I had my first hands on experience with an Apple iPad mini yesterday. Cute little thing, neat and tidy too (as you might expect), but I’m still struggling to get my head around why anyone would want to have a mini tablet. Each to their own of course, and my own isn’t Apple, wherever it can be avoided. But Android has its fair share of these mini tablets too and they leave me equally mystified.
Why would you want a device which looks like your phone, is ever so slightly bigger than your phone, but doesn’t make phone calls?
My phone is great, I love it, but the only place it falls down is that the screen isn’t big enough to do “some stuff” on – well, do some stuff easily anyway. Stuff like spreadsheets, documents and the like. Looking at pictures in detail as well. You’d just rather see more bits at the same time.
Of course, these mini-tablets are bigger than my phone. But they’re not very much bigger and it’s still awkward to do these things.
It’s at this point that I don’t get it. Why not just go for a 10 inch screen instead of a 7 or 8 inch one? Yes, it’s bigger and heavier – “more cumbersome” if you want to use negative flowery language – but it’s not like your iPad mini fits in your pocket anyway, is it? Unless you have really big pockets, in which case normal rules obviously don’t apply to you anyway.
The benefits of the larger screen far outweigh its cumbersomeitude. It’s more practical, it’s more versatile, it’s just… better.
I am sure that my “not getting it” will prompt a flurry of indignant cries of “you don’t get it”, and they’d be right. Because I don’t get it. So won’t somebody please explain the vast array of benefits of the mini tablet?
It probably won’t sway me, but it might help me understand why this is such a fast growing market at the moment.
I do hope it’s not just that usual Apple thing of being cool over being functional. That would be terrible.
Agree 100%. I got an ipad mini for a gift. Tried to like it just for its cuteness factor but it wasn’t enough. Swapped it for a normal sized ipad
The big benefit of the iPad mini is that it’s an iPad mini…it’s smaller and more manageable for everyday use. It’s the size of a small paperback, so it’s ideal for reading too. I find that I hardly ever use my big iPad anymore – it just feels too big and unwieldy. But all personal technology is by definition personal, so if it doesn’t fit your own personal needs, don’t worry! The nice thing about technology in the 21st Century is that there’s a device out there made just for you and the way you work. For me, that device is the ipad mini.
A 7 inch tablet (MSI Android in my case) was considerably cheaper than a 10 inch version. And since mine is basically what I like to term “an entertainment device” (i.e. I play games and read on it), it works just fine. Essentially the extra cost just wasn’t worth any material benefit in my case, for what I wanted it for.
However, I will say, that as a business tool while functional, it’s only barely adequate. The extra inches would increase it’s functionality in that environment. It’ll do the job, but you’ll be left wishing it was bigger.
It all boils down to what you’re planning on doing with it. I’ve got a 7 inch tab, and it works just fine for all those apps that don’t quite work on my phone (which is most of them, my phone has a 2.8 inch screen and have you ever tried reading a book on that??). I use mine as an entertainment device (i.e. for games and reading), and it’s perfect for that. Not that a 10 inch wouldn’t be, but in my view it’s simply not worth the extra money for the extra inches.
However, if you’re planning on using your tablet in the business environment, then I’d say the 10 inch would be a lot better. The 7 inch works, but I do get left feeling that it’s only just adequate.
Sorry about that…systems glitch my side. Original post didn’t appear to load, despite leaving the page and navigating back…
Well, this is a first….. we seem to agree.
I was having this same debate the other day. Makes no sense. None at all.