Can't decide between Air and Mini 2

Sad Professor

I actually think the Air (and new Mini) may be a little underpowered in the RAM department. Safari keeps crashing and reloading tabs. Apple might have gone 64bit too soon.

Mimikyu

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Sad Professor

Captain Morgan wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

As few as 2 or 3. I switch away from a tab for a moment, switch back - gone. But it obviously depends a lot on other factors like how much memory is being used by other apps, how big the sites are, etc.

I consider iOS 7 for iPad to be basically unfinished, though. I think we'll see a a big performances boost in 7.1.

Stainless_Steel

I might be wrong here but I thought the iPad Air is more powerful than the mini? So it's not just about choosing what screen size suits.

Sad Professor

Stainless_Steel wrote: »

I might be wrong here but I thought the iPad Air is more powerful than the mini? So it's not just about choosing what screen size suits.

The Air is more powerful than the current Mini. But Retina Mini has (as far as we know) identical internal specs. Same processor, same RAM, etc.

copacetic

Dublinstiofán wrote: »

They've essentially taken all the bulk away from the full size iPad so I'd see no reason to buy a mini other than cost anymore.

They haven't taken 'all the bulk' away, it's still a lot bigger. If you carry it a lot and don't want to have a bag all the time the mini might suit a lot of people.

It will fit in the outside pocket of a lot of jackets nicely, whereas the air wouldn't come near.

Certainly the air reduction in weight and thickness has made it a closer thing, but for people who travel a lot the mini certainly has it's place.

Zcott

Hobbes wrote: »

Citation needed. I have a rMBP and I have never seen what you describe.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4157768

http://www.theverge.com/2012/11/1/3585082/13-inch-macbook-pro-with-retina-display-review

The 2.5GHz Core i5 in the 13-inch Pro offers terrific raw CPU performance in benchmarks, running Geekbench at a solid 6700-6800 range, but the integrated Intel HD 4000 graphics chip can struggle driving such a high-resolution display. Oddly, it showed up for me more during day-to-day usage than under any crazy test situation I came up with: RAW files in Aperture scroll around just fine while QuickTime is playing back 1080p movie trailers, but Safari and Chrome both stutter a little while scrolling simple web pages. And they stutter a lot with image-heavy sites like The Verge and Polygon.

Again citation needed. There is no difference in the retina of iPad3 vs iPad4.

http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1262937

The Apple iPad 3 is an unbalanced design with an underpowered graphics processor for its high-end display, according to an analysis released Wednesday (Jan. 2) by technology watcher David Kanter. Apple’s quick move to the iPad 4 with a graphics chip bolstered in part by Samsung’s new 32-nm process technology showed that Apple recognized the fault, he said.

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1478335


There's no difference in screen between iPad 3, 4, Air but there's a difference between what's driving the screen. And for each first edition of the retina display the display has been a year or so ahead of the GPU.

FourFourRED

Hobbes wrote: »

Citation needed. I have a rMBP and I have never seen what you describe.



Again citation needed. There is no difference in the retina of iPad3 vs iPad4.

He didn't say there was a difference in the retina, he said that the first generation with retina was underpowered.

There was numerous reported issues with the first gen rMBP too but were sorted with software updates.

Plates

How about the Surface 2?

adox

I'm getting Safari crashing too on my ipad air. Hopefully a software issue that will be resolved with an update.

Hobbes

Zcott wrote: »

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4157768

If you read that link you would see that issue was fixed over a year ago and only impacted certain machines that were updated via Time Machine. It had nothing to do with the hardware.

http://www.theverge.com/2012/11/1/3585082/13-inch-macbook-pro-with-retina-display-review

Yes, the 13" inch. The first rMBP released was 15" and didn't have this issue. The 13" is an intentionally lower spec machine (due to size).

Hobbes

Sad Professor wrote: »

I actually think the Air (and new Mini) may be a little underpowered in the RAM department. Safari keeps crashing and reloading tabs. Apple might have gone 64bit too soon.

Go to Settings->General->Reset->Reset all settings (it shouldn't erase the device).

This fixes a known issue where people restored from another device.

That said Safari iOS7 is badly designed IMHO (vs iOS6). The find is painful to use. Trying out Chrome/Atomic.

Sad Professor

Hobbes wrote: »

Go to Settings->General->Reset->Reset all settings (it shouldn't erase the device).

This fixes a known issue where people restored from another device.

That said Safari iOS7 is badly designed IMHO (vs iOS6). The find is painful to use. Trying out Chrome/Atomic.

This was one of the first things I tried. Made no difference.

Yeah, I miss the old find field in the iPad version of Safari. Hopefully it will return in 7.1.

munchkin_utd

Oh, I hated the search field in old safari and ended up using chrome on the old ipad as a result.

I couldn't be happier with the new I pad air and being able to use safari is one of the many many plus points

Oh, and I setup the ipad air from a backup of the old ipad 1 and haven't a problem. Chrome crashed once but on a very heavy image site and lots of crazy formatting, which is fine compared to most apps crashing literally every 5 mins on the old ipad

banquo

Tried an Air today in CompuB.

Jesus Christ, Safari was fast. Like really fast. Like wow.

munchkin_utd

banquo wrote: »

Tried an Air today in CompuB.

Jesus Christ, Safari was fast. Like really fast. Like wow.

tis quick all right

all in all theres very little I can fault it on, and even external apps like the new google mail or maps are more than acceptably fast, especially in comparison to how idiotically slow they were on an iPad 1.

theres a basic side to side overview on you tube, and you can see about the 1 minute point how painfully slow the ipad 1 is for rendering web pages
http://9to5mac.com/2013/11/01/want-to-see-how-the-ipad-air-benchmarks-translate-to-real-life-use-heres-the-video/
the difference between the others is actually not that much.

I'd like to see what the various ipads are like compared to each other with a more demanding new app like google maps or mail though

Hobbes

munchkin_utd wrote: »

I'd like to see what the various ipads are like compared to each other with a more demanding new app like google maps or mail though

I tested with NOVA3. The game starts up in half the time it takes the iPad4.

The thing with the games though is most are still running in compatibility mode on the A7, so the chip isn't using all the features.

Plates

munchkin_utd wrote: »

I'd like to see what the various ipads are like compared to each other with a more demanding new app like google maps or mail though

For an alternative option - if you're looking for speed / performance - take a look at this video:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=wG1b0yBJHLM#t=250

whiterebel

Plates wrote: »

For an alternative option - if you're looking for speed / performance - take a look at this video:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=wG1b0yBJHLM#t=250

You know that isn't an iPad, right?:rolleyes:

Plates

whiterebel wrote: »

You know that isn't an iPad, right?:rolleyes:

The key word was "alternative"

whiterebel

I got an iPad mini a couple of weeks ago.
My iPad 2 is too big to drag around with me, as I'll probably be going to Dublin city centre a fair bit, from Cork. I didn't want to bring a bag with me on train, Luas and walking, so I bought a 7" Android tablet as it was so portable, but its true: You get what you pay for. I was sh*t, so I took a hit, returned it, and got the iPad Mini. Just the portability of it is amazing, slips into a jeans back pocket (Not recommended :eek:) or the inside pocket of a jacket (bit tight with a cover on). Taking notes, pulling up Box documents, looking up on t'interweb, on the go from 7am yesterday morning on the train until 5pm yesterday, on most of the day. The ordinary mini is so good, the Retina version should be fantastic altogether, if only for the extra power under the hood.

whiterebel

Plates wrote: »

The key word was "alternative"

The key words are Air and Mini 2

munchkin_utd

Plates wrote: »

For an alternative option - if you're looking for speed / performance - take a look at this video:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=wG1b0yBJHLM#t=250

actually looks grand

pity microsoft are too busy counting their money coming in from desktop products to put the time and effort (and some of the cash) into conveying that their products exist and are an alternative to an ipad.
Seriously, they probably have spent billions on the product and its so well advertised that I didnt know it existed!!

then again, they probably are advertising in the USA, which as we all know is all that matters to many major american companies, with Apple being one exception who seem to be fairly good at penetrating foreign markets.

py2006

Well I still haven't got it! :rolleyes:

They are probably sold out anyways. I might just wait till the Mini 2 comes out and give both a good grope together in PC World before making a decision.

banquo

After trying one out yesterday, I really want an iPad Air. Seriously slick. Didn't think I could be impressed by a new iPad without some cool new software feature, but it is quite beautiful.

Colonel Panic

I got an Air to replace my iPad 2. The difference in weight and thickness is pretty striking. It's not as light as, say, a Kindle where one handed use is possible for extended periods of time but its like a big Mini not a small iPad 2.

In terms of usage, a 9" screen at that pixel density make using Safari on non-mobile pages possible in portrait mode. I think for my, a rMini would negate this and I'd end up spending time zooming pages again.

As far as portability goes. The difference between an Air and a rMini is whether you want to keep it in a coat pocket or your bag. I cycle everywhere and tend to always have a bag with me so an easy choice.

py2006

Colonel Panic wrote: »

In terms of usage, a 9" screen at that pixel density make using Safari on non-mobile pages possible in portrait mode. I think for my, a rMini would negate this and I'd end up spending time zooming pages again.
.

That is one thing putting me off the Mini. You still have to do a certain amount of scrolling (both horizontally and vertically) when viewing certain web pages. It is similar to an iPhone in that regard. Although, will the higher res of the Mini2 fix that?

whiterebel

py2006 wrote: »

That is one thing putting me off the Mini. You still have to do a certain amount of scrolling (both horizontally and vertically) when viewing certain web pages. It is similar to an iPhone in that regard. Although, will the higher res of the Mini2 fix that?

I had no issue looking at Boards.ie and other sites on the train yesterday. Zoomed out to the edges and it was perfectly legible in landscape. It was on a table top about 2-2.5 feet from me, too.

Colonel Panic

py2006 wrote: »

That is one thing putting me off the Mini. You still have to do a certain amount of scrolling (both horizontally and vertically) when viewing certain web pages. It is similar to an iPhone in that regard. Although, will the higher res of the Mini2 fix that?

The higher dot pitch will make the teeny text sharper, but it won't be any bigger. That's the issue with the Mini for me and it's one that specifically applies to portrait orientation.

So if you have good eyesight and want get the page height increase of using it in portrait, an rMini would be fine if that's the form factor you're after.

py2006

Quick question that applies to either, I know they don't have Microsoft Office but is there an App that reads/saves as Word documents, Excel Spreadsheets etc. Also, any web design functionality? As in create and test HTML documents and even maybe php?

If yes to the above then I would lean more towards the Air.