I've loved my iPads--had one of each model since they came out--and use them frequently. I grabbed a mini on a whim, and while I use it sometimes it's just not as crisp as my iPad with the retina display. But the size of it is great.

I've been convalescing from surgery for the last few weeks and wanted to read whilst flat on my back. The mini was no easier to hold up than the iPad proper after a few minutes.

And I'm shocked to say this...but the cheap Lenovo 7" Android tablet feels nicer in my hand than the mini--though the screen isn't quite as sharp. But it was half the price of the mini.

I would say for someone new to tablets, if a mini reads well enough for you it's a good choice. But anyone used to a higher res screen would probably prefer the iPad retina. But there's a plethora of Android tablets out there, some of which are exceedingly good value. I use both iOS and Android extensively, and while I'm definitely an iOS dude, for many folks there's not much of a difference in terms of functionality and affordances between the tablet offerings for each.

But for long road trips, where I have to bring a work laptop, my iPad retina is my default device: light, easy and functional. Especially with the Logitech solar charged keyboard case.

If nothing else, this thread truly epitomizes the saying, "different strokes for different folks." Some people love the light weight and smaller footprint of the mini, others find the regular ipad "just right."

My sister-in-law ditched her ipad 3 for a mini and loves it. Loves the size, loves the weight, isn't bothered by the lower res screen. She always carries it around in her purse, unlike her regular ipad, which was always a decision as to whether or not she wanted to lug it around.

I like the size/weight of the mini, but am still in the full size ipad camp. The biggest advantage, imo, of the mini is the portability factor, where the full size ipad can be more unwieldy to carry around. Otherwise, for business purposes and reading of content (as well as games and the occasional video), the full size is my strong preference.

I didn't care for the I-Pad mini. There isn't that much difference in weight between the regular and the mini but the large screen with beautiful retina display on my I-Pad 4 is sublime. I am a physician and tend to spend much time looking at radiographs which are fabulous on my regular sized I-Pad.

I also have a Kindle Fire that I use for reading and often travel with both the I-Pad and the Kindle. I know that I can put my books on the I-Pad but even with plenty of storage space (I can't find enough to fill my I-Pad), I prefer the size of the Kindle Fire for reading novels alone. For anything visual, such as medical textbooks, videos or pictures, I am with the I-Pad 4.

I reviewed legal documents on my iPad which are often scans of letter size paper. For me the smaller size would probably be a problem when you are talking about critical reading of documents, rather than the more casual reading I do of books or magazines. If the document could be reflowed, I might change my position.

Well, my iPad 2 sort of stopped being mine (really belongs to my dad now) and I ended up getting a Nexus 7 as a stop gap. The Nexus has been great; good enough to stop me buying the Mini, when it came out. However, on a recent site trip I got playing with a colleague's Mini at the hotel and decided it would be nice to have a foot in both system. I bought a 32GB WiFi Mini this week.

The resolution of the Mini is not as much of a problem as I was expecting, and mainly effects small text (which the Nexus renders amazingly well), but makes up for this by being able to have as much text on the screen, albeit larger. I can happily do Kindle on either.

I ditched a full-sized iPad a few months ago and, FWIW, I love it!

The Mini is a more functional size for my uses – Super light, easy to get into and out of my bag while in transit, and has good battery life. I also travel with an AppleTV and using them in combination has given me an easy, compact toolkit to push video content to a big screen.

But what surprises me most is that, when I want to do some reading, I almost grab for the Mini and not my Kindle.

Will a Retina Display version be arriving soon? Almost certainly. But for me, the current Mini isn't lacking anything and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to any frequent traveller.

With Kind Regards,

Justin Lancy

Well, now that I have my old ipad1 back home (it's been out on loan) and have been playing around with it a little. The retina/non retina isn't that big of an issue for me. I'm seriously considering selling both ipad's and pick up a mini already now. And that's just from what you guys have been saying here.

I use my ipad for email, the odd website update, social networking and finding information when I am not on the laptop. I picked it up for it's ultra portability (as it was at the time) and now that there is an even smaller version that is still user friendly to the eye, the mini is a good option, me thinks.

But first, the WWDC and see what apple announces then.

Yep me. Wife now has the iPad 3 64G/4G and I am using the iPad min 64G/4G. I really don't miss the retina display - it wasn't that long ago that 1024x768 was what we were running on our desktops.... Since I travel a fair bit and also use the mini in the cockpit with Foreflight when flying my plane, I value size over display resolution. I am very happy with the mini and using it in the cockpit is a dream (once I installed the anti-glare screen protector).

Have an ipad 2, the next retina version and a mini all floating around the house. I have to say the mini is my favorite now. With retina not sure id use much else.

I have both. The bigger one wifi only with the retina display I used mostly at home but the mini with a data plan is the one I carry with me. Not a apple guy but gotta admit these iPads are brilliant.

I got a mini the first week they came out, switching from an iPad 2. The mini is the computer I use FAR more than any other. I've stopped carrying my kindle on trips (mini is worthless in sunlight, but I only do that on the beach and I rarely go to the beach).

The mini makes a great speakerphone (with skype or google voice), video phone - particularly with skype, and even camera (better camera than my iPhone4 but obviously looks a bit silly when taking photos).

I really like using the mini as a 'dedicated' video / voice conference device as it lets me do other things on my Thinkpad (or more recently Chromebook) while on a call.

I will probably get the retina mini when it comes out, but for now it is in use many hours every day. When I pick up my iPad2 now, I almost can't believe how heavy it is - it has been pressed into use as a fitness monitor using Digifit and an ANT+ HRM.

I got the mini on the first day it was out, and loved it straight away. I wouldn't mind a retina display of course, but the screen is good enough and more as it is. I don't have a Kindle so I do a lot of reading on the mini and think it works great for that. Also fantastic for games and the occasional movie. In short, simply perfect for traveling, but I also find I use it a lot around the house for email and web browsing instead of firing up the laptop.

I find myself using the mini more and more, especially on trips I hardly ever take my "big" iPad with me anymore. The Mini actually fits the inner pocket of my Jacket so there's no need anymore to carry anything in my hands.
The regular iPad stays home and is more of a couch/bed type of device now.

Interesting to see how quickly the smaller form factor wins people over quickly. (Especially for a product that Apple saw as an after thought.)
There are a slew of similar size win8 / android devices, not to mention kindle, coming/ on the market.

Why buying an iPad Mini with Retina display this year might be a bad idea

An interesting thought.