Ipad 2 or Ipad Mini?

gkaiser

gkaiser

Pre-takeoff checklist
Joined
Jul 5, 2012
Messages
179
Location
Lake in the Hills,IL
Display Name
gkaiser
Home Airfield
Westosha (5K6)
Ok..I'm going to take the plunge and pickup a iPad as a gift for myself...I'll probably mostly use it for flying but occasional web surfing/time-passer....

do I get an iPad 2 or iPad mini? I fly primarily a C172...

I can get a refurb ipad 2 32gb w/3g for $479 or an iPad mini 3g 32gb for mini for $559...

Plan on just having it on my knee/passenger seat/etc and not mounting it anywhere..

I'm leaning towards the full-size...but I'm worried about all the complaints I've read about the full-size just being too bulky/akward in the cockpit....
 
I have had the mini for about a week and previously used an iPad 2. The screen is smaller, but the resolution is the same. For ForeFlight or such in the cockpit, I would definitely go with the mini. I use mine for a lot of other stuff, though, like reading the newspaper, taking notes for work and Internet stuff. For the other stuff, the the bigger size is better.
 
gkaiser said:
Ok..I'm going to take the plunge and pickup a iPad as a gift for myself...I'll probably mostly use it for flying but occasional web surfing/time-passer....
[...]
I'm leaning towards the full-size...but I'm worried about all the complaints I've read about the full-size just being too bulky/akward in the cockpit....
Click to expand...

I found that the iPad 2 was good, but got in the way too easily. I got the mini as a result, and take it everywhere with me. The screen isn't that much smaller, but slightly reduced size makes it much easier to work with in a cramped environment.

I also bought a Stratus for GPS/ADS-B, which is great as well. The GPS cut out a couple of times in about 13 hours of flying so far, but it really isn't intended for primary navigation use anyway. I always keep a VOR/DME tuned in and back everything else up with pilotage.
 
GauzeGuy said:
I also bought a Stratus for GPS/ADS-B, which is great as well. The GPS cut out a couple of times in about 13 hours of flying so far, but it really isn't intended for primary navigation use anyway. I always keep a VOR/DME tuned in and back everything else up with pilotage.
Click to expand...


How do you like that Stratus? That's my next major purchase in a few months I think. I found you can rent one online..I think I think may rent one for a trip this summer..if I like it I'll pick one up...just so damn expensive right now! That $800 could be 8 hours of flight time!
 
gkaiser said:
How do you like that Stratus? That's my next major purchase in a few months I think. I found you can rent one online..I think I think may rent one for a trip this summer..if I like it I'll pick one up...just so damn expensive right now! That $800 could be 8 hours of flight time!
Click to expand...

I like it. The reason I wanted to learn to fly was XC travel. It's nice to know what the conditions are ahead.

The one cautionary note (aside from the GPS issue) that I would make is that reception of ADS-B in some areas can be somewhat spotty. Even then, additional altitude can help. For example, from KAPA to KDLH, I lost reception around mid-Nebraska when flying at 7500. Climbing up to 9500 fixed that problem pretty quickly.
 
I have both, and have tried both in the cockpit. The iPad mini is the CLEAR winner. It is significantly lighter, and much more manageable in a smaller cockpit like the 172.
 
If it's between the iPad 2 and the Mini, I'd probably get the Mini. I was upgrading from a iPad 2 and decided to get the iPad 4 full size since it had the better processor and screen. I'm expecting the Mini 2 will be out within six months with the Retina display and A6 processor. Then I'll probably add one of those as my cockpit device and keep the iPad 4 for flight planning, magazines and my teaching resources. I've already put in the feature request to ForeFlight to provide for sync'ing between primary and backup iPads.

In the end, they're ALL good!
 
The iPad 2 and the iPad Mini are very similar in everything except size. The Mini does have better cameras (the ones on the iPad 2 are almost worthless), 4G LTE instead of 3G cellular connectivity, and the new Lightning connector (so your accessories won't be obsolete the next time you buy an iPad).

Given this particular choice, I'd go with the Mini. It is slightly better from the hardware aspect as described above, and there is certainly less potential for obstructing things in the cockpit.
 
I got the mini and took it on my trip to New England over Xmas week. When you're in the air, just make sure it's not rtrying to find a wifi, and the battery life is really really good. It just sits on my lap instead of my kneeboard.

It's the Right size. I have the 32gb non GPS version, I'm waiting for a GDL 39 or the promised Sagetech (in late March which can do Synth. Vision), or a Stratus. Prices HAVE to come down when there are three competitors.
 
Last edited:
I've got the mini and love it for in-flight use. It's the perfect size IMO.
 
I got my dad a mini for xmas and now I'm tempted to snag one for myself.
 
I just got the mini for Christmas and used foreflight on it for my past two flights, really makes XC's so much easier as foreflight for the mini has some amazingly great features. The mini works really well and does not get in the way in the 172 I fly. I just have it on my lap and don't have it mounted and it works great. Nothing but great things to say and totally recommend purchasing the mini!
 
bbchien said:
I got the mini and took it on my trip to New England over Xmas week. When you're in the air, just make sure it's not rtrying to find a wifi, and the battery life is really really good. It just sits on my lap instead of my kneeboard.

It's the Right size. I have the 32gb non GPS version, I'm waiting for a GDL 39 or the promised Sagetech (in late March which can do Synth. Vision), or a Stratus. Prices HAVE to come down when there are three competitors.
Click to expand...
Bruce, are you sure it's a non-GPS version? I have the 32GB non-cellular version, and it has GPS! I was really surprised when CloudAhoy said it was using the internal GPS, because I thought the Mini was like the full-sized version, where you need cellular (3G) to have built-in GPS.

Edit: I think that CloudAhoy may be just mis-reporting it. When I dig further, the Privacy -> Location Services panel in iPad Settings says that it's using crowd-sourced WiFi hotspot locations. But it was showing my location at 3200' AGL over farmland. Now I don't know!

And I agree. I was using both of them on a flight yesterday, and found the Mini to be much more comfortable in the cockpit. I wish I had a yoke mount that would work in the Bonanza, though. It fits nicely between the horns in portrait mode, but the Bo has the center tube for the yokes that is shared by both, instead of the Cessna arrangement with each yoke having its own tube.
 
Last edited:
gprellwitz said:
I was using both of them on a flight yesterday, and found the Mini to be much more comfortable in the cockpit. I wish I had a yoke mount that would work in the Bonanza, though.
Click to expand...

That throw over yoke arrangement does make yoke mounting a challenge. The new iPro Navigator mount uses standard RAM hardware and can be a window (suction cup) mount instead of a yoke mount. And for those wanting to go the standard kneeboard route, www.ForPilotsOnly.com has just announced the iPro Aviator/M. This kneeboard for the iPad mini is all metal construction as shown here:

ipad-mini-kneeboard-descrip.jpg
 
There was a good review of the iPad Mini by Flying recently...they had a lot of good things to say about the Mini, but they did say that if you could only afford one and you were likely to use it for other things bedsides aviation, you would be happier overall with the full-size iPad.

I originally got my iPad 2 for aviating, but I end up using it 90% for other stuff. Hardly ever use the desktop anymore except at work.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
Last edited:
I ended up purchasing the iPad mini...it's seems to be a good fit/good size...I haven't been bothering mounting it or anything..put it on the PAX seat when not in use..when I do need it I put it on my lap and it stays just fine....I'm happy with the iPad mini so far...but can't compare it to the size of the full-size in the cockpit since I have no experience with that.
 
I have full size iPad and use it a lot more for things other than flying. When they start selling refurb mini's at the on-line Apple Store, I might consider getting one. For me the benefits of out of cockpit use far outweigh the minor size disadvantage when flying.

Cheers
 
LDJones said:
I'm expecting the Mini 2 will be out within six months with the Retina display and A6 processor.
Click to expand...

You may be right, Jonesy. The December Aviation Consumer has an article about the iPad Mini, and they like it, except for this:

Lesser Display

Compared to the latest generation iPad with Retina and competition from the Android platform, the mini suffers on two counts. First, the overall display area is 6.4 by 4.74 inches, which is about 70 percent the size of the previous iPad versions. Obviously, if you want a smaller form factor, you’re going to get a smaller screen, so there’s less real estate to show plates, charts and weather data at large size. This is hardly a deal breaker.

Where the mini is less impressive, however, is display quality. The mini has a 1024 by 768 pixel display for a total of 786,432 pixels or 163 pixels per inch. It’s not that this so bad, mind you, it’s just that the competition is better. In the small tablet segment, Google’s Android-capable Nexus 7—which is $130 cheaper—has 1.02 million pixels at 216/inch. Apple’s own iPad with Retina display has 264 PPI and 2048 by 1536 overall resolution. What this means, disappointingly, is that although Apple is known for crisp, colorful displays, the mini is, if not a step backwards, a lateral sidestep.

But does it matter? For most cockpit functions, we would say no. High pixel density is most obvious in text, but the mini’s text displays aren’t unreadable, just slightly pixilated. We noticed no objectionable pixilation in running ForeFlight’s various functions.

One other note about the display: For reasons not entirely clear, even to the tech press, Apple sticks with high-reflectance displays, meaning screen glare is a nuisance with the mini. An anti-glare screen protector is a must. The Android tablets, especially Google’s Nexus 7, have lower reflectance displays that are less annoying to use in high ambient light environments.
Click to expand...


http://www.aviationconsumer.com/issues/42_13/accessories/iPad-Mini-Size-Is-Right_6332-1.html(Requires a subscription.)
 
I've been using the mini (16gb 3G) and Status for about 20 hours now and I think that combo can't be beat.
 
write-stuff said:
That throw over yoke arrangement does make yoke mounting a challenge. The new iPro Navigator mount uses standard RAM hardware and can be a window (suction cup) mount instead of a yoke mount. And for those wanting to go the standard kneeboard route, www.ForPilotsOnly.com has just announced the iPro Aviator/M. This kneeboard for the iPad mini is all metal construction as shown here:

ipad-mini-kneeboard-descrip.jpg
Click to expand...

We don't have the throw-over yoke, but it is a center tube with extensions going to each pilot position in a 'T' configuration. But most yoke mounts presume a straight tube in front of the pilot, so they won't work. I do have a suction cup mount. It's just that the yoke is such an ideal place and doesn't block my view of either the instruments or outside the window.
 
I have an iPad 3 32gb wifi+3G that I use for work. We just got approved for the iPad mini so I am debating about getting one. Whenever I have my iPad on my knee in the Lear it always gets in the way. I would love the smaller form factor, I just worry that I am used to how big everything is now. We use JeppFD and Foreflight, having them on a 10in screen is so nice.
 
gkaiser said:
How do you like that Stratus? That's my next major purchase in a few months I think. I found you can rent one online..I think I think may rent one for a trip this summer..if I like it I'll pick one up...just so damn expensive right now! That $800 could be 8 hours of flight time!
Click to expand...
Do you have a link, I could not find the online rental of the Stratus? :dunno:
 
If you're still trying to decide between an iPad2 and a Mini, I'd hold off about 4 months if you can. Rumors are strong that there'll be a new Mini available then that will be more comparable to the iPad 4 (i.e. Retina display).
 
gprellwitz said:
If you're still trying to decide between an iPad2 and a Mini, I'd hold off about 4 months if you can. Rumors are strong that there'll be a new Mini available then that will be more comparable to the iPad 4 (i.e. Retina display).
Click to expand...

Yeah, there's gonna be an Apple TV (like a whole TV set, not the little box), too. It's coming out... two years ago.

There will certainly be a better iPad Mini at some point, but since Apple's iOS device product cycle is almost always at least a year, the "Mini 2" may only be wishful thinking. The only time a new iOS device has come out less than a year since the previous one was the iPad 4, and I think that was likely due to the "Lightning connector" - They didn't want to be selling any more accessories with the old 30-pin connector that they'd been using since 2001.

That said, I hope the rumor mill is correct on this one. I'd heard March originally, but I still haven't been able to make up my mind on which iPad I want to buy to replace my existing original iPad. If they made a Mini with a Retina display and A6 - And preferably 128GB on board - I'd be all over it.
 
I think your specs might be pretty close :yes:
 
I have a Galaxy Tab 10.1 and I recently purchased an iPad mini. The 10.1 is great for en-routes and sectionals.. but the mini I think is a better traveler. The mini goes in my cockpit always now. I honestly don't always need the "latest and greatest" either.. I usually buy the best when it's available and keep technology 2 years or so before I replace it. I also think that with the iPad the chances of me dropping it getting out of the plane is pretty great at some point. And I'm totally fine without the retina display... this one works well with polarized glasses.
 
Last edited:
gprellwitz said:
If you're still trying to decide between an iPad2 and a Mini, I'd hold off about 4 months if you can. Rumors are strong that there'll be a new Mini available then that will be more comparable to the iPad 4 (i.e. Retina display).
Click to expand...

@#&$% I just bought a mini!
 
dell30rb said:
@#&$% I just bought a mini!
Click to expand...
Don't fret, it's always that way with technology.
If you start sitting around and waiting for rumors of new and improved technology to come out, you'll find yourself doing without instead of with.

I waited to upgrade my phone to the new and improved iPhone 5 that ended up being the iPhone 4s and after I got my iPhone 4s they came out with the iPhone 5. :dunno:

The screen on the iPad mini is clear enough and if they come out with some amazing features on the next version of the iPad mini that you or I just can't do without then it will be time to sell present one for a decent price and upgrade to the new and improved one that keeps us up to speed with the latest gadgets. :thumbsup:

I am very happy with my iPhone 4s and my GoPro Hero 2, even if there is a newer version of both. :redface:

And my iPad mini continues to amaze me with each and every new aviation app that it's a wonder how I went without one for so long. B)
 
dell30rb said:
@#&$% I just bought a mini!
Click to expand...

Double @#&$% me too! But I looked at the secondary sales market for one generation old stuff from Apple, I figure worst case I lose 50% assuming I want to upgrade when the time comes, and I will get at least that much monetary use out of it.
 
I bought a Mini knowing its days were numbered. That is how Apple is, oh well.
 
Yeah, obsolescence is a given in the tech market. FWIW, I've found that I've been leaving my iPad2 at home and bringing my iPad Mini with me to work. The convenience of the form factor, able to fit in my jacket or pants pocket, makes up for the smaller screen size.

I can't make the call for aviation applications yet, though, because I don't have any mount or kneepad for the Mini yet. They're just now starting to ship. I have found that it seems to have difficulty getting the signal properly from my Stratus, but I think that's likely a user error problem, or at least something that can be corrected with a different procedure.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top