels and do some catching up.
Nexus 7 as said above. Available for less than £200 here so it's more than a rival for the iPad Mini & selling very well.
Sorry Jessica but both the new nook and kindle fire larger tablet rooted best the Mini handily and they are both cheaper and I see no need to upgrade either anytime soon.
Mark my words how fast folks will upgrade their mini when one with a better display is available. Yep, that is how great the mighty current mini is.
Mark my words how fast folks will upgrade their mini when one with a better display is available. Yep, that is how great the mighty current mini is.
Oh, I know. I bought my brother the Kindle Fire HD. The speakers are a beast, like holy cow are they amazing. The screen is nice too. But still, I use my iPad for being productive, not for watching movies or even YouTube. So they wouldn't have been enjoyed to their fullest.
And no, I'm not buying the next iPad until the Mini either stops getting updates, or I somehow break it. Maybe others will, but I don't have that kind of money to blow off.
Valid points. I'm not a fan of iOS either anymore, especially on the tablet. However I personally found that the Mini is perfect for me for school. All my textbooks are on there either through the Kindle app or Google Play app. Its super nice to just carry around the iPad instead of 4 textbooks. Again, I'm more of a fan of Android but it just doesn't work for me on a tablet (or at least a Touchwiz skinned Android, haven't tried stock). I would seriously consider an 8 inch Galaxy Note if Samsung got Touchwiz in a better working order
Why do you assume that everyone who buys a tablet does so for productivity? I certainly did not. I bought mine for media consumption and it does a wonderful job at it.
I think this just spells out why the Nexus 7 isn't exactly a rival for the mini. The N7 is also a great GPS in addition to what you said, but for anyone wanting something more serious, the mini is way ahead.
Exactly. I like JotterPad HD, Uber Iris, Audiotool Sketch, and SketchBook Pro, but that's pretty much all the "Pro" I could get with a 7" rooted Kindle Fire.
Photoshop Touch is not even suited for that size of a screen unless you bring the DPI way up, but then it still is useless, because when you do change the DPI, the tools go with it.
Really? No problems using Photoshop Touch here on my Nex7. In fact, being able to use a BT mouse makes everything extremely easy. Of course, not as good as on my 27" iMac, but much better than on any iOS device. Take a look. I can even post a video if you like.
