Sixth in the queue; first to review

Christopher Wellbelove, sixth in the queue at Apple’s Covent Garden store, gives a consumer review of the iPad mini.

Well my iPad mini certainly was worth getting up at 4.30am for. The minute you get your hands on one the first thing that hits you is just how light it is, by contrast its bigger brother feels a lot heavier – almost uncomfortably so.

The first thing I loaded was The Guardian newspaper app – reading this on an iPad mini on the tube journey to work was far easier and felt less cumbersome than the iPad. With one hand it was easy to scroll and move through the pages, while easily using the other to hold myself steady.

Comparing against the third generation iPad, I can see that the colours on the mini are not as rich and the white seems duller, however it is not significant and may even be better on the eye when reading.

I have used the Nexus 7 and the two just don’t compare with the iPad mini coming out streets ahead. The form factor for the screen works perfectly with the apps and the iPad mini feels snappier in response and pages flow smoother.

The iPad mini is small enough to fit into my winter jacket pocket and a colleague commented that it was a perfect size for her handbag. Its lightness means that you hardly notice it is there.

For me the iPad mini is the best thing to come out of Apple since the iPad biggie. I’m convinced that its size and weight will see me using this far more than any other device and it’s portability means I will keep it with me more often than I would an iPad or laptop.