UKC

Looking to buy an iPad mini and wondered if people generally got on with 16gb or struggled and ended up deleting stuff!

Thanks in advance

Rich

In reply to richardhopton:

I've got an iPad 3 that is 16Gb. That is more than enough for most things as I use cloud storage for most of my documents and iTunes match for music, but it means that I can't keep many videos on it, usually only 1-2 films and 3-4 tv programs.
Also I don't have many games on it, I think some of those can be quite large.

In reply to richardhopton:

I would say no. 64GB OTOH is a bit much unless you want to put loads of music[1] etc on it. My recommendation would be to go for 32GB.

[1] Ideally I'd like all my music on my tablet, but as that would require 128GB I don't put any on and just stick with my iPod Classic for that purpose.

Neil

In reply to richardhopton:

I have a 16gb iPad2. I've normally got three or four films on it, some iPlayer downloads and seven or eight apps plus email etc. I find the 16gb is enough, but sometimes have to delete a film to fit another on, but this isn't a hassle as wifi is pretty much everywhere.

In reply to richardhopton:

Got a 16gb iPad 2 - used to think there is no reason for needing more until I went on holiday with my 2 y.o. son and needed enough movies/cartoons to keep him entertained. 16gb is plenty for apps, photos etc but I will probably get 32gb next time as it's not enough for movies I found

In reply to Simos:

Agree there. My Android phone is 16GB but I don't put any media at all on it - no music, films etc. If I did I expect I would soon find it very limiting.

Neil

In reply to richardhopton:

This is why iPads are a rip off ... Apple charges absolutely extortionate prices for extra memory. On Androids you can just stick in a cheap memory card.
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-31747_7-57542985-243/dear-apple-stop-overcharg...

In reply to richardhopton:

So my next question is iPad mini or regular size iPad?

I'm plumping for an iPad mini as it seems to be more versatile or is it worth the extra £100 for the slightly larger screen?

In reply to richardhopton:

I'd agree on memory. Phone has 16gb, and that's OK (has music, but no videos), but worth 32gb on a tablet if you want to keep video on it - I use the iPlayer app with downloaded programmes on mine at lot.

My iPad is full size, but suspect the mini would be fine for almost everything.

In reply to richardhopton:

I have a mini, and use it a lot for work (reading, note taking, basic spreadsheets and word processing). It works well with a Bluetooth keyboard. I much prefer the weight of the mini for reading. My wife has a full size ipad; it's too heavy to hold for long, so I get a stiff neck reading as I have to rest it on my knee. I have no regrets about going for the smaller screen. The lighter weight/ smaller size makes it more portable too.

Re memory, while I accept OaH's comment about ripoff pricing, I would recommend getting the biggest memory possible. I find I easily use 128GB, with books, documents, music and a few videos.

In reply to Only a hill:

It's a valid point but it's worth noting that only some Android tablets have a memory card slot. For example, none of the Nexus phones or tablets that Google sells directly have one. They do only charge a premium of £40 for an extra 16GB of storage compared to around £80 from Apple though.

In reply to Luke90:

Thing is that that's not the only issue. I forgot my charging cable for my phone. Got a replacement from the pound shop for (oddly!) £1. 3 years later its still working like new. Same problem with Apple and you'll be hunting around for an Apple authorised dealer who'll then (no doubt happily) relieve you of £15. Thing is you'd EXPECT for that price and it being from Apple it to be a top quality product.... have a look on Apples own website for the shocking truth. Of the 236 reviews 206 of them are 1 star. Reading through the comments even Del Boy would have have been left blushing selling that sort of crap. Only 14 are 4 or 5 star.

Thats just 1 point there are other similar issues with Apple.

In reply to richardhopton:




From my experience of android kit, I'd say that you will swallow up your 16Gb of storage very, very quickly.

I have an Android tablet with 32Gb internal storage. Once the OS has taken its share I'm left with 27Gb. Admittedly, I only store apps and the occasional captured movie or photo which means that I have 22Gb to play with.

However I have a 32Gb micro SD card which is stuffed to the gills with music. I can access my network storage but I am only WiFi so I have to make do with what I have with me if I'm out and about. I can also shove in full size SD cards, which is useful if I have my camera with me so that I can view images or drag-and-drop onto my internal storage which happens quite a lot on holidays and this can quickly eat into my internal storage.

I also have a Nexus 4 with 16Gb of storage and once the OS has gobbled up its share I am left with 13Gb to play with. Almost all of this storage is used up, and its only a phone.

Personally, I'd say that you will be far happier with a larger storage for your iPad than the 16Gb model. However if your iPad is 3G or 4G then you have more options for cloud storage away from a home network. My Tablet is only WiFi so I don't have this option, tethering aside.

In reply to Luke90:


My argument would be that at least Android gives you options, which is more than can be said for Apple (speaking as a Nexus 7 owner )

In reply to richardhopton:

I use a 32gb iPad mini. What I've found out is that the software ( iOS 7 ) takes up a couple of gigabyte on the memory. So a 16gb would be more like a 13gb before you put any of your own stuff on it. Hope this help!

In reply to DogmaLook2:

When I have needed an Apple charger cable I have bought it from eBay or the market for that kind of price.

Neil

In reply to Neil Williams:

Third party Lightning connectors have now been banned by Apple and will no longer work correctly or reliably.

In reply to richardhopton:

16gb on my iPhone and iPad was fine until I started buying 25k:1 and 50k:1 OS map regions on "Outdoors" which rapidly fills it up.

It's not a major problem deleting and re-downloading areas as I move around but it does limit armchair exploration.

In reply to Only a hill:

"Third party Lightning connectors have now been banned by Apple"

I imagine they would do that.

"and will no longer work correctly or reliably."

How can they possibly know that? They're just cables. It's easy to work out how they are made by taking one apart.

They might use something like the US DMCA to avoid reverse engineering, but that isn't going to stop Chinese manufacturers flogging them on markets and/or eBay, as it never has for anything else.

Neil

In reply to Neil Williams:

The problem is that they aren't just cables. The new Lightning standard actually has an embedded chip, and Apple can easily tell whether or not the cable is an official Apple one. This complex technology contributes to the high cost of the new cables. We have had to withdraw all 3rd party Lightning cables from stock as they no longer work.

In reply to Only a hill:

That's downright sneaky. A good reason not to buy an Apple device, then.

Neil

In reply to Only a hill:

Ah, that's interesting - I did wonder what you were going on about, given I don't have anything new enough to have a lightning connector!

In reply to all:

Don't buy super cheap ebay chargers, lightning or usb. Just don't.

Inside a charger is a transformer. It takes 230V in one side, and puts 5V out the other. The 5V has to be isolated from the 230V. A decent (£5) one has plenty of space and/or a plastic divider between the two, super cheap ones may have a <1mm air gap. If the charger case gets damaged or warps with age and that gap closes, or if it gets some condensation inside, the case of your phone ends up at mains voltage and/or the charger burns up.

Any charger sold in the EU should be CE marked, and that guarantees it's built safely (though many cheap chargers have fake CE markings). By all means buy cheaper chargers than the manufacturer sells, but make sure you buy from a real UK-based shop, who'll be getting CE marked chargers from a reputable source.

http://www.righto.com/2012/03/inside-cheap-phone-charger-and-why-you.html
http://www.righto.com/2012/10/a-dozen-usb-chargers-in-lab-apple-is.html
(this guy is perhaps a bit paranoid about power quality, but also makes safety points)

In reply to Jack B:

There's a difference between the plug (which contains the transformer) and the USB/apple lead that goes into it (which is the bit that breaks and needs replacing) though, surely?

In reply to Carolyn:

Yes. To be clear, there is no way a USB cable can fail and become dangerous. It is the "wall wart" chargers I was warning against.