Tag Archives: apple

A few thoughts on the iPad mini

The price

In Australia, iPad minis retail $60 cheaper than equivalent iPad 2’s, and $170 cheaper than equivalent iPad 4’s. Given iPad 2’s are more biggerer, and 4’s add retina and significantly more grunt, it’s fair to say that all are priced in Apple’s typical “premium but sane” way.

I was initially disappointed that iPad minis didn’t start at a more accessible price point (I want to put an iPad in the hands of every student at my school without bankrupting anybody), but having used one, I’m glad Apple aren’t selling a cheap device here. It’s solid, beautiful and.. well.. designed. Y’know?

The size

It’s slightly bigger than Google’s Nexus 7, thanks mostly to its 4:3 aspect ratio (which I find much more practical than 16:10, incidentally), but the iPad mini is SO much smaller, lighter and more portable than the already-small-light-and-portable iPad. It’s actually kinda.. cute. Good thing I got the manly red cover.

Users with fat fingers and/or bad eyes won’t love the small screen as much as I do, but as always, it’s what you do with it that counts. This much portability comes at a price, and even with my youngish eyes, skinny fingers and love of all things diminutive, I think it’s safe to say that “comfortable productivity” is the main one.

That’s not to say you can’t use an iPad mini productively. (Let’s not forget that some of us write entire blog posts on our iPhones.) But it’s not as.. comfortable as working on a full-size iPad. For example, you can’t touch-type with all 10 fingers on an iPad mini. You can on an iPad. For some users (especially those looking at iPads as laptop replacements), this sort of thing is a Big Deal, and using a bluetooth keyboard might not be an effective solution.

Smaller isn’t necessarily better – but it might be. Choose carefully.

The specs

I love my iPad 3’s display, so I expected the mini’s non-retina pixellation to grate. It hasn’t so far, but the same isn’t true for other reviewers, so your mileage may vary.

The mini’s processor is also a step down from the iPad 3 (which, in turn, is slower than the iPad 4), but I wouldn’t say it delivers a sluggish experience at all. I’m sure it helps that it’s not driving as many pixels.

[Aside: given how much more powerful the Nexus 7’s squillion-core processor allegedly is, and how Google “declared war” on UI lag in Android Jelly Bean, it’s amusing that iOS is as buttery as ever on the iPad mini. Jelly Bean still isn’t quite there..]

The conclusion

For me, the iPad mini is perfect. My MacBook Air (very portable in its own right) is usually available for extended writing sessions and technical work that can’t be done on an iPad, so I don’t need “comfortable productivity” in this device. It’s big enough to help me get through emails etc. quickly, and is ridiculously portable for campus use.

For others, the iPad mini will be too small to use for Real Work.

Again: choose carefully.

“Apple’s Magic Is In The Turn, Not The Prestige”

“Apple’s Magic Is In The Turn, Not The Prestige”

A great piece on why people are starting to find Apple’s product launches boring, and why Apple doesn’t care.

Here’s a choice nugget:

Look at the mobile landscape right now. There are two companies that are making any money in smartphones: Apple and Samsung. Or, put another way: Apple and the company Apple just won a billion dollar-plus judgement against for copying their smartphone designs.

How to love Apple too much

How to love Apple too much

You could argue that running a blog/forum called “Mac Rumors” is a bit excessive, but micro-analysing the banners Apple have hoisted for their upcoming launch? Seriously?

I mean, I’m as pumped as the next Apple fanboi for this week’s product launch/es (or, more specifically, how my school might be able to do cooler stuff with better tech), but surely it’s not that hard to know when you’ve crossed the “not quite sane” threshold with the guesswork.

I enjoyed Stephen Hackett’s take:

Tim Cook designed the graphics after taking some LSD he found in Steve’s office.

Let’s all chillax, eh :)

This morning’s WWDC keynote

This morning’s WWDC keynote

I’d say this is a fairly balanced summary.

My take (as a semi-fanboi who followed a few of the live streams from 3am local time): Apple is definitely getting on with the job of being… Jobsless.

The most obvious example: while everyone else is still figuring out how to sell MacBook Air clones, Apple has shipped a beast that leaves every other laptop/Ultrabook in existence for dead. (Can you tell I want one?)

They’ve drawn a satisfying line between their mobile and desktop platforms, too. Similar UI’s are being delivered where it makes sense (hello, Messages and Notifications in Mountain Lion!), but the operating systems remain as distinct as they should. The same can’t be said for, say, Windows 8.

Anyway. Whatever your take, I’m sure we can agree that we live in interesting times.