Since Christmas is coming soon, my sister decided that it will be my pleasure to get her an ipad for a present. Now my question is this: Ipad or ipad mini? She said either but i want to get her the best. Price is not a problem (ok i kinda like her :P)

Anw since i have no clue about any, im turning to you to help. What are the pros/cons of each one? How do you use it every day?

Thanks

Note it will be either an ipad 2 16GB or an ipad mini 16GB and wifi only for both.

Mini - Format is a dream, that's truely mobile. Useless without 3G or what ever they call mobile internet nowadays.

IPad - choice of retina display makes it really desirable if onces reads on the thing. Format less mobile for the pocket but still perfect for a travelling bag. Keyboard size closer to normal computer, so ten finger typing is almost possible with some training.

Downsize same for both: it's Apple so that can be a plus or a minus on your lost depending on your stance on Apple in general. Other tabletts are very popular from what I see in trains, commute and city.

PS when I asked the Apple guy, he said the cameras are the same, but I am not a photo person, no idea if statement is true or not.

__________________
Es wird nichts ausgelassen, um mich hier herauszuekeln. Ein Lehrbuch. False accusations and attacks continue. There is no stopping righteous people when they are wrong.

Thanks. Sorry forgot to mention that it will be either an ipad mini or an ipad2 16GB wifi only for both. Original post edited.

My eldest has an IPAD 2 and my wife has an IPAD 4.

Being able to compare the two, I saw the difference in quality of the retina display. It's noticeably sharper.

However, I'm not being very helpful here because I played with a friend's IPAD Mini and found it too small for my fat fingers when performing complex functions, such as kicking butt on angry birds..

I'd probably still buy an IPAD 2 if I could.

First off don't rush out and buy one this weekend. Apple are making an announcement next Tuesday and it's highly anticipated that they'll be releasing the next models of the iPad.

One thing to bear in mind is that the current mini doesn't have the horsepower of the retina iPad. This may be a problem if your sis is into gaming, and also may be a problem down the line with the next generation operating systems. Otherwise it'll be fine.

Hmm, I don't have any problem with my WiFi only iPad when it comes to internet connectivity wherever I am. It's dead easy to turn your phone into a router for the iPad (or tethering as it's known). In fact I'd go as far to say that buying a 3G/4G iPad is a waste of money for most people if they already have a smartphone.

Edit

Ah in that case it basically comes down to the form factor that your sis prefers. Both have exactly the same specs regarding compute performance, although the camera in the iPad 2 is, well, a POS to be frank.

__________________
...allegedly.

I have a mini and my daughter has a retina.

Personally, I think mine is much more practical when it comes to size and weight (although my mini is also cellular, so it's out and about with me a fair bit, as I don't have a smart phone).

The mini is like a slightly bigger smart phone, whereas the retina is a slightly smaller netbook.

If you're not anticipating her taking it around with her much, but may be using it a lot for home viewing, then the retina has a better display - but I'm more than happy with my mini's resolution, for most of my needs.

Ask her which size would be more convenient for her needs. And I think she should be doing this research rather than you!

That's rubbish, sorry. I got the wife the one without 3G, because the price difference was massive. I knew she will never carry it around without also carrying her iPhone as well - no problem at all to connect the two over wireless and use the phone as the modem. Works perfectly and is dead easy.

My suggestion - people always overestimate how much memory they really gonna use. By the time the iPad is really full are we three years down the road and you want to upgrade anyway. I'd wait for the new models next week and then take the mini 2 in gold.

She decided she wants an ipad. Thats all the research she is willing to do!

Mini one for sure.

Wifi only is fine

Cheapest one (so 16 GB) is fine too

Wait for a week or so until the retina one comes out. I don't have any issues at all with the resoluton of mine (non-retina) but it'd be annoying to buy one just before a slightly better one gets released usually for the same money!

Thanks people Im not buying anything before mid December anw but good to know

I would go for the mini as well, it is light and the screen is large enough to read, play games, watch movies etc. Also ideal for traveling.

is she 8 years old?

I had an iPad for a year and never got what the fuss was about then I got a mini, I love it and use it a lot whereas the big iPad just sat on a shelf.

Me too. In fact I used it so little our son called it his iPad as he used it much more.
Got a mini earlier this year and I love it. It's small enough to carry around with you but big enough to be able to do useful things on.

I'd go for the mini if I were you.

Thank you for that word. Useful vocab for me as non English speaker.

I rephrase my opinion: Mini is only a nice thing to take everywhere with you and have access to internet (tethering will do) with a thingie in pocket format.
For home use, I must admit that I find the iPad normal size more friendly to the human sized hand and fingers.

In short: For home/hotel/friends' place, I take a iPad - for traveling and on the way, I take the Mini. The way one use the thingie will decide what is best for each of us.


Don't be sorry, rubbish is my English, I wrote 3G when I should have written "any internet connection for on the way".

__________________
Es wird nichts ausgelassen, um mich hier herauszuekeln. Ein Lehrbuch. False accusations and attacks continue. There is no stopping righteous people when they are wrong.

Only a girl would say "either ipad or ipad mini, doesnt matter"

Either way..wait until the october 22 apple event, new ipads being announced. Most likely a ipad mini retina and a better ipad (ipad 5).

No, it is not a misunderstanding on terminology - the iPad costs significantly more if you buy it with a mobile phone module for mobile internet versus the standard wifi one. Given how cheap phone modules are would I say it's pretty short of a rip off not too different from the ridiculous prices for memory upgrades.

I believe for most people is the standard fully sufficient because they will never leave the house without a phone and can use the phone to connect the ipad to the internet. It's easy and works well for the 5% of the time that you use the ipad in a place that does not have wifi, but most people seem to buy the more expensive model instead.

So most people think "yes, I need 3G" and pay more than they need.

It is but one on my side. I had no idea one could use the dream-team Smartphone/WiFiPad instead of 3G. Like most people, as you very well explain. Hence the rephrase "any kind of Internet connection" (sinngemäß).

Gee, now I think I need a mini, although I looooove my iPad. I have a 1 and 2 and when using my mom's new model, could tell instantly the dofference in the resolutin, so of course I want one of those. I think I need "both". So, if it is between a mini with the new screen/resolution vs. IPad 2, I would get the mini.

The iPad 2 was termed "mommy's iPad" in our house. However, I have recently been asking the kids why mommy never seems to get to use it anymore and is left with the old one and hundreds of kiddie apps have appeared on "mine"....perhaps it's time to change the password on my iTunes account, perhaps. At least they always only put free things on without asking!