You won't find me waiting in line today at the Apple store for an iPad mini.
I know many of my friends and colleagues expected I would be there, if not today waiting in line, then shortly thereafter.
Boy, do I have a surprise for them.
I'm not going to buy an iPad mini.
I bought the 5th gen iPod touch instead.
That might seem like crazy talk coming from me, but after lugging electronic devices on my back and around the globe for a number of years, I've concluded smaller is better, at least for me.
Turbo forgoes the new iPad mini and settles for a new 5th generation iPod touch instead. What in the world was he thinking? Read the post and find out.
I had the first gen iPod touch, probably my first completely "portable" mini-computer, and I loved it so.
I tried to revive it recently, and of course it seems dog slow now, and a number of the apps couldn't be upgraded.
But when I thought about those things I really used that device for most -- reading, email/calendaring on the road, watching news/videos, playing games -- the iPod touch 5th gen just seemed like a much more suitable device for me.
There are some key differences between it and the iPad mini. First, the mini is bigger (7.9 inches), no doubt. So if screen size is key to you, then you certainly have to take that into account.
Remember, for me, smaller was better.
Second, the touch has the same processor as the mini, the A5, and having tested it out in the store, it was plenty fast for the things I wanted to do.
Third, though the screen is smaller on the touch, it IS a retina display, which has to be the most gorgeous screen you've ever seen. So, even though smaller is better for me, it's also crisper in terms of what's presented on the screen.
And, it fits easily in a coat pocket, back pocket, pretty much anywhere.
And because it supports Bluetooth 4.0, I can easily attach a foldable or remote Bluetooth keyboard and set to work on some serious business right there on the airplane tray without the hassle of someone slamming into it with their seat back, which has happened to me with laptops and a first gen iPad more times than I care to count.
As far as set up is concerned, now that I'm using iCloud, it's about as simple as you can get. After an initial set up, I synched up with my iCloud account and most all my apps moved over no problemo. I did have to re-enter many of the account IDs/passwords for things like newspaper subscriptions, etc., but if that's all the trouble I was going to have, no worries.
As for the 5th gen touch, I'll just say its ridiculously light (so much so I'm afraid I might break the thing, and I'll be looking for a solid hardshell case like an Otter just in case!), the display is gorgeous (although I haven't yet played any games), and faster than greased lightning. The battery life is expected to be some seven to eight hours running video, so I have no worries about it fulfilling my needs while traveling (maybe save for LONG international flights).
I explain all this because the best device is the one most suited to YOUR individual use case.
Think long and hard about what you want and need to do with the thing, then go survey the market and find the right device.
The latest and greatest new new thing like the iPad mini is always fun, but you want to make sure it fits the bill before you hand over any of your own to pay for the thing.
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