I insta-bought the iPad mini as soon as it was available on the store. It is the only thing I cared about going into the presentation. And it will likely be the only thing I take from it. For several days before the show, last-minute rumors were that the iPads would be delayed until the October event. This information came from very reliable sources. I guess we know what we can do with those reliable sources.

Mine is an on again, off again relationship with the iPad Pro. But my relationship with the iPad mini is a bit more concrete. I have always loved that device. For a while, I was able to use one full-time as an iPhone replacement. I plan to do so again. In another post, I will detail exactly how to configure your device if you would like to do the same thing. Just know that you will need a cellular version. To be clear, you still have to have an iPhone with an active account with your carrier. This is not a way of getting out of paying a phone bill. However, you will be able to completely turn off your phone and toss it in a drawer.

Everything I do on an iPhone is something I prefer to do on a larger device. My vision is poor. So I like using the iPad mini like a giant iPhone. It even fits in my pants pocket. Note, I wear sweats. My transit app is on the phone and it works just fine on the iPad. That is where I keep my bus and train tickets. I get that I am a bit weird in preferring the iPad mini to the iPhone. But allow me to make my case for why I am more excited about the new iPad mini more than I am about the M1 iPad Pro:

Not for work

When I am using the M1 iPad for anything other than a professional use, it feels like a waste. I actually feel a little guilty playing Candy Crush on a $1,000 device. Mine was even more expensive than that. It feels crazy to play a casual game on such a device. I get that same feeling of guilt when watching Hulu, YouTube, or any other video on the device. At those times, it is just a glorified TV.

Since I started using a MacBook Air for work again, I detached the iPad Pro from the keyboard and haven’t used it much since then. When I do pick it up, it is for something trivial. It is a device without a clear purpose in my life. Because of its size and weight, it is not well suited for casual pursuits.

That is where the mini comes in. It is not for work. And that’s a feature rather than a bug. I have work covered. The iPad mini is perfect for everything else I enjoy doing in the Apple ecosystem. Mini 6 is so powerful, there are no asterisks or excuses. It is capable of everything the Pro can do that I care about. The iPad Pro beckons me to work. The iPad mini beckons me to do anything and everything but work.

The one that’s with you

They say the best camera is the one you have with you at the time you want to take a picture. The same can be said about the iPad line. iPad mini is the one you will have with you at any given time of day. If it is not already in your hand, it will be in your pocket. What other iPad can you say that about?

Because the mini is so small and light, you will not meed to put it down except to free up your hands to do something else. You will not put it down due to fatigue. If you want to watch a video that is longer than a couple of minutes, you can do it. If you want to do some long-form reading, go head. Your hands will not get too tired to hold the mini.

You might have to occasionally ask Siri to find your iPad mini because you will take it with you all over the house and you will put it down in odd places. That’s okay. That just means you are using it the way it was intended to be used.

That holds true when you leave the house. Even if you are bringing a Mac with you for work, it is a trivial matter to just slip the mini in along with it. Whether you take it to bed with your for some light reading, or use it as a second screen when watching TV, the iPad mini is the one you will have with you.

Minis have more fun

The mini is a guilt-free tablet because the expectations are so low. The only thing that will give you pause is the price. It is not priced like a guilt-free, casual device. It is priced like something more serious. For $500, you can get a standard PC complete with speakers and monitor. We’ll come back to the price. Just as a piece of gear, it is engineered for fun.

Try to picture looking at it with the screen off. Think about what you want it to be. I confess that my first thought is playing Candy Crush and iFarkle. Don’t judge. It is also a nice size for backgammon and chess. In fact, if you just used it exclusively as a chess computer, I think it would be worth it. I used to play a lot of chess and would have loved something like that.

I also look at it and see a book, magazine, or newspaper. The screen cries out for some reading material. Marvel has redesigned their comic reader for smartphones. Imagine that on the iPad mini. How much fun is that?

If reading is not your thing, how about a little TV? I have Hulu TV (thinking about switching to YouTube). It looks great on the full-size iPad, (black bars not withstanding). But if you want to watch something that you can easily take with you and yet still have it on a decent sized screen, it’s the mini for the win. I read a lot of articles that have videos as a part of the piece. Those videos are great for the mini.

I’m not a social media person. But were I into Twitter, Facebook, instagram, and TikTok, the mini would never leave my hand. When watching a football game, the mini is great for keeping up with scores for all the games that matter to you. Everything you can think to do on the mini is fun. You don’t pick up the mini for things that you don’t enjoy. And the mini is just a fun device even when doing nothing at all. Given a choice of devices, it is the one you would rather be using.

Back to work

Life is not always fun. Sometimes, you will have the mini with you when you have to get some work done. I have an old Keys to Go keyboard from Logitech that I sometimes use with a mini. The little phone holder works for the mini as well. Because every iPad has every feature of every other iPad, you can get your work done in a pinch. I go back and forth between Ulysses, Drafts, and Word for my writing work. They all run just fine on the iPad mini.

Safari is the same on the mini. A trackpad and mouse are the same on a mini. My preferred mobile work device is a MacBook Air. But if I happen to be out and about without it, the mini will get it done, provided you also have a keyboard. That said, it is a champ at thumb typing.

One final note

I’m not a big note taker or Pencil user. I have a Pencil that I do nothing with. I don’t like to write things by hand. I’m slow and bad at it. That said, if the Quick Notes feature in iPad OS is ever going to find expression, it will be with the iPad mini because that is the device you will have in your hand when you need to make a note. If you keep a Pencil attached, taking quick notes will be transformative on that device.

The size is the thing that unlocks the feature. For many reasons, it is better on the iPad than on the Mac. The larger iPad has the limitation of being too big. It is hard to write while the iPad is docked to the Magic Keyboard. It is hard to just pick up the big iPad and hold it in one hand while trying to write with the other. The mini is easily handled with one hand while writing with the other. This is the moment for the Apple Pencil to shine.

Price and buying advice

It’s expensive. There is no getting around it. At $500, it is hard to recommend. The larger but slightly less capable and a lot less cute iPad sits at $330. You are clearly not paying by the inch. You’re paying by the fun. And the many is more fun. I wish they could have held the price at $399. I would have accepted $429. But Apple is taking advantage of the pent-up demand. People like me have been waiting on this very device for years, and are prepared to pay just about anything.

As a piece of tech, it is hard to say that the mini is worth the asking price, and even harder to recommend it. But recommend it, I will. You will complain about the money. But you will enjoy the machine more than other devices you could buy for this price. But that isn’t quite the end of the money story.

If, like me, you want cellular, it will cost you an extra $150. That cellular does not include the super fast 5G. It only has the regular 5G. Since it is a lesser chip, why not charge a lower price? It is a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.

You’re not done. If you want to wrap the mini with a modicum of protection, you need the Smart Folio for another $60. You have passed the $700 mark before sales tax. Depending where you are, that could be another $50 - $70. $800 is now in view. If you wanted more storage, you need to tack on another $150. If you buy a case and the base model wifi version with sales tax, you are still at or over $600. If you are feeling lucky, you can go without the case. Just remember the case is not only for protection. It serves a practical function that you are going to want to have.

For these prices, you could buy the slightly less capable but larger iPad Air. It is a great machine worth considering. But if you want to keep the price comparison the same, you will have to skip 5G or be prepared to spend more.

When it comes to the mini, comparison shopping is meaningless. Nothing else compares. You can compare the Air with the 11” Pro because they are the same size. But the mini is in a class by itself. If you want the mini, you want the size. That is the first consideration. You are not cross-shopping it with something bigger. So the price is somewhat moot. It is the only device of its kind. And it is the device you want. Price, be damned!

If you are a fan of the iPad mini, grab your wallet, kiss its contents goodbye, and go for it. I did. And I’m almost over the pain.

David Johnson