My VerizonWireless contract is up in three weeks, my Kindle just died and Apple just introduced the iPad Mini so I've got some deciding to do!
I current travel with my 13" MacBook Air, a 2 year old Android phone and often my iPad2 as well. The MacBook Air is my primary laptop and serves as my coding and general content creation platform. The Android phone is going into the crusher as soon as possible, to be replaced with an iPhone. Apple isn't perfect but they support their devices for longer than 20 minutes so it "never again" for Android.
So now we've dealt with phone calls, navigation, quick email checks, quick web browsing, coding and content creation. What's left?
The iPad has been getting pretty lonely since I got the Air. They're both big enough to need a carry bag so if I have the iPad I almost certainly have the Air as well. This leaves time on the train commuting to work as about the only time I'd use the iPad because there's really not room in our crowded train for the Air. So I use the iPad for games and some reading.
Do I really need either a Kindle or an iPad Mini? (And when I say "need" I mean it in the geeky sense as in can I develop a rational for it).
The only thing I can think of using an iPad Mini for rather than my existing iPad is reading; lets face it the iPad gets heavy after a while. But I could get a Kindle Paper White for about a third the cost or a base Kindle for less than a quarter of the cost of the Mini. I'd rather get the Paper White but they're back ordered for 4-6 weeks so that's not an option.
Put another way: I can get an iPhone and a base Kindle for less than the cost of the Mini.
So, for folks who don't already own an iPad the iPad Mini might be a great idea but I don't see many people getting both.
