iPad Air vs. Mini 2 University

[VanKuchen]

Hello! So right now I'm stuck with deciding between the Air and Mini 2, which I imagine happens to a lot of others aswell. This would be my first iPad, I've had the Nexus 7 2013 since release now and I don't like it because of its screen which was to small for my use at university (reading pdfs f.i.) and the lack of apps and decided to switch to an iPad.

So I imagine there's probably people here who have used an iPad at university, what do you think is the better size? For the record I don't plan on typing on it I have recently purchased a Mac Book Pro and i just need the iPad to accompany my Pro, when studying for showing me Pdfs, Wikipedia, Anatomy Pictures and so on. I think the air is still kind of big but I also fear I will regret the lesser screen real estate on the mini when studying. What are your thoughts on that? Do you own a full size iPad or a Mini as a student? I really hope for an answer cause I've been browsing the web for days and even a hands on at the store couldn't answer those questions for me. ;-)

 

[Mason Rasmussen]

I ended up with the mini 2. I still miss the bigger screen for PDF's like you said, and e-textbooks, but the portability of the mini won in my book. It's nice being able to slip it in my back pocket- with a smart case on I might add.

 

[VanKuchen]

I don't know I think I'd only be carrying it around in a backpack anyway and the few grams just make a minor difference to me what I think about is (and I know I sound like a retard when I say this^^), what the better device is for like studying in a caf?. You know small tables (also sometimes at university) and a lot to fit onto that table, maybe the mini is the better choice for that. Oh god this is such a first world problem but I'm a real overthinker with those things :-D

 

[shief24]

For me, I prefer the ipad air. There are times when I don't want to bring my MacBook so having a screen that is large enough to type on (if I need to ) is better. Also I don't mind sitting near the back so I often use my ipad to go along with the slides and the big screen is better for that. If you have a lot of readings and do a lot of free hand notes like drawing diagrams or quickly copying things On the board, again the bigger screen is better.

Honestly the portability of the mini still wins but other than that the Air is so light why not? If you're budget friendly then go with the mini but other than that I'd go with the air. Try both see what you like!

 

[Rocket_Girl]

Hello! So right now I'm stuck with deciding between the Air and Mini 2, which I imagine happens to a lot of others aswell. This would be my first iPad, I've had the Nexus 7 2013 since release now and I don't like it because of its screen which was to small for my use at university (reading pdfs f.i.) and the lack of apps and decided to switch to an iPad.

So I imagine there's probably people here who have used an iPad at university, what do you think is the better size? For the record I don't plan on typing on it I have recently purchased a Mac Book Pro and i just need the iPad to accompany my Pro, when studying for showing me Pdfs, Wikipedia, Anatomy Pictures and so on. I think the air is still kind of big but I also fear I will regret the lesser screen real estate on the mini when studying. What are your thoughts on that? Do you own a full size iPad or a Mini as a student? I really hope for an answer cause I've been browsing the web for days and even a hands on at the store couldn't answer those questions for me. ;-)

You had me at "anatomy pictures". Go for the Air. I went from iPad 3 to 1st gen Mini back to Air. iPad 3 was too heavy to carry around as much as I wanted to, so I grabbed mini on launch day last year.

I loved the mini and planned to get the miniR. Then I tried the Air (before retina mini was available), and it really hits the sweet spot. Man, it is nice to be back to a larger screen with the Air. I find the Air to be nearly as portable as the mini, but so much nicer to use. You can read PDF on mini - in full page view the font is pretty tiny- and in larger font, (naturally) you can view only in chunks. With PDFs, this was annoying enough that I stopped reading those on the mini. Also, there are some cool,apps for making notes in PDFs- these are great to use on the Air, but tricky on the Mini.

With anatomy images, it would be quite tough to see all the necessary detail *in adequate size* to stare at and really learn them. They will be clear on retina mini, no question - but small. Think about whether you would rather study anatomy from a postcard or a textbook... That's the kind of difference I'm talking about.

Hope this helps. Either way, have fun. You will love either device!

 

[VanKuchen]

You had me at "anatomy pictures". Go for the Air. I went from iPad 3 to 1st gen Mini back to Air. iPad 3 was too heavy to carry around as much as I wanted to, so I grabbed mini on launch day last year.

I loved the mini and planned to get the miniR. Then I tried the Air (before retina mini was available), and it really hits the sweet spot. Man, it is nice to be back to a larger screen with the Air. I find the Air to be nearly as portable as the mini, but so much nicer to use. You can read PDF on mini - in full page view the font is pretty tiny- and in larger font, (naturally) you can view only in chunks. With PDFs, this was annoying enough that I stopped reading those on the mini. Also, there are some cool,apps for making notes in PDFs- these are great to use on the Air, but tricky on the Mini.

With anatomy images, it would be quite tough to see all the necessary detail *in adequate size* to stare at and really learn them. They will be clear on retina mini, no question - but small. Think about whether you would rather study anatomy from a postcard or a textbook... That's the kind of difference I'm talking about.

Hope this helps. Either way, have fun. You will love either device!

Thanks a lot guys appreciate the help! What I'd also like to do would be reading magazines and I'm pretty sure that's not as much fun on the mini as on the air ;-)
So decision's made! 32gb space gray air inbound ;-)

 

[j_benj]

Thanks a lot guys appreciate the help! What I'd also like to do would be reading magazines and I'm pretty sure that's not as much fun on the mini as on the air ;-)
So decision's made! 32gb space gray air inbound ;-)

Congrats, you won't regret it! I, too, went from iPad 3 to original mini and now back to the Air. I carry it to work every day in a small backpack and it's so light I don't miss the mini at all. Between the power and larger screen size, the Air is like carrying a small laptop with me.

 

[km12345]

You had me at "anatomy pictures". Go for the Air. I went from iPad 3 to 1st gen Mini back to Air. iPad 3 was too heavy to carry around as much as I wanted to, so I grabbed mini on launch day last year.

I loved the mini and planned to get the miniR. Then I tried the Air (before retina mini was available), and it really hits the sweet spot. Man, it is nice to be back to a larger screen with the Air. I find the Air to be nearly as portable as the mini, but so much nicer to use. You can read PDF on mini - in full page view the font is pretty tiny- and in larger font, (naturally) you can view only in chunks. With PDFs, this was annoying enough that I stopped reading those on the mini. Also, there are some cool,apps for making notes in PDFs- these are great to use on the Air, but tricky on the Mini.

With anatomy images, it would be quite tough to see all the necessary detail *in adequate size* to stare at and really learn them. They will be clear on retina mini, no question - but small. Think about whether you would rather study anatomy from a postcard or a textbook... That's the kind of difference I'm talking about.

Hope this helps. Either way, have fun. You will love either device!

Which case do you use? I'm concern how heavy it'd be after adding a case but protection is much needed. I'm torn in deciding on miniR n air. Now I'm leaning to air.


Sent from my Gold iPhone 5s using Tapatalk

 

[shief24]

The smart case from Apple keeps it pretty light weight not much difference in my honest opinion. I have a griffin survivor case that I use if I'm going outside and there's a chance of dropping it. That makes it heavier to hold since it's a contrast with the one pound air if you want it kept light but still protected use a smart case or a third party case that imitates it.

 

[VanKuchen]

I have ordered the smart cover from apple for home because it's very easy to take off and i'm gonna buy a third party case for outside I guess.

 

[VanKuchen]

So I went to the store today and tried out the Air and I don't know I normally use tablets mainly in landscape orientation and I found some text on websites quite large, almost too large. So I think the Mini would definitely be sufficient for surfing and so on. I also don't worry about anatomy anymore cause well everythings still readable on mini apps and it shows the same picture only in a smaller format, what I'm wondering is if anybody has used the Mini for reading Pdfs in landscape orientation and how that worked out?

 

[mrb666]

I'm a mini fan through and through

 

[vigilant]

I have a Mini Retina, and an Air.

I use my Air for typing up notes or anything longer form and use the Mini as a glorified kindle.

The Mini is excellent for reading but for anything more then a paragraph or two. The iPad air though can be an excellent productivity machine if you know how to use it. I've done long statement of works, reviewed code, and blah blah blah from it without any issues.

So to recap if it's mostly a reader the Mini. If you ever want to do productivity then go Air with keyboard if you need one.

 

[anon(52425)]

Hello! So right now I'm stuck with deciding between the Air and Mini 2, which I imagine happens to a lot of others aswell. This would be my first iPad, I've had the Nexus 7 2013 since release now and I don't like it because of its screen which was to small for my use at university (reading pdfs f.i.) and the lack of apps and decided to switch to an iPad.

So I imagine there's probably people here who have used an iPad at university, what do you think is the better size? For the record I don't plan on typing on it I have recently purchased a Mac Book Pro and i just need the iPad to accompany my Pro, when studying for showing me Pdfs, Wikipedia, Anatomy Pictures and so on. I think the air is still kind of big but I also fear I will regret the lesser screen real estate on the mini when studying. What are your thoughts on that? Do you own a full size iPad or a Mini as a student? I really hope for an answer cause I've been browsing the web for days and even a hands on at the store couldn't answer those questions for me. ;-)

You came from an Android. There's your first problem, but we all make mistakes.

I have an Air that I use for school and it is excellent. Much better than the iPad 4 and mainly because of the weight between the two. When I had my iP4 my GF had an original Mini and I loved the weight of it. Using it for books and such was much more comfortable but I hated and still do, the size of the mini. When the Air came out it was perfect for me. Trimmed down on size and weight was wonderful. Now I am a happy camper. If you came from a iP4, which you didnt, and you're a student you will really appreciate the size and how more comfortable it is. Coming from...Android, well anything is better.

 

[Rocket_Girl]

Which case do you use? I'm concern how heavy it'd be after adding a case but protection is much needed. I'm torn in deciding on miniR n air. Now I'm leaning to air.


Sent from my Gold iPhone 5s using Tapatalk

I need protection inside bag more than protection from drops, so I use a Smart Cover and use a leather envelope case for added carrying protection when needed. The leather case is sized for iPad3, so it holds smaller, lighter iPad Air with Smart Cover. I pre-ordered Zagg Keys keyboard cover (not the folio), and anticipate that the slipcase will hold Air with ZaggKeys as well.

 

[anon(52425)]

I need protection inside bag more than protection from drops, so I use a Smart Cover and use a leather envelope case for added carrying protection when needed. The leather case is sized for iPad3, so it holds smaller, lighter iPad Air with Smart Cover. I pre-ordered Zagg Keys keyboard cover (not the folio), and anticipate that the slipcase will hold Air with ZaggKeys as well.

If you want protection, which you probably don't since you went for the keyboard cover, you aren't gonna get it. A classmate has the Zagg cover and uses an padded incase sleeve and the corners of his Air are banged the hell up. Looks painful.