[Angus_CB]

Reasons I don't want the iPad Mini;
- The 16GB WiFi model is $329.00. I could buy two 16GB Playbooks direct from RIM and have $31.00 left over for beer, or some other necessity.
- It doesn't have GPS hardware.
- It has the wrong screen ratio.
- I don't want anything that will hence forth be known as the Mini-Pad.

[dongeel]

Hey I don't have to when St. Steve does it for me:

�The reason we wouldn't make a 7-inch tablet isn't because we don't want to hit a price point. It's because we don't think you can make a great tablet with a 7-inch screen," Jobs said. "The 7-inch tablets are tweeners, too big to compete with a smartphone and too small to compete with an iPad."

Oh right, it's 7.8"... Completely different

Does anybody remember Apple Newton? It had a screen size smaller than PB, and discounted around 2002. In my opinion, it was one of the most useful products for the time. I think its $1200 price tag killed it. You can still buy those on eBay.

[ralfyguy]

If I buy a tablet that cost as much or more than a small laptop or netbook, then it better have a fully functioning browser and file access. Everything else is a joke.

[notfanboy]

Does anybody remember Apple Newton? It had a screen size smaller than PB, and discounted around 2002. In my opinion, it was one of the most useful products for the time. I think its $1200 price tag killed it. You can still buy those on eBay.

Hardly anyone thought it was useful, let alone one of the most useful. It wasn't so much the price tag - computers were a lot more expensive in that time. More than anything, it was the input method that killed it, the handwriting recognition was so poor itwas made into a pop culture joke.

[berrydem]

I did mention that some Android apps are capable of mounting smb/cifs, but involves side loading. There no native apps that do this. OpenFile Explorer, for example, mounts shares, allows you to browse but not launch a file in a native app. Streaming from the browser allows for downloading only. A native QNX app that handles smb/cifs is all I wish to see implemented.

[NoraMelua]

I'm not very much anti-Apple, but this bit from Craig Ferguson's Late Late Show made me laugh very hard:

[moloko velocet]

I think people are getting the wrong message by what Rotorwrench said. I understood him to be mocking the "innovation" of the Mini - for lack of innovation. And the 4.3 aspect ratio movie watching is a dead give away of his distaste of the Mini"s "innovation". A 4.3 ratio movie is the worst kind.

I agree Rotorwrench's message is somewhat unclear due to the atrocious spelling and grammar. I do believe, however, that my interpretation of his message is more correct than yours. He seems to have very little knowledge of iPads and their capabilities.

[axllebeer]

Reason #6:
If I come home with yet another tablet my wife will put me out of the house!

My wife actually got me one of these little guys for my birthday. I find now that I've had it for almost a week that easy has their own purposes. I still use my PlayBook daily and now the mini. If I'm doing several things at once then it's a no brainer which device I will use. The PlayBook STILL multi-tasks better than any other tablet on the market, period. I love them both and this is the 1st iOS device I've ever owned. It's pretty good for a tablet, but I've used my wife's iPhone and I'd rather stab myself in the face with a soddering iron!

There have been a few things that I've done on the iPad mini that I have always done on my PlayBook to see how they compare and I have found that its painful sometimes. The PlayBook still shines pretty good considering that it has aged.

Speaking of age, I find it funny that the hardwear of the mini is actually a little BEHIND of what is in the PlayBook. 512gb of RAM. REALLY!? Although it runs fast enough, doesn't sound very future proof to me.

For me, the mini is defiantly a toy. No file management and being so closed is the best example. I HATE, and I mean hate using iTunes. I've always been able to stay away from it in the past and now I'm forced into using it. So needless to say a lot of things in the iPad that would cause me to use it, those things will be done on my PlayBook.

[axllebeer]

I'm not very much anti-Apple, but this bit from Craig Ferguson's Late Late Show made me laugh very hard:

"A clown making ballon animals" That's great!

[axllebeer]

Don't you need to use 14 fingers to swipe to other apps (not running because they are suspended) on the iPud? How are you going to fit them all on such a small screen?

It actually works pretty well. Although nowhere near as good as the way you switch apps on the PlayBook.

[axllebeer]

Hehe...when the iPhone starts languishing, rename it the iPad Micro. Remove the cell radio and charge $100 more for it than an actual iPhone.

I think you will appreciate this.

[Just Me]

The outer dimentions of the PB are perfect. It fits in the breast pocket of most suits as well as in scrub pants. Any bigger and it just wouldn't fit. Still I would like too see it accommodate at bigger screen and a smaller bezzel.

[bdegrande]

My wife actually got me one of these little guys for my birthday. I find now that I've had it for almost a week that easy has their own purposes. I still use my PlayBook daily and now the mini. If I'm doing several things at once then it's a no brainer which device I will use. The PlayBook STILL multi-tasks better than any other tablet on the market, period. I love them both and this is the 1st iOS device I've ever owned. It's pretty good for a tablet, but I've used my wife's iPhone and I'd rather stab myself in the face with a soddering iron!

There have been a few things that I've done on the iPad mini that I have always done on my PlayBook to see how they compare and I have found that its painful sometimes. The PlayBook still shines pretty good considering that it has aged.

Speaking of age, I find it funny that the hardwear of the mini is actually a little BEHIND of what is in the PlayBook. 512gb of RAM. REALLY!? Although it runs fast enough, doesn't sound very future proof to me.

For me, the mini is defiantly a toy. No file management and being so closed is the best example. I HATE, and I mean hate using iTunes. I've always been able to stay away from it in the past and now I'm forced into using it. So needless to say a lot of things in the iPad that would cause me to use it, those things will be done on my PlayBook.

How are you forced into using iTunes? I never use iTunes. I buy apps/music/whatever directly from the store over the air, use Downcast for podcasts, and use WIFI file transfer or Dropbox to transfer files.

It is precisely BECAUSE iOS isn't a full multitasking, multiuser OS with traditional file management built in that it runs very well with limited memory. The first iPad had 256MB, and ran fast anyway. As a sharp contrast, wait until the Surface Pro tablets are released, and you will see tablets with Core i5 processors and fans. Not running a full desktop OS was a great decision when you are dealing with limited hardware.

[axllebeer]

When you say "the store" what do you mean exactly? I'm new to this whole iOS thing here and I have to say I think Apple has made it so simple, it'a hard. I'm talking about putting content I already have onto an iPad. Videos, music, files and such.

[kbz1960]

I'm not very much anti-Apple, but this bit from Craig Ferguson's Late Late Show made me laugh very hard:

I love his humor.

[Michel Souris]

I'm not exited by the mini iPad, but I'm sure the email works properly, unlike the PB. No way I'll buy another PB, until they can sort out messaging, which they haven't in a year and a half. BB10? Maybe, but this is RIM, and who knows what it'll bring.

[bpdude]

Ipad mini is great. Love mine. However the playbook is much more fluid and responsive. I find myself picking it up more and more as the newness of the mini wears off. At first I thought the mini would totally replace the pb but that's not the case. I like the bezel and the ease of navigation gestures only found on the playbook for everyday use. I got my 10 year old daughter one the same day I got mine and she will play a game or 2 on it but at least half of her tablet time is still spent on the pb. In fact she told me she wants a new case for it so I think my money was pretty much wasted on a mini for her.

[Hawnz]

When you say "the store" what do you mean exactly? I'm new to this whole iOS thing here and I have to say I think Apple has made it so simple, it'a hard. I'm talking about putting content I already have onto an iPad. Videos, music, files and such.

There are ways of getting things onto an iPad without iTunes. Using something like a download manager or a different video player. Basically, there is an app for that. There is also iTunes Match for music, but that is $25 a year.

[axllebeer]

There are ways of getting things onto an iPad without iTunes. Using something like a download manager or a different video player. Basically, there is an app for that. There is also iTunes Match for music, but that is $25 a year.

Alright thanks for the help. Still sad that I have to do this, but nice to know there are options available.

[fcch]

I just love these threads.

I wonder how many users here in the forum paid 499 USD for the initial release Playbook

Oh, ... and I really like my Playbook, does what I want right out of the box, no side loading no debricking ... it's for work and reading. Bridged to my 9810.

[xSt0rmTroop3Rx]

1.) Its an apple product
2.) it STILL doesn't offer near the functionality of the playbook
3.) or any other functionalities apart from any other apple product of late, aside from the fact that its slightly smaller
4.) I may be wrong but there is still no "bridge" between an iphone
5.) its an apple product

I apologize for the short colloquial burst. I loved your write up and assessment. very well researched. thank you for that. just had to put in my, probably unfounded, two cents on this

[axllebeer]

[ QUOTE=fcch;7733386].

I wonder how many users here in the forum paid 499 USD for the initial release Playbook
[/QUOTE]

I'm an early adopter with no regrets. I've saved money using Bridge on Internet tethering that has more than made up for the price difference. And it really is way more of a mobile computing solution then the i-anything.

[axllebeer]

How are you forced into using iTunes?

Oh and I was referring to using it as a desktop manager. For beginners when I can't just drag and drop files, like every other device on Earth, I feel very much at a loss of "ok now how do I do this?"

[axllebeer]

Just to finalize my results with the Mini, I sold the b@st@rd. Useless for my needs compared to the PlayBook for a 7-8 inch tablet.

[carwacster]

One thing the mini can do that regrettably the PB can do - view raw files from a standard SD cards. For photography lovers like me its vital to review images when I'm away for a weekend shooting.

Leaves me with these options -

Nexus 7
Nexus 10
Galaxy note 8
Ipad mini


I've never owned an Apple product but the price is attractive. The only advantage with the Android devices, once rooted you can save the images back to an external drive for backup whilst travelling.

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