iPad mini So,I finally bought one (still evaluating)

[kristalsoldier]

I went ahead and bought the Mini. Got a good discount because of my work. Set up was easy. Now I have both the 11” and the Mini.

First impressions - (1) The form factor is very interesting to me. It fits the classic e-reader mode. (2) Honestly, I have seen videos of the jelly effect, but I can’t identify it on my unit. I have tried lookin for it on Safari, Books, PDF Expert, Kindle, Telegram. So far, so good! (3) Reading on it (Kindle, Books, PDF Expert) is not bad at all. Safari could be more comfortable. Will test Edge later. (4) I have not tried to write on it (OneNote) or do any annotations )PDF Expert). I think while jotting down notes on OneNote may not be a problem, annotations will feel cramped. If my experience bears this out then it’s good because it reduces the overlap between the 11” and the Mini. (5) This will work really well for my reading in bed. The 11” was too unwieldy in that role. (6) Just thinking about working on the road, I can see myself working on my Thinkpad and having at least three reference documents open on the 11” (which can arguably have two open) and the Mini (which can have one open). That would be really helpful. But then again, I am asking myself…really?

I am going to try it out for 14 days and see how I feel about it. You see it’s not only the Mini that I will be trying but also how it blends with my work which involves the Thinkpad and the 11”.

But like I mentioned above - first impressions are very intriguing and positive.

 

[Dealmans]

I gave it 2 weeks then realised the only thing it's good for v my 12.9" M1 is ebooks and only inside, So sold it and bought a kindle 11th gen. Much lighter and easier to read on anyway, everything else is better on my 12.9" iPad.

 

[lc96]

I gave it 2 weeks then realised the only thing it's good for v my 12.9" M1 is ebooks and only inside, So sold it and bought a kindle 11th gen. Much lighter and easier to read on anyway, everything else is better on my 12.9" iPad.

As much as I love my apple devices, I love the Kindle for reading books. So much lighter, and the ability to hold many books if I'm traveling, etc.

 

[mpetrides]

As much as I love my apple devices, I love the Kindle for reading books. So much lighter, and the ability to hold many books if I'm traveling, etc.

OTOH, I prefer my iPad mini 6 (and all the previous iterations) to the multiple Kindles I've owned but rarely used. Why? Pagination on the Kindle still perseverates on using the non-standard "locations" for defining your current position in a book. It's totally unnatural--who thinks in page numbers in the thousands and tens of thousands. So, I buy my eBooks for Apple Books whenever possible and use the Kindle app on my iPad mini to read the few books that are only available on the Kindle.

The iPad allows me to read either using Books or using Kindle. if I use a Kindle, all I can read are Kindle books. For me it's a no-brainer. I'll stick with the iPad--and the mini is the perfect size, being almost identical in dimensions to a trade paperback.

 

[lc96]

OTOH, I prefer my iPad mini 6 (and all the previous iterations) to the multiple Kindles I've owned but rarely used. Why? Pagination on the Kindle still perseverates on using the non-standard "locations" for defining your current position in a book. It's totally unnatural--who thinks in page numbers in the thousands and tens of thousands. So, I buy my eBooks for Apple Books whenever possible and use the Kindle app on my iPad mini to read the few books that are only available on the Kindle.

The iPad allows me to read either using Books or using Kindle. if I use a Kindle, all I can read are Kindle books. For me it's a no-brainer. I'll stick with the iPad--and the mini is the perfect size, being almost identical in dimensions to a trade paperback.

On my newer Kindle (Paperwhite from last fall) I can say whether I want page, or location, or time left in chapter, etc.

 

[rui no onna]

On my newer Kindle (Paperwhite from last fall) I can say whether I want page, or location, or time left in chapter, etc.

Iirc, the page number is tied in to paperbook editions so somewhat pointless for keeping track of reading progress.

 

[sparksd]

Iirc, the page number is tied in to paperbook editions so somewhat pointless for keeping track of reading progress.

Yeah, page number on electronic devices with varying screen sizes and screen settings (e.g., font, margin and line spacing layout) doesn't make a lot of sense unless it's tied to a fixed physical representation. I prefer location by percentage.

 

[darngooddesign]

I'm fine with page numbers, because they adjust based on font size, line height, etc., provided it tells you the total number as well.

 

[sparksd]

I'm fine with page numbers, because they adjust based on font size, line height, etc., provided it tells you the total number as well.

I don't care for them because I switch among four different devices of different sizes for reading the same books.

 

[darngooddesign]

I don't care for them because I switch among four different devices of different sizes for reading the same books.

Doesn't your reading position sync across all of them?

Is percentage in whole numbers precise enough to locate a specific page, especially on a mini sized screen where there are even more pages?

 

[sparksd]

Doesn't your reading position sync across all of them?

Is percentage in whole numbers precise enough to locate a specific page, especially on a mini sized screen where there are even more pages?

There is synchronization across all four devices so whichever I pick up, the book will open to the same latest position and each displays the same percentage. I don't have to look for current position when switching so a precise percentage isn't necessary. The Go To implementation differs across devices, though: the 12.9 Kindle app has "Go to Page", the 12 Pro Max has "Go to Location", the Kindle Oasis shows "Go to Page or Location".

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

All Mini’s have the jelly affect but all LCD based screens have it regardless of iPad, laptop, etc. even the Pro models but the ProMotion makes it less noticeable. It’s also the way the display controller is oriented. The problem with the Mini is that it affects it in portrait mode which is typically the most used orientation as opposed to the 5th gen Mini where it was only in landscape so definitely less noticeable. Don’t go looking for it if you don’t see but it’s there ha.

 

[Dealmans]

OTOH, I prefer my iPad mini 6 (and all the previous iterations) to the multiple Kindles I've owned but rarely used. Why? Pagination on the Kindle still perseverates on using the non-standard "locations" for defining your current position in a book. It's totally unnatural--who thinks in page numbers in the thousands and tens of thousands. So, I buy my eBooks for Apple Books whenever possible and use the Kindle app on my iPad mini to read the few books that are only available on the Kindle.

The iPad allows me to read either using Books or using Kindle. if I use a Kindle, all I can read are Kindle books. For me it's a no-brainer. I'll stick with the iPad--and the mini is the perfect size, being almost identical in dimensions to a trade paperback.

I prefer free kindle books v paying apple for books

 

[kristalsoldier]

Yeah, page number on electronic devices with varying screen sizes and screen settings (e.g., font, margin and line spacing layout) doesn't make a lot of sense unless it's tied to a fixed physical representation. I prefer location by percentage.

I don’t. That’s because, I often need to refer to page numbers for reference purposes. Various academic bodies (for example, the American Psychological Association or the MLA), journal editorial boards etc) have specific guidelines for referencing electronic books and documents. PDFs are usually not a problem as the page number is in the original document (usually). Kindle books also seem to have a referencing convention. But epubs don’t and some books are only available in ePub form. This complicates referencing since “location” is not a reliable referencing format as it can vary across device sizes, and for referencing uniformity is necessary.

 

[sleepngbear]

I’m on my third iPad Mini, and I just love the smaller form factor. I’m now using a gen 5. I use it mostly for browsing, a few games, occasionally emailing, and it’s my main Amazon shopping device. The last time I upgraded, I tried a standard iPad and just couldn’t get comfortable with the larger size, so the wife got a new iPad and I went back to a Mini. It’s just perfect for everything I use it for, and I’ve yet to find anything that I’d want a larger size for. I usually use it flopped on my couch or slouched in my office chair, once in awhile in bed. Been getting an itch for the 6th gen, but this one is just barely a year old, so I can wait. Also want to wait to see if they put the M1 in the rest of the iPad lineup before jumping again. But I digest … I’ll be curious to hear how the OP likes the Mini.

 

[kristalsoldier]

Well, it’s been a few days since I bought the Mini. While Apple’s 14 days deadline has not passed, I have decided to keep it.

I have used it in ways that I have mentioned in my original post and I have found that it has worked well. I found myself being quite productive writing extensive notes on the 11” IPP (in OneNote) while referring to reference-docs on the Mini. It’s brilliant actually. Not only am I using the Mini a lot, but I have been using the 11” IPP a lot more, albeit differently.

I have used the Mini in bed and it’s been - expectedly - excellent. Small and light footprint and all.

I have also been reading quite a bit more with the Mini when out and about as it’s not cumbersome to handle. This is a positive in my eyes.

I have also used it in conjunction with my main machine (Thinkpad) and the 11” IPP. Again, it it fitted in seamlessly with my work flow , which is a big win.

I have been reading the usual suspects, namely, EPUB, Kindle books, and PDFs. But some PDFs and Office docs are just more comfortable on the IPP. And I am ok with that. I use Apollo for Reddit and that works fine though I still prefer my phone to the Mini for Reddit. Same with browsing the web. I find my phone more comfortable. But I have found myself using the Mini occasionally for browsing (for example, this post has been typed on the Mini in portrait mode ?). Twitter, Telegram, Discord are all better on my phone (this is not to say that they are not ok the Mini or on iPads, but I prefer the experience on the phone and/or the Thinkpad). I use my phone (and the Thinkpad ) for replying to email, but I do read mails on the Mini. I also prefer to use my phone for YT.

So, have I noticed the jelly effect? Frankly, not yet and likely I won’t. I also won’t go looking for it either. Battery life could probably have been better but these are early days and I need to test this more. I do think though it could be better but let’s see. What about the stark difference in the screen experience as compared to the 11” IPP (and my phone WQHD)? Again, yes there is a difference, but it does not bother me.

The Mini has a place in my bag and a role to play in my workflow. It does that well.

Last point: Did I NEED the Mini? Frankly, no. I could have continued to use my laptop, IPP, phone set up as before. The Mini has just added an intermediary step that makes life just a bit easier for me. Having said that, I am lucky to be in a position to afford all these gadgets without feeling the pinch - for that I am grateful.

Thanks to all who have followed my posts on this and i apologise for this lengthy post.

 

[Dealmans]

Shame they didn’t do FID

 

[kristalsoldier]

Shame they didn’t do FID

What is FID?

 

[rui no onna]

What is FID?

Guessing FaceID.

 

[kristalsoldier]

Guessing FaceID.

Ok. Makes sense.