iPad Mini / iPad 4 / iPad Air

radioman

状元
Well, no matter what it's called, it looks like it is coming.

Latest Rumors are very interesting.
- No retina display (I personally love this as the battery will need to be half the size...)
- Smaller Bezels (more like an iPod Touch)
- Thin like an iPod Touch

If this is true, the fact that the bezels are smaller on the right and left (in portrait) make the screen size a bit more like the size of the current iPad, and less like a Nexus 7 or a Kindle Fire. It would probably still be very nice for still being able to render PDFs in near-full size width-wise when in portrait.

Detailed analysis in at the following link: http://daringfireball.net/2012/08/ipad_mini_even_througher
 

mikelove

皇帝
Staff member
radioman said:
Latest Rumors are very interesting.
- No retina display (I personally love this as the battery will need to be half the size...)
- Smaller Bezels (more like an iPod Touch)
- Thin like an iPod Touch

If this is true, the fact that the bezels are smaller on the right and left (in portrait) make the screen size a bit more like the size of the current iPad, and less like a Nexus 7 or a Kindle Fire. It would probably still be very nice for still being able to render PDFs in near-full size width-wise when in portrait.

Makes a lot of sense - borrow the Kindle form factor more completely than 7" Android tablets have done by actually trying to match it in weight / thickness too. Though the lack of Retina is going to complicate our design plans a bit, since we've been choosing our new fonts based on how they render on Retina displays.
 

Vzzzbx

进士
Everyone's calling it an 'iPad Mini', and assuming that it'll just be a small iPad, but it could be something completely out of the blue. All the buzz seems to be centred on what it looks like, without any knowledge (or consideration) of what it's designed to do. Remember when the original iPad was rumoured to be a Mac tablet?
 

character

状元
Vzzzbx said:
Everyone's calling it an 'iPad Mini', and assuming that it'll just be a small iPad, but it could be something completely out of the blue.
Apple moves much slower than the rumor mill surrounding it.

My main concern with the smaller iPad is the rear camera - would really appreciate it if Apple put an OCR-capable camera on it, but the leaked thinness argues against it. I also suspect the leaked screen resolution will make it bad for reading up close, but that's not a Pleco-specific concern.
 

radioman

状元
Vzzzbx said:
Everyone's calling it an 'iPad Mini', and assuming that it'll just be a small iPad, but it could be something completely out of the blue. All the buzz seems to be centred on what it looks like, without any knowledge (or consideration) of what it's designed to do. Remember when the original iPad was rumoured to be a Mac tablet?
Well, there could always be an introduction of completely unconsidered new feature for the machine (which would be nice). However, in a lot of ways, the description laid out in that link is just that. At least for me, the following was a surprise.

Screen - It looks like the screen will be a little smaller, but higher pixel density, and less waisted space due to thick bezels. http://goo.gl/MgRQv

Weight - I find the iPad 2 ok, but put a protective cover on it, and its just kinda heavy. Holding it up in bed is a pain. iPad 2 = WiFi-only weighs 601 grams. But the rumor is that the new iPad might come in at 265g - 44% of the iPad 2.

Power - I am not a retina display fan because it's so power hungry (and my eyes are not so great). I understand the benefit of the display. However, I find the iPad 2's screen fine.

Now, not to get off on a tangent here, but consider the following battery capacity specifications:
- iPad 3 = 11,560 mAh
- iPad 2 = 6,944 mAh
- iPad Mini < 6,944 mAh (my guess)
- iPhone 4 = 1420 mAh
- Power Star = 12,000 mAh

Power Star is an external battery I use for the iOS devices (http://goo.gl/yBpe0. I have not used it long, and have not tested its claim of 12,000 mAh. But suffice it to say it lasts a long time, easily fully charging my iPad 2 with room to spare.

If their claims are to believed, the external battery would increase the aggregate battery capacity of iPad 2 by (12,000+6,944)/6,944 = 2.7 times. Ten hours becomes 24+ hours. The same logic applied to the iPhone 4 puts the increase at 9.5 times. 6 hours becomes 50+ hours.

As for the iPad mini, it's power consumption I figure will be less than the iPad 2 (i.e., even longer battery life than the iPad 2).

Its not that I would use any of these things for that long, its just that I can. I am frequently on the move, and the external battery gets me over the goal line of never having to again worry about powering the devices.

character said:
My main concern with the smaller iPad is the rear camera - would really appreciate it if Apple put an OCR-capable camera on it, but the leaked thinness argues against it.
Yes, this is an issue. If they achieve this thinness, then maybe the camera is a problem. However, if the ends are not as tapered as much as an iPod Touch, maybe there is room for a better camera. Like everything else here, just more speculation.
 

character

状元
radioman said:
Weight - I find the iPad 2 ok, but put a protective cover on it, and its just kinda heavy. Holding it up in bed is a pain.
I worked around the weight by locking the orientation to portrait and putting it on its side (an original-style iPad case helps with this), while I lay on my side with my head on a pillow. Unfortunately this put the screen close to my face, which exposed the limits of the XGA screen -- the retina iPad is much more usable in this situation.

- iPad 3 = 11,560 mAh
- iPad 2 = 6,944 mAh
- iPad Mini < 6,944 mAh (my guess)
The Nexus 7 battery has 4325 mAh, so I would suspect the new iPad will have similar or less capacity given the assumption that the new iPad will be thinner. 44% of the iPad 2 battery capacity gives ~3,055 mAh. The battery extender you found seems interesting.
 

radioman

状元
character said:
I worked around the weight by locking the orientation to portrait and putting it on its side (an original-style iPad case helps with this), while I lay on my side with my head on a pillow. Unfortunately this put the screen close to my face, which exposed the limits of the XGA screen -- the retina iPad is much more usable in this situation.
I use this "workaround" as well. But holding the iPad 2 like you are reading a paperback, with only the support of your hands and arms, gets difficult, really not sustainable. Holding my Kindle Fire was much more comfortable, as I'm sure the Nexus 7 and the various other 7 inch tablets are as well. [/quote]

character said:
The Nexus 7 battery has 4325 mAh, so I would suspect the new iPad will have similar or less capacity given the assumption that the new iPad will be thinner. 44% of the iPad 2 battery capacity gives ~3,055 mAh. The battery extender you found seems interesting.
I have been buying 2200mAh USB batteries (Pisen Brand) for the iPhone, and they have been great. But a few weeks back, I saw an ad for a 10,000mAh from Sateshi and knew had to get one. I ran across mine at a local "computer city" here in Dalian, but it was another brand. I have seen mixed reviews of Sateshi, so would recommend looking up the latest news and reviews on any battery before purchase.
 
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