iPad maxi or mini?

SWMO kept nicking my iPad so I treated her to an iPad Mini, which, if all you want to do is surf the web & manage E-mails, is brilliant and the small screen size isn't a huge disadvantage IMO.

For what you want one for Howard I reckon a Min's fine and certainly less unwieldy to use on the move.

+1 for the mini if its mainly for travel. 

Bear in mind Howard that the current Mini does not have the higher resolution 'Retina' display of the iPad 3 and 4. Whether this is an issue on the smaller screen can only be decided by comparison.

Our friend Scotty has just changed his Mini to an iPad 4, so you might like to have a chat with him.

Best wishes.

John.

Bear in mind also the mini uses a smaller charging socket akin to the iPhone 5 which is a mite annoying with compatibility to our iPad 2 and iPhone 4. G

Thanks for that chaps. Guy in iStore did mention the picture quality,but did say the smaller picture on the mini seemed to concentrate the picture so there wasn't a great deal to choose. I certainly didn't notice with a quick look.

Graeme thanks for the socket tips, sounds a bit annoying, is there an adapter do you know?

Yes, there is an adaptor. The mini has perfectly good image quality, is quite a lot more compact and quite a bit cheaper. Occasionally, the smaller size of type is a slight disadvantage but generally it performs as well as full size and will suit you better for travel.

Typing this on an iPad (maxi?) a present for SWMBO but has turned into a family machine. 

A big use that I would not have thought of before was for what I'll loosely call TV. iplayer and netflix are big favourites with 3 young ins and 2 oldies. I'd imagine the bigger screen is better for these. 

I'm thinking of getting a mini for myself but will wait until a new version comes out (September?). 

It's likely to have the retina display and be the same price.

just some thoughts...............

Like you, Howard, my parents are really, really old. I've just given them a full size Retina iPad each for their 50th anniversary, and they're loving them. My mum's will fit in her handbag no trouble, but I really can't see my dad carrying a 'fanny packet' style bag.......

Unfortunately Tony we don't have any parents left so the embarrassment slot has fallen to me.

Does your Dad dance as well? Or even worse that fashion faux pas sandals and socks?

Sorry H, but I don't think Tony was thinking of your parents when he said "really, really old." 

John

Deflecting!

Purchased IPAD 3 couple of years ago mainly to control HDX and use as kindle substitute (could not justify buying ipad just for running n-Serve. I was hoping the retina display would be good enough to read outside in bright sun and it just about does the job. I do find wearing my polarised specs makes life easier as it cuts glare on the screen. Provided the brightness cranked right up its ok. I use the kindle reader rather then I Books as generally the books are cheaper.

So if you think you might use the ebook facility the larger ipad with better display might be worth considering.

Typing this on the Mini which I purchased a few months ago. I consider it is the ideal size for readability versus portability, although the screen is not retina (and was missed at first) you quickly adapt - the upside it has great battery life. Used daily for all but heavy duty work (still have Macbook Pro for those tasks) I have yet to see battery drop below 80% at day end - if left disconnected from the computer think it might just last the week between charges! Yes, the new dock connector can be an issue if you have multi devices but you can buy an adaptor if you want to use the same cable. Another advantage of the size is weight reduction which to me just seems to give the Mini better handling than it's larger relatives. Rumour has it that Apple will introduce Mini 2 either late this year or early next - more likely with retina screen and beefed up processor, if battery usage can be maintained that will be one "killer" tablet.

Si.

+ 1 on all these points.

If you are really into watching HD on your Pad and desperately want the bigger size then go for it, but I found it unweildly and unnecessarily large and heavy for all tasks compared to the Mini.

Jason.

With both sizes in the house I automatically always go for the larger iPad to browse, type, add notes, view calendar etc.  It's not a particularly conscious thing - I must prefer it though.

G

Does anyone use their 'maxi' or Mini for taking pictures? How does the size difference affect things If at all))?

cheers

steve (who may be getting an iPad for Crimble)