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Remember the iPod mini? When Apple launched that in January 2004, at a time when a huge swathe of the fast-growing digital music player market was still up for grabs, people thought Apple was crazy. Only 4GB of storage – less than in the original 5GB model launched in 2001? A $249 price tag – only $50 less than the base level "iPod". Well, said the critics, Apple had finally messed up after a couple of years of getting it right. It was doomed.
Remember the iPod mini? When Apple launched that in January 2004, at a time when a huge swathe of the fast-growing digital music player market was still up for grabs, people thought Apple was crazy. Only 4GB of storage – less than in the original 5GB model launched in 2001? A $249 price tag – only $50 less than the base level "iPod". Well, said the critics, Apple had finally messed up after a couple of years of getting it right. It was doomed.
Turned out it wasn't; the iPod mini became the best-selling iPod (until the iPod nano in September 2005).
Turned out it wasn't; the iPod mini became the best-selling iPod (until the iPod nano in September 2005).
Why point this out? Because much the same critique has been applied to the iPad mini, Apple's 7.85in device. It's just smaller (though nobody seems to be calling it "a big iPod Touch" – perhaps that wore thin after the first few thousand times following the original iPad's launch). It's too pricey; there are others which are already in the market.
Why point this out? Because much the same critique has been applied to the iPad mini, Apple's 7.85in device. It's just smaller (though nobody seems to be calling it "a big iPod Touch" – perhaps that wore thin after the first few thousand times following the original iPad's launch). It's too pricey; there are others which are already in the market.
As I've said earlier, there are some key differences between the iPod market of 2004 and today's mini-tablet market. The key one is that in the 2004 market, all the rivals needed to make a profit on their hardware; they couldn't make it up from selling music. This time round, Amazon and Google in particular can sell the hardware at a loss in order to goose their market share, if not immediately their profits. So Apple has a fight on its hands in pricing, not just design.
As I've said earlier, there are some key differences between the iPod market of 2004 and today's mini-tablet market. The key one is that in the 2004 market, all the rivals needed to make a profit on their hardware; they couldn't make it up from selling music. This time round, Amazon and Google in particular can sell the hardware at a loss in order to goose their market share, if not immediately their profits. So Apple has a fight on its hands in pricing, not just design.
But let's by dealing with the iPad mini as it is, on its own terms.
But let's by dealing with the iPad mini as it is, on its own terms.
Build quality: seamless
Build quality: seamless
Jonathan Ive doesn't like seams. He doesn't like any sort of break in the surface of objects, even manufactured ones. One of the notable things about the first iPod was that there was no obvious way to break it open, and the trend in all of Apple products – including the computers – is the same.
Jonathan Ive doesn't like seams. He doesn't like any sort of break in the surface of objects, even manufactured ones. One of the notable things about the first iPod was that there was no obvious way to break it open, and the trend in all of Apple products – including the computers – is the same.
You'll do well to get a scalpel blade between the iPad mini's screen and its bezel. There's no flex in the body; it's really solid. I was using a black model; it isn't obviously metal until you touch it. As with its bigger sibling, the headphone jack is on the top – unlike the iPhone 5, where it has migrated to the bottom.
You'll do well to get a scalpel blade between the iPad mini's screen and its bezel. There's no flex in the body; it's really solid. I was using a black model; it isn't obviously metal until you touch it. As with its bigger sibling, the headphone jack is on the top – unlike the iPhone 5, where it has migrated to the bottom.
Dimensions
Dimensions
This is worthy of mention because everyone has been focused on the Amazon Kindle Fire in comparison to the iPad mini (and of course Google Nexus 7). I compared an iPad mini beside a Kindle Fire, and was surprised to find that they're almost exactly the same size in both width and length, though the iPad mini is thinner.
This is worthy of mention because everyone has been focused on the Amazon Kindle Fire in comparison to the iPad mini (and of course Google Nexus 7). I compared an iPad mini beside a Kindle Fire, and was surprised to find that they're almost exactly the same size in both width and length, though the iPad mini is thinner.
Similarly, compare it with the Nexus 7. Here are the figures for the iPad mini: 199mm x 133mm; the Nexus 7, 198.5mm x 120mm. You get 1.3cm – that's half an inch - width difference between the Nexus 7 and the iPad mini. This surprised me – I thought that the iPad mini would be substantially wider. But it's not, and at that width you can slip it into an outside jacket pocket or a roomy coat pocket or, of course, a bag.
Similarly, compare it with the Nexus 7. Here are the figures for the iPad mini: 199mm x 133mm; the Nexus 7, 198.5mm x 120mm. You get 1.3cm – that's half an inch - width difference between the Nexus 7 and the iPad mini. This surprised me – I thought that the iPad mini would be substantially wider. But it's not, and at that width you can slip it into an outside jacket pocket or a roomy coat pocket or, of course, a bag.
How though does the iPad mini manage to be so small if it has a 7.85in screen, while the others have just 7in screens? By having a much thinner border along the long edges. It's 20mm wide at the short edges, but just 5mm on the long ones. This isn't just a shrunk-down iPad, where the borders are 20mm and 17mm (short, long). Apple has made a definite effort to create something that can be slipped into generous pockets.
How though does the iPad mini manage to be so small if it has a 7.85in screen, while the others have just 7in screens? By having a much thinner border along the long edges. It's 20mm wide at the short edges, but just 5mm on the long ones. This isn't just a shrunk-down iPad, where the borders are 20mm and 17mm (short, long). Apple has made a definite effort to create something that can be slipped into generous pockets.
Weight
Weight
What will surprise you is the weight. The specs already show that the iPad mini is lighter than the Kindle Fire, 308g v 395g (and 340g for the Nexus 7); even if you add on a Smart Cover, it's still lighter than the uncovered Kindle Fire. It's thinner too. This is a device that will be ideal for holding in one hand for reading on train rides or other commuting; or you might even forget it's in that coat pocket.
What will surprise you is the weight. The specs already show that the iPad mini is lighter than the Kindle Fire, 308g v 395g (and 340g for the Nexus 7); even if you add on a Smart Cover, it's still lighter than the uncovered Kindle Fire. It's thinner too. This is a device that will be ideal for holding in one hand for reading on train rides or other commuting; or you might even forget it's in that coat pocket.
What the iPod mini demonstrated, and what the MacBook Air demonstrated, and pretty much every breakthrough in mobility demonstrates, is that lighter is better – and if you can do lighter and bigger, you're really onto a winner. (This is part of how the Samsung Galaxy S3 has done so well: big screen, light phone.)
What the iPod mini demonstrated, and what the MacBook Air demonstrated, and pretty much every breakthrough in mobility demonstrates, is that lighter is better – and if you can do lighter and bigger, you're really onto a winner. (This is part of how the Samsung Galaxy S3 has done so well: big screen, light phone.)
The iPad mini (308g) feels like it isn't really there. Certainly you'll not get tired of holding it, which could happen with the iPad (652g).
The iPad mini (308g) feels like it isn't really there. Certainly you'll not get tired of holding it, which could happen with the iPad (652g).
Battery life
Battery life
As with previous iPads, battery life is easily in the nine-hour-plus mark. Charging is via the new Lightning connector, and as with the iPhone, the iPad now recharges very quickly – half an hour will easily add four or five times as much use. I didn't get a chance to try it out on a 4G/LTE network, so don't know how that affects battery life. (Mobile versions sold in the UK will initially be compatible with EE's 1800MHz network, and Three's next year.)
As with previous iPads, battery life is easily in the nine-hour-plus mark. Charging is via the new Lightning connector, and as with the iPhone, the iPad now recharges very quickly – half an hour will easily add four or five times as much use. I didn't get a chance to try it out on a 4G/LTE network, so don't know how that affects battery life. (Mobile versions sold in the UK will initially be compatible with EE's 1800MHz network, and Three's next year.)
Screen
Screen
It's not a retina screen! It's only 1024x768, so that the resolution is 163ppi. This has been a big complaint (or snark, in some cases) that I've heard from people who haven't laid eyes on this device. If all you read is specifications, then the iPad mini screen is far worse than the Kindle Fire's or Nexus 7's, right?
It's not a retina screen! It's only 1024x768, so that the resolution is 163ppi. This has been a big complaint (or snark, in some cases) that I've heard from people who haven't laid eyes on this device. If all you read is specifications, then the iPad mini screen is far worse than the Kindle Fire's or Nexus 7's, right?
Well, put them beside each other, and the story changes. Web page rendering on the Kindle Fire is, frankly, awful. It's blocky, and there's a yellowish cast which personally I dislike. The iPad mini is bright, and white, and the text rendering is good – and there's no obvious pixellation. Kindle books look as good on the iPad mini as on the Kindle Fire. (The latter is optimised for reading those, but not for the web; Amazon would rather you bought books than surfed the web.) Icons on the iPad mini look sharp; on the Kindle Fire, not really.
Well, put them beside each other, and the story changes. Web page rendering on the Kindle Fire is, frankly, awful. It's blocky, and there's a yellowish cast which personally I dislike. The iPad mini is bright, and white, and the text rendering is good – and there's no obvious pixellation. Kindle books look as good on the iPad mini as on the Kindle Fire. (The latter is optimised for reading those, but not for the web; Amazon would rather you bought books than surfed the web.) Icons on the iPad mini look sharp; on the Kindle Fire, not really.
Scrolling
Scrolling
With long lists, it's smooth and untroubled; this is something Apple has prioritised. Again, the comparison with Android, where scrolling has always been a bugbear, is stark; get a long article with lots of comments on a website, and you'll get a smooth scroll. That's not always the case on Android devices, where some will give jerky performance, no matter how many cores their processor has. Specs, eh? They can lead you astray.
With long lists, it's smooth and untroubled; this is something Apple has prioritised. Again, the comparison with Android, where scrolling has always been a bugbear, is stark; get a long article with lots of comments on a website, and you'll get a smooth scroll. That's not always the case on Android devices, where some will give jerky performance, no matter how many cores their processor has. Specs, eh? They can lead you astray.
Setup experience
Setup experience
If you have an iOS device already – iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad – then you can log into your iCloud account and all the apps and content you've already bought, plus all your settings including alarms can be transferred wirelessly. (If you've got multiple devices backed up, you get to choose which it's restored from. Alternatively, you can just use a wire and an iTunes backup.) Android tries, but doesn't quite get to the granular level that iCloud does, and that's a big difference in user-friendliness.
If you have an iOS device already – iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad – then you can log into your iCloud account and all the apps and content you've already bought, plus all your settings including alarms can be transferred wirelessly. (If you've got multiple devices backed up, you get to choose which it's restored from. Alternatively, you can just use a wire and an iTunes backup.) Android tries, but doesn't quite get to the granular level that iCloud does, and that's a big difference in user-friendliness.
User accounts
User accounts
There aren't any. This is the biggest failing in iOS at present. Now that Google has announced that Android will support a form of user accounts on tablets, and Windows Phone 8 offers "Kids Corner" (fenced-off apps you can let the kids use), and Windows RT tablets support multiple signins, iOS is starting to look like the odd one out. One tablet per person is great for Apple, but it's not so great for the squeezed middle. Single-user iPhones yes; multi-user iPads, yes please.
There aren't any. This is the biggest failing in iOS at present. Now that Google has announced that Android will support a form of user accounts on tablets, and Windows Phone 8 offers "Kids Corner" (fenced-off apps you can let the kids use), and Windows RT tablets support multiple signins, iOS is starting to look like the odd one out. One tablet per person is great for Apple, but it's not so great for the squeezed middle. Single-user iPhones yes; multi-user iPads, yes please.
Keyboard
Keyboard
Of course, there isn't an inbuilt keyboard. But the question is, is the onscreen version too small to type on? No – used in landscape or portrait, the keys are large enough even for my hands. Despite the smaller screen, touch targets aren't too small either. In short, you can still type quite accurately (and certainly more accurately than on an iPhone) and manipulate onscreen objects. I don't think that many app developers will be redoing their existing iPad 2 apps.
Of course, there isn't an inbuilt keyboard. But the question is, is the onscreen version too small to type on? No – used in landscape or portrait, the keys are large enough even for my hands. Despite the smaller screen, touch targets aren't too small either. In short, you can still type quite accurately (and certainly more accurately than on an iPhone) and manipulate onscreen objects. I don't think that many app developers will be redoing their existing iPad 2 apps.
In fact, games developers are quite excited by the idea of the iPad mini, because they reckon it will mean more players using the device in landscape mode who will be able to span the bottom of the screen with their thumbs (personally, I could) – something that was impossible with the iPad, which anyway gets too heavy.
In fact, games developers are quite excited by the idea of the iPad mini, because they reckon it will mean more players using the device in landscape mode who will be able to span the bottom of the screen with their thumbs (personally, I could) – something that was impossible with the iPad, which anyway gets too heavy.
Cameras
Cameras
Available front and back – here's an example shot with the camera on the back. There's no Panorama option with the rear camera, which is a strange omission.
Available front and back – here's an example shot with the camera on the back. There's no Panorama option with the rear camera, which is a strange omission.
Apps
Apps
Existing iPad apps work perfectly well. I tried the Brian Cox Wonders app, which includes videos. I criticised the Nexus 7 for the extent of letterboxing on its 16:9 screen, so will I do the same for the iPad mini?
Existing iPad apps work perfectly well. I tried the Brian Cox Wonders app, which includes videos. I criticised the Nexus 7 for the extent of letterboxing on its 16:9 screen, so will I do the same for the iPad mini?
Yup – you get some pretty hefty letterboxing here too. Here's the thing, though: because the border around the long edges is so much thinner than at the edges, the overall effect is no worse than the Nexus 7; given that proportionally less of the space is lost to the border, you could argue it's a less compromised experience.
Yup – you get some pretty hefty letterboxing here too. Here's the thing, though: because the border around the long edges is so much thinner than at the edges, the overall effect is no worse than the Nexus 7; given that proportionally less of the space is lost to the border, you could argue it's a less compromised experience.
For comparison, here's the Nexus 7 letterboxing:
For comparison, here's the Nexus 7 letterboxing:
It might not be immediately obvious, but if you look closely then you can see that the physical border is much wider in the Nexus 7 than on the iPad mini.
It might not be immediately obvious, but if you look closely then you can see that the physical border is much wider in the Nexus 7 than on the iPad mini.
iPhone apps' behaviour can be hit-and-miss: some fit the screen neatly when expanded to the "2x" size, others overlap the edges (I'm looking at you, Tube Deluxe), others just look blocky (hello, Amazon – though there is a proper Amazon iPad app). There isn't the spare room that the larger iPad has around the edges when you expand the size of the iPhone app on the mini's screen. Then again, with the huge number of iPad apps available, this probably won't be a problem.
iPhone apps' behaviour can be hit-and-miss: some fit the screen neatly when expanded to the "2x" size, others overlap the edges (I'm looking at you, Tube Deluxe), others just look blocky (hello, Amazon – though there is a proper Amazon iPad app). There isn't the spare room that the larger iPad has around the edges when you expand the size of the iPhone app on the mini's screen. Then again, with the huge number of iPad apps available, this probably won't be a problem.
Price
Price
Yes, let's talk about the price. As mentioned above, Apple isn't looking to race to the bottom on price, because its objective (make a profit on hardware) isn't aligned to that of Google and Amazon (sell hardware near cost, profit on content or from users' web browsing). That said, at £269 for the 16GB model, you're getting an impressively light, small tablet which (if you buy the connectors, or have them) can take your camera pictures, or just take pictures itself. There's AirPlay, the wireless audio and video connection – if you have an AppleTV (£99) then you can run iPlayer on the iPad and "throw" it over to the AppleTV and watch it on a big screen; no wires. And it's not hugely more expensive than the Nexus 7, though the Kindle Fire is much cheaper. If price is your only consideration, though, an iPad probably hasn't been on your shopping list anyway.
Yes, let's talk about the price. As mentioned above, Apple isn't looking to race to the bottom on price, because its objective (make a profit on hardware) isn't aligned to that of Google and Amazon (sell hardware near cost, profit on content or from users' web browsing). That said, at £269 for the 16GB model, you're getting an impressively light, small tablet which (if you buy the connectors, or have them) can take your camera pictures, or just take pictures itself. There's AirPlay, the wireless audio and video connection – if you have an AppleTV (£99) then you can run iPlayer on the iPad and "throw" it over to the AppleTV and watch it on a big screen; no wires. And it's not hugely more expensive than the Nexus 7, though the Kindle Fire is much cheaper. If price is your only consideration, though, an iPad probably hasn't been on your shopping list anyway.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Those in favour: excellent build quality; very light, comparatively large screen, not significantly wider than competition (for putting in coat pockets), excellent text rendering, huge selection of apps, music, books and films, pain-free setup from iCloud backups for existing accounts; 3G/4G LTE option; fast-growing range of accessories.
Those in favour: excellent build quality; very light, comparatively large screen, not significantly wider than competition (for putting in coat pockets), excellent text rendering, huge selection of apps, music, books and films, pain-free setup from iCloud backups for existing accounts; 3G/4G LTE option; fast-growing range of accessories.
Those against: price is higher than rivals – at £229£269, it's £40£110 more than the £159 16GB Nexus 7; no expandable storage; letterboxing of films; no HDMI out (though AirPlay is a wireless equivalent).
Those against: price is higher than rivals – at £229£269, it's £40£110 more than the £159 16GB Nexus 7; no expandable storage; letterboxing of films; no HDMI out (though AirPlay is a wireless equivalent).
Lining those pluses and minuses up against those for the Nexus 7 – which garnered four stars – there's no doubt that this is indeed a five-star device. The 20%70% difference in comparative price is more than made up by the difference in build quality and software selection. (Update: I originally had the relative prices of the Nexus 7 and the iPad mini wrong - the mini too low and the Nexus 7 too high. I apologise for the error, which was significant. Is the difference enough to justify buying the Nexus 7 instead? If budget or OS is the single driver of your decision, then certainly the Nexus 7's price is a substantial saving on the iPad mini.)
Lining those pluses and minuses up against those for the Nexus 7 – which garnered four stars – there's no doubt that this is indeed a five-star device. The 20%70% difference in comparative price is more than made up by the difference in build quality and software selection. (Update: I originally had the relative prices of the Nexus 7 and the iPad mini wrong - the mini too low and the Nexus 7 too high. I apologise for the error, which was significant. Is the difference enough to justify buying the Nexus 7 instead? If budget or OS is the single driver of your decision, then certainly the Nexus 7's price is a substantial saving on the iPad mini.)
Apple is going to sell a lot of these – quite possibly more than the "large" iPad – in this quarter. The only way Apple could improve on this product would be (as some people are already agitating) to give it a retina screen and somehow make it lighter. That might happen at some point. You can wait if you like; other people, in the meantime, will be buying this one.
Apple is going to sell a lot of these – quite possibly more than the "large" iPad – in this quarter. The only way Apple could improve on this product would be (as some people are already agitating) to give it a retina screen and somehow make it lighter. That might happen at some point. You can wait if you like; other people, in the meantime, will be buying this one.
Apple iPad mini: available in black or white. 16GB Wi-Fi: £269;
Apple iPad mini: available in black or white. 16GB Wi-Fi: £269;
32GB Wi-fi: £349;
32GB Wi-fi: £349;
64 GB Wi-Fi: £429;
64 GB Wi-Fi: £429;
With 3G & 4G/LTE (compatible with EE in UK): 16GB & 3G/4G: £369;
With 3G & 4G/LTE (compatible with EE in UK): 16GB & 3G/4G: £369;
32GB & 3G/4G: £449;
32GB & 3G/4G: £449;
63GB & 3G/4G: £529
63GB & 3G/4G: £529
Corrected: price and relative difference was wrong in final paragraphs. Added: prices for various models.
Corrected: price and relative difference was wrong in final paragraphs. Added: prices for various models.
Comments
213 comments, displaying first
31 October 2012 1:19AM
Five stars? I'm flabbergasted.
Don't worry (about the price), it's very good.
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31 October 2012 1:20AM
sorry but NEXUS wins hands down. Jobs didn't want Apple to go down the 7" tablet route but now that it has Apple is doomed. Well at least there's that boat.....
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31 October 2012 1:21AM
A five-star Apple review on the Guardian? Colour me shocked!
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31 October 2012 1:23AM
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31 October 2012 1:23AM
Price starts at £269 in the UK, not £239 as the article says. So that would be £70 more than its rivals...
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31 October 2012 1:24AM
Shocked ... absolutely shocked.
I was sure it would get 6/5
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31 October 2012 1:26AM
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31 October 2012 1:27AM
How's the Galaxy Note 2 review going?
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31 October 2012 1:28AM
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31 October 2012 1:29AM
An unbiased review of a magical addition to the apple family.
Just think how many of these little beauties will be peeking out of the top of a bulging stocking come Christmas morn, and the delight on many a young urchins face as the fluid majesty of iOS washes over them.
Steve has done it again, with the earth-bound assistance of Jonny and Tim, and His mission to bring life-enhancing tech to those who appreciate the value of quality over tatty ubiquity continues apace.
Hurrah for Steve and all at apple; ill wager this time next year, the cheap and 'cheerful' competitors will still be announcing yet another 'iPad mini killer', whilst missing the point entirely....
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31 October 2012 1:33AM
Wow. Perfect Xmas present?
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31 October 2012 1:34AM
5 stars. This won't end well haha
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31 October 2012 1:36AM
"at £239, it's £40 more than the 16GB Nexus 7; "
Even if that was the price of iPad Mini (it's not, £269), it would be £40 more than the 32GB Nexus 7 (the 16GB is £159) and the exact same price as the 32GB Nexus 7 with cellular network capability. Take a look for yourself: https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=nexus_7_32gb_hspa
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31 October 2012 1:39AM
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31 October 2012 1:42AM
After all the gushing you gave the Retina iPad and the Retina Macbook Pro...
It just reads like an iPology.
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31 October 2012 1:45AM
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31 October 2012 1:50AM
One thing - when you're talking about letterboxing on screens, could you at least use videos that have the same aspect ratios? From the screenshot there it looks like the Brian Cox video is 16:9 on a 4:3 ratio screen. The Nexus 7 has what looks like a 2.39:1 video on a 16:9 screen.
Hardly a fair comparison? I get the notes about the physical bezel, but the way it's presented is a bit misleading.
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31 October 2012 1:50AM
5 stars...?!? Please..this is starting to get a little ridiculous..
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31 October 2012 1:50AM
Did you really compare the screens with content that has two different aspect ratios?
The Nexus 7 has a 16:10 screen, so there shouldn't be much letterboxing if you tried playing Wonders on it.
Try playing Transformers on the iPad mini, which has a 4:3 screen, and the letterboxing would be much worse than what you show above.
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31 October 2012 1:53AM
The Nexus 7 has a 16:10 screen, so there shouldn't be much letterboxing if you tried playing Wonders on it.
Ah, 16:10, not 16:9. My bad further up. :)
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31 October 2012 1:59AM
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31 October 2012 2:03AM
Unbelievable! The greatest invention since Thomas Edison's Phonograph and you only gave it only 5 stars?
Steve Jobs must be rolling in his grave right now.
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31 October 2012 2:05AM
Is anyone else bored crapless with these endless releases of 'same same but different' technology, being incrementally marketed to extract maximum revenue?
Can't we achieve anything better as a species than make the same thing slightly lighter/bigger/smaller/faster?
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31 October 2012 2:06AM
lol A big iPod Touch
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31 October 2012 2:13AM
"And it's not hugely more expensive than the Nexus 7, though the Kindle Fire is much cheaper. If price is your only consideration, though, an iPad probably hasn't been on your shopping list anyway."
This correction is still slightly off. Entry level Nexus 7 is £159, Entry level Kindle fire is £129. Why do you qualify the £140 difference of the Fire "much cheaper", whereas the £110 difference of the Nexus 7 is "not hugely more expensive"? The £30 gap puts them in the same ball park for most people.
Unlike others I don't think the writer has an agenda, it's just sloppy writing.
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31 October 2012 2:18AM
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31 October 2012 2:22AM
I'm not sure quite why I still read Charles Arthur's reviews of Apple products- I'll never agree.
My view is- if this runs iOS6 then never is it a 5/5 product. The hardware might be amazing (Apple are damn good at hardware,) but the software is frustrating and behind the times.
I use Android Jellybean on my phone daily, and iOS6 on my iPad2 daily, and Jellybean is streets ahead.
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31 October 2012 2:23AM
With long lists, it's smooth and untroubled; this is something Apple has prioritised. Again, the comparison with Android, where scrolling has always been a bugbear, is stark; get a long article with lots of comments on a website, and you'll get a smooth scroll. That's not always the case on Android devices, where some will give jerky performance, no matter how many cores their processor has. Specs, eh? They can lead you astray.
Which Android devices give a jerky performance when scrolling? Please name names so we can at least check your (vague) facts.
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31 October 2012 2:25AM
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31 October 2012 2:33AM
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31 October 2012 2:45AM
....if you are a cheerleader for a company, you get to entertain us with all manner of your back flips and contortions from your previous position.
It really is comical to see the desperate, creative energy put into the writing and rewriting of such things as 16.9 and width of black bars.
As for the price I guess we were forewarned with the survey article last week that price levels no longer matter to prospective tablet consumers.
I guess we should be grateful that at least there was no further chorusing of the "post-PC world" line with the launch of this mini-tablet, especially as an article from here yesterday said that tablets are only used for "productivity" 1% of the time.
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31 October 2012 2:48AM
Haven't even gotten an iPhone... iPad mini = iSpend many
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31 October 2012 2:52AM
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31 October 2012 2:52AM
Nexus 7 32GB 3g = £239. iPad mini 32GB + cellular = £449. The Apple experience is not worth over £200 more.
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31 October 2012 2:52AM
I don't like to jump on the bias bandwagon but one makes it exceedingly difficult
16GB Nexus 7 £159 16GB iPad mini £269 (69% more expensive) 32GB Nexus 7 £199 32GB iPad mini £349 (75% more expensive) 3G 32GB Nexus 7 £239 3G/4G 32GB iPad mini £449 (88% more expensive)
So while price may not be the only consideration at those percentages it should play a larger role for what is on the basis of your own review, at least fairly similar devices.
If I have my maths wrong feel free to label me retarded and I'll take it on the chin. If not..
In the interests of impartial journalism please the amend the articles factual inaccuracies, possibly also pausing to consider the benefits of 16:10 over 4:3, then ask yourself the question, is the 70% difference in comparative price more than made up by the difference in build quality and software selection?
Don't waste too much time on it though as I'm hoping for a review of the Lumia 920(whilst figuring out if I can get it unlocked and sim free in the UK)
TSB
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31 October 2012 3:08AM
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"The initial iPad Mini reviews come to largely similar conclusions. Apparently everyone who’s actually used the thing is a paid shill."
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31 October 2012 3:31AM
Thank you for this link Slimbowski- not being sarky, I genuinely mean it-
Interesting that Harry McCracker writes on the page you provide:
Are you aware that I once quit my job when the publisher told me we couldn’t publish an article that was critical of Apple?/blockquote>
So this suggests that this Apple cheerleading is an issue in some parts of the publishing world. All of this is begging for an article looking at the relationship between the media and tech companies
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31 October 2012 3:44AM
So why do I need an iPad mini, if I can have a N7 for less than $149 and have my droid phone provide 4G LTE hotspot for it (wherever I choose to be). Why would I need to be at the mercy of iOS upgrades and expensive apple apps, if I can have my Android OS automatically upgrade itself on my N7 without me even noticing it? Why would I want to pay the extra for every iThing, so I can just look geekier?:-) My verdict: Everything Apple is in it's extinction level phase...sorry kido!
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31 October 2012 4:12AM
A brave man, our Charles...
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31 October 2012 4:21AM
yeah so he loves it, and thinks it's amazing. i think he's probably right. android might have better maps and notes or calendar but totally funky as fook apps? i don't think so. build quality might be close but i bet it's not as good on the doid. what i really want to know is how it fares compared to the ipad 2 which is essentially what it's replacing...
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31 October 2012 4:22AM
there's no doubt that this is indeed a five-star device..
- we were never in doubt, Charles. Never.
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31 October 2012 4:40AM
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31 October 2012 4:48AM
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31 October 2012 5:02AM
It is quite depressing when Apple product comes out and you just know what they're holding back for the next release... Well... guess what... in a year's time, you'll get the same product with a slightly better chip and more crucially Retina Display.
The thing with Retina Display is that it is brilliant... and when you've seen it, you just don't want to go back to ordinary display.
iPad 4 is going to be similar to Ipad 3, but it will have the new iPhone battery connector.
I think Apple's customers deserve more, don't you think?
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31 October 2012 5:04AM
I'm fairly neutral on the apple love hate thing most have going but this article is atrocious. You play a video using the wrong aspect ratio and criticise the nexus 7 then you get your price facts completely wrong. The price difference is a LOT more than you state. Get this article fixed ASAP.
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31 October 2012 5:06AM
My local Waterstones has some of the Kindle Fires on display and they do feel a bit "plastic" in comparison to the iPad 2 and 3
They could not actually show me them working - the batteries had died and the staff had no idea on how to plug them in.
I don't go to PC World if I can possibly help it so no experience of the Nexus devices yet.
Like most people here, I've not actually seen or held an iPad Mini but i suspect its beautifully manufactured so yes - I would expect to pay more and yes, I suspect they will fly off the shelves.
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31 October 2012 5:07AM
I was shocked to the core! I was so shocked in fact, I couldn't sleep and hence I'm writing this at an ungodly hour!
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31 October 2012 5:14AM
5 stars?! I just winced so hard I nearly chipped a tooth. The screen is pretty lack-luster, the price is not competitive at all and still no sd slot. Not that I care though, apple has ceased to exist in my life since they declared war on my right to transfer music I own legally to my PC. Of course they'll let you transfer it to a mac though...
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Edition: UK
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Google's Nexus 7 and Amazon's Kindle Fire got into the mini-tablet market first – so can Apple's newest tablet successfully play catchup?
Remember the iPod mini? When Apple launched that in January 2004, at a time when a huge swathe of the fast-growing digital music player market was still up for grabs, people thought Apple was crazy. Only 4GB of storage – less than in the original 5GB model launched in 2001? A $249 price tag – only $50 less than the base level "iPod". Well, said the critics, Apple had finally messed up after a couple of years of getting it right. It was doomed.
Turned out it wasn't; the iPod mini became the best-selling iPod (until the iPod nano in September 2005).
Why point this out? Because much the same critique has been applied to the iPad mini, Apple's 7.85in device. It's just smaller (though nobody seems to be calling it "a big iPod Touch" – perhaps that wore thin after the first few thousand times following the original iPad's launch). It's too pricey; there are others which are already in the market.
As I've said earlier, there are some key differences between the iPod market of 2004 and today's mini-tablet market. The key one is that in the 2004 market, all the rivals needed to make a profit on their hardware; they couldn't make it up from selling music. This time round, Amazon and Google in particular can sell the hardware at a loss in order to goose their market share, if not immediately their profits. So Apple has a fight on its hands in pricing, not just design.
But let's by dealing with the iPad mini as it is, on its own terms.
Build quality: seamless
Jonathan Ive doesn't like seams. He doesn't like any sort of break in the surface of objects, even manufactured ones. One of the notable things about the first iPod was that there was no obvious way to break it open, and the trend in all of Apple products – including the computers – is the same.
You'll do well to get a scalpel blade between the iPad mini's screen and its bezel. There's no flex in the body; it's really solid. I was using a black model; it isn't obviously metal until you touch it. As with its bigger sibling, the headphone jack is on the top – unlike the iPhone 5, where it has migrated to the bottom.
Dimensions
This is worthy of mention because everyone has been focused on the Amazon Kindle Fire in comparison to the iPad mini (and of course Google Nexus 7). I compared an iPad mini beside a Kindle Fire, and was surprised to find that they're almost exactly the same size in both width and length, though the iPad mini is thinner.
Similarly, compare it with the Nexus 7. Here are the figures for the iPad mini: 199mm x 133mm; the Nexus 7, 198.5mm x 120mm. You get 1.3cm – that's half an inch - width difference between the Nexus 7 and the iPad mini. This surprised me – I thought that the iPad mini would be substantially wider. But it's not, and at that width you can slip it into an outside jacket pocket or a roomy coat pocket or, of course, a bag.
How though does the iPad mini manage to be so small if it has a 7.85in screen, while the others have just 7in screens? By having a much thinner border along the long edges. It's 20mm wide at the short edges, but just 5mm on the long ones. This isn't just a shrunk-down iPad, where the borders are 20mm and 17mm (short, long). Apple has made a definite effort to create something that can be slipped into generous pockets.
Weight
What will surprise you is the weight. The specs already show that the iPad mini is lighter than the Kindle Fire, 308g v 395g (and 340g for the Nexus 7); even if you add on a Smart Cover, it's still lighter than the uncovered Kindle Fire. It's thinner too. This is a device that will be ideal for holding in one hand for reading on train rides or other commuting; or you might even forget it's in that coat pocket.
What the iPod mini demonstrated, and what the MacBook Air demonstrated, and pretty much every breakthrough in mobility demonstrates, is that lighter is better – and if you can do lighter and bigger, you're really onto a winner. (This is part of how the Samsung Galaxy S3 has done so well: big screen, light phone.)
The iPad mini (308g) feels like it isn't really there. Certainly you'll not get tired of holding it, which could happen with the iPad (652g).
Battery life
As with previous iPads, battery life is easily in the nine-hour-plus mark. Charging is via the new Lightning connector, and as with the iPhone, the iPad now recharges very quickly – half an hour will easily add four or five times as much use. I didn't get a chance to try it out on a 4G/LTE network, so don't know how that affects battery life. (Mobile versions sold in the UK will initially be compatible with EE's 1800MHz network, and Three's next year.)
Screen
It's not a retina screen! It's only 1024x768, so that the resolution is 163ppi. This has been a big complaint (or snark, in some cases) that I've heard from people who haven't laid eyes on this device. If all you read is specifications, then the iPad mini screen is far worse than the Kindle Fire's or Nexus 7's, right?
Well, put them beside each other, and the story changes. Web page rendering on the Kindle Fire is, frankly, awful. It's blocky, and there's a yellowish cast which personally I dislike. The iPad mini is bright, and white, and the text rendering is good – and there's no obvious pixellation. Kindle books look as good on the iPad mini as on the Kindle Fire. (The latter is optimised for reading those, but not for the web; Amazon would rather you bought books than surfed the web.) Icons on the iPad mini look sharp; on the Kindle Fire, not really.
Scrolling
With long lists, it's smooth and untroubled; this is something Apple has prioritised. Again, the comparison with Android, where scrolling has always been a bugbear, is stark; get a long article with lots of comments on a website, and you'll get a smooth scroll. That's not always the case on Android devices, where some will give jerky performance, no matter how many cores their processor has. Specs, eh? They can lead you astray.
Setup experience
If you have an iOS device already – iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad – then you can log into your iCloud account and all the apps and content you've already bought, plus all your settings including alarms can be transferred wirelessly. (If you've got multiple devices backed up, you get to choose which it's restored from. Alternatively, you can just use a wire and an iTunes backup.) Android tries, but doesn't quite get to the granular level that iCloud does, and that's a big difference in user-friendliness.
User accounts
There aren't any. This is the biggest failing in iOS at present. Now that Google has announced that Android will support a form of user accounts on tablets, and Windows Phone 8 offers "Kids Corner" (fenced-off apps you can let the kids use), and Windows RT tablets support multiple signins, iOS is starting to look like the odd one out. One tablet per person is great for Apple, but it's not so great for the squeezed middle. Single-user iPhones yes; multi-user iPads, yes please.
Keyboard
Of course, there isn't an inbuilt keyboard. But the question is, is the onscreen version too small to type on? No – used in landscape or portrait, the keys are large enough even for my hands. Despite the smaller screen, touch targets aren't too small either. In short, you can still type quite accurately (and certainly more accurately than on an iPhone) and manipulate onscreen objects. I don't think that many app developers will be redoing their existing iPad 2 apps.
In fact, games developers are quite excited by the idea of the iPad mini, because they reckon it will mean more players using the device in landscape mode who will be able to span the bottom of the screen with their thumbs (personally, I could) – something that was impossible with the iPad, which anyway gets too heavy.
Cameras
Available front and back – here's an example shot with the camera on the back. There's no Panorama option with the rear camera, which is a strange omission.
Apps
Existing iPad apps work perfectly well. I tried the Brian Cox Wonders app, which includes videos. I criticised the Nexus 7 for the extent of letterboxing on its 16:9 screen, so will I do the same for the iPad mini?
Yup – you get some pretty hefty letterboxing here too. Here's the thing, though: because the border around the long edges is so much thinner than at the edges, the overall effect is no worse than the Nexus 7; given that proportionally less of the space is lost to the border, you could argue it's a less compromised experience.
For comparison, here's the Nexus 7 letterboxing:
It might not be immediately obvious, but if you look closely then you can see that the physical border is much wider in the Nexus 7 than on the iPad mini.
iPhone apps' behaviour can be hit-and-miss: some fit the screen neatly when expanded to the "2x" size, others overlap the edges (I'm looking at you, Tube Deluxe), others just look blocky (hello, Amazon – though there is a proper Amazon iPad app). There isn't the spare room that the larger iPad has around the edges when you expand the size of the iPhone app on the mini's screen. Then again, with the huge number of iPad apps available, this probably won't be a problem.
Price
Yes, let's talk about the price. As mentioned above, Apple isn't looking to race to the bottom on price, because its objective (make a profit on hardware) isn't aligned to that of Google and Amazon (sell hardware near cost, profit on content or from users' web browsing). That said, at £269 for the 16GB model, you're getting an impressively light, small tablet which (if you buy the connectors, or have them) can take your camera pictures, or just take pictures itself. There's AirPlay, the wireless audio and video connection – if you have an AppleTV (£99) then you can run iPlayer on the iPad and "throw" it over to the AppleTV and watch it on a big screen; no wires. And it's not hugely more expensive than the Nexus 7, though the Kindle Fire is much cheaper. If price is your only consideration, though, an iPad probably hasn't been on your shopping list anyway.
Conclusion
Those in favour: excellent build quality; very light, comparatively large screen, not significantly wider than competition (for putting in coat pockets), excellent text rendering, huge selection of apps, music, books and films, pain-free setup from iCloud backups for existing accounts; 3G/4G LTE option; fast-growing range of accessories.
Those against: price is higher than rivals – at £229£269, it's £40£110 more than the £159 16GB Nexus 7; no expandable storage; letterboxing of films; no HDMI out (though AirPlay is a wireless equivalent).
Lining those pluses and minuses up against those for the Nexus 7 – which garnered four stars – there's no doubt that this is indeed a five-star device. The 20%70% difference in comparative price is more than made up by the difference in build quality and software selection. (Update: I originally had the relative prices of the Nexus 7 and the iPad mini wrong - the mini too low and the Nexus 7 too high. I apologise for the error, which was significant. Is the difference enough to justify buying the Nexus 7 instead? If budget or OS is the single driver of your decision, then certainly the Nexus 7's price is a substantial saving on the iPad mini.)
Apple is going to sell a lot of these – quite possibly more than the "large" iPad – in this quarter. The only way Apple could improve on this product would be (as some people are already agitating) to give it a retina screen and somehow make it lighter. That might happen at some point. You can wait if you like; other people, in the meantime, will be buying this one.
Apple iPad mini: available in black or white. 16GB Wi-Fi: £269;
32GB Wi-fi: £349;
64 GB Wi-Fi: £429;
With 3G & 4G/LTE (compatible with EE in UK): 16GB & 3G/4G: £369;
32GB & 3G/4G: £449;
63GB & 3G/4G: £529
Corrected: price and relative difference was wrong in final paragraphs. Added: prices for various models.
