Hi,
I’m just coming to the end of a project and am making sure it works on all the physical devices. I’m planning to buy a retina iPad to test the app on, but was wondering if I need an iPad mini too? I’ve assumed that the iPad Mini’s higher ppi means that from the UI perspective the display is identical to the iPad Retina display and that the only potential issue might be the legibility of small fonts.
Thanks
I see no need to have both. Which one to go for is a coin toss though. The mini is $100 cheaper, so you’d have some extra money that will fund about half an Android device like the Nexus 7 in case your thinking about supporting both platforms.
If you use very small fonts it may be an issue on the iPad mini 1st generation as it has the same resolution as an iPad 2.
Smaller ppi tablets are a concern but to be honest, most UI implementations at 10" work fine at 7". Far more often I see problems going the other way - UI built for 4" screens that look just awful blown up to 7,8, or 10" tablets. But the 7-10" ‘zone’ is pretty intercompatible. The usability isn’t perfect, but it works.
I think in the future we seriously need to consider multiple “UI sizes” though, as phones are already catching up to tablet resolutions. The Galaxy line is already at 1080p, and 1440p phones are expected as early as next year.
Thanks guys, that’s very helpful. Based on that I’ll stick with just getting an iPad, though I am curious to give the mini a go at some point.
I’ve got both, but I love the mini myself. It’s my personal device of choice. I have the 1st generation one, but I’m planning to upgrade to the iPad mini Air (or whatever the new model will be called) whenever it’s released. I do quite a lot of reading on it and the Retina display will definitely be appreciated.
I see no need to have both. Which one to go for is a coin toss though. The mini is $100 cheaper, so you’d have some extra money that will fund about half an Android device like the Nexus 7 in case your thinking about supporting both platforms.
If you use very small fonts it may be an issue on the iPad mini 1st generation as it has the same resolution as an iPad 2.
Smaller ppi tablets are a concern but to be honest, most UI implementations at 10" work fine at 7". Far more often I see problems going the other way - UI built for 4" screens that look just awful blown up to 7,8, or 10" tablets. But the 7-10" ‘zone’ is pretty intercompatible. The usability isn’t perfect, but it works.
I think in the future we seriously need to consider multiple “UI sizes” though, as phones are already catching up to tablet resolutions. The Galaxy line is already at 1080p, and 1440p phones are expected as early as next year.
Thanks guys, that’s very helpful. Based on that I’ll stick with just getting an iPad, though I am curious to give the mini a go at some point.
I’ve got both, but I love the mini myself. It’s my personal device of choice. I have the 1st generation one, but I’m planning to upgrade to the iPad mini Air (or whatever the new model will be called) whenever it’s released. I do quite a lot of reading on it and the Retina display will definitely be appreciated.