[mgmueller]

My iPad mini Retina 128GB is on the truck already.
I've bought it yesterday via German Telekom.
The cellular version normally would be € 779 in Germany.
I've bought it for € 439 via my Mobile Phone contract.

It's on the truck already, should be here still today.
24 hours! I didn't expect that.
But it's very welcome, since my Windows 8 8" tablets take another week.

I've hesitated for quite a while.
I've sold my original iPad mini about 10 weeks ago.
I simply didn't use it anymore since the update to iOS 7. And even before that, I've rarely used it.
Since the introduction of Surface Pro, I mainly use Windows 8 tablets.
But: There are some apps, I dearly miss. Nothing of real importance, just nice time wasters such as KenKen and the likes.
At some stage, I've had more than 11.000 apps in iTunes and that's still the simple argument for iOS. To me, that's the only argument but still a massive one.

I prefer the iPad mini over the iPad Air. Since I only use it as a mere gadget, I don't need the bigger display and prefer the mobility.

I'm tempted about the LiveScribe pen with Bluetooth, to directly transfer my handwritten notes on the fly to the iPad. Would be a nice alternative to the WACOM stylus on Surface Pro 2...

Update:
So far, after 3 hours of installing hundreds of apps, I'm positively surprised.
I absolutely hate my iPhone 4S since the upgrade to iOS7.
But I guess, it simply is less ugly on the bigger display.
I hope, batty life is better than on iPhone 4S. Since the iOS7 upgrade, my iPhone's battery drains incredibly fast. I already shut off lots of features such as geo location. Still, last week I only made a 1 hour phone call and after 5 hours in total (4 of which simply had been in standby), the battery had been drained.
Anyway...
Ipad mini Retina 128GB...
It has the perfect size for what I intend to use it for.
I'll still do all the "heavy lifting" on my Surface Pro 2.
iPad mini will be a mere entertainment center. And for this I found iPads 1 to 3 and the original iPad mini brillant from the start.
And again: The iOS is nothing special, neither is the hardware. But, coming from the Windows 8 store, the number of apps simply is THE compelling argument...
"There's an app for it". And another one, and another one, and...

My verdict, after 5 days:
It's just as I remembered. It's a phantastic toy. Way better than Android or Windows 8.
And in combination with the Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover, it's a beautiful and compact Subnotebook.
But: I've tried all day. I still can't solve simple tasks such as my business email signature. I can't even change fonts in eMails. I've tried a few 3rd party apps. For the signature, I've found great one. Unfortunately, it's beta release yet and you have to manually modify the signature, else it will show adverts to their website.
But no way to change fonts or add a simple email signature?
I guess, I'll have to use Dell Venue Pro 8 for such tasks.
I want to travel light and 7" or 8" would be perfect for that.
But even on the road, I have to stick to CI and such...

It's a pity. But whatever business related task I try, I can't solve it.
They touchscreen keyboard doesn't learn. I can add shortcuts, but that's not helping much.
I really don't understand, how some companies now use iPads or iPhones as their business tools.
I know: Some will say, everyone has different demands. But my simple guess would be, iPads and iPhones -in the corporate world- make most sense for "road warriors". And what are the main tasks of the vast majority of road warriors? Communication...

It is crashing a lot. I had to soft reset it at least 3 times in 6 days so far.
Same with my iPhone 4S, since the upgrade to iOS7.
My iPhone frequently is crashing when I attempt to delete some SMS.
I haven't found out yet, what makes my iPad crash.