iPad Air vs iPad Mini Retina

Just curious if anyone has done research/actually own one.

I've looked around, and have read things in reviews, but of course personal experience is better I own a 7" Android tablet right now (Nexus 2013 model).

Reason why I'm looking at this is because my kids school has Apple tablets, which means programs that they have in school or what not I can get similar applications on it for studying, etc. Its amazing how early they start with them these days. So I wanted to get on board to look at what I can do now with it.

I currently have a work iPhone 5s so I am familiar with the basics of the devices. Its more of the technical side/experiences I want to hear about of what is the better choice.

The iPad mini is way overpriced. The iPad Air costs more, but at least it's at a similar price level to 10" Android tablets.

I suggest going with Android. Apple isn't very friendly to small third party developers so some more specialized apps tend to be unavailable.

I have an iPad Air, tho the wife and kids use it all the time. The battery is really good, and takes awhile to charge. It's pretty quick, and it's a lot lighter then the first gen ones were. It kicks the snot out of my 4S lol. I don't have any android devices to compare.. Except a piece of junk coby

NiHaoMike said:

I suggest going with Android. Apple isn't very friendly to small third party developers so some more specialized apps tend to be unavailable.

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Did you even read his post?


I don't have an Air/Retina personally, as I just have a rMBP, iPhone 5, and iPad 2 but I just recently ditched my Nexus 7, you will be handily impressed with either the Air or Retina honestly over the Nexus. The battery just goes, and goes, and goes

The Air is for power (Increased CPU/etc) and the Retina is the older model. Get whichever suits your needs and budget. If you want long term support/software usefulness, the Air is the only 64 bit tablet on the market currently.

dippy_skoodlez said:

the Air is the only 64 bit tablet on the market currently.

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That might be the case for 64 bit ARM tablets, but there are a number of 64 bit x86 tablets on the market. And those arguably have the widest selection of apps available in that you could run Android and use Android apps, Windows and (real) Windows apps, or (regular) Linux and regular Linux apps. The ones based on Atom CPUs have comparable performance and price to the ARM based ones, while the ones based on Core CPUs are more expensive but have a better gaming experience. (Who doesn't use a tablet for gaming?)

And how Apple tries to block "jailbreaking" with every update says a lot about how (un)friendly they are to small third party developers.

And actually, I did get an iPad Air on sale to get an idea of what it's really like. I did the jailbreak but noted that even then, it's nowhere as open as unrooted Android. So it's more like an expensive media player than a general purpose computer. And if you're thinking of using an iPad as a GPS, you'll find out that (unlike many mainstream Android tablets) the GPS feature is not standard!

So I did nab an air. Loaded it all up, and actually I was really disappointed. Very few programs utilize the screen res/size vs the phone. Such a shame.

FB is just gigantic, Web browsing seems hit and miss.
The few that do use the screen... its amazing. The tablet has a great screen, great feel, light weight. Just as impressed with the look/feel for it. Though that being said, I don't think I can keep it. Its just missing something. Kids apps are great don't get me wrong, but just leaves a bad taste in my mouth compared to the android tablets I've owned.

With that being said I do have a Nexus 7 (2013) and an old HP tablet, the WebOS ones. HP Tablet is my daughters and sometimes my son's to play with/use. Nexus is mine But its small, the screen that is. I did have a Asus Transformer TF701 before, 10" screen with keyboard and it was heavy, like a mini laptop when all said and done. Nexus was a well done small solution when I sold that device.

So went to BB looking at what else was out there with just that slightly bigger screen, Mini Retina was on the list even though the Air was still leaving me with a eeeh feel to it and then stumbled across the Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4. After an extensive research over the night I went back to grab the Tab Pro 8.4. All I can say is wow... now it doesn't have as nice of a battery as the Apple Tablets, which I will give them that, but storage and screen res and multi tasking HELLO. Running split screen, windowed programs, etc so nice. SD Card slot is nice addon as well, since I was hesitant about the 16GB on board, a little rooting and a 64GB SD card I had around... ah its a media power house now.

Had all 3 tablets I had in comparison (Air, Tab Pro 8.4, and Nexus 7). Tab Pro gets the resolution award, screen on the Air is slightly better in colors, but the Tab Pro beats it out in visibility if not looking directly at it. Nexus 7 has brightness just nailed down. Battery the Tab Pro and Nexus are nearly identical, except... The Nexus seems to drain even with my customizations I've done to it. Tab Pro seems to hold its own very well, and the Air... if it drops 1% over night with no use, just amazing. Apple has the battery arena just cornered with the power they have, no comparison.

Who knows maybe something better will come along, maybe iOS8 will change my mind here in the future but right now I'll probably hold off on the iPad for a bit longer or at least til my kids really start utilizing it at school, or I get an Android phone again. Though, going to keep my Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4, and going to sell my Nexus 7 (2013 Model). Minor price for upgrade for so much more power for me at least.

Thanks for the commits. I just have a hard time with apple some times, even though I have a iPhone 5S for work. Just not being as open, or not utilizing that screen resolution just amazes me. I know they want to keep it the same across all platforms but... open it up a little and at least utilize that real estate!

I was disappointed with how some of the apps utilized screen space too. And I didn't really like the size, its a bit big for my lady like hands. I was interested in the mini for a bit, just because its not so big, and I can get a deal on one through my cell carrier. I haven't tried anything android because I was a schmuck, and bought a bunch of apps, games, and some movies.. on top of the hardware that I already own

All of these things you can do with your droid sound intriguing

Got wife a mini retina for an early mothers day present. She loves it. Best part was that it took a few days before the kids even realized we had it. But they know already not to ask to borrow it......no games after all.

freeagent said:

I was disappointed with how some of the apps utilized screen space too. And I didn't really like the size, its a bit big for my lady like hands. I was interested in the mini for a bit, just because its not so big, and I can get a deal on one through my cell carrier. I haven't tried anything android because I was a schmuck, and bought a bunch of apps, games, and some movies.. on top of the hardware that I already own

All of these things you can do with your droid sound intriguing

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Yeah droid is interesting. I know it was my first smart phone. There is some downsides, but at least the newer gear is making the experiance so much better. Besides the extra vendors like HTC, LG and Samsung coming out with their own UI and addon's that really take it that next step. Samsung is really nice with the stock UI, with the ability to select a few different fonts and change the text size to help out.

Heck I got a 2 year deal on mine for 50GB of drop box and 2 year on Remote PC, along with some other business grade webex's. Free... That is something I don't see with apple, and truely don't expect it considering their business model.

SteveLord said:

Got wife a mini retina for an early mothers day present. She loves it. Best part was that it took a few days before the kids even realized we had it. But they know already not to ask to borrow it......no games after all.

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Yeah if I do jump to get the apple in the future, I might have to look at the Mini instead. The large one just isn't their yet unless they start changing the OS/Applications to utilize the screen. Least the Mini is smaller, and it won't look as such a waste of space. Now it is great for those that need glasses to see the screen. Don't get me wrong. Each their own.

I like ipads. I think they are a great first computer for kids and a great first computer for older adults and seniors getting into computing for the first time. We own an ipad 2 and use it a lot. It is good at what it does. You do have to accept several limitations vs android but you also get the security of no viruses on ios vs a lot of viruses on android. Everything you download on an ipad is cleared by apple so you are always safe. ipads have superior battery life and the best industrial design of any tablet. Sure, you can't change parts out easily. That's evil on Apple's part, but for what it does, generally, the ipad is fantastic. There is a plethora of software for people of all ages. Particularly small children. My best friend's 4 year old son is an ios expert already. Hes been playing with ipads and ipods since he was barely 2.

It's all down to whether you want a web appliance or a device you can really tinker with.

I want a web appliance.