Let’s talk about Apple now. To be precise, the new iPad Mini. Do you get utterly confused by the fact that each time Apple releases a product that seems about that same as the one before it, only in a slightly thinner and lighter package, everyone somehow seems mesmerized by it? I see a guilty nod here, a condescending grin over there. Good, I’m not alone.
Don’t get me wrong, but when it comes to the iPad Mini, many consumers did get confused. If you’re going to offer people a gadget that’s a bit bigger than the iPhone and an inch or so smaller than a tablet, what are we supposed to do with it? Can we work on it? Or is it just another fancy Apple, high-tech, sleek-designed gadget that for some inexplicable reason we need to add to our collection?
With its 7.9 inch screen, the iPad Mini has some great features to boast about. Let’s examine them in terms of portability, performance, and design.
Portability
Its 7.9 inch screen means you can enjoy movies and photographs without the awkwardness of the iPhone – that platform can be a bit hard on the eyes. It’s also lighter, half the weight of the iPad 2. And it’s incredibly thin at 7.2 mm. Its battery life extends to up to ten hours, which is a very substantial increase.
Evidently this is a good piece of work, and it’s much easier to carry around. But the size is still somewhat awkward. Am I carrying around a swollen smartphone, or a shrunken iPad? Let them keep guessing!
Performance
Apart from its smaller, thinner design, the new iPad Mini has all the great features that make Apple products so loved, including built-in apps and over 250,000 others to choose from. All the iPad experience is still available, with iMovie and iPhoto, FaceTime and iSight Camera, and HD video recording, among other features. Evidently, the experience is the same even though the size is smaller.
Siri is also available on the Mini; she’s there to answer all your questions (the sensible ones and the not-quite-so-sensible ones …). However, she’s not alone now, because she’s accompanied by an advanced Wi-Fi connectivity, significantly improved from the earliest version.
Its functionality is far-reaching, covering all functions of the iPad 2, but it still does not seem to be meant to replace your PC or laptop. It’s an ultra-thin, well-designed media viewer and e-reader. Its size is just perfect for getting your daily dose of website updates while on the run. Its screen might not be high-res but it’s still is wide enough to give you a pleasant reading and viewing experience of your favorite social media and websites – it’s wide enough so that it’s possible to speed read articles, since they’re not reduced to inconvenient layouts and formats. Of course, you can also create and edit documents and reports, but for this function its size is a nuisance rather than a convenience.
Design
The Apple teams are the masters of high-tech, ultra-thin, and impeccably sleek gadgets. The iPad Mini is no exception. It highlights how wonderfully created Apple products are, managing to squeeze in all the iPad experience and still retain the modern feel and discrete classiness.
Ultimately, the iPad Mini gives you the same enhanced experience in a smaller package. If you’re after a compact but impressive reader, you will buy it despite its not-so-mini price tag.
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