iPad mini retina

I finally bought the iPad Mini retina and boy am I glad. What a great little genius machine. Wow. I went into our local Verizon store and checked out the iPad air, the mini and other company's offerings. The iPad mini is just right, not too big, not too small. And, better built in a better designed package. It will arrive tomorrow and then I will add pdfs, books, maps, apps and all sorts of travel help. It is like Christmas, birthday, anniversary all in one. Thanks for your help.

I just want to thank all you folks who helped me out on this. You explained what I needed to know quite well. lI decided to get the iPad mini with Retina display 64gb with wifi and 4g LTE. I talked with a Verizon rep and the best deal while remaining on the 200 65 plus plan (no longer offered-I don't talk much on phone and do not text) is to keep iPhone5 on 2gb data plan and add iPad mini at 2gb, 3gb, etc. I can use iPhone for emails and maybe streaming music. The iPad mini will be used for GPS, videos (limited) and research while we travel.

The rep also said that we could suspend the plan up to 90 days twice a year but that for each 30 day period suspended we would add on to contract. Purchasing the iPad mini using the 2 year contract with Verizon would cost around $685 including WA state sales tax. Buying the unit from my trusted out of state retailer w/o sales tax and free shipping is $729. So the 2 year contract makes a bit more sense financially. Just my right brain analysis.

I also found SD card reader for around $30. I like the idea of the wireless hard drive (thanks Fizz) and may possibly get one in the future. But, I think 64 gb will do for now with the mini. The one suggested was rated the highest so it is in my wishlist at B&H.

I also like that the apps I have for iPhone5, unless specifically for iPad mini, can be used on the mini, also. I am on iCloud so I think I should be able to figure out how to use it. The local Verizon store said they could help me transfer files on Mac to iPad mini and get me started.

It's a lot of money but the advantages are worth it:
We will both be better able to see the screen for GPS while we are traveling
I can download eBooks and maps to eliminate some of what we pack (important in a pop up TC)
The travel info stored on my Mac can be accessed on the mini for more info while on the road: pdf brochures; info saved as pdfs on photography and rockhounding locations, etc.; photos of where we want to go so DH can see why I want to go there
Internet access to research an area while we are there and if we see a sign to somewhere intriguing, we can check it out (if we have a signal).
Transfer jpgs to show others what I shot and also to critique my composition on the spot (if light isn't fading fast). Also, to show bands I shoot so they may want to buy my photos.
Goldilocks value: not as small as iPhone but smaller and less cumbersome than 4 year old macBook Pro 13".
I can also use the USB charger that plugs into the 12 volt receptacles in both camper and truck eliminating yards of cords and an inverter. It has USB outlets for iPhone and tablet
Convenience of not trying to find wifi hotspot (we travel to remote areas and boondocking doesn't include wifi.)
And, more I can't think of now.

Apple all the way: macBook Pro, iPhone, iPod classic, iPad mini. Proprietary and expensive, yes. Ease of use, synching, quality, design (right brain thing again) worth it.

Thanks again.

Tiger4x4RV wrote:
Fizz,

Is that the type of setup that some advertisers refer to as a "personal cloud?"

Not really. The "Personal Cloud" devices are storage devices that you connect to your home or business network and install software on your computing devices that allow you to access that storage from anywhere as long as you have internet access. It's Cloud Storage similar to DropBox or one of the other cloud storage services but instead of relying on their hardware, you own the hardware, hence it's personal.

The device Fizz posted about is a portable, battery operated hard drive that you connect to via wifi, no internet and no cables required.

Tiger4x4RV wrote:
Fizz,

Is that the type of setup that some advertisers refer to as a "personal cloud?"

I suppose it could be called that.
It's completely revolutionized my iPad use at home, Two iPads and one iPod all sharing at the same time.
I take it everywhere.

Fizz,

Is that the type of setup that some advertisers refer to as a "personal cloud?"

The Seagate external WiFi HD has solved all my storage problems.
I can attest that it performs as promised.
SEAGATE HARD DRIVE

Yes, you can stream music from many different apps if you choose. And yes, you can select which files to copy from your laptop in iTunes, it can be as granular as you want. My iPad doesn't have the storage of my laptop, so like the previous poster I am selective about what I save on it. I do travel with my iPad only at times, but there are other times when I need my laptop (such as when I have my Nikon DSLR) to be able to do what I need.

Good luck and enjoy!

Even though I enjoy both my ipads, one full size and a mini with cell/wifi on it. But they don't replace my laptop when traveling. I currently have 7 Apple devices on my AT&T account with 10 gigs of data per month, shared. In the summer months of traveling, we get close to maxing out the 10 gigs and have gone over a month or two.

I gave up on Apple computers many years back and have all PCs in the computer category. With the iPhone 5 camera, I find I am using it more and more to take photos. it is about as good as my stand alone cameras for most photos. Not all, but I carry a few Canon cameras for special needs, such as telephoto, bad light, haze filters, etc. Then when I get the iPhone and iPads on the same wifi network, the photos I took with the iPhone will cloud over to the iPads, automatically, with the settings I use on all three. I keep most of my music, photos, documents, etc. on my computers, the laptop I travel with and my two desktops at home.
Photos I take on the road, with the Canons, I first download the SD chip to the laptop, much easier for me to make any needed adjustments needed to the photos. Then when I get home, I download the SD chip with all the photos on it to my main desktop, then connect my iPhone to it and sync the phone with the photos I want to move to it, but don't put all of them. On my IPhone and iPads, I only have 16 gigs so space is usually a problem for me. (doubt there could ever be enough storage) I do wish that Apple would allow micro SD chips to be inserted for extra storage at a reasonable price, like many of the Androids allow.
Once I sync my iPhone to my desktop, the new photos, etc will cloud over to the iPads on my home wifi network. The last time I checked, I had just over 30,000 jpeg images on my desktop hard drive and backup external drive.

I also don't keep my full array of apps I have purchased, over the years, on my devices all the time. They are on the iCloud, till I need them, assuming they are still available for sale on the iTunes iStore. I have had a few disappear off my iCloud, when the developer of the app, no longer has it for sale, after their required time period has expired.

jpmihalk:

Thank-you for some clarifications.

It appears that I can down load jpgs directly from camera (SD card for jpgs, CF card for RAW capture). I wanted a wireless remote like I plan to buy for my dSLR for tripping the shutter.

It appears that the iPad mini doesn't include earbuds but I can use the one that came with the iPhone. I don't buy music from iTunes (too restrictive) but do get tunes from Amazon and eMusic. Can you stream audio also?

When you synch with your Mac to copy folders (with pdsf and jpgs) can you select which files you want to synch or copy? I want it to be selective like you can with a USB thumb drive. I understand that the iPad mini does not have a USB port. It would be great if it had an SD card slot like my MacBook Pro (2009 vintage). I did get iCloud so will need to figure out how that works. My images are not on iPhoto or iTunes catalogs but in separate named folders on 4 separate external hard drives. Will I have to catalog them on iTunes? I want to keep iTunes for apps and music as I view my images in Adobe Bridge (Photoshop CS5). I am confused (right brain at work).

I will probably take advantage of those apps I have on the iPhone5 that are also offered as optimized for the iPad mini retina and download those. What you said makes sense. When I got the apps for iPhone 5 it was noted that they were optimized for iPhone 5.

"In short, you should be able to do what you want to do and there are probably more ways than one to accomplish those tasks." Your comment sounds like Photoshop: a million different ways to do the same action.

We are with Verizon so will probably just pay the $10/month for 2gb of data or whatever they offer.



Thank-you for your help. I will figure it out eventually. I am ordering it tomorrow as I found a great price online with a trusted vendor that I have been buying form for years.

I am also a MacBook, iPad and iPhone user. There are many ways to synch photos and files. When you say you don't have a USB port, are you referring to the iPad or your laptop? The iPad has a set of adapters available that will allow you to download data from an SD card (camera data kit) and also via USB (for direct connection to the camera) if you want to go that route, and there is also iCloud and Dropbox.

I listen to music on my iPad all of the time and have an AT&T version with GPS that I have an Arkon mount in the cockpit of the RV for to use as my GPS with the TomTom app.

Whenever possible I download the iPad versions of apps as they tend to have better resolution and readability for my distance vision. I still hate wearing reading glasses.

Since I synch with my MacBook, I get a lot of content from the MacBook but can also download directly from the web or cloud when needed. The iPad does come with a USB cable to both charge and synch with a computer, so you SHOULD be able to copy photo files from your laptop using the synch cable and iTunes (which is also what will be used to synch apps, music, movies and anything else that iTunes is aware of) to your iPad.

Depending on your data plan, you will probably choose to download as much content on your computer and transfer it via USB as possible. Since you already have an iPhone, just think of the iPad as a larger version of the iPhone without phone capability.

In short, you should be able to do what you want to do and there are probably more ways than one to accomplish those tasks.