I did it, I took the plunge and spent my money on yet another of Apple’s fine products. This time I totally ignored the rest of the worlds advice, including that of my closest friends, and to a lesser extent my work colleagues. To the rest of them it could come across as being quite silly really, I already have an iPad (vanilla), an iPhone 4, and a MacBook Pro, what more could I possibly do with a tablet with a screen comparable to a paperback pocket book? Well, let me tell you..
First of all let me start by saying I’m writing this on the iPad mini, albeit with the use of an external keyboard (Apple again, as if you hadn’t come to understand my complete and total obsession. I truly have sold my soul, but that’s another story entirely) oddly enough, the screen is a perfect size for absolutely everything I intend to use it for. It’s practically the same size as that of a paperback book, about the same weight as one, and packs almost the same punch as an iPad 2.
So why did I get one? Marketing really, but mostly because of the iPad mini’s appeal when it came to being on the move, chilling and reading. I read quite a lot, both books and news on the web, and it feels much much nicer to be able to have a small handheld device to read on. Reading books and the feel of real paper can appeal to some and I can imagine the whole concept of paper, and being able to pick up second hand books for a tiny price will last for a long time. Nevertheless, this is a much nicer tool to use if one wanted to have a small library of books with them on a holiday.
Okay, your next question is something along the lines of why buy one if you have all their products already? Well, my iPhone is an iPhone; the screen size is limited and gets quite annoying if wanting to read something at great length. Sure it’s powerful enough to handle the games I wish to play, and run the apps I want, but quite often I’m left feeling I want something a bit more substantial, and something with a bit more screen space. As for the MacBook Pro, well that’s not really portable, and it’s never very nice to read books, or anything for that matter if I have to sit in an uncomfortable position with it. Oh, and finally, the original iPad I have – that’s my Mum’s now! That’s my excuse anyway!
Its now been a week since I bought this iPad mini, and I’ve had a number of people ask me whether I’m still overusing it. My response is always yes, I am still using it, but I don’t feel I’m overusing it. I feel it is being used to its fullest potential. It’s a great book reading tool, a great researching product, it’s small enough to be portable, light enough to not be annoying, and quick enough to not make you get angry about loading. My iPhone 4 on the other hand seems to be lagging somewhat these days. Weird.
At this point the only regret I have is not buying the one with support for Cellular, though I suppose that means I’ll be able to remove myself from the Internet and do some different things sometimes. That’s healthy, right?
I think I’ll write another post in a few weeks and I’ll tell you whether my interest in this product is still the same as it is now. Time will tell I suppose, but either way, I highly recommend you take a look at the iPad mini, even if it’s just to play with it and see what it feels like!
