It’s really light and easy to hold one-handed. The hardware design — chamfered edges, less tapered back, metal rather than plastic buttons — strikes me as better, more elegant, than that of the full-size iPad 3/4. But it’s disappointing to go non-retina after using the retina iPad for the last seven months. All of the accolades and advantages of retina displays work in reverse. I adore the size and form factor of the iPad Mini, but I also adore the retina display on my full-size iPad. My ideal iPad would be a Mini with a retina display.
I don’t even need to hold an iPad mini to know that my thinking is aligned with John’s. I’ve already made a deal with myself not to buy any more products, from Apple or any other company, that do not include a retina-quality display. The mini looks like a device that has found the right balance of size, speed, and weight. But the display is the thing you stare at the most.
Unlike John, Eliza and I will be waiting for an iPad mini that has a Retina Display. That iPad 4, on the other hand, looks like a good deal to me. Hmm.
(Side note to John: iPad Mini? Apple writes iPad mini. So I will too. Sorry.)
