iPad mini with Retina Display - STAPLES and Technology update

Last October, I wrote a post about Staples and Technology and shared with you what I was planning to purchased with the gift card I received from them.  However, I had to wait – patiently – until the product I had picked would be available at Staples.

The wait was longer that I expected…   It was originally announced that the iPad mini with retina display would arrive in November but the month came and went by quite rapidly.

To make the anticipation a bit more challenging, I had mentioned to my husband early in November that we should sell my iPod and iPad 1 on a used site.   What we didn’t expect was to sell both quite rapidly within a few days of posting the ads.   To our pleasure we even got a bit more than we were anticipating.

So selling the devices went well…   now I had to wait.  Fortunately, I was able to borrow my husband iPad2 in order to continue to track our homeschool days.  I would say that this app is definitively essentials for me.   

As I mentioned the month of November went by and still no news on when the iPad mini with Retina Display would arrive at Staples.   The once-a-year sale at Apple was tempting but we resisted – thanks to my husband’s wisdom.

Finally on December 4th, I decided to check the website of Staples to see if there was any changes.  And guess what…  I could see them on the site!  The iPad mini with Retina Display were available.  I quickly selected the one I was planning to purchase – the black 128 GB but unfortunately it was Out Of Stock.   Seriously?   Oh well.   I checked to see if the silver one was available and it was.   Should I purchase this one instead.   As I debated about my options, I realized that while I looked at both colors I preferred the silver one over the black one.   My choice was made.  However, I quickly discovered that I couldn’t use the gift card on an online order.  What?  So I called the store near my house and was told that the only possible solution would be to come in store, order it through the website and get it delivered there and once it arrives to return it in order to repurchased it with the gift card.  Are you following me here?

Step 1: Go to the store.  Purchase the item using the same online site which means I can’t use the gift card immediately.

Step 2: Get the item delivered to the store.

Step 3: When the item arrives at the store, go back to said store in order to return it.  Then repurchase it using the gift card.

Honestly, I find this is a long process.  But since it was the only way to get my iPad mini with Retina Display, I went along with it making sure that the manager of the store confirmed on paper that it would be okay to return and repurchase right away.   No problem I was told.  Okay.  Let’s do it.  So on December 4th, I drove to the Staples, ordered my iPad and waited 24 hours to get it.  Apparently the warehouse is in Montreal and I was told that the delivery would be the next day. 

The next day I got the phone call right after lunch that the order was in.  I went back to the store and dealt with the return/repurchase.   It didn’t took long and the staff at the store was very nice.   Finally, I had my iPad mini with Retina Display.  The box was small enough for me to slide it in my purse as I went back to my vehicle.

As soon as I was home, I decided to open the box (hey what can I say I waited a long time for this moment) and proceed to install some apps on it.   I liked the small device and knew that it would just be perfect for reading before falling asleep.  The iPod was too small for reading – I disliked it while my husband really enjoy reading with his iPhone – and the bigger iPad was just too big and would be too heavy for my wrists.  (In case you wonder why – I have an issue with my left wrist which develop tendonitis every once in a while.  It happens sometimes with the right one but not as often.)

That afternoon, I installed some apps, my music, some videos, books and so on.   With 128 GB of storage trust me that you have plenty of space to install whatever you want.   The main reason why I wanted to move to the new iPad mini with Retina Display was that not only it would be smaller to handle and carry in my purse but I could double the storage on one device instead of having two devices of 64 GB each.  

You must be wondering what I think of the iPad mini with Retina Display since it has been over a week I have it….   Two words.  LOVE IT!    It’s the best decision I have ever made.   I have everything in one device and it’s just perfect for me.   I am still discovering advantages of having it as I am writing this. 

Last week-end, I hosted a little birthday party for my sweet daughter.   She will be turning 6 next week and because her birthday is so close to Christmas, we decided to have her birthday party earlier in the month of December.   She wanted a Princess birthday party and I decided to make a Princess cake for her.    I had purchased a Princess Barbie and baked a “dress for it”.  She really loved her cake and I decided to use the iPad mini to take a picture of my princess with her cake. 

I will admit that I am quite impressed with the quality of the photos taken with the iPad mini with Retina Display.    The technology for these small cameras has gone a long way since it first appeared on the iPhone.   Before I would find the picture too grainy but now it is clear and stunning.    I look forward to explore new possibilities of photography with the iPad mini (and will admit that I need to practice to handle this way of taking pictures – it is quite different than my Canon!).

One of the build-in apps that I particularly find fun (and that my kids simply adore) is the Photo Booth.

With this app you can make a funny face or take a nutty picture of yourself, your kids or your friends and apply an effect to it.  You can have the thermal camera, the mirror, the x-ray, the kaleidoscope, the light tunnel, the squeeze, the twirl or the stretch effect.   You can also take a normal picture if your like.   But the effects brings the most laughter in my household – trust me.

Most people dislike change. But from what I have seen so far with the new iPad mini with Retina Display and the new iOS, I must say that I like what I have experienced so far.  I enjoy have the new design for the calendar, the contacts, the camera, the new look of the icons and so on.   Having a device back in my hands is very nice as well.  I find that I read more using the iPad mini than I was when I had the iPad 1.   This week, as we drove to the swimming lessons, the kids were able to listen to some Adventures in Odyssey.   They missed having the possibility of picking the episode to listen after I had sold my iPod.

I made wise decisions when I opted to get an iPad mini with Retina Display and choose to sell my previous devices.   The wait was worth it and I am enjoying my new tablet.  Now if only the case I ordered can arrive….  *grin*    I won’t complain because I got a really good price on it so I will be patient while waiting for it.

In the meantime, if you are wondering what to get to your love one this Christmas season (and you have the budget for it!  Don’t get into debt for this…) I would like to suggest that you consider getting an iPad mini with Retina Display at Staples.   Not only can you install the Kindle app on it and read but it can be used for numerous things as well – taking notes at a meeting, facebooking, finding recipes on pinterest, read the news, play games and much more.   You won’t be disappointed with the iPad mini with Retina Display. 

I want to thank Staples for the opportunity to do the Technology post for them and for the gift card they have send me.  With it I was able to reduce the price of the iPad mini with Retina Display when it came to purchase it.  

Disclaimer: Full disclosure, Staples provided me with a gift card to inspire me to share my experience. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Staples and Technology (GIVEAWAY)

I was recently approached with an opportunity to do a post on technology for Staples.   I was delighted and agreed to the offer they made.   In exchange of a generous gift card to the store, I would write a post on technology and also offer a giveaway to my readers.   Before I proceed to let you know about the giveaway, I want to tell you what I will be writing about.

Technology.  This word is well used in our home as we have a home business in IT.   My husband and I thought for quite some time what I could get with the gift card in order to write the post.  Our first thought was to take a Nexus tablet but part of us was hesitant as we were Apple owners with an iPhone, a couple of iPods and iPads.    Then my husband thought that it could be useful for him and the business to have a Microsoft tablet but realistically none of his clients approached him to designed a database for that device.   So our two first ideas were not the greatest ones.   Friends suggested a new printer – we didn’t need a new one.   What could we do…

The more the time went by while I waited for the gift card, the more one specific idea was coming to my mind.  I love my iPad but I really think it is bulky when I want to read before going to bed.   It was heavy and not quite easy to manipulate.  What if I decide to take the gift card, invest my special account money and sell my current iPad in order to purchase an iPad mini.    So I talked about the idea with my husband and he really liked it.   He had seen me trying to squeeze the iPad inside my purse and seen how heavy my purse had gotten when doing so.  He knew I wanted to read when in bed and that the first generation iPad – the one I own – was very heavy for my wrist.

So my next step was to let my contact know of our idea which was accepted.   Now it was just a matter of weeks before the official announcement of Apple about the new iPad mini came because after all it would be a little bit silly to purchase the current iPad mini when a new one is announced…   The announcement arrived on October 22nd, 2013 and the new iPad mini with Retina Display will be released in November which means – I have to wait a bit… Bummer!  But for the purpose of this review, I will be presenting the numerous differences between my current iPad (first generation) and the new one that I am planning to purchase when it comes out.

First of all, I really like the fact that the new iPad mini is thin and light which makes it very interesting for me when I want to slide it in my purse to carry it around. It weights literally less than a pound which is fabulous weight wise.  The size itself makes it more portable for me and easier to handle when waiting for an appointment or at the dance lesson of my daughter.  Right now, when I bring my first generation iPad, I usually hold it with both hands while reading because the weight hurts my wrist on one specific hand.   The smaller size will make it easier for me to handle with one hand if needed.  Below you can visualize the difference in sizes between my current iPad and the new iPad mini schedule to come out in November.

   

The new iPad mini is small to fit in one hand yet possess 35 percent more screen than a regular 7” tablet on the market.  The photo below show the difference of size between my current iPd (1st generation) and the dimensions of the iPad mini that will come out in November.

 

The second attractive feature for me concerning the new iPad mini is the 7.9 Retina display.  Apparently the photos will be more detailed and vibrant while the text will be crisp and clear.  The resolution of the screen is apparently higher than the one on an HDTV. 3.1 million pixels – four times the resolution of the previous iPad mini which is still in stores right now. 

Though the new iPad mini will have the new A7 chip, advanced wireless and the new iOS7, the thing that excites me the most on it is definitively the iSight camera with its 5 megapixel capability and the fact that I could take stunning pictures anywhere I am with the iPad mini.   Currently, the only device I have that has a camera is my iPod 4th generation and trust me when I saw the pictures are not that great.   I find them very grainy and not good quality.    The iSight camera  will offer 5Mp photos, autofocus, face detection, backside illumination, five-element lens, f/2.4 aperture, and much more.   Besides, I will be to do video recording as well with 1080p HD video recording, video stabilization, face detection and 3x video zoom.  I seriously think that this could replace my current digital camera.    Another fun thing that I will get with the new iPad mini is the Photo Booth – something that my husband has on his iPad 2 that is a ton of fun…   It’s easy to use and will bring laughter guaranteed in your household -  guarantee.  I will admit that I am a bit jealous of this fun app on my husband iPad but I am so looking forward in using it with my new iPad mini.

And I will get Siri as well!   I have seen how useful this app can be when I see my husband use Siri on his iPhone.   Quickly I will be able to find songs, files, apps and so on.   With the numerous apps that we have on iTunes, it would be a breeze to find what I will need in a fraction of the time I used to with my older iPad.

The new iPad mini will also come with numerous built-In apps and it will also be possible to download a bunch of free apps from Apple.

Build-in apps

Free apps from Apple

   If you are wondering what the price will be for the new iPad mini with Retina display, I need to precise that the Apple devices are a bit expensive.   Having currently an iPad 64 GB, I was thinking of replacing it with the same size as I use mine quite a bit.   So imagine my surprise and delight when I realized that the new iPad mini with Retina display will also be offered in 128 GB.  No way!   See that the difference of price between the 64 GB and the 128 GB is only 100$ I think that I will sell my iPod as well.  That way I can have everything that I need – music, movies, books, and apps on only one device.  No need to carry both when I can have a flexible iPad mini with all the things that I would like to have.   It was just plain perfect!   The iPad mini will be offered in space gray or silver with Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi + Cellular.  I don’t need the cellular part so I will stick to the Wi-Fi only device.

Finally, how can I not mention Christmas in this post?   Christmas is less that two months away and some people might be wondering what to give to their love ones.  If you are tight financially stop reading right now.  I do not encourage getting in debt for Christmas.  However, if you are financially stable (and not already in debt) and you want to purchase something special for your spouse (and child - though I think that it a bit expensive for a child…) the new iPad mini and it’s big brother the iPad Air will arrive in stores in November – just in time for Christmas.  The new iPad Air and iPad mini are now announced on the Staples website.  You can learn more about them there or on the Apple site.

GIVEAWAY!

Staples has agreed to give away a router of the winner’s choice (valued up to 100$) from the selection found on their website.  Once the winner is annonuced he/she will have to go to http://www.staples.ca/Routers/directory_Routers_20051_1_20001 in order to select the router he/she wants.

When you choose a router, you need to look for the items that meet the needs of your home.   What activities will you use the router for?  Will you stream HD movies to the TV?  Do you want to connect mobile devices throughout your house?    It’s important to identify your need before purchasing one.  

A router is a great addition in your household when you have multiples computers and/or devices that can use the internet.     We have one in our home and it’s amazing how easy it is to get on the our devices to download emails, check our friends facebook status, access the internet for a quick search while homeschool and print from your computer wherever you are located in the house.  For our homeschool, to be able to access the internet from the living room and the dining room where we do most of our lessons is a must.  But accessing the printer is also a big deal as often when my kids are done with some of the things I have given them, they will request more pages for their grammar and/or writing book (which is reproducible by the way) and I will access the file on my PC in order to print it on the laser printer in the basement.   

Click on the image below to access the giveaway page on facebook!  Good Luck Everyone!

To my readers:  I engage myself in posting a 2nd post showing the new iPad mini that I will purchase in November when it becomes available.   No specific dates are mentioned at the time of the posting of this post for Staples.  However, I am looking forward to share with you my experience with the new iPad mini with Retina display.

Disclaimer: Full disclosure, Staples provided me with a gift card to inspire me to share my experience, as well as the router for the giveaway. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. To see their full line of routers, visit Staples.ca