Hmm...because its the WSJ it seems more like a controlled leak by Apple. When WSJ says "people familiar with the matter", isn't that basically Apple? Plus the fact this story came out after 9to5Mac's story leads me to believe Apple wants to squash these rumors.
Honestly anyone who thinks Apple's just fine this holiday quarter without a retina mini is living in lala land. The new Nexus 7 is getting great reviews. Rumors are the new Kindles will have better displays and some rumors claim they will be faster than the Nexus 7. A retina mini, especially one that comes in colors, would blow them all away IMO.
I don't know about a Retina mini blowing the competition away in terms on some people's views, but it would absolutely take the wind from their sails. The timing is right for a Retina mini at this point. Even if it's $399.
In my opinion the iPad lineup for this holiday season should be:
16 GB iPad mini (non-retina) $299
32 GB iPad mini with retina display $399
32 GB iPad with retina display $499
64 GB iPad with retina display $599
128 GB iPad with retina display $699
Didn't stop The Verge giving it 9/10. I hate that battery life on their reviews is 1 data point. It should have an inordinate affect in the entire review.
The new Nexus 7 advertises 9 Hr of battery life, in reality its more like 6. If Apple did this you know we would have a "battery-gate" and the media would go nuts. But if Google does this, nothing.... instead we get "great price!"
Sadly you're actually right on here. Journalism is mostly dead these days in general. Well, The Guardian, thanks to being owned by a family trust since the 30's still manages to do some journalism. I hope to God they never sell out. We'd all be finished if they did.
The new Nexus 7 advertises 9 Hr of battery life, in reality its more like 6. If Apple did this you know we would have a "battery-gate" and the media would go nuts. But if Google does this, nothing.... instead we get "great price!"
When you say "only 6 hours of battery life" you make it sound as tho anyone wants to sit longer than that constantly streaming video content to their mini-tablet.
When Arstechnica did their battery test they constantly streamed video to their Nexis 7 for 6 straight hours before it gave up. There's not any use that would stress the battery more than that is there? I can't imagine you or anyone else actually sitting and watching 6 straight hours of video on a mini-tablet and wishing they could sit even longer.
Considering too that it lasted longer in the exact same test than last years thicker, heavier, larger and much lower-res Nexus and I don't think average users will have a complaint about the battery. Otherwise all the reviews so far are pretty positive as far as I've seen.
With all that said if Google is advertising up to 9 hours battery use but not noting that it;s with typical services like wi-fi turned off it's not being as forthcoming as they should. I don't like that.
Nope. another iPad mini with non-retina display is more stupid idea than heavier and thicker model with IPS 326dpi display. Thanks god, Apple knows that.
I think what they found in the code is the ipad mini 1, tweaked for ios7 and repackage in color plastic shells. It doesnt means they wont also be an ipad mini with retina. So 2 new models.
When you say "only 6 hours of battery life" you make it sound as tho anyone wants to sit longer than that constantly streaming video content to their mini-tablet.
When Arstechnica did their battery test they constantly streamed video to their Nexis 7 for 6 straight hours before it gave up. There's not any use that would stress the battery more than that is there? I can't imagine you or anyone else actually sitting and watching 6 straight hours of video on a mini-tablet and wishing they could sit even longer.
Considering too that it lasted longer in the exact same test than last years thicker, heavier, larger and much lower-res Nexus and I don't think average users will have a complaint about the battery. Otherwise all the reviews so far are pretty positive as far as I've seen.
If you consider "only 6 hours" is 'slightly less' then sure. I don't know where you read this "great review" (maybe from The Verge ha ha ha) but the first one I read is from Walt Mossberg and it's like this: "great screen, lousy battery life". Can you call that "great review"?
Walt Mossberg didn't write AllThingsD's 2013 Nexus 7 review. If he did I can't locate it. The only thing I found over there on the new Nexus 7 was written by Ina Fried and it contains no mention of battery life. Please link me to it. I would like to read his review or watch his video review.
Didn't stop The Verge giving it 9/10. I hate that battery life on their reviews is 1 data point. It should have an inordinate affect in the entire review.
The Verge now is a joke concerning everything Android. Like Gruber said "Last year’s Nexus 7 got an 8.8 from The Verge, yet most people, including The Verge, now agree it was a turd." He might be a super-fanboy but he got a very good point here.
I don't know about a Retina mini blowing the competition away in terms on some people's views, but it would absolutely take the wind from their sails. The timing is right for a Retina mini at this point. Even if it's $399.
In my opinion the iPad lineup for this holiday season should be:
16 GB iPad mini (non-retina) $299
32 GB iPad mini with retina display $399
32 GB iPad with retina display $499
64 GB iPad with retina display $599
128 GB iPad with retina display $699
Add extra for 4G models.
This would be perfect; 2, 3, 4, 5, 6!
Way to expensive imo they wont get away with $400 mini with a nexus 7 at $200. They need the old tweaked mini in plastic at $200 and a 16g retina at $300.
The Verge now is a joke concerning everything Android. Like Gruber said "Last year’s Nexus 7 got an 8.8 from The Verge, yet most people, including The Verge, now agree it was a turd." He might be a super-fanboy but he got a very good point here.
He is a super fanboy, but he definitely has a point there.
Way to expensive imo they wont get away with $400 mini with a nexus 7 at $200. That they need in the old tweaked mini in plastic at $200 and the retina at $300.
I think you're wrong. Battery life, screen area, build quality, iOS iPad App Store ecosystem. All these factors make a 32GB iPad mini with IGZO Retina Display worth $399.
With all that said if Google is advertising up to 9 hours battery use but not noting that it;s with typical services like wi-fi turned off it's not being as forthcoming as they should. I don't like that.
No "if" now. from WSJ:
"Another drawback: In my test, the new Nexus 7?s battery life was underwhelming. Compared with the same battery test of the iPad Mini and first Nexus 7, it fell short at just six hours; the others clocked in at 10 hours and 27 minutes and 10 hours and 44 minutes, respectively. Google claims the battery life can last over nine hours, but the company tests it in Airplane mode (Internet connection off), with screen brightness set to 44% while playing video. I keep Wi-Fi on in the background and screen brightness at 75% while playing video."
It compared to iPad mini and old N7 right then and there. With the same standard the other two does what it's claimed but not the new N7.
When Arstechnica did their battery test they constantly streamed video to their Nexis 7 for 6 straight hours before it gave up. There's not any use that would stress the battery more than that is there? I can't imagine you or anyone else actually sitting and watching 6 straight hours of video on a mini-tablet and wishing they could sit even longer.
It's not about continual use, it's about time between charges. It's about "do I have to pack a charger, and make sure that I sit somewhere next to a desk with a power outlet that I cannot leave for an hour while I top up". It's can I take this out with me for the weekend, and use it to watch a film on the train there and back, and check my emails and surf the news when I want inbetween without it switching off. It's about not having to think too much about "how much have I used this already" when throwing it in your bag, or being able to assume that because you charged it in the last couple of days, it will last you until Monday.
It's not about seeing how fast you can thrash it's tits off until it's all used up on one fell swoop!
I'd argue that whilst this is the simplest way of providing a benchmark, it's not necessarily all that useful. Take the comment further back about fiddling with your router DTIM interval to make it sleep longer. I'd say a good test is can you charge it, not use it for a week, and then still pretty much assume it's still got a full charge, but these are timely tests to do, and fraught with inability to do fairly and consistently (your router/distance from router/encryption options may vary)
9to5Mac = OnSwipe and Vanilla comments: yuck! I literally hate those services so much that after 6 months of continually telling 9to5 in their comments to stop using those services and not being listened to, I finally 2 weeks ago made up my mind to remove them from my bookmarks and vowed to never visit the website again. And I meant it.
They changed thir comments section to Wordpress. I don't hate the site but ever since they got iOS 7 scoops they've become a bit arrogant.
No "if" now. from WSJ:
"Another drawback: In my test, the new Nexus 7?s battery life was underwhelming. Compared with the same battery test of the iPad Mini and first Nexus 7, it fell short at just six hours; the others clocked in at 10 hours and 27 minutes and 10 hours and 44 minutes, respectively. Google claims the battery life can last over nine hours, but the company tests it in Airplane mode (Internet connection off), with screen brightness set to 44% while playing video. I keep Wi-Fi on in the background and screen brightness at 75% while playing video."
It compared to iPad mini and old N7 right then and there. With the same standard the other two does what it's claimed but not the new N7.
I'd tend to trust Ars tests more than a reviewer at the WSJ as I'm sure you normally would too. Ars found this new Nexus 7 to last longer on their video tests than than last years lower-resolution model.
No "if" now. from WSJ:
"Another drawback: In my test, the new Nexus 7?s battery life was underwhelming. Compared with the same battery test of the iPad Mini and first Nexus 7, it fell short at just six hours; the others clocked in at 10 hours and 27 minutes and 10 hours and 44 minutes, respectively. Google claims the battery life can last over nine hours, but the company tests it in Airplane mode (Internet connection off), with screen brightness set to 44% while playing video. I keep Wi-Fi on in the background and screen brightness at 75% while playing video."
It compared to iPad mini and old N7 right then and there. With the same standard the other two does what it's claimed but not the new N7.
Unbelievably disingenuous on Google's part. I wouldn't mind but some of the reviews when the iPad mini was released were getting 15 hours of battery life, and not the 10 Apple claimed. Similar to the 2013 MacBook Air situation.
Comments
I don't know about a Retina mini blowing the competition away in terms on some people's views, but it would absolutely take the wind from their sails. The timing is right for a Retina mini at this point. Even if it's $399.
In my opinion the iPad lineup for this holiday season should be:
16 GB iPad mini (non-retina) $299
32 GB iPad mini with retina display $399
32 GB iPad with retina display $499
64 GB iPad with retina display $599
128 GB iPad with retina display $699
Add extra for 4G models.
This would be perfect; 2, 3, 4, 5, 6!
Didn't stop The Verge giving it 9/10. I hate that battery life on their reviews is 1 data point. It should have an inordinate affect in the entire review.
Sadly you're actually right on here. Journalism is mostly dead these days in general. Well, The Guardian, thanks to being owned by a family trust since the 30's still manages to do some journalism. I hope to God they never sell out. We'd all be finished if they did.
When you say "only 6 hours of battery life" you make it sound as tho anyone wants to sit longer than that constantly streaming video content to their mini-tablet.
When Arstechnica did their battery test they constantly streamed video to their Nexis 7 for 6 straight hours before it gave up. There's not any use that would stress the battery more than that is there? I can't imagine you or anyone else actually sitting and watching 6 straight hours of video on a mini-tablet and wishing they could sit even longer.
Considering too that it lasted longer in the exact same test than last years thicker, heavier, larger and much lower-res Nexus and I don't think average users will have a complaint about the battery. Otherwise all the reviews so far are pretty positive as far as I've seen.
I generally trust Ars reviews but look forward to the test suites that Anand typically puts these things thru. There really hasn't been much in the way of test results so far. Tough to hide stuff from him.
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/07/the-2013-nexus-7-review-meet-the-new-standard-for-android-tablets/
With all that said if Google is advertising up to 9 hours battery use but not noting that it;s with typical services like wi-fi turned off it's not being as forthcoming as they should. I don't like that.
I think what they found in the code is the ipad mini 1, tweaked for ios7 and repackage in color plastic shells. It doesnt means they wont also be an ipad mini with retina. So 2 new models.
Video is light on batteries, a real test would be gaming. An unreal engine game would probably kill that thing in 3 hours.
Walt Mossberg didn't write AllThingsD's 2013 Nexus 7 review. If he did I can't locate it. The only thing I found over there on the new Nexus 7 was written by Ina Fried and it contains no mention of battery life. Please link me to it. I would like to read his review or watch his video review.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ireland
Didn't stop The Verge giving it 9/10. I hate that battery life on their reviews is 1 data point. It should have an inordinate affect in the entire review.
The Verge now is a joke concerning everything Android. Like Gruber said "Last year’s Nexus 7 got an 8.8 from The Verge, yet most people, including The Verge, now agree it was a turd." He might be a super-fanboy but he got a very good point here.
Way to expensive imo they wont get away with $400 mini with a nexus 7 at $200. They need the old tweaked mini in plastic at $200 and a 16g retina at $300.
He is a super fanboy, but he definitely has a point there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ireland
Walt Mossberg didn't write AllThingsD's 2013 Nexus 7 review. If he didn't I can't locate it.
Got it from his tweet. Didn't say he reviewed it, just I read from his.
I think you're wrong. Battery life, screen area, build quality, iOS iPad App Store ecosystem. All these factors make a 32GB iPad mini with IGZO Retina Display worth $399.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gatorguy
With all that said if Google is advertising up to 9 hours battery use but not noting that it;s with typical services like wi-fi turned off it's not being as forthcoming as they should. I don't like that.
No "if" now. from WSJ:
"Another drawback: In my test, the new Nexus 7?s battery life was underwhelming. Compared with the same battery test of the iPad Mini and first Nexus 7, it fell short at just six hours; the others clocked in at 10 hours and 27 minutes and 10 hours and 44 minutes, respectively. Google claims the battery life can last over nine hours, but the company tests it in Airplane mode (Internet connection off), with screen brightness set to 44% while playing video. I keep Wi-Fi on in the background and screen brightness at 75% while playing video."
It compared to iPad mini and old N7 right then and there. With the same standard the other two does what it's claimed but not the new N7.
Small but mighty, with an impressively sharp screen-- but its battery life disappoints.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gatorguy
When Arstechnica did their battery test they constantly streamed video to their Nexis 7 for 6 straight hours before it gave up. There's not any use that would stress the battery more than that is there? I can't imagine you or anyone else actually sitting and watching 6 straight hours of video on a mini-tablet and wishing they could sit even longer.
It's not about continual use, it's about time between charges. It's about "do I have to pack a charger, and make sure that I sit somewhere next to a desk with a power outlet that I cannot leave for an hour while I top up". It's can I take this out with me for the weekend, and use it to watch a film on the train there and back, and check my emails and surf the news when I want inbetween without it switching off. It's about not having to think too much about "how much have I used this already" when throwing it in your bag, or being able to assume that because you charged it in the last couple of days, it will last you until Monday.
It's not about seeing how fast you can thrash it's tits off until it's all used up on one fell swoop!
I'd argue that whilst this is the simplest way of providing a benchmark, it's not necessarily all that useful. Take the comment further back about fiddling with your router DTIM interval to make it sleep longer. I'd say a good test is can you charge it, not use it for a week, and then still pretty much assume it's still got a full charge, but these are timely tests to do, and fraught with inability to do fairly and consistently (your router/distance from router/encryption options may vary)
Will you please post that Tweet link, I want to see if the thing he's linking to in it is what I think it is.
I'd tend to trust Ars tests more than a reviewer at the WSJ as I'm sure you normally would too.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ireland
Will you please post that Tweet link, I want to see if the thing he's linking to in it is what I think it is.
Sure.
https://twitter.com/waltmossberg/status/362336856383303680
Unbelievably disingenuous on Google's part. I wouldn't mind but some of the reviews when the iPad mini was released were getting 15 hours of battery life, and not the 10 Apple claimed. Similar to the 2013 MacBook Air situation.