Got an iPad Mini

Hey guys,

I received my new 16gb iPad Mini today in the mail. I know, I know. Why didn't I get a new 4g iPad Retina? Well, for one, I didn't really want to spend $330.00 for the mini, let alone $500.00 for the ipad. But the real reason is that I just didn't want a tablet that large. In fact, I didn't really want one that was almost 8". Since I'm an "Apple guy" my choices were limited to replacing my ipod touch 4g with the new 5g (a whole 1/2" bigger) or the mini. I think the new touch is about 50 bucks overpriced at $300.00. While I do miss the retina display, the shrunken ipad 2 display on the mini is pretty good. The 1024 x 768 suits the smaller size quite well. Another thing was that I liked reading books on my ipod so I still wanted something that could be held in one hand. All in all, I'm satisfied with my decision. My track record for upgrading has been 2-3 years so, by that time, I'm sure the mini will have a retina display.

Regarding The Pinball Arcade, I've played a few tables so far and most have performed well. Black Hole has some slowdown during regular gameplay and NGG has some during multiball. Is this consistent with the ipad 2 which is, basically, what an ipad mini is inside? Or is the mini a whole new ios device that has its own suite of quirks and bugs?

Congrats, man. After using the regular-sized iPad for so long, I wouldn't want to go any smaller, but different strokes for different folks. I'm glad you have something you like.

As for your last paragraph, yes it has similar specs to an iPad 2. I haven't noticed any slowdowns on my iPad 2, but I'm still on iOS 5. I've heard people on iOS 6 complain about that, so I haven't upgraded yet.

Have fun with that amazing device. I have ipad 3, and when mini 2 will have same or better specs and screen i think i will go for that one.

The size would be perfect for me.

I got a mini too and I have to say I really like it, despite no retina. I also have an iPad 3 which is lovely, but sometimes when reading I've wished it was as light as my Kindle. And there have been times on the toilet reading my Kindle that I've read about something and wished I could just easily nip onto the web to crossreference something like I can so easily on ipad. The mini hits that sweet spot really nicely; lovely and light for reading, fluid as an ipad when you want to do something a bit more demanding. And of course all the games work fine (TPA and my own mainly).

Of course it'd be better with retina but retina needs more GPU which means more power which means more battery. I'm sure in a gen or two they'll be able to deliver that in the same size/weight class but for now it's still perfectly fine and just having such a light, easy to handle thingie that is also still an iPad is lovely.

I still love my ipad 3 with its gorgeous display but I can see the mini ushering in a whole new era of toilet and bed reading and being my go-to iPad to take out and about.

After having an iPad I just couldn't bring myself to go for the mini. But I did upgrade to the iPad 4. It arrived last night. It looks spectacular and plays TPA so smoooothly. It really made a huge difference, especially on busy tables such as RBION. No more stutter during multiball. I tried the post processing and actually found it to be just a tad jittery. The shading seemed a bit darker ( in a good way), but I turned it off to keep the silky smooth game play. A big jump from the iPad 1 to the 4. Table detail is so much clearer. Ready for TZ now. Very happy. At least until next month's credit card bill arrives.
Very glad to hear positive reviews for the mini. Opinions on the net seem very polarized, either hating or loving it. Looks cool to me.

Kolchak357 said:

After having an iPad I just couldn't bring myself to go for the mini. But I did upgrade to the iPad 4. It arrived last night. It looks spectacular and plays TPA so smoooothly. It really made a huge difference, especially on busy tables such as RBION. No more stutter during multiball. I tried the post processing and actually found it to be just a tad jittery. The shading seemed a bit darker ( in a good way), but I turned it off to keep the silky smooth game play. A big jump from the iPad 1 to the 4. Table detail is so much clearer. Ready for TZ now. Very happy. At least until next month's credit card bill arrives.
Very glad to hear positive reviews for the mini. Opinions on the net seem very polarized, either hating or loving it. Looks cool to me.

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Its an uprgade i only needed to wait six months for so i hate you...enjoy my man..

Thanks for the responses guys. My brother has an iPad 3 and likes it but it's the only device he plays TPA on. For me, I like playing on it on ios but I love it on the PS3. Now, if FarSight could get the same lighting and detail from the consoles on an iPad, that would be pretty tough to resist.

Kolchak357 said:

After having an iPad I just couldn't bring myself to go for the mini. But I did upgrade to the iPad 4. It arrived last night. It looks spectacular and plays TPA so smoooothly. It really made a huge difference, especially on busy tables such as RBION. No more stutter during multiball. I tried the post processing and actually found it to be just a tad jittery. The shading seemed a bit darker ( in a good way), but I turned it off to keep the silky smooth game play. A big jump from the iPad 1 to the 4. Table detail is so much clearer. Ready for TZ now. Very happy. At least until next month's credit card bill arrives.
Very glad to hear positive reviews for the mini. Opinions on the net seem very polarized, either hating or loving it. Looks cool to me.

Click to expand...

Man, going from the 1 to the 4 must be a HUGE upgrade. Just gong from the 1 to the 2 was pretty substantial for me.

Jeff Strong said:

Congrats, man. After using the regular-sized iPad for so long, I wouldn't want to go any smaller, but different strokes for different folks. I'm glad you have something you like.

As for your last paragraph, yes it has similar specs to an iPad 2. I haven't noticed any slowdowns on my iPad 2, but I'm still on iOS 5. I've heard people on iOS 6 complain about that, so I haven't upgraded yet.

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Im gonna go check it out at the apple store.

Jeff Strong said:

Man, going from the 1 to the 4 must be a HUGE upgrade. Just gong from the 1 to the 2 was pretty substantial for me.

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Jeff you are so correct. It almost looked 3-D to me at first. So much sharper. It runs TPA very well. I used to have to close every app before starting TPA. I also had a lot of crashes just scrolling through the table select menu. Really pleased with it.

Kolchak357 said:

and plays TPA so smoooothly. It really made a huge difference, especially on busy tables such as RBION. No more stutter during multiball.

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Hey man, stop making me jealous.

iPad4 will be my chrismas gift, i think the next weeks will
be a hard challenge to wait for it.

RBION for me is not playable on iPad1, can't wait to play a good score at it.

Got a mini as well a couple of days ago. I LOVED the retina screen on my 3, but that thing was just too heavy for longer use.

Most people who checked out my iPad 3 almost immediately commented on how heavy it feels, while the mini really surprised me with its lightness when I first picked it up. It almost feels a bit unreal, and the first few days I´ve been handling it like a newborn because it felt like I could just snap it on accident (which hasn´t happened yet ).

TPA is also much more comfortable for me, it feels more like a proper gaming handheld, whereas the huge battery wrapped in metal and glas of the 3 really was torture for my hands.

However, no retina is pretty rough at first, and TPA is definitely one of those apps where I miss it the most. It just looks washed-out and fuzzy, and it even seems to me a bit like it uses even lower-res assets than the screen could handle for some reason. However, again, the actual PLAYING on that thing is much more ergonomic.

So I guess I slap a nice thin back cover on it to not scratch that (very sweet looking!) black coating, and upgrade to the retina version of the mini as soon as I can. In the meantime, I´m really impressed how far technology has advanced. Some people moan about this only having iPad 2 internals, but if you actually hold one of these in your hands, you will realize how insane the battery life and how impressive the performance is for a device that thin and light.

...to sum it up: Right now the mini is a very sexy piece of electronics, but always with the future retina upgrade hanging over its head. It definitely is the typical first gen Apple device (well, I don´t think they would make this any smaller at least, it´s already absolutely ridiculously thin). Playing TPA on it FEELS much better while at the same time looking quite a bit worse.

iPad 3 while beautiful, was heavy for playing hours of TPA. The mini feels so light in comparison. I have noticed I am getting better scores on a few of the tables too. The next mini with retina display is going to be sweet, but this one will be just fine until then.

iPad 3 while beautiful, was heavy for playing hours of TPA.

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I have a Smart Case for my iPad 3. I roll the cover under it, like a small stand, and rest it on a pillow on my lap. I can play TPA for hours that way. My thumbs get a bit cramped after a while though, from all that flipper work.

Jay said:

I have a Smart Case for my iPad 3. I roll the cover under it, like a small stand, and rest it on a pillow on my lap. I can play TPA for hours that way. My thumbs get a bit cramped after a while though, from all that flipper work.

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I do the exact same thing. I sometimes play with it in my lap or on my desk at work. I never really hold it in the air for any length of time.