The iPad mini with Retina Display was probably the device that received the least amount of updates compared to rest of the devices announced last night, but it was probably the one that everyone was looking forward to the most. I personally have waited a year for the addition of a Retina display on the 7.9” tablet and I know a few friends who are on the same boat as me. Why? Because the iPad mini has the perfect size.
The iPad mini measures at 200 x 134.7 x 7.2mm, it’s slim, light and fits perfectly in one hand and the weight of the mini tablet from Apple makes it so portable. With the addition of a Retina Display and a more powerful A7 processor, the same 64-bit chip found on the iPhone 5S, it’s like a dream come true for fans of iPad mini from around the world – the iPad mini is now almost perfect (because nothing is completely perfect), all the fans want one including myself, but wait, Apple also introduced the iPad Air that is so much smaller, it’s almost perfect too.
Image Credit: Ars Technica
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You see, the reason why I wanted an iPad mini with Retina Display was because of its overall size, but with the 9.7” iPad Air just a tad larger in terms of width (about 3.5cm wider), it makes sense to upgrade my iPad 2 to the iPad Air – it has a much larger display that is perfect for reading or playing games, it has the same Retina Display (though less pixels per inch but I can live with that), and it’s much lighter than the previous generation iPads, which makes it a lot less straining on your hand when you’re holding it for an extended period of time (183g lighter than Wi-Fi only iPad 4, and 138g heavier than iPad mini Retina).
Image credit: Gizmag
Image Credit: Daily Mail
According to various hands-on videos on the internet, the iPad Air is so dramatically smaller, it even fits into one hand, which brings me to my confusion, should I get the iPad mini with Retina Display that I’ve always wanted, or should I get the iPad Air that honestly, isn’t much bigger in terms of dimensions.
Image Credit: Gizmag
And let’s not forget, both devices are now equipped with the latest and greatest processor from Apple, the A7 chip with 64-bit architecture and M7 motion coprocessor.
Image captured from Tech Crunch’s video showing how the iPad Air can be held using one hand
Another factor that had me considering between these two new iPads is the launch price. At launch, the original iPad mini is a whole lot cheaper than the new one with Retina Display. The 9.7” iPads on the other hand has got the same retail price at launch starting from USD$499 and USD$629 for Wi-Fi only and Wi-Fi + Cellular respectively, so getting an iPad Air means that you’re not paying extra for the upgrades – brand new design, new name and a very powerful processor. You’ll pay an extra USD$70 just for the Retina Display but of course, the processor upgrade jumped two notches from an A5 to the A7.
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I’m still torn between both iPads, I must admit, the iPad mini with Retina Display is without a doubt the perfect size for productivity and portability, but the iPad Air sounds so intriguing. Most of the hands-on videos around the internet seems to have a lot of good things to say about the iPad Air in terms of its new design, but the iPad mini with Retina display is equally good and with 326ppi, the clarity on the screen must be amazing. It’s about time to retire my iPad 2, but which one should I pick? Of course, the best way to answer that question would be to get your hands on one to feel the difference both new iPads offer, anybody want to join me to a trip to Singapore next week?
So Apple fans, which iPad will you be getting?
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