Look at this size and pixel comparison between the iPad Mini and its competitors. It clearly shows that its screen real estate is inferior to the Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD and Nook HD.
The screen may have a bigger physical size, but the lower pixel counts means you will see less stuff on the screen and it will not be as sharp as the Kindle Fire HD and the Nexus 7. The less pixels per inch, the more pixelated the screen looks. No retina effect here.
Obviously, Apple’s claims about having more web browsing space than the competition are false. And obviously, this thing looks more and more clearly overpriced by the day. It’s OK for Apple though, since there will be plenty of drones buying it. [Technewsdaily via BGR]
Where are all the disbelievers now telling us how much of a bias these guys have towards Apple?
It's just a repost, I'm sure they'll come.
Wait for the iPad Mini 2 and it should have retina display, so the same res as the retina iPads.
Exactly, why give the consumer what they want now when you can give them a taste and get them to upgrade down the track. My guess is there will be and mini upgrade by march '13
The fact it can run the thousands of iPad apps is the trade off here. Same resolution as iPad 2 and quarter that of the new iPad means it can run all the same apps those can run.
Do we really care? You buy the Mini because it's an APPLE device and it's smaller and relatively cheaper!
The Nexus and Kindle aren't really fighting the Mini (they are fighting the idea of "choice"), so if you don't like it just buy the full sized one.
I like your thinking!
"If you're not happy with an Apple product, simply buy a more expensive Apple product!"
It's all a marketing ploy, wait 2 years and they'll tell us about the new iPad mini you don't own with a retina display. It's apples 20% upgrade marketing scheme.
People want a cheaper iPad, if they put a retina display in there it would have just driven the price up further. It would have to be a matching resolution to the iPad or apps wouldn't run natively which they try to avoid. So yes, in a year or two, when prices for displays come down, we most likely will see it. Then people like you will come along and say "I told you so", Apple will still sell shit loads and everyone will go about their daily lives.
+1 Joel
Eh - for people like my mum, it'll be all they need. I'll probably be upgrading to one from a 1st gen iPad that I use for work - the weight and the extra RAM are the selling points for me, not the screen density.
There'll always be people who things will appeal to, so hey - people can choose what they wanna buy.
@owen Just do what I'm going to do - get an iPad 3 (they're still under warranty), and give your old iPad as a gift. Everybody wins, and nobody gets the crappy Mini. eBay here I come!
But it's an APPLE. That means that, while there are fewer pixels, EVERY ONE of those pixels is more much carefully HONED AND CRAFTED - using sophisticated manufacturing processes that Apple had to INVENT specifically to enable the creation of an Ipad Mini!
It's not a smaller iPad... it's a more CONCENTRATED iPad experience!
this place seriously needs a like button
Sophisticated manufacturing process meaning tiny chinese labour hands OH SNAP
It's not the number of pixels, it's how you use them.
Yes, and using them over that large a surface area looks pretty blocky :)
wouldnt this still be a higher pixel density than the iPad 2? and while not retina I would hardly call it blocky.
No - the point of hitting that size pixel ratio is so that the apps - provided that they follow the HIG would still have a button/tap area that fits nicely within the HIG's definition of a friggin button. Then again it is giz. Fun to read - but mostly fluff talk.
Im sure i read in a previous Gizmodo article pre Apple launch "Apple Vs Andriod Fanboy Wars" something about "Let’s improve the tone." I don't think this review regarding screen size really helps in improving tone when your article has ending comments such as... "It’s OK for Apple though, since there will be plenty of drones buying it"
The iPad mini will simply be the world's most PROFITABLE 7" tablet. And even if Apple was able to put out a 7" retina display tablet with an A6 processor for under $300 they wouldn't. It would simply take eat into sales of the 10" iPad.
Not that hard to do considering their biggest competitors are in the loss leading category.
When it comes to real estate it will not be any different to the iPad 2. The iPad 2 real estate isn't any different to the iPad 3 apart that the resolution is increased to make the same real estate look better. So on the mini you will be able to se the same information on the screen at the one time but one is just twice as better.
I suspect the resolution has been limited by iOS app design.... introducing a third resolution between iPad 2 and 3 would probably have wreaked havoc with the App Store (at least in the short term anyway) and impacted on iPad Mini sales.
Hey guys, chill out - there's a Windows 8 launch going on over here, and I can hardly think!
While I personally think the thing is a bad deal and a step backwards, you aren't going to see less stuff than a nook or nexus. It's just not going to look as good. Bring your brain up to date on the the concept of resolution no longer reflecting viewable area.
Physical dimensions = viewable area.
Resolution = ability to view area.
Not exactly the same, but fandamentally means "how much stuff can I see at once"
Umm am i missing something here or is Jesus Diaz being completely useless as usual?
Why does screen resolution matter? The differences between the kindle, nexus and ipad mini are all minimal. The obvious reason why Apple went for the 1024x768 resolution is so that all the existing iPad apps can run on it without any issue.
Do some research and think about it before you post biased articles useless articles aimed at getting people fired up in the comments....
There is already a large stock of apps natively useable with the iPad 3's enhanced resolution. The iPad mini could have appeared with the same ppi as an iPad 3 and used all those apps.
This looks like either:
1. No availability or high price for a smaller hi-res screen (probably BS considering screens on Nook HD and Kindle fire HD);
2. Marketing decision to extend product line life and profitability.
I suspect reason 2. Apple makes quality products that work and have a huge customer following, so they can get away with marketing fewer features now.
As a former design engineer, when a company decides not to market the best product it can, it bugs me.
You clearly dont get it... Why would they use a Kindle or a Nook screen and add yet another resolution that apps have to be compatible with. Its alot of work for developers to change their apps to work on different screen sizes. Most wont do it.
So the only option is to use an existing resolution. So either iPad 2 or 3 resolution. My guess is the iPad 3 resolution wasn't available in the 7.9" form factor yet. So they went with the iPad 2 resolution.
The iPad mini's screen is a lower resolution than those other tablets' screens. We already knew this. Is the article some kind of revelation?
Oh, it's a Diaz. 'Nuff said.
Last edited October 26, 2012 1:17 pm
Absolutely. The resolution sucks, but there is more viewable area than on a 16:9 7 inch tablet. Given that the apps will still have exactly the same content as big iPad apps, there will be more on screen than any Android tablet, which spend most of their timing wallowing in substandard scaled phone apps. It'll be sharper than the iPad 2, which I bet will be discontinued pretty soon after this ones release.
Im wondering if there is a big cost factor involved as in the particular sized screen, res and dpi could be in the very cheap to manufacture category.
Judging by the reaction of people hating on this I'd say Apple has another runaway hit where they sell as fast as they can make them.
As for the screen I'd like to remind you that resolution does not make a screen better.. see: The Nexus 7′s Display Stumbles And Falls Short http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2012/07/the-nexus-7s-display-stumbles-and-falls-short/
This has a better ppi resolution than the iPad 2 and that is still a huge seller.
As for usability I'm sure you'll hear all about how it is once it's in peoples hands.