Some people will want the iPad Air, but others will choose to wait for the iPad mini Retina. This will reduce the queues and it will mean that stores are less likely to run out of the model you want compared to previous years where there was just one new iPad.
So which iPad should you buy? If you check the specifications on the Apple site, there is only one difference between the two new models. Screen size. Same processor, memory, iOS, apps, Wi-Fi, and so on. Even the screen resolution is the same. There isn't anything you can do on an Air that can't be done on an mini Retina and the performance should be identical.
The choice is therefore between a 7.9in or a 9.7in screen.
As an iPad 2 owner, I had already decided that it was about time I upgraded. Although the iPad 2 still runs every app I've tried on it, it is sometimes slow and it struggles with apps that push it to the limit, like games. Also, I can't prise it out of the hands of the rest of the family, so I rarely use it myself and spend more time on cheap 7in Android tablets. A second iPad would be useful.
The iPad mini Retina would save money and be just as good as an Air, but one thing puts me off and that's the small text that many apps use. What is fine on the the full size iPad's 9.7in screen could well be difficult or even impossible for me to read on a mini's 7.9in screen. Because the screen resolution is the same on both iPads, I suspect that developers will not take the reduced screen size into consideration. They'll simply display the app on the mini the same way they do on the full size iPad and this means that everything, including text, will be 20% smaller. Will it be readable?
The size of text on the screen is a continuing irritation for me and I recently had an iPhone app that had text so small I couldn't read it. I had to install the app on an iPad to read the instructions, menus and buttons. Once I knew what everything was I could then use the iPhone app. This shouldn't be necessary, but it is far too common.
High resolution retina displays have encouraged app developers to use ever-smaller font sizes so they can squeeze more on to the limited screen space of phones and tablets, but this reduces usability and can even make it impossible to some people to use them. I have actually deleted apps after using them for just five minutes because the text was so small it made my eyes hurt with the strain of reading it. Retina displays have a downside.
As you get older, your eyes get worse, but it would be wrong to assume that this is just an age thing. Of course, your granny will have trouble with small text on a tablet or smartphone, but just look around you at the number of ordinary people of all ages that wear glasses. Many people, including young people, don't have perfect vision and they struggle with tiny text. I wish developers would stop using such small text and test their apps with real people with all their faults and not just a few elite teenagers with eyes like a hawk.
For me the choice between the two tablets is between comfortable reading or headache-inducing eye strain. I guess I'll have to fork out the extra cash for the bigger model even though I'd like the smaller one. At least I'll get my hands on it sooner rather than later.
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