As it’s iPad mini launch today in multiple countries, this was my first opportunity to hold and use one in the flesh. It’s easy to have a mental idea of the mini from the numerous articles and reviews recently, but I must say I was surprised given the 10 minutes of playtime I had on the device at my local Apple Store. For me, it’s an exciting device given our growing need in the smartphone and tablet space for a device which is truly portable but immersive enough in screen size.
Build
This thing is smaller than I thought. I have big hands and it felt comfortable. It’s light and very thin. Both portrait and landscape feel comfortable using both one or two hands. For all of its slightness, it feels well made and built to the exacting standards we expect from Apple. Their continuance to use metal for the outer shell of their products marks them from the competition. Compare to the plastic feel of the Nexus 7 which I had a play with in the summer. Plastic rarely feels premium.
Usability
Even more surprising, is that I felt instant attraction to the mini as my main device when carrying a device in addition to my iPhone. Touch and gestures were as expected and in line to everything I would do with other member of the iOS family. For books, using either Kindle or iBooks this is going to be a real boon. Add to that Reeder and Tweebot and then the Times and Guardian and I see this is my favoured tablet for when I’m on the go. The nicest surprise was using they keyboard. It felt really natural. Less awkward and more easy to use than the full size iPad.
Performance
It’s funny I didn’t initially notice the lack of retina display, but in time I’m sure I will. It has a higher pixels per inch value than the iPad 2, given the same number of pixels are being packed into a smaller screen. The in-store demo unit seemed fast enough for all the regular apps and I didn’t try any heavy graphics games out. I’ll have to see what it feels like after a few weeks use at home.
So what’s my first look gut feeling rating? 7 or 8 tops – in terms of its build and usability, Despite the pricing it’s sure to take the 7 inch market by storm finding new and existing customers alike. It’s solves a problem I’ve had since the very first iPad – the sheer heft of a 9.7 inch tablet. Don’t get my wrong, I love my iPad 3, but it adds weight to the rucksack everyday and it’s not 100% ideal for reading without an ache in the arms. Hence, most of its favoured use is at home, on the plane or in the hotel room when I know I’m going to be be settled somewhere for a while. The 7.9 inch model with only half the weight and thinness covers those scenarios on the train where reading and tweeting can be done with real immersive advantages over a smartphone.
Roadmap
The problem I have with this device is the technology stack inside it. For a 2012 release where we’ve seen the iPhone 5 and iPad 3rd and 4th generation, I’m not impressed with the use of the A5 chip (of iPad 2/Apple TV 3rd Generation/iPhone 4S fame) plus a paltry 512Mb of RAM, a 5 megapixel camera and lack of Retina display. It feels Apple has crafted a device from hand me downs of last years tech to maximise economies of scale and thereby maintain profit margins. I suspect it’s a case that putting in the A6 chip, 1Gb RAM, Retina display and maintaining 10-hours of battery life may not doable at the margin required for a v1.0 product. It could be a case that, there is a required engineering breakthrough to get us that 2nd gen iPad mini in 2013 which will have the same footprint but will will add Retina glass and new levels of performance. It seems plausible in the Apple way of continually improving products. In the meantime, it will do for now, and sell by the proverbial bucket load. Once the Retina version comes along, the usual cycle of obsolescence and upgrades will start. Translation – I’ll buy one now and plan for an upgrade in 12-months time. Or you could do the waiting thing for an iPad mini 2nd generation as other fine posts have pointed out.
The elephant in the room for me is the iPad 2. It’s been suggested Apple are still selling sufficient quantities of this model to keep it in the line up, but it just seems odd. To continue with a 9.7 inch non-Retina display model which is crudely speaking has been shrunk down to make a mini version. Not sure who still buys this anymore.
One last thing - the white one with the silver back is strangely more attractive than the matt black finish which I’ve always plumped for. Not sure what’s happening to me, it could be white shoes next :)
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