You can now order the iPad Mini w/Retina Display via Apple.com

Well, my LTE enabled Ipad Mini with Retina display came in yesterday. It's a joke to compare it to my iPad 1 so I won't even bother. The size is perfect, the display is crisp and the charts look great on it. I'm still waiting on a cover and a yoke mount for it. Quite a neat toy.
 
OK, so mine already says preparing for shipment... I've not ordered direct from apple before... anybody know what that means in terms of how much longer till it ships?
 
Mine shipped too! Will have it Tuesday :)
 
I expected a 'suck' thanks
 
denverpilot said:
The iPad 2 is higher res than the non-retina iPad mini. I doubt you'd see much difference.
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Incorrect - They're both 1024x768.

Really, the original Mini is nothing more than a shrunken iPad 2. The biggest difference between the two is the cameras - They're reasonable on a Mini, whereas the ones on the iPad 2 are a joke.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
Incorrect - They're both 1024x768.

Really, the original Mini is nothing more than a shrunken iPad 2. The biggest difference between the two is the cameras - They're reasonable on a Mini, whereas the ones on the iPad 2 are a joke.
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Unless dark. No flash on mini.

If they're the same they really need to work on fonts. The mini text is still way fuzzier than iPad 2.

Doesn't matter much for graphics like Foreflight but text has fuzziness at edges that the larger unit doesn't have.

After a bit with the regular screen mini I'm much happier with the size, it makes a great e-reader with the Kindle App (better fonts there too), and haven't done anything but ground playing with FF.

Native text email and stuff like Tapatalk, ok but not as good as iPad 2 to my eyeballs. Something is different in how the screen is made, even if it's the same native resolution. Cheaper screen I suspect.
 
My mini with retina is getting delivered on Monday. Looking forward to the speed more than anything. Foreflight on my ipad 1 has gotten all but useless.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Just purchased a 32gb non retina display.

What kind of cases do you guys recommend? Otterbox, lifeproof, smartcase, etc?
 
I ordered this one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FRVDXAQ/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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I have my RAM yolk mount and tablet attachment and I'm headed to the airport to see how everything fits.

...still waiting for BestBuy to start selling the AT&T version.
 
FastEddieB said:
My credit card got charged yesterday, and the iPad Mini Retina's been shipped! :yes:
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Same.

I took advantage of the engraving offer to add name/phone/DL# to the back. I wonder if that added significantly to the time between order (Monday the 11th) and the expected arrival (Tuesday the 26th).
 
Seanaldinho said:
Just purchased a 32gb non retina display.

What kind of cases do you guys recommend? Otterbox, lifeproof, smartcase, etc?
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Otterbox for sure on the iPhone. Not sure what I'll get for the iMini.

For my big iPad, I have the Zagg ProFolio keyboard case. Exterior is as tough as the Otter and I get a full sized keyboard.

Base on my usage of the big iPad, an Otterbox case (while nice) is overkill and adds significant weight. A buddy has a leather folio case for his gen 1 Mini that's nice and works well with the Ram "X" holder (see thumbnail). I might go with that.
 

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Seanaldinho said:
What kind of cases do you guys recommend? Otterbox, lifeproof, smartcase, etc?
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Otterbox has earned my continued loyalty through exemplary customer service and a well designed product.

So I got one for my arrive-next-Tuesday iPad Retina Mini.

I'm heavily invested in RAM mounts, so that's how I'll go.

Nice thing about the Otterbox is it comes with a cover/support, which I modified to take an old RAM suction cup. The suction cup did not hold suction well, nor did the stippled material of the cover lend itself to that, so I put some SuperLok tape on the cover and on the suction cup - it locks into place now and the rubber gives it a nice wide base for stability.

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One problem is the Otterbox screen is highly reflective, as seen here:

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My plan is to order a Moshi AG (ant-glare) screen protector and just poke out the Otterbox screen, which is easy to do and I've had to do on my iPhone Otterboxes when the screen got scratched up enough.

I could even have two Moshi's, one anti-glare and one not, and just put on the anti-glare when anticipating airplane or other outdoor use. Have to see if that's in order once I see if the anti-glare model really degrades sharpness objectionably. I've never had a retina device, so I don't know what to expect.
 
Just got my mini and wow! All I can say is holy cow! This thing is faaaast!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
I'm using a Smart Cover and an I carbons wrap to protect the back


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I really liked the polyurethane Smart Case for my iPad 4. Unfortunately, it's only available in the leather variety for the iPad Air. I went with that, but the guy assured my I could return it at any time if I wasn't happy. I'm concerned about the leather scuffing too easily. The poly case was bulletproof. We'll see....
 
numl0ck said:
I have my RAM yolk mount and tablet attachment and I'm headed to the airport to see how everything fits.

...still waiting for BestBuy to start selling the AT&T version.
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I "caved" (and by caved I mean I hunted one down) and found a 32gb White..err..Silver AT&T Mini w/Retina in a store about an hour away. I think I'm in lust with this thing. I have my new yolk mount and hope to try it out this weekend. :yesnod:

Oh, and I have the smart cover. I don't plan on getting a case - never had one for the iPad2.
 

Mine just arrived. Charging and setting it up now.
 
Downloading FF now. Download speed for initial databases plus AR, LA, OK, and TX (VFR and IFR low) are pretty speedy compared to the full sized pad purchased this summer. Adding the additional antenna (or what ever it is) to up the bandwidth was a smart decision.

Haven't used anything that shows of the display yet. But impressed with what it is so far.
 
FastEddieB said:
Trying to decide whether to restore from a backup or start from scratch.
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iCloud already brought over Contacts, and Photos.

I chose start from scratch so I can pick/choose the apps I want on this.

Been looking at some of the photos. The display is showing the high res stuff very nicely.

VFR Charts in FF are very crisp. Can easily read the text on the charts.

Amazon Kindle shows very well on this display. Much cleaner text than iPhone 5.
 
AggieMike88 said:
iCloud already brought over Contacts, and Photos.

I chose start from scratch so I can pick/choose the apps I want on this.

Been looking at some of the photos. The display is showing the high res stuff very nicely.

VFR Charts in FF are very crisp. Can easily read the text on the charts.

Amazon Kindle shows very well on this display. Much cleaner text than iPhone 5.
Click to expand...

Pretty much sums up exactly my thoughs. I have less than 1/4 of the apps I had on my old iPad installed on the new Mini.
 
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FastEddieB said:
Charging at home while we run errands.
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I haven't charged mine since I unboxed it on Saturday. Still had 20% battery this morning after tinkering with it all Sat night and Sunday (no flying though).
 
I've never seen a point in screen protectors on Apple products. I've never had issues with them getting scratched and I'm not easy on my gear. I have however watched many pilots struggle to tap things properly in Foreflight when they're flying. Almost always it's because their damn screen protector decreases the sensitivity significantly.

My favorite case for the iPad mini is:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/HC671ZM/A/tech21-impact-mesh-for-ipad-mini?fnode=3b
It protects it very nicely and does not make the Mini much larger at all. Best case I've ever had on anything.
 
that looks similar (within 1mm thickness) to the one I picked minus the provision to use a smart cover... i generally agree the protectors, but plan to use a anti glare one on the mini.
 
NoHeat said:
Yes, you need the Bacon 'n Egg case for your iPad. It costs only $59!

iPad-Bacon-n-Egg-Case-2.jpg
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That thing looks like something one could make with felt from the craft store (hard to find a cloth/sewing store anymore) for about $5 if you already had a needle and thread lying about.

Are idiots really paying $59?
 
First impressions after a couple days...

1) It IS smaller than the standard iPad (duh). The impression of smallness was to some extent exacerbated by the fact that for the last couple of weeks I've been using my 15" MacBook Pro.

If used mainly around the house, I think I'd prefer the larger. In fact, rumor has it Apple is considering a "Maxi-Pad", though I hope they call it something else.

But this is my plane/traveling device, so I think the choice to go with the Mini was the right one.

I have gotten into the habit of double-tapping the screen to zoom in a bit before trying to hit a button or link, which makes it comparable to the larger screen in level of difficulty.

2) It IS sharper - I guess. With my aging eyes and looking through smudged $1 Sav-A-Lot readers at a normally smudged screen, I don't see a huge difference. YMMV, but I never found anything wrong with the iPad1 screen in the first place.

3) It IS fast! Especially loading web pages. Nice.

Only problems...

1) I was trying to download the large pdf of the FAA's "Flight Training Handbook", to save to iBooks along with "The Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge" and maybe a couple others. Hangs up about half way and crashes Safari.

2) Went to stream "Dancing With The Stars" to our Apple TV yesterday, and got little "hitches" every 10 to 15 seconds. Restarting both devices made no difference. Played fine through my wife's iPhone, so I don't think it was the program.

Anyway, happy so far.

And Jake, at least, seems to appreciate the higher resolution:

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The streaming is dependent on the website. YouTube doesn't stream the same bitrate to iPhones as iPads for example. You might be hitting a bandwidth limit in your connection on the higher resolution device.
 
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