Wow. Look at every Apple user come out and say how much like they a smaller screen now, after downplaying all the 7" Android devices for being too small before the iPad Mini. And please don't tell me it makes such a big difference between a 7" and a 7.9", because in my mind the bigger display size is actually a disadvantage, as it's not a very comfortable one-handed device anymore. You can't use it like you would a smartphone anymore. You're still using it the same way you'd use a bigger iPad. It's just that it's lighter, while a Nexus 7 is both lighter and more comfortable to hold with one hand. Next you're going to tell me that a phone with a bigger display than the "perfect" 3.5" size is better, too. Oh wait.
I'm sorry for being so sarcastic, but after all the articles about how Apple "brilliantly" picked all those perfect sizes and screen ratios (iPhone 5 now switching to 16:9, anyone?), that have also topped HN, it's hard not to pick on this and call out the hypocrisy. In fact, I feel it's my duty to point this out. If even one person comes to the realization that Apple is not as perfect as the media makes them out to be, then I'll be happy.
Strawman much? It doesn't take more than 10 seconds on Macrumors to realize that Apple users don't think Apple is perfect. The media fawns over Apple not because it's perfect, but because everyone else is worse. Apple isn't the one releasing a $500 10" tablet with only a 1366x768 screen, they're not the ones releasing $1,000 ultrabooks with bad trackpads, etc. Apple is the one company that consistently puts out products that don't make you go "what the hell were they thinking?" They are the only ones that consistently realize what's important in a consumer product and what's not (e.g. that regular people will gloss over the use of a "last generation" processor on the MBP, but that a bad trackpad will be a dealbreaker). Remember, it was Apple who first realized that people would pay $1,000+ for a laptop with long battery life, light weight, good trackpad/keyboard, and didn't care if it didn't have an optical drive/big spinning HDD/latest processor. When PC manufacturers picked up on this, they started releasing ultrabooks that took all their cues from the MBA line.
As an aside, the size aspect/ratio concern is totally valid. My wife loves her iPhone 5, but lamented, unprompted, that she can't reach the whole screen one handed. The online intelligentsia are shockingly myopic on this issue. I'd bet something like a quarter of iPhone customers are teenage girls--4.7" phones designed for guys with big man paws are not the right design choice for Apple's demographics.
I use Apple products pretty much throughout my life, I didn't think the smaller screen was a big deal, and I was wrong. I've never been terribly loud about 7" devices being crappy, and I've always known Apple wasn't perfect -- they do plenty of things that annoy me and make me think about getting out of the Apple habit. But hey, I was definitely wrong about the smaller screen.
FWIW, I think that extra inch of screen size does make a difference. On the other hand, I'd still like the Mini a lot if the physical size was exactly the same as the Nexus 7, and I like my Nexus 7 fine too. The biggest reason why I'd choose the Mini over the Nexus, other than ecosystem, is weight -- the Mini is lighter by 30 grams or so. Screen size isn't a huge deal, just a minor advantage.
You obviously never held seen an iPsd mini or held it in comparison to an 7" tablet. There is a noticeable difference in screen size.
>because in my mind the bigger display size is actually a disadvantage
That's your opinion. The other opinion held is that, by the majority of consumers, the iPad 10" is more desirable than the iPad mini.
You're giving some kind of ridiculous argument which misses the point. Average people don't like PCs and 7" screens are still too small otherwise the Nexus 7, or other 7" tablets would be more popular.
That's not to say there aren't use cases for a smaller screen but the public at large doesn't care about how fast they can type.
Companies today will adapt more quickly to making their employees happy than being efficient.
Also there is a popular thinking among Apple apologists that Samsung is copying Apple and taking Apple's lunch. In reality Samsung single-handedly proved Apple wrong on various things. They created a market for "phablets", proved that stylus is still relevant in normal operation, content creation. If Apple have implemented half of the feature presented in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L930NbUKgJY Apple will be hailed for "revolutionary innovation". Until then Apple knows that users do not use these "features".
Stylus No. I have 3 co workers who have Galaxy Notes (or Note II) and none of them use the stylus while I've seen them. They all say it's nice, but none admit to it being key or even useful.
There is no killer app for the stylus, when an onscreen-keyboard or finger would do just as well. Even finger-based signatures are pretty easy with modern smartphones' capacative touchscreens.
The only thing a stylus allows is for UI elements and hit areas to be smaller - and not many folks (other than Win8 geeks it seems) are clamoring for that on their smartphone or tablet. In fact, I know folks who run iPhone apps on their iPad because the hit area is 4x larger and much more easy to operate.
The letters are composed into blocks describing syllables, rather than strings describing words as in Latin alphabets, but entering letters on the keyboard is the same.
Might help with Japanese but I can't really speak about that.
Wow, EVERY Apple user, it's nice to know you have all that data to look at.
The Nexus 7 and the iPad Mini are tablets, not phones, both are uncomfortable in one hand and not big enough to be productive on them, unless a 10" tablet is too big for you I wouldn't even look at them.
Phone wise: smaller is better. I prefer the 4S screen size to the 5. Galaxy Note and huge Android devices are laughable from my point of view.
Wow, EVERY Apple user, it's nice to know you have all that data to look at. [...] both are uncomfortable in one hand and not big enough to be productive on them [...] smaller is better [...] huge Android devices are laughable from my point of view
If you're going to criticise someone for making blanket statements, I wouldn't then immediately follow it up with a series of blanket statements.
When I got my Nexus 7 I thought it was the perfect size, but I hated Android since all of the apps look unfinished & rough compared to iOS apps. I immediately wanted something the same size but running iOS instead.
Your point on "holdability" is very apt. I find myself watching netflix in bed on my S3 while my 7" HTC Flyer sits on the nightstand. It's just easier to hold.
I'm sorry for being so sarcastic, but after all the articles about how Apple "brilliantly" picked all those perfect sizes and screen ratios (iPhone 5 now switching to 16:9, anyone?), that have also topped HN, it's hard not to pick on this and call out the hypocrisy. In fact, I feel it's my duty to point this out. If even one person comes to the realization that Apple is not as perfect as the media makes them out to be, then I'll be happy.