I’ll still have my laptop for excel and storage.
Obviously one has a bigger screen but is that worth the extra cost.?
Thoughts.

Just got a retina – no regrets!

You gonna carry it around or use it at home? I would only buy the mini if I were going to be carrying it around a lot.

I’ve got the Retina Pad, and it’s a terrific thing to use, but it’s a bit heavy to carry around. The Mini hasn’t got such a detailed screen, but for carrying around the Mini is a delight, it’s so light and easy to handle.
All I can honestly suggest is try to find a store with both and play with them.
I will be getting a Mini when the next itteration comes out, for using with Viewranger and ereaders it’s perfect.

My daughter got an iPad mini for Chrimbo and the screen is perfectly fine. Not as sharp as retina but not obviously blocky like and early iPhone screen.

The Mini is easier to hold as well – I find the regular iPad a bit weighty to hold with one hand.

Nexus 7 FTW

I’ve just had to make the same decision. Went for the retina display as I’ve not gone for the 3g one, so wont be using it when out and about.

Not an Apple fan at all but was looking at both recently, thought the retina display was stunning, possibly best I’ve ever seen (not sure what full HD screens on new gen Android phones will be like, or even if worth it at all) but thought the screen on iPad mini poor, bit of a miss by Apple I think, sure they’ll go retina on next gen.

I didn’t want an iPad until I saw the mini. I’ve got an iMac and iPhone and couldn’t really see the point in one for me. Then I saw the mini and really wanted one! It’s big enough for home use for surfing etc and although I don’t carry it around often when I do it’s small enough to put in a big pocket or be unnoticeable in a bag. It’s also less than half the weight of the full size iPad so ideal as en e-reader. I’m chuffed to bits with it.

I suspect there will be a Retina Mini iPad out in due course.

Personally I have the full-size retina iPad and I’m happy with it. I can’t imagine trying to read Singletrack mags off a tiny non-retina screen. I don’t think it would do it justice.

But… it depends on your intended usage. I read quite a few mags on mine so I like the big display and it is mainly house/couch bound so I don’t worry about hoofing it about.

Went for the retina display as I’ve not gone for the 3g one, so wont be using it when out and about.

3G iPad is pointless unless you need GPS.

For 3G access you can just tether it to your phone and use your existing contract.

Retina screens are great, for home use the 10 is excellent – portable I’d probably go mini/nexus7 – I’m a platform whore I have a pad at home and a Nexus4, I love them both equally 🙂

I have the Mini 3G
It gets used mainly when I’m out and about, travelling with work etc. that’s where it excels TBH, good wi-fi and an £11 3GB preloaded SIM card and it works just about everywhere.
I did try the full size one, put I preferred to be able to pop in in a pocket and carry it that way – I don’t possess a man-bag and have no intention to ever do so 🙂

GrahamS so could I use my Three unlimited data iPhone 4?
Is this straight forward?

Ah jota, not even a Harris tweed Musette?

Especially a Harris Tweed muesli thing

I have an iPad mini and find it’s excellent for more mobile use such as reading a book or watching films on a plane.

I find a full size iPad is just too big on a plane to handle properly, especially if you get stuck in a middle seat.

GrahamS so could I use my Three unlimited data iPhone 4?
Is this straight forward?

Yep – provided your contract allows it – it is very easy to do.

On your iPhone take a look in Settings->General->Mobile Data->Personal Hotspot

You can share the connection as a wifi point, across Bluetooth, or using a USB cable. I generally just use Bluetooth.

(by the way, most smartphones let you do this, it doesn’t have to be an iPhone)

See http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4517 for more.

^ nice^

Nexus 7 FTW

What iPad model is that? What do you win?

Yep – provided your contract allows it

Three said it wasn’t allowed on my contract but it works anyway with my iPad and I don’t seem to get charged any extra. I wonder if iPad tethering and tethering to a laptop is considered a different thing.

Ipad mini here.

Only one advantage over the retina. Price. That’s it. To be expected really. I wasn’t that fussed about retina tbh, I’m a bit of an oaf so finer things need not apply.

Tried the Nexus7, it’ll be up to the individual but I didn’t like it at all.

Oh and a normal iPad is too big/too heavy? 😕

Depends on use, I have mini, wife has retina – both very happy. Mini is, well… smaller and more portable, retina is well…bigger. One thing to note though the iPad 4 has a much nicer processor

has a much nicer processor

Does it hold doors open for you and compliment your choice of shoes? 🙂

And for a bit of heresy – if you want a bit more flexibility and the ability to do your excel stuff why not look at one of the Windows based tablets? There are actually quite a few choices of device out there now including some that can switch between tablet and notebook (detachable screens). Some very nice devices to choose from.

If you can wait a wee while the ipad5 is going to be sized between the retina and mini models, check out mac rumours web site they have some info,
PJ.

I bought a nexus 7 as a stop gap until the iPad mini with the faster chip and retina display is released. Going from the screen on my iPad 2 to the nexus makes the pixels on the iPad seem huge!
I like the nexus so much now that I’m not so sure.

I bought a nexus 7 as a stop gap until the iPad mini with the faster chip and retina display is released

Surely you’d have been better buying the current iPmini then selling it on as they’ll hold their value better?

Errr no. The ipad mini is £150 more for the 32gb model.

Ipad mini retina is out in march I beleive.

I’ve recently changed from an early iPad to the mini and I’m using the mini a lot more than I ever used the fullsize ipad.
If you’re taking it out and about then the mini is a much more usable size. The retina display is nice, but there really isn’t a lot wrong with the standard display on the mini.

And for a bit of heresy – if you want a bit more flexibility and the ability to do your excel stuff why not look at one of the Windows based tablets? There are actually quite a few choices of device out there now including some that can switch between tablet and notebook (detachable screens). Some very nice devices to choose from.

Seen the reviews? Buy the 64Gb version, you get 24Gb of usable storage; the Windows OS on tablets is a classic example of BloatWare.

I bought my wife an iPad Mini for Christmas as she reckoned it was more handbag friendly that the big one.

The full-size iPad seems to big and heavy to me – I think the smaller ones make more sense.

The retina display is nice, but there really isn’t a lot wrong with the standard display on the mini.

Can you read magazines (e.g. singletrack) on the mini display?

Can’t see it coping well without zooming in to read the text, which is a pain.

Can’t see the value of an iPad mini, in fact I can’t really see the point of it.

I’ve a retina iPad and it’s quite frankly brilliant, reading Singletrack mags is easy and they look amazing on the retina display too. Added bonus of tethering it to my phone when out and about meant I didn’t have to shell out extra on the 3G model too.

I don’t feel like adding to Apple’s 87 billion dollar cash reserve.

I don’t feel like adding to Apple’s 87 billion dollar cash reserve.

😯
Maybe you fancy taking a punt on Nokia coming back from the doldrums and helping make them profitable?
Want to help boost HTC’s share price back to the highs of May 2011?
Feel google need a bit more market share to make them pay a dividend?
🙄

buzz-lightyear – Member
I don’t feel like adding to Apple’s 87 billion dollar cash reserve.

87billion ?? More like 140billion now

Seen the reviews? Buy the 64Gb version, you get 24Gb of usable storage; the Windows OS on tablets is a classic example of BloatWare.

Not completely accurate. That used disk space is not just the OS. It is also a recovery partition. Plus that looks like a specific device you are looking at ie the Surface. There are lots of other devices that may well be configured differently. Although the Surface itself is actually a very nice device having seen and played with one.