When Apple first announced the iPad Air and the iPad mini with Retina Display last month, it said that the iPad mini would be available later in the month of November. I assumed that meant that it would be available at the very end of the month, but early this morning, Apple started selling the new iPad mini in the online Apple Store. Supplies are presumably limited right now, and it is unclear when you still be able to start buying one from a physical Apple Store.
My original post on why lawyers would like the new iPad mini is here. I suspect that if the new iPad mini is the right iPad for you, you already know it. But if you are on the fence, I will note that I’ve had my new iPad Air for over a week now, and in that time I haven’t had a desire to use my iPad mini at all. Of course I have a first generation iPad mini, not the new model with a Retina Display, but my lack of desire to use it this past week was not because of the lack of a Retina Display. Over the last year, I have always reached for my iPad mini for the same reason — I wanted something light and easy to carry around. Now that the iPad Air is so light and easy to carry around, I just haven’t had a desire to use the iPad mini. To be fair, the iPad Air is my latest new gadget, so perhaps after the newness wears off I’ll become more excited about the iPad mini again. But for me, the iPad Air is the best of both worlds.
But that’s just me. I know many people who say that the iPad mini is the perfect size and weight for them, and if you are one of those people, now you can get the brand new model. Enjoy!
About to jump into the iPad pool with a maxed-out iPad Air, and just wanted to thank you for the review of the Air and your thoughts on the iPad Mini Retina. Old eyes, a nearly perfect letter size screen on the Air, and your comments on usability tipped the scale in favor of the big brother. I hope you will keep updating your review with more insights into using the iPad in a legal practice, especially for us “late” converts from the MS Windows world.
Enjoy your iPad Air, Dale. You’re going to love it!
-Jeff
I only recently began using a tablet, yet I already feel like a whole new world has opened up! I’ll have to read up on your posts to decide whether to upgrade next year. As a solo practitioner these tools help me maximize time (especially time spent waiting in courtrooms). Thanks!