I missed the live stream of latest Apple event 1, but caught up later in the day. So, iPad mini.
Tech sites have been exploding with iPad mini rumors for as long as I can remember. I never paid much attention because I didn't really care. The iPad was the perfect size for me. If anything, I'd buy a larger iPad rather than a smaller one.
Still, the mini is interesting. It still seems large enough to be useful, while being much lighter than the iPad (3) I currently enjoy.
I've been contemplating hinting for a Kindle Paperwhite for Christmas. The combination of small size, light weight, a backlit screen2, reasonable price, and singular focus intrigues me.
The iPad mini complicates this, if only slightly.
It has a smaller size, it weighs less than the normal iPad3, and of course still has a backlit screen. It doesn't have the singular focus of a Kindle, and it costs $200 more. On the other hand, I can use OmniFocus on it. And Instapaper. And Reeder.
So.
Will I buy one? I don't know. Probably not, at least not yet. It's priced a little higher than I would like4. It also doesn't have the lovely Retina display that is my favorite iPad (3) feature. Incidentally, this is the one thing that made my wife take pause. She was all set to get one until she heard about the screen. Now she's all set to wait.
No one expected a Retina display in the iPad mini. I don't think Apple made a mistake by not including it. The thinness and lightness are the biggest selling features here.