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iPad 4 & iPad Mini
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Brave Ulysses
BANNED
I am worthless beyond hope.
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
 
2012-11-14, 13:34

Yea. The heft of it is definitely not ideal.

I was really excited to see the split keyboard added, and thought it would be great, but now I haven't used it in so long that I forgot it existed until you mentioned it.

Enjoy!
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psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2012-11-14, 14:00

I did the iCloud thing with the over-the-air syncing of my bookmarks, contacts, calendars, etc. I've just now connected it to the iMac to copy my iTunes and iPhoto libraries over (16.7 and 13.4GB, respectively). I've already put the iLife and iWork stuff on (I'd purchased them before for the iPhone, but never used them much), along with Twitter, Weather Channel, Fandango and the iPad versions of Scrabble and Boggle. And I've downloaded Paper as well as my purchase of iDraw. With all that, I've still got 24GB free. And I may wind up tossing quite a few of my photos/events (someone I used to know, blah, blah...who needs the reminder ). That would free up another 3-4 GB, it looks like.

So that's all my stuff, pretty much.

Yeah, every time I go to pick it up it's heavier than I'd ever imagine. Not horrifically so, and not in any sort of over-the-top "deal-killer" way. But I guess I'm just so used to an iPhone. Lying in bed, reading/playing Scrabble earlier, I was noticing the weight. If I'm ever accosted by someone, I suppose it could make a good weapon. A couple of knocks to the head by this thing would surely leave a mark.

It's so fast and snappy. I've been so happy with my iPhone 5, and this is right in that ballpark...everything just zooms and whooshes open instantly. And I've got super-fast Internet here at the house (the fiber optic stuff from EPB) and so surfing and things like that are just insanely fast and responsive.

I think I'll take to it pretty well.

The Lightning connector goes in straight. It's just on the curve where the metal starts, but there's no angle to the insertion...it just goes straight in, parallel to the display. Looking at it, one might think you're supposed to angle it upwards just a skootch. Maybe it is, a degree or so. Hard to tell.

4,079 songs total, and it's about 1/4 of the way through...

EDIT: I do have a question regarding iCloud backup. When I set the thing up (PC free) earlier, I chose that option. When I connected it to the iMac a few moments ago, it asked me again and then I got to thinking...is that everything on here...my large music and photo libraries? Because I don't have that much space on iCloud.

Ideally, I'd like my apps, iCloud basics, settings, contacts, bookmarks, etc. backed up to iCloud, but I have (for the time being) this iMac with my music and photos (and they're Time Machined over to an external hard drive as well).

Can someone explain all that to me...the iCloud storage/backup and what, exactly, goes there? For the time being I switched it over to "backup to this computer", but that may not always be an option.

EDIT #2: Something funny I just noticed...after years of digital music and photo accumulation (iTunes Store, ripping my CD collection, photos from older cameras, photos from my iPhone over the past five-plus years, photos from friends cameras/emails, etc., I somehow managed to have 4,079 songs and 4,104 photos. Funny that these two things would be so close in number...25 items apart, after a decade or so of all this. I'd never really noticed.

EDIT #3: I just opted to put on my favorite Events/galleries (friends, family, travel, local, etc. and omit about 25-30 events centering around someone who "used to be" or just older, silly pics that I don't need/want with me at all times. But that bought me nearly 7GB of space back, so with all my apps, music (4,079 songs) and right at 1,600 photos, I've got 31.2GB free. So that's perfect. Plenty of room to grow, add the occasional app, song/album and photos, and new artwork/illustrations.

Last edited by psmith2.0 : 2012-11-14 at 14:27.
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Brave Ulysses
BANNED
I am worthless beyond hope.
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
 
2012-11-14, 14:07

Yea. The slight change in weight and thickness really is surprisingly noticed when moving from iPad 2 to iPad 3/4.

I know some may suggest that the big iPad will never get thinner and lighter now that the iPad Mini exists, but I think it is a usability issue. I love iPad 3 but it's cumbersome to use sometimes and if Apple gives the mini a retina display next year, I'm not sure I would buy a full sized iPad again. Apple needs to reduce the weight and thickness of the full size iPad to maintain competitiveness with its own cheaper product, the iPad Mini.... otherwise the average selling price/margins are going to be painful.

Sounds like the lightning connector isn't as much of an improvement for this bevel design as I had hoped except it works either way.
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psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2012-11-14, 14:41

This Paper app is quite a thing. I'm not really "artistic" (in the free-flowing, painterly/loose type of way), but this is very nice. I've got little-to-no real life experience with watercolors and natural media, so this is a nice step into that world (minus the mess, clean-up and expense). Something tells me I'm not going to sleep for a good while...too much to explore and play with.
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Brave Ulysses
BANNED
I am worthless beyond hope.
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
 
2012-11-14, 14:51

Quote:
Originally Posted by pscates2.0 View Post
This Paper app is quite a thing. I'm not really "artistic" (in the free-flowing, painterly/loose type of way), but this is very nice. I've got little-to-no real life experience with watercolors and natural media, so this is a nice step into that world (minus the mess, clean-up and expense). Something tells me I'm not going to sleep for a good while...too much to explore and play with.
Yea. I just played with the basic free/no purchased add-on version the other day. It is great. And it also made me think that Apple really has missed major opportunities for multi-touch usage in the iOS. I just love the way Paper has creatively used multi-touch, specifically the "hold your artwork while flipping pages" gesture to move the page your artwork is saved on.
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Yontsey
*AD SPACE FOR SALE*
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Cleveland-ish, OH
 
2012-11-14, 15:09

I have the iPad 2 and I actually don't mind the weight. In fact, I have mine in a DodoCase and I like the added bulk and weight because I think it makes it more comfortable to hold. Maybe it's just a mental thing, but it just feels more sturdy, safe, and easier to hold onto. The DodoCase is by far the best case I've used, in my opinion, but it all depends on what you are looking for and what you need.

Die young and save yourself....
@yontsey
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psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2012-11-15, 06:18

I can't put this silly thing down. I didn't go to sleep last night so I can stay on my shift cycle come Friday, so I just played in GarageBand, messing with the instruments. I recorded a snippet of Gary Numan's "Cars" that actually sounds pretty good, considering I'm not a keyboard player (but I can fake it and I know the signature hooks to a bunch of songs like that on guitar so I just transfer it to the keys). I layered about seven synths (three for the bass), then the string part and just a little smart drum beat below it all.

What's an easy way to post/share it? The export/share options out of iOS Garagebamd are limited to Facebook, YouTube, soundcloud(?) and email. Wish Apple still did the hosting/iDisk thing (and built support for it into all these iOS apps that don't create a local, moveable file you can easily access.

Dropbox isn't even offered or I would've done that. It's prettY FUNNY...you gotta hear it.
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Wyatt
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Near Indianapolis
 
2012-11-15, 07:57

Email it to yourself, then upload to dropbox?
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psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2012-11-15, 08:51

Ah, yes.

I'm not a keyboardist, so let's get that straight right up front. Anyway, me goofing off and seeing how many synths I can stack/layer. I've played this song in bands over the years, but always guitar or bass (that main bass hook...the string-sounding part was new to me, but it's only about four notes). So I had to sit and figure it out real quick on a keyboard (I know the notes and all, I've just never actually played it this way). There's a dozen things I'd do differently, but it was a great "hands-on" for the GarageBand on iOS. I learned a ton, just playing around with this.
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thegeriatric
geri to my friends
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Heaven
 
2012-11-15, 12:47

Cool! You is the Keyboardinator...............
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psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2012-11-16, 10:43

Edited/replaced above sample. Cool that you can go in, after the fact, and improve/doctor notes or tweak the sounds already recorded.
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Mac+
9" monochrome
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: 🇦🇺
 
2012-11-16, 15:35

Hey Paul - that's cool, nice job.

I have not used GB (or any sequencing/recording) since I did something for drew about five years ago.
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psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2012-11-16, 18:24

Thanks, it's fun to mess around. It's like you build little sections and then you can piece them together (or duplicate good "takes" or passages). Cheating, I guess. But who's counting. Point is, I'm learning a ton of neat, new things.

Another favorite song of mine is Duran Duran's "Planet Earth". I was playing with that, but since I currently don't have a bass or electric guitar, I wound up replacing that "galloping" bassline from the original with more of a sequenced/synth bass thing, and more "dance-y" drums. It's like a dance remix version, because I kept the same synth hooks/melody. Fun to learn/play these things on the onscreen keyboards, and twiddle the knobs to find those close sounds. I even found a synth called "Whirlybird" which is VERY close that that chirping/helicopter sound in the background in the original song. I'll upload it when I mess with it some more. I've only worked on one section.

Because of the onscreen/touch instruments, GarageBand seems more fun on iOS than the Mac (I don't have a keyboard either, so it was hard to play anything with the little mouse-driven onscreen keyboard, or using the typing key to play notes). At least the iPad version, you can put your hand on "real keys" (or close enough).

Fun stuff. I'm kinda over this "sticker shock" from a couple of days ago. Between GarageBand, iPhoto (having all my pics with me in such a nice, large screen), all my music with me (4,000+ songs) and the art apps (Paper and iDraw), this iPad is really something nice. Even in places without wifi, I've got enough things on there to read, look at, listen to or create, that not having Internet/email is no big deal (because I've got those on my phone anyway, 24/7). So this was a good purchase, and it might be my second most-favorite thing I've ever bought from Apple. That's including all my iMacs (DV, G4 and aluminum), PowerBook G4, etc.

It's a joy to use.
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psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2012-11-20, 05:47

When renting movies from iTunes, is it worth the extra $$$ to get the HD version? Will the SD version look grainy or blocky on the iPad display? I'll be loading a couple of things tomorrow afternoon to play in the background at work.
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torifile
Less than Stellar Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Durham, NC
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2012-11-20, 08:26

Quote:
Originally Posted by pscates2.0 View Post
When renting movies from iTunes, is it worth the extra $$$ to get the HD version? Will the SD version look grainy or blocky on the iPad display? I'll be loading a couple of things tomorrow afternoon to play in the background at work.
I haven't ever watched an HD movie on the iPad so I can't say for sure but I have watched SD stuff and it's more than good enough for me.

If it's not red and showing substantial musculature, you're wearing it wrong.
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psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2012-11-20, 12:06

Thanks.

BTW, any iPad users here who are looking for a vector illustration app...look no farther than iDraw. I'm super-impressed with it so far! Just a solid, streamlined - yet modern and friendly - take on Illustrator for a touch-based tablet.

The pen, shape and transformation tools are all very familiar and comfortable. You have natural touch-based control and input, but you can also enter numerical values for more precise, detailed work.

If Adobe ever released Illustrator for iPad, they'd do well to emulate iDraw...focus on the core drawing tools and abilities and don't worry about a bloated 1:1 port of AI6, with all it's glommed-on silliness and "features" many people would probably never use.

iDraw does it right...everything I need, nothing I don't. I didn't want to say much about it until I'd truly used it and "put it through its paces" a bit. But after one week, I'm giving it a solid thumbs-up. Worth the $8.99, IMO, if you need/use such an app.
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torifile
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: Durham, NC
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2012-11-20, 12:23

Quote:
Originally Posted by pscates2.0 View Post
Thanks.

BTW, any iPad users here who are looking for a vector illustration app...look no farther than iDraw. I'm super-impressed with it so far! Just a solid, streamlined - yet modern and friendly - take on Illustrator for a touch-based tablet.

The pen, shape and transformation tools are all very familiar and comfortable. You have natural touch-based control and input, but you can also enter numerical values for more precise, detailed work.

If Adobe ever released Illustrator for iPad, they'd do well to emulate iDraw...focus on the core drawing tools and abilities and don't worry about a bloated 1:1 port of AI6, with all it's glommed-on silliness and "features" many people would probably never use.

iDraw does it right...everything I need, nothing I don't. I didn't want to say much about it until I'd truly used it and "put it through its paces" a bit. But after one week, I'm giving it a solid thumbs-up. Worth the $8.99, IMO, if you need/use such an app.
Wow. That's a great recommendation coming from someone like you. I will definitely check it out.
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psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2012-11-20, 17:36

You're too kind, sir. Too kind.

I have a couple of days off and I'm hoping to post a bit more of an in-depth review, with some screenshots and samples of work.
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Mugge
Thunderbolt, fuck yeah!
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Denmark
 
2012-11-28, 12:09

Posting this from my newly arrived iPad 4. Now if only I could make the damn thing connect to iCloud...



Well, at least the typing experience is nice enough.
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Mugge
Thunderbolt, fuck yeah!
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Denmark
 
2012-12-02, 11:34

iPad review time:

When I bought this iPad I didn't have a use scenario for it and I did suffer some handwringing over forking over so much money for something with no clear purpose. My initial idea was to use it as a reader at home and a substitute computer when away. For those purposes I would not need full Mac functionality and for now my impression is that this was right. In fact my biggest issue with the iPad is probably my usual digital paranoia because the iPad is very much black box computing at it's finest which requires me to completely trust Apple with my iLife. Well, Apple has certainly earned this trust, so I think the Stallman inside me will have to take the backseat for this ride.

As I mentioned in my previous post I was having some problems connecting to iCloud with my iPad, but one call to Apple Care and the problem was swiftly resolved. The genius suggested that it might be my home router that caused a hiccup and that I should try activating iCloud via a hotspot from my iPhone which did the trick. Sort of weird considering that iCloud works just fine on my iMac and iPhone, but apparently activation is more delicate.

As far as the hardware goes I think the regular iPad size suits me best and part of the reason for that is probably that it's just my right size for effortless four-finger hunt and peck typing. The retina display is also a joy to behold. The only gripe I have is the ports that don't allow the mini jack and Lightning connectors to sit flush. This seems like a strangely un-Apple way of doing things. I have also managed to spill coffee on it for the first time now and since you can read this, I'm relieved to say it survived, though, I'm still waiting to see how bad the damage was to the floor rug. It was a whole damn cup.

I've got the LTE model because one of the big selling points regarding the iPad in my opinion, is it's mobility. Here I am not just thinking about size and weight, but also battery life and connectivity. It would be cool with a MBA with integrated LTE, but so far we will have to contend ourselves with those unsightly USB dongles. That is, unless you are sporting an iPad. Another really smart thing about the iPad here in Europe is that it negates the need for expensive data roaming. Since it doesn't rely on a phone number or anything to let friends or family find you, you can simply pick up a local pay as you go SIM card in the country you are visiting and enjoy local data prices.

Software wise it is actually not as constrained as I initially thought, but not having the ability to right click on things is a bit annoying. The "contextual touch" is mostly adequate but sometimes the contextual menu lands right on top of an object you want to click. For example, for editing an URL here on AN requires me to select the text and then click a button on the website, and this get's impossible when iOS decides to land it's contextual menu on top of said button. Well, I've heard that other browsers ate available, so maybe I'll try one of those at some point.

Overall, I hereby pronounce it a keeper!
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Wrao
Yarp
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Road Warrior
 
2012-12-02, 15:13

It was not an easy decision to make between the iPad Mini and the iPad 4. I ended up getting the Mini and I know I made the right choice, but it still isn't quite that simple. As it sits, the iPad Mini would be essentially 'perfect' if it had an A6 and a Retina Display, but just as convincingly, the iPad 4 would be 'perfect' if it weighed less than a lbs and was as thin as a Mini. When I think about it, it is almost uncharacteristic of Apple to release the iPad 4 without any cosmetic detailing, especially given the switch to the smaller, cooler A6 chip and the smaller in-cell display tech. The Mini's design is really cool but more to the point, despite being larger than most 7" tablets it is lighter and thinner than all of them, classic Apple. The full-sized iPad, on the other hand, despite being a little smaller than its 10" peers, is heavier and thicker than almost all of them. On top of that, the design language of the iPad 4 starts to look a little out of place against the iPhone 5 and iPad Mini(and even the new iMac if you want to go that far). All of which leads to the inevitable iPad 5 which will likely feature more Mini-esque design language, be as thin as possible and as light as possible, while still retaining cutting edge tech(A7...etc.). I guess it is kind of tough to feel so confident that this is where the iPad is headed and will likely arrive there within the next revision, and have to 'settle' for where we are right now. Which is incredible, to be fair, but future gazing never felt this 'easy' before, is the point.

So then you have the iPad Mini which is remarkably thin and light, class leading in fact, and that is really its major appeal. But it sacrifices to get there. Hardware wise it's basically no different than my iPhone 4S, including the display which, stretched out over 7.9" suddenly isn't nearly as impressive anymore(though it is still bright and nice to look at, a side-by-side with the iPad 4 is a no contest). As much as I don't regret buying the Mini, I have to concede that it IS noticeably slow at times, the display isn't as good as I would have hoped and surprisingly iOS becomes a little bit clunkier in this form factor, where increased opportunity for one-handed usage on a large device presents some issues that don't show up on the two-handed iPad or one-handed phone. So with the Mini, as with the iPad 4, it's disarmingly easy to see where this product wants to go, and that it might get there in little over a year.

But, small price to pay really, they are both incredible overall.
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Partial
Stallion
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Milwaukee
 
2012-12-07, 16:56

Just got a mini for work. Put a retina display on this thing and it's game over. Holy sexy hardware! Love the weight and size! It is basically the identical size to my Nexus 7 (for work, I would never buy this garbage) in terms of area, but less volume. It's 100000x nicer, too.

...and calling/e-mailing/texting ex-girlfriends on the off-chance they'll invite you over for some "old time's sake" no-strings couch gymnastics...
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Brave Ulysses
BANNED
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Join Date: Dec 2005
 
2012-12-07, 17:37

Quote:
Originally Posted by Partial View Post
Just got a mini for work. Put a retina display on this thing and it's game over. Holy sexy hardware! Love the weight and size! It is basically the identical size to my Nexus 7 (for work, I would never buy this garbage) in terms of area, but less volume. It's 100000x nicer, too.
It really makes me wonder if Apple really did "get the size right" from the start or not.

I'd be very curious to see what something in the middle was like.
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kieran
@kk@pennytucker.social
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
 
2012-12-07, 22:18

Posting from my iPad mini. :-)

This thing is awesome. Retina be damned.

This is what the iPad was meant to be.
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Wyatt
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Near Indianapolis
 
2012-12-08, 08:33

Quote:
Originally Posted by kieran View Post
Posting from my iPad mini. :-)

This thing is awesome. Retina be damned.

This is what the iPad was meant to be.
A couple weeks in with mine, and this is basically how I feel too. I've started thinking of the mini as the "regular" iPad, with the bigger one being a sort of iPad Pro, like how the MBA is the regular MacBook, with the MBP being the larger, beefier model that does more than what most people really need.
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psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2012-12-08, 14:47

Some really cool guy said something just like that a few weeks ago...

But seriously, that seems to be how it's shaking out to many, huh?

Makes sense. Small, light, affordable = iPad mini/MacBook Air

Larger, heavier, but packing some more muscle (and Retina Display) = iPad 4/MacBook Pro

Very easy, and sensible, to make those connections.

And it appears the lack of Retina Display is adding up to a big fat zero in the real-life "what matters to most people" tally. These things are still selling by the truckload, it appears. I figured that was going to be the case. Most people's eyes - including mine - just can't tell. Especially if this is their first iDevice and they're not already spoiled by an iPad 3 or a 2010-2012 iPhone. The only people seriously carrying on or squawking about the lack of Retina Display are those who already have/use the above devices...and I'm not entirely sure Apple designed the iPad mini with them primarily in mind. In fact, I'm sure of it. It's great that many of them want one, and are willing to "step down". But I do think Apple was looking for "the rest" with this device, and not the already-converted.

I've still yet to see an iPad mini in real life...was at Walmart late last night after work, but they didn't have any in stock or on display. I've just not had a chance to get to Best Buy during their work hours. Maybe in another week or so.
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ezkcdude
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
 
2012-12-08, 16:05

I saw the Mini at the Apple Store. It looks nice, but I'm not the target user. I read way too many "full size" PDF's that simply would be shrunk too small on that form factor.
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Brave Ulysses
BANNED
I am worthless beyond hope.
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
 
2012-12-08, 16:25

when walmart does have them on display they are unfortunately contained in a bullet proof glass display case and can not be touched/used
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psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2012-12-08, 17:05

That's true. Yeah, Walmart and Target both do their iPod/iPad displays this way. In this town, getting by Best Buy or MacAuthority is the only way to hold/use one.

On a related note, I did notice last night that Walmart was finally stocking all three of the Lightning-based accessories from Apple, and had plenty of each. So if you're needing one of those newer items for your iPhone 5 or current-generation iPads, they should be out in the world now with some sort of reliability. They had about 9-10 of the $19 Lightning-to-USB cables, about 7-8 of the little $29 adapters and about the same of the longer cable-based version. They were all over in the "iPad accessories" aisle, where all the Apple iDevice cases, cables, covers, stylus devices, adapters, docks, power supplies, etc. all hang.
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kieran
@kk@pennytucker.social
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
 
2012-12-09, 00:59

Quote:
Originally Posted by Wyatt View Post
A couple weeks in with mine, and this is basically how I feel too. I've started thinking of the mini as the "regular" iPad, with the bigger one being a sort of iPad Pro, like how the MBA is the regular MacBook, with the MBP being the larger, beefier model that does more than what most people really need.

Definitely how I'm thinking. Haven't opened my MBP since I bought the mini. Had holiday ,used going all day for ,y party and it was fantastic. I'm in love with this thing already.


Got a retroactive lpay raise and used that as an excuse to buy. Such a wise decision.

No more Twitter. It's Mastodon now.
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