You want that Mini because it’s human nature to want things we don’t have. Ever watch two toddlers playing? They want the toy the other kid is playing with
. ( joking..sort of)
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iPad mini WHY do I want a mini when I do NOT need it?
- Thread starter ssledoux
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You want that Mini because it’s human nature to want things we don’t have. Ever watch two toddlers playing? They want the toy the other kid is playing with
. ( joking..sort of)I'll be trading in my muchly overused Mini 4 for the 5 – for an upcoming birthday. Been a big user of the Mini from the beginning, and doubled the usage when I switched to reading books on it. At home, we always answer the phone on it so we can both be on. Don't have to skip upgrades when they are this seldom.
Showed my manager the Mini 5 and she was impressed. She got the really big iPad and uses a Kindle. But she liked the size of the Mini 5. She reads a lot of books and prefers the paperwhite over the brightness of tablets. I told her about the night-mode on the iPads though. It's a nice device when you want to show another engineer some information that you can discuss with them in person.
IF you do not use it then sell it for whatever you can get. It is losing a little value everyday. The slide is punctuated by new product releases that push your version back. Holding on to it because you paid a lot more will only result in something that is worth a lot less in a few month more. And next year... you'll be even more unhappy.
You need it. It's the definition of 'need' that's the issue.
I am a very loyal Mac user and purchaser of many, many Macs since 1984 forward. Before my retirement, I ran my whole office on a series of networked Macs. And I am typing this on a MacBookPro. iPads are another story. I have gifted iPads to family members who love them but I found that I absolutely despise iOS. Try as I might, I have never found iOS to be intuitive, compared to the Android tablets which are clunky and perhaps of inferior physical design but so much simpler to use with virtually no learning curve. But iOS drives me nuts. I would buy an iPad mini and maybe even a Pro for their superior physical design and lightweight if only they ran Android or a similar OS.
I’m a Windows user from way back. Heck, I used CP/M and MS-DOS. The lack of a decent file system in iOS drives me nuts but 12 is much less awful. Have you tried an iOS device with 12? I really enjoy using my iPad Pros with keyboard and my Mini 4. I will be getting a Mini 5, it’s just a matter of when. Can I hold out for a sale?
You want that Mini because it’s human nature to want things we don’t have. Ever watch two toddlers playing? They want the toy the other kid is playing with
Same thing with our dogs! LOL!
I love my 11" IPP but it is still too big for just hanging out on the couch or in bed on reddit, ect.. I love my Mini 5 for that reason
Is there a big improvement?
What is the significant change in iOS12?
Or is it still just screens and screens and screens of icons?
And are all the menu commands inside Safari and other apps still hidden in two horizontal rows inside that icon that looks like a little square house with an arrow on the top?
I just don't understand how they can call iOS intuitive.
And when I ask Siri to pull up anything on the iPad, it instead sends me to how-to articles on the internet! How dumb is that?
I didn’t say it was intuitive. Because I came from CP/M, MS-DOS, and Windows, I didn’t find the early Mac OS intuitive at all. I owned one Mac many years ago and was happy to get rid of it.
I’d say you’d have to look at it and tell whether it’s different enough for you. I don’t think ANY computing environment is intuitive. I’ve used all kinds of software on various OS and it’s what you’ve learned and grown accustomed to. In my cases, my initial frustration lessened significantly once I learned how that program “thought.” I will say that WordPerfect for Windows did not grow on me as I became more familiar with it and Word isn’t my “go to” word processing program, either.
What I do know is that the app developer for the cellular trail cameras that I use was able to write code that backed up the old pictures for each camera into a separate photo album specifically for that camera using the camera’s ID number. Any photos that I save are now saved within the Photos app in the camera’s album, not in somewhere that only Apple can identify and locate. File management is still a real weak point in iOS but it’s not as bad as it was.
I apologize if it appeared that I was giving you the task of defending iOS.
I didn't intend my comments that way.
I appreciate our conversation and the opportunity to share and compare our impressions.
I do think the Mac's operating system is relatively intuitive with its dropdown menu system and graphical user interface and that Windows eventually did a good job of mimicking the MacOS.
Before the introduction of the Mac, I did dabble in MS-DOS and found that navigating between screens using the command-line interface was like blindly crawling around from room-to-room inside a cave. I could do it but it was not otherwise easily relatable to everyday real-world experiences.
What's amusing about Google's Android is that while it lacks the tasteful design of the MacOS, the Android's design of commands just looks like a series of post-notes and arrows stuck up by Mom on the refrigerator, so it is still much easier to learn and navigate than iOS, which employs artsy concealment like hidden clues in a painting.
I’m not a fan of iOS, I’m just saying that it’s better now than it was and maybe if you spent some time with it, you might grow to like the iPad experience. I wouldn’t have an iPhone if you gave it to me. Probably wouldn’t have a Mac, either. Not intuitive to me, but Windows isn’t, either.
I haven a Surface Go. That’s what I use for the class I teach (statistical software that only runs under Windows), as my portable Windows computer. I’ve even edited closed captions on over 20 hours of video on it. However, for my toting-around-the house, hauling-to-the-camp device, it’s the iPad. My first was the iPP 9.7, then I got a 10.5, and then the 11 and a Mini 4 along the way. That ASK keyboard and the iPP is great for dealing with personal and work email, web surfing, screen shots for tech support of the trail camera app, messaging, etc. Battery life is excellent and I can keep it (them) charged using cigarette lighter adapters on our camper trailer’s battery when we’re at the camp. Both the old and new iPP/ASK form factors are really handy, the footprint is pretty small for the size of the screen.
I use OneNote on all my devices and I like the way that whatever is on one is on all the rest.
An iPad may not be for you. I have a couple of Android tablets (Samsung Tab E cellular and Tab S2 8 wifi) and an Android phone. Most of the time, my “go to” is an iPad, though. I think I will actually use the pencil with the Mini 5, for the disposable notes that I write on Post-Its (that I could, in theory, write on my Note 5 phone, but don’t), for doodling, and that sort of thing. I use the pencil with the iPPs sometimes but not as much as I could.
Trying to decide whether I’m going to head to the nearby Apple store and check out the Mini 5
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I’m not a fan of iOS, I’m just saying that it’s better now than it was and maybe if you spent some time with it, you might grow to like the iPad experience. I wouldn’t have an iPhone if you gave it to me. Probably wouldn’t have a Mac, either. Not intuitive to me, but Windows isn’t, either.
I haven a Surface Go. That’s what I use for the class I teach (statistical software that only runs under Windows), as my portable Windows computer. I’ve even edited closed captions on over 20 hours of video on it. However, for my toting-around-the house, hauling-to-the-camp device, it’s the iPad. My first was the iPP 9.7, then I got a 10.5, and then the 11 and a Mini 4 along the way. That ASK keyboard and the iPP is great for dealing with personal and work email, web surfing, screen shots for tech support of the trail camera app, messaging, etc. Battery life is excellent and I can keep it (them) charged using cigarette lighter adapters on our camper trailer’s battery when we’re at the camp. Both the old and new iPP/ASK form factors are really handy, the footprint is pretty small for the size of the screen.
I use OneNote on all my devices and I like the way that whatever is on one is on all the rest.
An iPad may not be for you. I have a couple of Android tablets (Samsung Tab E cellular and Tab S2 8 wifi) and an Android phone. Most of the time, my “go to” is an iPad, though. I think I will actually use the pencil with the Mini 5, for the disposable notes that I write on Post-Its (that I could, in theory, write on my Note 5 phone, but don’t), for doodling, and that sort of thing. I use the pencil with the iPPs sometimes but not as much as I could.
Trying to decide whether I’m going to head to the nearby Apple store and check out the Mini 5
Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Have a great day. And have fun at the Apple Store.
I too use Android phones - have one sitting right next to my Mac! LOL!
Take care.
Went to the Apple Store, played with a Mini for a 4 minutes, mainly with the pencil. If they’d had the one I wanted (Space Gray 64G cellular), I’d have gotten it. They only had 256G and I don’t really feel like spending $150 (plus tax) extra for storage space that I probably won’t use.
So I’m Mini-5-less. This weekend, I’ll get my iPP 9.7 ready to go to a friend of mine.
Find a use case. I may buy one just for home automation, maybe mount it or just keep it in the living room. I like the form factor, no issue splurging if you have the money.
[doublepost=1553971208][/doublepost]Boy I love my iPad mini and have been waiting to get a new one. The mini is the only "one handed lying on your back in bed" iPad. It is small enough and light enough not to burden my travel bag. I can't wait till recently ordered one arrives. I am also delighted to get the $75 Apple is giving me for send them my older iPad mini. I have a one year old 10.5 iPad Pro that I also love, but too large and heavy for some of my preferred usage. Just saying .....
[doublepost=1553980901][/doublepost]I travel alot.
I’ve discovered that there is no better travel assistant than the Ipad Mini.
. No, a large screen phone doesn’t cut it. I had an Mini 2 that was getting long in the tooth. I’d been waiting for a new Mini for a long time, particularly throughout the period everyone was pronouncing the Mini’s demise.
It was a no-brainer for me to replace the Mini 2.
The problem with the large phones is the aspect ratio. Not great for reading books. I looked at some of the large phones and they're often 2:1 whereas the iPad Mini is 3:2. This is why Kindles sell so well, the form factor is nice for holding in one hand and reading.
I'm reading a few books right now; one is mostly text and the Mini is perfect for those. Another is a small textbook and it's fine for that as well. If I were reading full-size textbooks, then I'd want to use an Air or Pro. I really love not having to lug around physical books though I do look through physical books at home from time to time. For entertainment, though, it's e-books all the way.
Sell it on eBay; that’s what I did with mine... I find the 10.5 to fit my needs - although I will probably get the 11 Pro when I get the Apple Watch series 4 and a iPhone XS Max...
I'm in the don't need/don't want category — but don't let that dampen anyone's enthusiasm. I like my 12.9" Pro for nearly everything but use my old iPhone 7+ as a portable reader since it's just enough larger than my Xs for that.
I disliked my 7+ as a phone/camera because its size requires two hands for some functions while the smaller Xs can be used one-handed. I'm handicapped in a way that makes this an issue. One thing that is not an issue is the headphone jack. Don't use it; don't miss it.
So, while I like the idea of the iPad Mini and have bought them for others, my 7+ fills the need. I's also taking the place of my iPod Touch 6 since it has truly decent battery life by comparison—especially after I took advantage of the $29 battery replacement in December.
So have fun, enjoy but I'll sit this one out.
I disliked my 7+ as a phone/camera because its size requires two hands for some functions while the smaller Xs can be used one-handed. I'm handicapped in a way that makes this an issue. One thing that is not an issue is the headphone jack. Don't use it; don't miss it.
So, while I like the idea of the iPad Mini and have bought them for others, my 7+ fills the need. I's also taking the place of my iPod Touch 6 since it has truly decent battery life by comparison—especially after I took advantage of the $29 battery replacement in December.
So have fun, enjoy but I'll sit this one out.
I bought a 7+ but sold it for that reason and got a smaller 7. With a grippy back the hand control is near perfect. Now I just need a mini to go with it, which is also easier to control than larger pads.