Nice surprise this morning when my tracking app alerted me that my iPad Mini was going to be delivered today instead of the scheduled delivery tomorrow. Sure enough promptly at 10:30 AM there was the FedEx guy at my door.

I had read all the reviews of the mini for the past week or so since the WiFi model had been out earlier than my cellular enabled version so I kind of had an idea of what to expect. The consensus it seemed was that the new smaller, lighter form factor was a winner to the point that most users would prefer it even if they already had the larger model. The caveat being though that the lack of a Retina display was a disappointment but that in the end the form factor won out. I hate to disappoint but this will be a boring review since I pretty much have to concur.

The form factor is a clear winner. It’s hard to describe but it’s just a completely different devices simply because it’s smaller. I know it’s hard to comprehend since it’s just the same as a regular iPad but it’s amazing how weigh and dimensions drastically change the way you use a device.

Inevitably this Mini will be sure to be upgraded to the A6 processor and a retina display and suffice it to say I’ll be the first to be getting one, but for now the Mini has replaced my iPad Retina completely.

After you get over the form factor what to me was most noticeably different than my larger iPad is that the screen just seems… I don’t know… closer, like there’s less distance from your finger to the icon… almost as if you’re touching it directly. It’s quite slick and really makes web pages pop.

Like I said… boring review but the Mini I believe is a winning form factor for most and I anticipate it becoming the defacto standard for first time purchasers and upgraders alike.