1. A 28nm A6X Precursor →

    Marco Arment:

    We can still reasonably assume that the Apple TV doesn’t justify custom processors on its own, but since the A5 is used in multiple products in mostly uninteresting ways, we can no longer infer anything more interesting than a manufacturing detail — like an upcoming Retina iPad Mini — from this.

    I have to respectfully disagree. As Marco says himself, there seems to be no reason to put an A5X into the Apple TV. However, the iPad Mini will almost certainly need one (and will more likely get an A6X if it were my guess).

    So what does this 28nm A5 tell us? If I were testing out a new process, I’d want to use it with the company’s most familiar design. The A5 is almost certainly the Apple chip with the most copies in circulation. To me, it seems these die-shrunk A5’s are the first step toward a Retina Mini. Right now there is no product that needs a low yield 28nm A6, but the Apple TV and A5 are perfect for the task.

    By getting the bugs out of the 28nm process, Apple can be ready for a smaller A6 or A6X when the time comes, which for all we know, could be right now.

    ∞ March 11, 2013

     


  2. Extended iPad Mini Trial

    I recently had a chance to spend a significant amount of time with an iPad mini. It wasn’t mine, but it wasn’t in an Apple store. It did have all of my information and my most-used apps. After putting it through its paces, I have come to a couple of conclusions.

    First, these devices are truly only as good as their screens. Retina may not be considered revolutionary by some, but after trying to use the mini as a news reader, book reader, or writing device, there is no question in my mind. Print-level resolution is essential for enjoyable, relaxing text. It’s almost as if I can feel my brain resolving the jagged edges and smudgy aliasing.

    Second, the mini fills only the gaps that my iPhone currently occupies. The device is light and thin (I still can’t wait for a regular iPad redesign that gets closer to the mini’s thickness). There’s less strain on the hands when reading or playing games, and holding it with one hand is possible if not totally natural. But the major issue is that the mini doesn’t meet the requirement for what I think defines the iPad: a computer for everything but what it can’t do. The longer the iPad is around, the more it becomes capable of doing. The mini does less in spite of its ability to run all of the same apps.

    When I first started using an iPad, I expected it (wrongly) to replace a laptop. It didn’t, and I’ve since found that it shouldn’t. The mini, however, is even less a computer stand-in than the regular iPad. At this point, almost all of the writing I do for this site is from an iPad on the onscreen keyboard. The mini is just too cramped to write with. I found other apps to be the same.

    One place where I thought the mini won out was in gaming. The lower resolution makes everything feel smooth and fluid. I’m comparing it to a third generation iPad, not the faster fourth gen, but it was one way in which the mini performed better.

    When retina comes to the mini, I’ll be interested to see if my feelings stay the same. Still, I’ll be waiting for a mini-styled design on the full-size iPad.

    ∞ January 23, 2013

     


  3. iPad Mini in Person →

    Marco Arment:

    If you’ve never used a Retina-screened device, you probably won’t care, but if you’ve been spoiled by Retina, you’ll notice the lack of it in the Mini almost every time you turn it on.

    That was my experience when I tried out a Mini this weekend. Great form-factor, but non-retina is a serious downgrade. It’s not bad, just not as good if you’re coming from a retina iPad screen (the iPhone is a different device, I don’t think going to a Mini from a retina phone matters as much).

    One thing I haven’t seen mentioned enough in many of these articles is the huge disadvantage for onscreen keyboard use. To my hands, portrait typing on the Mini was an uncomfortable stretch, and unsustainable for something like blog post writing. Touch typing, like I do on the regular iPad, is a no go. I find the landscape keyboard virtually useless.

    Mostly, my time with the Mini told me one thing. I can’t wait for a full-size iPad with similar thinness and size-to-weight ratio.

    ∞ November 14, 2012