back to article Apple iPad Mini 8in tablet review

Hitting the Apple Store shelves a whole week after Amazon's new Kindle Fire HD tablets began arriving in the post, and two months after Google launched the Asus-made Nexus 7, the iPad Mini deserves to suffer in comparison. Even Google managed to slip a new 32GB version of its Nexus 7 under the radar at the beginning of the week …

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  1. alpine

    Sheltered Life

    The reviewer has clearly led a sheltered life if he/she thinks this out of date device is any good compared to the many cheaper Android tablets around. But then the review is clearly intended to be provocative to help page clicks...

    1. Lord Voldemortgage

      Re: Sheltered Life

      " the review is clearly intended to be provocative to help page clicks..."

      That's what I assumed - the reviewer is clearly an Apple devotee so we have a "Hooray it is a little iPad!" review which I am sure is useful to some but is bound to get up the noses of a lot of regular commentards.

      1. tirk
        Unhappy

        " the review is clearly intended to be provocative to help page clicks..."

        Well it worked then, the Fandroids are out in force, which means the other lot will be along in a minute.

        Neither side waiting to read the article of course.

    2. hplasm
      Gimp

      Re: Sheltered Life

      Don't sit under the Apple tree, with anyone else but i...

      Sing along now!

    3. Gary Riches

      Re: Sheltered Life

      Have you used the iPad Mini yet? I work with phones and tablets all day long and the iPad Mini beats the hell out of the smaller tablets when viewed as a whole.

      Cheap Android tablets feel like shit. They use thin, horrible plastic, they are slow and they are buggy.

      If you are only basing on price alone, then yeah, the iPad Mini gets beaten, but if you add up the device features as a whole it's worth every penny.

      I only got mine as a test device but my wife has been on it all weekend and will be getting her own in a couple of weeks.

      1. csumpi
        Stop

        Re: Sheltered Life

        "They use thin, horrible plastic"

        There is somethign nice about plastic. My kids' $120 chinese ICS tablet survived way too many drops, with no damage. My pampered iPad on the other hand, has dents even though it never flew.

        In fact the chinaPad is much nicer to hold with the rounded edges. And it's lighter, too.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Couldn't Happen To A Nicer Company

        "Cheap Android tablets feel like shit. They use thin, horrible plastic, they are slow and they are buggy."

        Perhaps stop shopping for tablets in supermarkets..

        " I work with phones and tablets all day long"

        Translation: I work in an Apple Store.

        "if you add up the device features as a whole it's worth every penny."

        No it's not. No GPS, Shite maps, no NFC, no multi-use logon, and a rubbish 4:3 non-HD panel, couple with a mediocre (by Nexus7 standards) GPU/CPU, and the infamous Apple lock-in to proprietary formats and connectors and all for an extra £150...

        1. baryonic

          Re: Couldn't Happen To A Nicer Company

          Why comment about something you clearly no nothing about, Anonymous Coward?

          GPS is included on the 4G LTE version. Apple Maps is a significant advance over Google Maps and is a pleasure to use, providing greater speed, clarity, superior data presentation, and much better offline capability. That "rubbish" 4:3 display panel was rated more highly overall than that of the Nexus 7 in a comparative test by DisplayMate Technologies (Dr. Ray Soneira) and its aspect ratio provides much better overall usability and comfort in addition to 35% larger screen area. And regarding your stupidest assertion, i.e. that the iPad mini's CPU/GPU is "mediocre" by Nexus 7 standards, you need to read the latest comparative performance test by anandtech.com. When you do, you'll note that the iPad mini's "mediocre" CPU/GPU blows that of the Nexus 7--and every other Android device--into the weeds. The only mobile devices that outperform he iPad mini are Apple's A6-based models.

          1. jonathanb Silver badge

            Re: Couldn't Happen To A Nicer Company

            Apple Maps may be a significant advance over Google Maps if you live in North Korea, but for the rest of us, it is a major step backwards.

      3. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Sheltered Life

        They use thin, horrible plastic, they are slow and they are buggy

        And of course there are never any problems with Apple products. *cough*maps*cough*

        1. Mark 65

          Re: Sheltered Life

          Is there a decent computer application for syncing android tablets yet? Manual transfer doesn't cut it and cloud storage is 'king stupid for large or numerous files. I'd like something that will manage the data - I'm not going to rearrange the way all my media is stored just to suit a tablet so I'd like to know before I make the decision of Nexus 7 vs iPad Mini. If there's no decent syncing app then it'll have to be the Apple. Asking as I genuinely want to know.

      4. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Sheltered Life

        ""Cheap Android tablets feel like shit. They use thin, horrible plastic, they are slow and they are buggy.

        If you are only basing on price alone, then yeah, the iPad Mini gets beaten, but if you add up the device features as a whole it's worth every penny.""

        .....Oh great, compare a £259 iPad Mini with a <£100 android, 'cos that's a fair fight......................

        Why not compare a 16GB/No SDHC/No HDMI Nexus 7 at £159 with a 16GB/No SDHC/No HDMI iPad Mini at £269 then I'll discuss with you. If you want to tell me that quad-core is too slow, or take umbrage at the grippy rubberised back, them I'm confused. So what do I get for paying 70% more?

        My fingertip grip on a Mini in Dixons told me that it's too wide for my hands and although tethered to the display, also too wide for my inside jacket pocket.

        If I have to put it in my bag, or can't grip it properly when say on the tube, then it's not fit for going out and about which is surely the selling point for a mini??

        1. simon gardener

          Re: Sheltered Life

          your pockets are the wrong size.

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Sheltered Life

          I've not got huge hands but can hold it with one hand quite easily and it's SO light.

        3. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Sheltered Life

          Your £270 gets you a display that makes even "Cheap Android tablets" look good....

          http://www.zdnet.com/android-tablets-beat-out-apple-ipad-minis-graphics-7000006939/

          1. baryonic

            Re: Sheltered Life

            Your £270 gets you a display that is 35% larger and rated more highly than the Nexus 7's by DisplayMate Technologies: http://www.displaymate.com/iPad_mini_ShootOut_1.htm

      5. Lallabalalla
        Thumb Down

        Re: Sheltered Life - "Have you used the iPad Mini yet?"

        Hell, no, not an opinion from someone who ACTUALLY HAS ONE, and LIKES IT!

        DOWNVOTE THEM NOW, they are NOT allowed an opinion that disagrees with the haters!

      6. Stone Fox
        WTF?

        Re: "Cheap Android tablets feel like shit"

        Strange, the two I've bought (for half the price of this, WITH HD screens) felt smooth, powerful and handled all the apps and games thrown at them... Not that I'm saying Apple kit doesn't, but I suspicion you of telling complete porkies about working with kit or ever having touched an android...

        Oh, and while I'm in here moaning about fanbois, how can anyone really recommend a lowered spec'd alternative without HD (and that's a biggie!) for twice the price? It's a bloody tablet! IS there an affordable HD tablet in the ipad range? I'd quite like one. But can we get an impartial hack to review it please?

        (An Ainovo and an Archos in case anyones wondering)

      7. Dana W
        Meh

        Re: Sheltered Life

        The Nexus 7 is neither slow nor buggy.

        The early problem was cheap generic Android tablets. They were humorously awful. Naff hardware was Androids early trouble. The sea of $99 Chinese tablets were really giving them a bad name as a Tablet OS. But that's changed recently.

        The new Nexus stuff is well made, and genuinely fun to use.

        Good build quality, good battery life and very stable. Google is armed to the teeth and ready for a fight. They have changed the game on Android tablets.

        1. Gary Riches

          Re: Sheltered Life

          The Nexus 7 not buggy?

          The first time I ever turned it on it displayed in text: "show low low battery warning" and the back case was not fully attached to the front.

          Specs are nice, software and build, on mine at least, is garbage.

          1. Dana W

            Re: Sheltered Life

            I heard there were a few duds here and there and to buy at a brick and mortar store to be sure you got a good one. Mine came out of the box 2-3 charged, solid and stable.

            I"m told the early ones had some issues. Bought mine this week. One thing I've always tried to do as a Machead is always wait till the revision to buy. Looks like its a general truth. like not buying the first model year of any new car.

            "This has been the first non Apple piece of hardware I've really enjoyed since my Kindle 3."

            1. ThomH

              Re: Sheltered Life

              While I agree that the iPad's unique selling proposition isn't related to the specifications and disagree that it's merely slaving brand devotion, I've also found the Nexus 7 to be pretty good. The one I used was fast and felt robust and well constructed. While metal's nice to the touch, the big dent in the back of my (perfectly functional) iPad 1 does prove that it has downsides too; I'm pretty sure that the slightly rubberised Nexus 7 would have survived the same drop with no lasting effect whatsoever.

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Sheltered Life

      Specs specs specs specs specs specs, that's all Android fans ever go on about. It must have quad core 720p etc etc.. You do realise that these things run apps and the quality of the apps is the most crucial factor?

      The apps on iOS are the best for any tablet. They're optimised for the bigger screen and the quality is high. Which is why the income from iOS applications is so much higher than Google's app store, more than double!

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Sheltered Life

        "Specs specs specs specs specs specs that's all Android fans ever go on about"

        ... All thanks to its 3.1 million pixels. It’s the best mobile display ever.

        The new A6X chip inside iPad is up to twice as fast as the previous-generation A5X chip,

        The new iPad with Retina display features advanced Wi‑Fi that’s up to twice as fast as any previous....

        And that's all from the iPad's front page,,,,

        I personally couldn't give a flying monkeys what OS something is running, so long as it's priced and specc'd for what I want to do.

        I use mine for web browsing & videos. So for me so long as it can output 1080p with out add on's (bar a £10 cable) and browse the web I'm happy, for others they may want more power and more toys.

        Personally I've been in this game far to long to be bothered by this pointless willy waving. At the end of the day, if you are buying a device because it looks super trendy, or because it's an open platform with no restrictions and you can do what you want, as opposed to buying it because it actually does what you want it to do, then you've still yet to grow up.

        So please, buy the device you want and stop this pointless he said, she said crap, some of us are really bored of it now.

        1. Robredz

          Re: Sheltered Life

          Buy what you want, within your budget, and don't worry, want an I-Pad mini, have the cash? buy one, if you have £100 buy a GooPad, and a 32Gb transflash.m there are plenty of good tablets out there to suit all pockets. most are none to shabby these days.

        2. Psyx
          Stop

          Re: Sheltered Life

          "Specs specs specs specs specs specs that's all Android fans ever go on about"

          Well, yes. Because that's what Android followers believe is the most important aspect when buying tech. They believe in empirically measured function over form. That's why they are Android customers.

          Apple customers believe design and ease of use are most important. They believe that style and interface is most important. That's all that they ever go on about. That's why they are Apple customers.

    5. Anonymous Coward
      Thumb Up

      Re: Sheltered Life

      On paper, yes, it's pants. And the price is too high. After reading about it, and seeing the (lack of) launch queues, I figured this one might be a flop. Having used one a bit though, I totally agree with the review - and this thing will sell massively.

      I'm actually a mobile developer, and as such I have 4 iphones, a couple of ipods, ipads 2, 3 and mini, a few (mostly older, since developing for it turned out to be more hassle for less money) android devices. I tend to test out pretty much anything interesting that comes out.

      And yes, since getting the mini I find that's the first thing I reach for, and the thing I carry around with me. For viewing photos and other things where the screen really helps I get the ipad 3, and for a long email i grab a laptop, but seriously the mini is better than them all for most stuff :)

      It's like the iphone 5 I think - on paper, and looking at the photos, it's just a souped up 4S. In hand, it's nothing like a 4S. You really have to use one a bit to appreciate it sometimes.

      1. Charlie Clark Silver badge

        Re: Sheltered Life

        I'm actually a mobile developer, and as such I have 4 iphones, a couple of ipods, ipads 2, …And yes, since getting the mini I find that's the first thing I reach for, and the thing I carry around with me

        Two things: this puts you very much in the same camp as Mr Dabbs who openly admits his long-standing preference for Apple products; it is a more than tacit admission that Jobs was wrong to have launched the I-Pad only as a 10" device. The relative and steadily increasing popularity of the 7" devices such as the Kindle Fire really have forced Apple's hand here. Though, as usual, they have responded with excellent hardware. I'd tend to agree that for doing much other than just consuming 8" is preferable to 7" but then Samsung was there first with the Samsung Galaxy 7.7 which has GPS and now LTE.

        As with other products Apple is probably going to sell a lot of these devices to existing owners who have so far not admitted that the I-Pad is actually a little too big and too heavy to be really mobile. And it will no doubt encourage a few non-owners to buy the "original" over the cheaper competition. However, as with the phones on a like-for-like basis the I-Pad mini really does have little to offer over the well-made droids who are only likely to become both cheaper and better and offer even more content and services on a par with Apple.

        1. Lallabalalla
          Thumb Down

          Re: Sheltered Life - "an admission that Jobs was wrong"

          No, he wasn't - at the time. Times change, get over it.

    6. Shagbag

      Congratulations!

      Full congratulations to the author. He/she has been very generous to Apple and in no way apologises for their product.

      Never has an Apple product (ie. the iPad Mini) been so unkindly received by the media and the tech community.

      This review is the personification of King Canute.

      1. Kristian Walsh Silver badge

        Re: Congratulations!

        But Cnut/Canute's foot bath, if it happened at all, was a staged show of humility to win the support of the church (then an immensely powerful organisation) for his rule - the lesson delivered was that, although he was King, his powers were limited in comparison to "God's creation".

        ("if it happened at all" because the first reference to the episode pops up long after his death)

        Have to agree that the review does sound a bit generous to Apple. iPad Mini could turn out to be the best sales pitch for the Kindle Fire HD.

      2. Rob 103

        "This review is the personification of King Canute"

        This sentence pushes two of my pedantry buttons:

        1) "personification". Seriously? Some text is the personification of a person?

        2) In the incident being alluded to, King Canute was demonstrating that he in fact does NOT have the power to hold back the waves.

      3. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Congratulations!

        For 90% of people this is a near perfect tablet - of course Android lovers hate it - but they would hate it regardless as it has an Apple logo on it. It's slightly more expensive than some other Android tablets but it's so much better made, feels better in the hand, works very well. All the Android tablets I have used are just not quite there - manufacturers try and differentiate themselves by customising / adding extra software and it just ends up a mess.

        1. Psyx
          Stop

          Re: Congratulations!

          "It's slightly more expensive than some other Android tablets"

          Dude; it's TWICE the price.

    7. baryonic

      Re: Sheltered Life

      That "out of date device" blows the doors off he latest and greatest from the Android camp--including the Nexus 10--in terms of performance. See the latest performance comparison tests done by anandtech.com.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "Apple has launched an overpriced and under-specced turkey"

    business as usual then. oh, couldn't resist ;-)

    though this time, the comparisons with rival products are there for all to see...and it is big. leaving the 7" formfactor means you've got to have a big hand to hold it comfortably...that image that Apple provides? thats a big hand!

    1. Shades

      Re: "Apple has launched an overpriced and under-specced turkey"

      Second image caption: "Comfortable to hold in one hand without straining"

      Got my tape measure out to see just how "comfortable" 135mm would be in my normal human being sized hands and have come to the conclusion that either A) I would be holding it wrong, or B) I would need to surgically replace my hands with that of a Gorilla which, in Apple-world, should be no big deal.

      1. deains
        Boffin

        Re: "Apple has launched an overpriced and under-specced turkey"

        I can hold my Kindle up with two fingers, and it weighs only 25g less. I think the all-around grip photo is a bit misleading, since you can probably just hold onto one edge, like with an e-reader.

      2. Bent Outta Shape

        Re: "Apple has launched an overpriced and under-specced turkey"

        > Got my tape measure out to see just how "comfortable" 135mm would be

        Looks at 30cm ruler.

        Looks up at shelf.

        Reaches for standard DVD case.

        Yup, a standard DVD box is almost exactly 135mm wide...

    2. Alistair Dabbs

      Re: "Apple has launched an overpriced and under-specced turkey"

      >> you've got to have a big hand to hold it comfortably

      Oh, for heaven's sake, no-one holds a tablet like that, do they? It's just a PR shot to suggest size compared with a hand. Just hold it like a book.

      1. Tom 35

        Re: "Apple has launched an overpriced and under-specced turkey"

        I hold my Nexus 7 like that all the time while reading on the subway. One hand to hold on to a pole, one for the Nexus. Very secure, not going to drop it if someone bumps me or they slam on the brakes. I can even turn pages with one hand.

    3. baryonic

      Re: "Apple has launched an overpriced and under-specced turkey"

      Not true, Anonymous Coward. The iPad mini is a mere 18 mm wider than the Nexus 7. In any case, the iPad mini is much lighter and much thinner than the Nexus 7.

  3. alan buxey
    Flame

    glowing review ignoring reality

    Apple fan gives Apple product a glowing endorsement and ignoring reality? cheques in the post.

    1. Toby 10

      Re: glowing review ignoring reality

      Apple hater plays the man not the ball. Business as usual.

      Ignoring the difference in price for now (because if that was an issue, Apple wouldn't sell anything) and specs (but not performance, if it uses a 286sx16 for graphics but has smoother graphics than other tablets I don't care, if its performance is poor then that does matter), say why the tablet you own is better than the iPad mini you have tried using for a reasonable amount of time.

      Come on boy, raise your game.

      1. Lallabalalla
        Thumb Up

        Re: glowing review ignoring reality: specs vs. performance

        Bang on. Specs per se mean nothing, they exist to produce performance. Apple have always squeezed great performance out of "lower" specs, and it's performance that is required. Anyone who would rather have a "higher spec" machine that performs like a dog is an idiot.

        This is up there with my other favourite quote: "data is not information".

      2. Psyx
        WTF?

        Re: glowing review ignoring reality

        "Ignoring the difference in price...and specs....say why the tablet you own is better than the iPad mini you have tried using for a reasonable amount of time."

        Erm... those are the things that matter to me.

        Because I don't give a shit about anything else, really. 2mm thinner for being wider is LESS comfortable not more, and I really don't give a crap if it looks pretty, no more than I give a crap if my mouse or desktop looks pretty. Function over form.

    2. Dave 126

      Re: glowing review ignoring reality

      >glowing review ignoring reality

      The last paragraph of the review was endorsing reality, real hands-on reality; to paraphrase: 'Go to shop and have a play with a demo unit before making your own mind up'. It seems to me that the potential tablet buyer has nothing to lose by taking that advice. And how knows, maybe the trip out of the house will take you near a branch of Comet having a closing down sale...

      1. AceRimmer
        Facepalm

        Re: glowing review ignoring reality

        Nothing to lose?

        There isn’t an Apple store near where I work so I’ll have to go at the weekend. Naturally, since I’ll be going into a major city, the Mrs will want to come… which also means bring the baby. Which then means I have to drive in and fork out for the ridiculous parking charges.

        Alternatively I’ll have to drive to the other side of the city to a Mall which only an idiot would go to on a weekend.

        Either way “just trying it” will cost me at least half a day of my precious weekend, plus fuel, plus parking charges, plus having to buy lunch and probably a new pair of shoes that the wife will inevitably find whilst we’re out shopping. I’m at least £100 out of pocket by now

        Anyway, the whole point of a review is for the reviewer to “just try it” so I don’t have to!

        1. Dave 126

          Re: glowing review ignoring reality

          >Nothing to lose?

          >There isn’t an Apple store near where I work so I’ll have to go at the weekend.

          Point taken, time is precious. That said, near where I live several shops sell both iPads and their Android equivalents. Your argument could be turned on its head: Should your good lady wife already have it in her head to drag you into John Lewis to look at shoes, you might find yourself with ten minutes to spend prodding things in the electronics department. Also, how does she expect you to buy her a Christmas present if you're not allowed into town by yourself? nudge nudge wink wink

          Should you choose to buy your tablet over the internet, we in the UK are covered by the Distance Selling regulations- you can try it, and return it if you don't like it.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Slow Late Comer

    So, they arrive late at the party and have surely copied everyone else haven't they. Stupid, offensive scoff laws that they are.

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