We brought you our first impressions of the
new 7.9in iPad last issue, but in the full knowledge that we wouldn’t really be
able to call it until we’d spent longer with the device. Well, now we have, and
we’re calling it: this is an absolute revelation. It’s probably as big a step
forward as the original iPad.
iPad
Mini
If that sounds like a bonkers reaction to a
machine that’s essentially an iPad 2 with the iPad 4’s cameras squashed into a
smaller case, all we can say is that’s why Apple doesn’t bang on about specs.
Compared to the iPad 4, this is an underpowered machine with a very average
screen. Like all iOS devices, it works smoothly and with few if any glitches,
making it a pleasure to use; but if we’re honest, now that we’ve been spoiled
by superior models, we do notice the little pauses that creep in from time to
time with the old A5 processor when tapping quickly around different features
or switching between tasks.
The screen is very similar to the iPad 1
and 2, lacking the super-vibrant colour of more recent iPads and iPhones, and
although the pixels are smaller - keeping the same resolution of 1024 x 768
increases the density to 163ppi - there’s still a slightly grainy feel,
especially when challenged by, for example, Siri’s fine white-on-black text.
But we’re being extremely picky: the original iPad screen was fine, and this is
better. Everything appears slightly smaller, but this very rarely matters;
typing, for example, is surprisingly OK, although we found the piano keys in
GarageBand suddenly a bit tight.
It’s a perfectly decent iPad - and if you
do use the cameras, whether the rear one for shooting stills or video or the
front one for FaceTime calls, they’re noticeably better.
None of this, however, is really the point.
As soon as you pick up the iPad mini, you’ll know why; but you’ll only truly
begin to understand when you have it around your house or office for a few
days. Remember how the iPad attracted everyone’s attention when it first
appeared, and people would always be asking to have ago? And then, once the
novelty of having a Star Trek prop fully working in real life had worn off,
they didn’t. You’ve probably noticed a similar cooling in your own behaviour.
Why is this? We think we may now have the
answer. The full-size iPad, although brilliantly convenient with its long
battery and instant wake, is still quite unwieldy to use. Because it’s bigger
than your hand, heavy for its size, and has no features to grip onto (unless
you keep it permanently in a case), it’s really quite droppable, a fact that
you’re subconsciously - or sometimes all to consciously - alert to all the time
you’re using it. The weight means you’ll tire of holding it and keep shifting
position trying to prop it. None of this is fatal to the iPad’s charm or its
usability, but it’s always there.
The
iPad mini measures 200 x 135 x 7.2mm (as seen here) and weighs 308g, or 312g
for the Cellular version. The 7.9in screen has 1024 x 768 pixels, so existing
iPad apps run normally
Well, Apple fixed that for ya. The iPad
mini is unbelievably thin and light. When you pick it up, nothing is less
likely to enter your mind than putting it down again. It’s effortless to hold,
switching naturally between a phone grip at the bottom edge, Schiller’s
across-the-back finger vice if you have biggish hands, or a two-thumbed typing
posture, depending on what you’re doing. You’ll soon find your own favourite
ways.
And that’s why, when you switch to a mini,
you’re going to find you use your iPad more. Which has to be a sign that Apple
has got this thing right.
Oh, and it’s cheaper,
too. Of course, the tech industry thinks it’s still not cheap enough, and
consumers will buy Android tablets such as Amazon’s Kindle Fire for a bit less.
All we can say is, those consumers would be crazy. The build quality of the
iPad mini, which strongly resembles the new iPod, is so far ahead of its rivals
that handing over the cash feels like grabbing a bargain.
This is a truly remarkable machine at a
sensible price. The only question is whether you’re going to wait until they
add Retina; and we don’t yet know when that will be.
Smart Cover
It was inevitable that Apple would
replicate the Smart Cover for the iPad mini, but the design it’s come up with
isn’t getting a lot of love from users. The loose aluminium hinge that snaps so
satisfyingly onto the full-size iPad has been shrouded in plastic, presumably
because people felt uncomfortable with its bare edges around their iPad
screens. But that could surely have been addressed by rounding off the
profiles. Instead, the result feels mushy and imprecise - ironic when Microsoft
has ripped off the magnetic ‘snap’ of the original Smart Cover as a selling
point of the keyboard cover for its Surface tablet. With one segment fewer, the
mini Smart Cover doesn’t fold up into a stand quite as convincingly, either;
instead of two sides of the prism overlapping and magnetically binding, you
have to rely on the weight of the iPad to keep the origami together. Overall,
we’re unimpressed - which is good news for iPad case makers, at least. There’s
no Smart Case option to protect the back
Strange power
Apple says the iPad mini has the same
ten-hour battery life as other iPads (nine if you’re on 3G). Our experience
confirms this. Yet it runs exactly the same processor as the iPad 2, whose
battery has about 50% more capacity. The smaller screen may partly explain
this, but we still think witchcraft is probably in there somewhere. Rival 7in
tablets, which are heavier, last only about 7.5 hours. A compact iPhone-style
charger is supplied rather than the higher-powered two-piece model, but it still
charged our mini in four-and-a-half hours, reaching 75% in three
The
Home button has shrunk. It also has a less clicky feel than the iPad 3 or 4,
but we soon got used to it and never had to press it twice
Will it blend?
Despite being incredibly thin, the display
assembly isn’t fused, so you can replace the front glass without the LCD if it
gets cracked. Not so reassuring is the fact that the Lightning connector is
built into the main board, so if you damage the port, repair will be extremely
fiddly at best. The battery is hard work to extract, but not Apple’s worst
Actual size
We mentioned that Apple had wanted to be
able to say the iPad mini was as light as a book - presumably having in mind a
Penguin paperback, not Guinness World Records - but it turned out to be even
lighter. Warming to his stationery theme, he also compared the device’s
thickness to a pencil. Here they are; see for yourself. We tried it with our
own pencil, laying both down on a flat surface: the pencil just edged it, but
the mini was almost as thin. Your pencil may vary
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Prices
·
16GB Wi-Fi: $404
·
32GB Wi-Fi: $524
·
64GB Wi-Fi: $644
·
16GB Cellular: $554
·
32GB Cellular: $674
·
64GB Cellular: $794
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