Apple iPad Mini 16GB Wi-Fi (White)

(Please also see update at foot of this review)

Still undecided about whether to get the iPad Mini? Then maybe this will help, based on my own buying experience - I will try to keep it non-technical! By way of background, back in early 2012 I was looking for something small and portable, mainly to use at home whilst slumped in front of the TV, and for occasional use away from home via wifi hotspots. There was less choice around then so in the end I took the cheapest option and got a 7" Android tablet. However, I was never completely happy with it, it seemed quite slow (1.2GHz chip), the capacitive screen was not very responsive, the wifi connection was a bit hit and miss, and I personally did not particularly like Android 4.0, so it spent most of its time in a drawer. In fairness, it was from the budget end of the market, and the instructions that came with it were absolutely useless, so I probably got off to a bad start, but first impressions etc.....

Move on a year and I came across an iPad Mini on display in a shop. (I had never previously owned any Apple products, so I did not start off with any preconceptions.) Anyway, as soon as I got my hands on the demo model I felt completely at home with it - very simple and intuitive to use, very responsive, and very solidly made. So, after a bit more research when I got home, I took the plunge and ordered one on Amazon.

Some tips: if you do buy online, then whilst waiting for delivery, download a copy of the instructions from the Apple website for a little light reading, and also set up an Apple ID as you will almost certainly need one unless you never want to download any Apps - even free ones need an Apple ID. You might also want to set up iCloud on your PC to get the most out of the Ipad and to synchronise with your PC. Go to the Apple website and search on iCloud and you will find the download page. (All of these things can of course be left until your iPad arrives, but why not get everything ready beforehand?)

When it arrived I switched it on straight out of the box - it was showing almost a full charge - and it went automatically to the set up routine - any decisions you make can be overwritten later via "Settings" so don't worry too much about getting it right first time. Some reviewers have commented that the written instructions are inadequate, but having already looked at the downloaded instructions I had no problems. Connecting to my wifi (BT Home Hub 3.0) was pretty much instant, and within 5 minutes I was up and running, initially browsing the web via Safari which I found to be very logical and easy to use (better than Internet Explorer? - make up your own mind). Setting up a few bookmarks (favourites) was straightforward having already read the downloaded instructions, but I then discovered that by opening the iCloud panel on my laptop (running on Windows 7) I could synchronise it with the iPad so that all of my IE favourites were automatically transferred to the iPad as bookmarks, including all of the folders/sub-folders, and in exactly the same order. Plus, any changes made subsequently on either machine automatically update on both - additions, deletions, renaming or re-arranging - which makes life much easier. Setting up eMail was my next task and here I did have some problems with my main email account which is with inbox.com, which I had to configure manually. However, after some trial and error with the server addresses I did manage to get it sorted, but if I had to do it again I would probably still struggle. But don't let this put you off, other email accounts may well be much easier (my BT and Yahoo accounts for instance were a doddle) and it CAN be done! Other stuff was fairly easy, downloading Apps is no problem, the camera is easy to use and pretty good, and whilst I am not into gaming or iTunes, so can't comment on those, I imagine they will be similarly easy to suss out. I have downloaded a few useful Apps, including Kindle, and now as well as downloads from Amazon I can also use the iPad to store and read Kindle books that I got from a bumper bundle DVD bought cheaply on eBay. As to the screen, I have not had any experience of the Retina version of the big iPad, but all I can say is that I do not have any problems with it, for its size it is very clear with no blurring, and the brightness can be set either manually or via the auto function.

So, I have now had my new toy for about 10 days and it is rarely out of my reach. I did find though that it was a bit too thin to hold comfortably for any length of time, and also that the aluminium back was quite cold to the touch, so I invested in a case which has overcome both of those problems and also gives good protection. (If you are after a decent leather style case at a very reasonable price of �1-99 with free delivery, have a look at my other reviews.) Battery life on the iPad is at the moment better than claimed - it is currently showing that I have had 3 hours usage plus 15 hours standby since last recharged and the battery indicator shows that there is still 73% remaining. I have also ordered a copy of "iPad Mini for Dummies" to help me get the maximum benefit from my investment. (See my separate review for this if you are interested).

If you have got this far, I assume you have found my comments useful and hope they will help you come to the right decision - buy one now, and enjoy!

UPDATED 7 May 2013
A month later and I can honestly say that I have absolutely no regrets about buying the "Mini". I now tend to use it for almost all of my browsing and emails, most days the laptop never gets switched on. I am still finding new features (the "Dummies" book has been very useful) so it is very much a voyage of discovery. I have not yet come across any problems, or found anything that I felt could be improved.

In conclusion, whilst the iPad Mini is the first Apple product I have owned, I somehow suspect that it won't be the last! Read more ›

The build of the iPad mini screams "quality", even more so than the iPad (3) which we also have. It's very easy to hold and the design is immaculate with the screen filling more of the tablet (almost) edge to edge.

I think that the viewing experience when using streaming apps (Netflix, sky go etc) does suffer with having to play on the smaller screen (compared to the iPad) but with the pixel ratio compressed in size, the detail is arguably marginally better again.

The device is ideally sized for my wife and step daughter as they have smaller hands but to me it does seem like it has a more slippery feel so a good case to protect it is an absolute must.

You know what you're getting with apple products and iOS specifically and it was that which was the main hook for the ladies in my house. I actually think its overpriced compared to other mini tablets on the market but that won't matter to those who already have iPhones etc and want to complete the apple experience. In fact, its only really the price that prevents this from being a 5 star review.

*Edit 08/11/12*
Now that I've used this for a more substantial period of time, I wanted to update the review to make it more useful and give a better idea of the iPad mini's strengths and weaknesses.

Strengths:
- The aluminium chassis gives the iPad mini a premium feel straight from the box.
- Light weight, comfortable and easy to hold. This makes it accessible, and useable, for every member of the family.
- Handles multitasking and all apps without lag or problems (apps used include Netflix, Sky Go, Facebook, Twitter, Sky news/sports news, BBC iplayer)
- As well as the 16gb (or 32/64) there is 5gb of cloud storage.
- Easy to use, familiar and probably every app you can think of is available.

Weaknesses:
- As I've stated in the main review, it feels slightly slippery in the hand. This is one downside of the aluminium case.
- The other downside of the aluminium case is that it back cover does mark and scratch easily. I cannot emphasise enough the importance of also getting a quality case.
- The battery does not last as long as the iPad 3. This is down to the capacity but due to the smaller screen and reduced processing power, we had expected it to be broadly similar to the larger version. It doesn't quite get to this standard and I would estimate that it lasts approximately a quarter of the time less.

While writing the strengths and weaknesses I kept thinking about the price. For me I can't get away from that thought BUT if you can justify the price to yourself (based on the iOS interface and available apps) then I can fully understand the choice of the iPad mini over the nexus 7 or kindle fire HD (both of which are significantly cheaper).

But the most important conideration is how it will link with the other technology in your life. I currently have an Andriod phone and it is frustrating not being able to link it with either the iPad or iPad mini. My main recommendation is that you chose a tablet with the same operating system as your phone to maximise the potential of the devices. Read more ›

I've been waiting a long time for the iPad Mini to be released and now it has finally come I'm not disappointed. I've had it for the last couple of weeks and I can honestly say this is a top quality product as expected from Apple. I've tried other 7.9" Android tablet devices but as far as I am concerned this little mini device is superior to them all. I've been using this device more than my laptop round the house and when I'm out and about. Sure sometimes I wish I had gone for the cellular one (so I could access the internet when I'm not in a wi-fi zone), but I would have had to pay quite a bit more for it.

As far as I'm concerned I prefer the iPad Mini to the iPad simply because it's more compact, easier to carry around, and lighter to hold for long periods. The pixel quality is fantastic for watching films or tv programmes (BBC iPlayer, ITVPlayer, 4oD, 5 on Demand and many more are all free to download off the app store), or visit iTunes if you want to pay to rent or buy a more recent film. Of course it doesn't have retina display like the iPad, however for those of us who have never owned a tablet before and don't have an iPhone so know no different, I'm incredibly impressed with picture quality. Anyway roll on next year when I am pretty certain Apple will release a new iPad Mini with retina display.

And if you have any problems you simply visit Apple online and go to the communities section to get help and advice, or book an appointment with an Apple Genius at your nearest Apple Store.

A word of advice - check out the Apple Store UK for iPad Mini's price before purchasing off Amazon. As the iPad Mini has only just been released, Amazon seem to have hiked the price up a bit.