iPad mini: Is 4 a crowd?

ba_ipadmini_3_resizedWhat role or use case does the new iPad mini best serve? I’ve always been an early adopter—from making sure those new fangled Adidas “running shoes” were on my Christmas list in 5th grade to entering the high tech field before it was so “high.” I’ve kept every one of my four iPods, am on my third iPhone and about my seventh generation Apple laptop. But when it came to the iPad, why did I hesitate here to follow my early adopter habits? Did I really need ANOTHER device AND all the obligatory power chargers, docking stations, and darn cables and cords? One day, it hit me! “E-mail” and “bed” really shouldn’t exist within the same sentence, but the reality of life is that we often start and end our days with a digital ritual. Like the story of the three bears, the MacBook is great for typing speed and clear legibility, but definitely TOO HOT and heavy sitting on your lap. And the iPhone is just too SMALL, taking far too long to peck out responses, which means lost sleep. Enter the iPad: “Just right!” Lightweight, large screen, and an available portable keyboard make the iPad a distant, but legitimate cousin to the Macbook air. So with Apple’s announcement of the new iPad mini, I am faced with the question, is “4 a crowd?” While I haven’t yet had the epiphany moment that’s got me dreaming about yet another new Apple tablet, with time, as before, the iPad mini may find a way into my digital ensemble.