Questions for those of you with the ipad mini...

[3boymthr]

I received some money for my recent birthday and I was going to get a new Nook but since Barnes and Noble has gone to using a Samsung Tab 4 with custom software that has been reviewed as sluggish and annoying I figured I might as well just go with a regular tablet - either Samsung or iPad Mini. I have an iphone so I'm really thinking about going with the ipad even though it's more expensive. For those of you that have the iPad mini, do you like it or would you have been just as happy with an android tablet. Do you wish you had gone with the regular iPad? Also, what size storage do you have and is it enough or do you wish you had spent the extra money to go with a larger storage capacity? This really is a budget question because I'm trying to decide if the ipad is worth the extra $150+ I'd be spending over a Samsung tablet. I have to admit I'm leaning toward the ipad in large part because DH has a samsung galaxy phone and hates it.

 

[havaneselover]

I love my mini 2! It's the perfect size for me. I got the 32 gb one last November. I do a ton of reading on it (kindle app and borrow books from the Library). I got a Bluetooth keyboard for it for Christmas and really like having that.

 

[Alexle2007]

DS8 has both an iPad and iPad Mini. He almost exclusively uses his iPad Mini. The iPad gets no love. For my perspective, I think it is definitely worth it but we are an Apple family. DH and I both have iPads. DH, DS and I all have iPhones (DH the iPhone Plus after switching from the Samsung Galaxy). I like that I can share apps and music with DS.

 

[brooke789]

I have an iPad Mini that I got before my youngest was born. It has primarily been used while nursing him, etc. Now that he's not nursing I don't feel like I have a 'need' for it, but it is convenient for using in the kitchen or to look something up quickly while with the kids, etc.
I don't have any issues with storage and I'm not sure what size mine is. If I get the message that storage is almost full I just unload all of the pics/videos onto my computer and then it's wide open again.
I have a regular size iPad at work and if I take it home it just feels too big. I must prefer the smaller size Mini. Also, if I'm using it lying in bed my arm doesn't get tired (1st world problem...).

My husband purchased a Samsung tablet this year. He's happy with it. Comparing the two his feels less sturdy and he had a hard time finding a case to keep it safe. I'm not sure how it works differently though. He chose it just for the $$ savings and he has a Samsung phone.

 

[CookieandOatmeal]

I love my mini's size and if you're used to an apple product. Using the iPad is easy peesy.

 

[Majesty1919]

I've used both. I'm team Apple all day everyday. But when I wanted a tablet, I decided to buy a Samsung tablet using Android. I thought just maybe I'd like it better, then when it came time to replace my iPhone, if I liked the Android, I'd buy one. Uhhhh oh...nope.

Now, Android is a solid operating system. I simply preferred Mac's interface and Apple products simply play well with other Apple products. I don't think the "customization" perks that are emphasized were all that important to me. And google play just didn't wow me. I love my iPad mini 2 so much that I rarely even use my Iphone but carry it around anyway out of habit. You start to look at your iPad like a bigger better iPhone, it just doesn't make telephone calls.

Now Apple typically releases new models twice a year. March and October and sometimes they'll phase out a hard drive size, discontinue, and put them on clearance like when I bought mine. I bought a 64 GB ipad mini 2 with data right as iPad mini 3 came out and paid $399.00 at Best buy online and never looked back.

As far a size goes, it really depends on what you like to do on your device. If you download a lot of songs, photos, or even videos then you'll want something big. I have 167 photos, 37 songs and 1 video and Miscellaneous apps and that uses 7 out of 64 GBs. If I were you I'd probably go to settings in your phone and see how much space you're currently using and if that is enough for you now then you have your answer.

 

[disneychrista]

Question - have you ever owned or used an android phone? If so, how did you like it compared to your iPhone?

I H-A-T-E-D my android phone and was so so so glad to switch it for an iPhone. When I was gift my iPad Mini, I was a bit disappointed that it was an full size iPad but I love it. I may upgrade to a full sized iPad in the future, if for no other reason than my eye site (for reading) is getting worse by the day and I think the bigger screen would be helpful.

 

[greentea]

I have an ipad mini 2 and really like it. I had an android tablet in the past and was okay with it, but it stopped holding a charge so I replaced it with a refurbished mini 2 from the Apple store. My parents went through 2 Nexus tablets (one died just at the end of warranty, was replaced, the replacement died) and got an ipad mini instead, they prefer it.

I use mine for reading, so I wanted the mini as it's easier to carry around and to hold. I got the smallest storage option because I don't download a lot of large files, mostly ebooks, comics, and a few games. I don't store music, photos, or video, so it depends on how you plan to use it.

 

[Caseheidi]

I got my iPad mini two years ago and use it daily. I have both the B&N nook app and the Amazon Kindle app to read books on. The size works for me, and I love being able to use multiple apps for books.

I agree with the pp who said they don't use their smart phone as much. The only time my iPhone gets used is as a phone, I much prefer using my iPad mini. And since I already had many of the apps I use on my phone paid for, I just had to load them on my mini. As my DH like to say, we drank the Apple Koolaid and are hooked!

 

[wenrob]

Now, Android is a solid operating system but I just didn't think the "customization" perks that are pushed were all that important to me. And google play just didn't wow me. I love my iPad mini 2 so much that I rarely even use my Iphone but carry it around anyway out of habit. You start to look at your iPad like a bigger better iPhone, it just doesn't make telephone calls.

Actually with handoff technically you can make phone calls from your iPad now. I don't make calls from mine but I do answer them fairly often when I've left my phone in another room. You can also send and receive texts from people who don't have iMessage as well which is nice. Of course, you have to have an iPhone to take advantage of it.

We are an Apple family as well. Three iPad Mini 2, an iPad Air, iPad 4, three iPhone 6's and two iPhone 5's that will soon be activated for the younger two this year. If you have an iPhone it really makes sense to stay with the same ecosystem. You will know how it works right out of the box, will have full access to everything you already own and it's 100% compatable with your phone. Sometimes interchangeable. Last week I downloaded a TV show premiere onto my phone to watch on the treadmill at the gym. I watched 40 out of 70 mins and later when I got home I decided to finish it on my iPad. It was exactly where I'd left off. If I'd been on two different platforms that wouldn't have happened. It's a small thing but a bunch of small things like that add up to a very seemless experience.

I LOVE my iPad Mini 2 and while sometimes I think I'd like to have an Air the portability factor of the mini wins out every time. While I personally prefer to use a dedicated e-reader for long reading sessions I like the fact that I can keep my books on my iPad as well. The Kindle app will sync up with my Voyage so I don't have to hunt to find where I'm at. I use mine for well, everything. Reading, magazines, movies, recipes. I originally got mine when my dad was spending a lot of time in the hospital. I would download my Tv shows, a book or two, movies, magazines and as a bonus could surf the net all in one portable device I can toss in my purse.

We all have 32GB which has been plenty but will still go up to 64 when the time comes. There's never such a thing as too much space. Rumor has it that the new iPads will be announced with the phones this year in the beginning of September instead of October. That means the current models will be dropping at least $100 in price and everyone will have them on sale. I scored my kids 32gb mini 2's for about $250 least year. I would like to say hold out for a couple of weeks but if it turns out they don't announce until Oct. you're looking at a couple of months. In any case they are well worth the price over other tablets IMHO.

 

[Tarheel girl 1975]

I bought a 16 GB iPad mini when the newer versions came out and they were on sale. I don't really use it for music or to take pictures, so aim okay on space. If you have an iPhone, I would stick with Apple because of how well they interact. Like a PP noted, I can answer my phone from my iPad and it's so easy to air drop from one to another.

I had a hard time deciding between the mini and full size iPad, but I'm glad I went with the mini. It's just easier to carry around.

 

[Meeko5]

I have an iPhone, and we have a regular iPad that has been taken over by the kids. I do mostly reading on it so I bought myself a kindle fire. It's great for reading, but I hate the interface. I would definitely go with iPad mini if you're not used to Android. It's not as fast or easy to use in my experience. And you can sync it with your iPhone which is handy

 

[hsmamato2]

I've had in the past...Nook color, kindle readers.... the I got my Ipad mini 2 (in refurb section of apple site) and I LOVE IT. LOVE IT. It is perfect for anything, but I love it's portability,I take it with when we travel for reading,maps,computer stuff- I have a kindle app that I read on...along with a bunch of other apps- I have 16 gb, since that's what I could afford- and i'ts fine. I occasionally have to clean pics out of it to keep it free, but otherwise no issues. I love how the iphone,ipad,etc all sync up,and 'talk' to each other

 

[belle1986]

DS8 has both an iPad and iPad Mini. He almost exclusively uses his iPad Mini. The iPad gets no love. For my perspective, I think it is definitely worth it but we are an Apple family. DH and I both have iPads. DH, DS and I all have iPhones (DH the iPhone Plus after switching from the Samsung Galaxy). I like that I can share apps and music with DS.

This is us exactly, except Your ds is my dd. We are 110% team Apple.

 

[Majesty1919]

Actually with handoff technically you can make phone calls from your iPad now. I don't make calls from mine but I do answer them fairly often when I've left my phone in another room. You can also send and receive texts from people who don't have iMessage as well which is nice. Of course, you have to have an iPhone to take advantage of it.

We are an Apple family as well. Three iPad Mini 2, an iPad Air, iPad 4, three iPhone 6's and two iPhone 5's that will soon be activated for the younger two this year. If you have an iPhone it really makes sense to stay with the same ecosystem. You will know how it works right out of the box, will have full access to everything you already own and it's 100% compatable with your phone. Sometimes interchangeable. Last week I downloaded a TV show premiere onto my phone to watch on the treadmill at the gym. I watched 40 out of 70 mins and later when I got home I decided to finish it on my iPad. It was exactly where I'd left off. If I'd been on two different platforms that wouldn't have happened. It's a small thing but a bunch of small things like that add up to a very seemless experience.

I LOVE my iPad Mini 2 and while sometimes I think I'd like to have an Air the portability factor of the mini wins out every time. While I personally prefer to use a dedicated e-reader for long reading sessions I like the fact that I can keep my books on my iPad as well. The Kindle app will sync up with my Voyage so I don't have to hunt to find where I'm at. I use mine for well, everything. Reading, magazines, movies, recipes. I originally got mine when my dad was spending a lot of time in the hospital. I would download my Tv shows, a book or two, movies, magazines and as a bonus could surf the net all in one portable device I can toss in my purse.

We all have 32GB which has been plenty but will still go up to 64 when the time comes. There's never such a thing as too much space. Rumor has it that the new iPads will be announced with the phones this year in the beginning of September instead of October. That means the current models will be dropping at least $100 in price and everyone will have them on sale. I scored my kids 32gb mini 2's for about $250 least year. I would like to say hold out for a couple of weeks but if it turns out they don't announce until Oct. you're looking at a couple of months. In any case they are well worth the price over other tablets IMHO.

Well that's even better then. I'm not a big talking on the phone kind of person, unless you have an deep amazing voice, but I digress. Lol. I

 

[halssister]

I had a full size iPad, but DS accidentally dropped it and cracked the screen a little, so it became his and I bought a mini. I had been using DS's Nook a lot.before that, because he was always hogging my iPad, but I found it frustrating. Not as user friendly IMO as apple products, and poor autocorrect coupled with a smaller keyboard drove me nuts! I wa thrilled to get my mini for the portability of it, and the screen is bigger than my nook was too while not being too big to carry around. I literally carry it around the house with me! If you're an apple user anyway, I would just do the mini

 

[mylittlebuttercup]

I have an iPad mini 2, and I love it. You can save money by buying that instead of an iPad mini 3; the only real difference is the fingerprint scanner on the iPad mini 3. I think I have 32G of memory but am not totally sure. It would be nice to have a bit more, but I don't keep a lot of files on my iPad mini anyway; my phone has a lot more memory, so I just keep my files there or on Dropbox/iCloud and download them as needed. (I just wouldn't buy the lowest amount of memory because then you will sometimes run into issues when you need to download an update.) I do NOT wish I had gone with a regular iPad. The mini is the perfect size. The regular iPad seems huge to me.

 

[GaryDis]

I have an iPad mini and an iPhone 5. Love them both. DH has a full size iPad, but I'm not sure why he prefers it, particularly since I'm the one with poorer vision. Our only TV is a projector with a 106" screen, so my personal watching is largely on my Mini, which is just fine.

I wear hiking shorts often. When necessary, the iPad mini fits into the front pocket, with the phone in the cargo pocket on the other side. YMMV.

I'll take it on trips, but often leave it in the hotel safe. If I've been taking pictures with my camera, I have a little connector that lets me upload them to the iPad, which is much, much better for enjoyment and deleting the bad pics.

 

[Monykalyn]

Count me in as another that loves my iPad mini2, only 16G but enough for me. My only complaint is it is hard to see screen outdoors, so I have an old kindle and also a kindle Fire. Much prefer using my ipad mini but having a more dedicated "reader" is nice too. I also have a bluetooth keyboard that I use with my mini. My MIL has an older iPad and she prefers using my mini when I visit.

 

[loves to dive]

I'll be the lone naysayer, DH is a computer consultant and had to buy both the IPAD and an android to test an ap for a client. I have a Lenovo Yoga for my main computer and a kindle paperwhite for reading but when I travel I often take one of the tablets to use to check email and check MDE at night since it's a little easier than with my phone. I hate the IPAD, it just doesn't seem very user friendly or intuitive to me. DH's mom's kindle fire died so he gave her the android since the IPAD was just too much for her to learn. Now I have to travel with the IPAD and am not a happy camper.