iPad选购难题：Air还是mini 2？

The recent update to Apple’s tablet product line leaves open a number of questions, but the biggest one is ‘which iPad should I buy, the iPad Air or the new iPad mini?’ Having reviewed both the iPad Air and the iPad mini with Retina Display here on Forbes, it’s not an easy decision to make.

苹果平板电脑产品线的最近更新留下了很多疑问，其中最大的疑问是：“应该买哪款iPad？是iPad Air，还是配备Retina显示屏的iPad mini（下简称iPad Mini 2）？”我已经在福布斯网站上分别发表了iPad Air和iPad Mini 2的评测文章，但至于究竟该买哪一款，这仍然是个艰难的决定。

Of course there are two more iPads out there that need to be acknowledged. Apple has retained the iPad 2, and while it might be a non-threatening option for those coming to the tablet space, its age and similar price to the iPad mini with Retina Display rules it out for the majority of consumer sales. On reflection I suspect that the iPad 2 remains ranged due to the huge number of educational markets that are equipped with this variant of the tablet and a number of 30-pin dock connector accessories.

当然，必须承认还有另外两款iPad可供选择。苹果仍然保留了iPad 2，但它不会对平板电脑新品构成威胁。iPad 2不仅发布时间较久，而且价格与带视网膜屏的iPad mini相近，这使它不会成为大多数消费者的选择。我猜测，iPad 2之所以仍未下架，原因之一是大量的教育机构都配备了这款平板电脑，还有其30针底座连接器的相应配件。

The original iPad mini also remains ranged, and is the lowest priced iPad that Apple has on sale. As a second tablet for around the home, perhaps for younger members of the family, the iPad mini makes some commercial sense, especially if you have to buy multiple units. But unless price is a major concern, I would urge consumers to look up at the iPad mini with Retina Display or the iPad Air.

初代iPad mini也未下架，是市面上最便宜的iPad产品。作为家里的备用（或是为家里小孩准备的）平板电脑，初代iPad mini在商业上仍然具有存在意义，尤其是在你不得不购买多台设备的情况下。但除非价格是主要考虑因素，否则我建议消费者选择iPad mini 2或者iPad Air。

Both the 7.9 inch mini, and the 9.7 inch Air, have drawn elements from each other. The iPad mini with Retina Display has received a comparatively large jump in specifications, bringing it in line with the iPad Air. There is a very slight performance increase in the iPad Air’s A7 (it runs at 1.4GHz, compared to 1.3GHz on the iPad mini with Retina Display, and the iPhone 5S). This tiny bump aside, you no longer have to trade performance for the smaller size of the 2013 iPad mini edition.

7.9英寸的iPad mini 2和9.7英寸的iPad Air都借鉴了彼此的元素。iPad mini 2的配置有较大提升，与iPad Air相差无几。iPad Air的A7处理器性能略强（运行频率为1.4GHz，而iPad mini 2和iPhone 5S为1.3GHz）。除了这个微小的差距以外，尺寸较小的2013版iPad mini在性能方面与iPad Air相比毫不逊色。

In the same breath, the styling of the iPad Air owes far more to the design that debuted with the iPad mini last year than previous editions of the full-sized Apple tablet. With a much reduced bezel on the side of the screen, and a similar size at top and bottom, the iPad Air’s footprint is much reduced (and the thickness drops to 7.5 mm, which is astonishingly thin). It feels far more fashionable and well designed than the older generation, and of course matches up with the iPad mini to create an almost cohesive look when the iPad’s are all on sale together.

同时，iPad Air的风格更像是去年iPad mini首次采用的那种设计，而不像是前几代的全尺寸苹果平板电脑。iPad Air的屏幕边框更窄，顶部和底部的大小与iPad mini类似，因此占用面积大大减少（而且厚度降至7.5毫米，薄得惊人）。与前代产品相比，iPad Air远远更加时尚、设计更加精美，但它还是能跟iPad mini实现外观上的完美衔接，使得所有iPad产品摆在一起时仍能形成和谐的整体外观。

When you line up specifications, when capabilities are equal across the board, and when the back-end software and support are identical, there’s not a lot of distinction to make between the two tablets apart from size, and I think that’s where the decision has to be made.

在配置相似、性能相当、后端软件和支持相同的情况下，iPad Air和iPad mini 2没有太大区别，除了尺寸，而我认为，尺寸就是下决定的关键点。

Think about how you would use a tablet throughout the day. If you are someone looking for a tablet to use while moving around, while standing up, and generally holding in one hand and operating it with the other, then the extra weight of the iPad Air over the iPad mini with Retina Display is eventually going to catch up with you. In which case the more mobile user should go for the iPad mini with Retina Display.

想想你一天中都是如何使用平板电脑的。如果你想要一款可以在走动或站立时使用、通常只需单手握持用另一只手操作的平板电脑，那么iPad Air相对于iPad mini 2的额外重量最终会显现出来。在这种情况下，对移动性需求更强的用户就应该选择iPad mini 2。

If your iPad is going to be used more at a desk, while sitting down, and where you have a chance to rest it somewhere, then I would go for the physically larger screen and longer battery life. Which means the iPad Air.

如果你坐着在桌前使用iPad的时候更多，并且有机会在桌上找个地方支撑iPad，那么我推荐屏幕尺寸更大的、续航时间更长的，也就是iPad Air。

There’s not much in it, and I’d be interested to read which decision you have come to. Is it the smaller mini, the larger Air, or one of the quirky older Apple tablets for you? And how did you come to that decision?

就是这么简单。我很想知道读者会如何选择。是较小的mini，还是较大的Air，抑或是显得古怪的苹果前几代平板电脑之一？你是如何作出决定的？