Use Science to chose between iPad Air and Retina Mini

Like many, when the iPad Mini came out, I took a punt and made the leap from the 10 inch model. And like many, it quickly became my default way of considering the iPad, with the larger, heavier model feeling more like an iPad Maxi.

Of course, with the announcement of the Air, many of the advantages have now made the leap to the bigger model — same weight, same smaller bezel — and reviewers are saying the decision between the two is becoming tricky.

So, because I’m a weak-willed tech-magpie, today I dashed to an Apple store to try (and possibly buy) an Air for myself. What I encountered made the decision for me:

SCIENCE.

I cant-i-leve it

I’d always assumed the portability of the Mini came from its smaller weight and thinner form factor. But the aspect I hadn’t considered was the fact that it’s 8-inch spread meant the device’s furthest corner was much closer to the hand. Picking up the iPad Air next to my Mini, something felt ‘off’, even though the weight was the same. And I think it’s the impact of a ‘cantilever’ force coming into effect.

In basic terms, the force with which an object pulls itself down increases the further along a lever it moves from you. So if you hold a bar and hang a weight 3cm from your hand, it’s much less of a strain than if you move that weight 30cm along. Distance x mass = the force that you have to handle.

What’s happening with these iPads is the same thing — because the furthest corner of an Air is still much further from your hand, it feels more unwieldy and less maneuverable than its little brother. As a fond iPad Mini convert, I think this is the key that has made the decision for me. Even when you make all other factors equal, that aspect pretty much remains.