I Am Shopping For An I Pad Mini!

For the last year or almost 2 years now, I have had the large (13") iPad Pro that Robin got me for Christmas one year.
It is larger than the regular iPad and iPad Air; and with the keyboard case, it is like having a small, lightweight laptop.
I like the larger size for almost everything that I do; but when Robin and I went to Idaho last spring, this iPad took up most of the room in my backpack, and I still had to bring along the Kindle Fire so I could read during the plane trip out and back.
I can use the iPhone to read with; but it is just a lot smaller, and is frustrating if I try to read for very long. Also, I was listening to motivational tapes (apps) at night, and the iPad takes up a lot of room on the nightstand.
I thought that the new Kindle would work fine, it is a lot easier to use than the old model Kindle, but it just is not the same as having an iPad. I don't have the same apps, and even if I could get them, I would have to buy them all over again, to have ones that fit the Kindle.
So, after much thought, I have decided that I want an iPad Mini. The older models are around $50+ on ebay, depending on model, condition, accessories, and color; so I am now watching and bidding until I get one that I want at a price that I can afford.
It will have everything that the large iPad has, but is just a little larger than the Kindle; so i can easily put it in my purse if I want to take it somewhere. With a keyboard case, it can even pass for a miniature laptop, and would be perfect if i traveled anywhere, like the Idaho trip.
I know that many of us on this forum have (and love) an iPad; but does anyone have a Mini, and if so, do you like it ?

 

I have my iPad Mini ! It is a used one that I found on craigslist, and it is a Mini 2nd Generation. It only has 16gb; but for what I want it for, that should be fine.
It came with a nice Zagg keyboard case, and has always been kept in the case, and it is in like new condition.
It cost me $125, which is not bad for that generation of iPad Mini. I looked on ebay, and even the scratched up 1st generation ones were going for about $100 with the same 16gb space on them, and those cannot have the iOS updated to the new operating system, whereas this one is using 10.3.3 the same as my other Apple gadgets.
I usually do some surveys for the Amazon gift cards, and some of the apps are only usable in portrait mode, which is fine for a phone, but difficult on my big iPad Pro with the keyboard case. With the new Mini, I can use it without the keyboard when I want to do surveys, and it will work in portrait mode just fine, and is larger and easier for me to see than my iphone is.
I also listen to self-help apps sometimes at night when I go to bed, and (again) the large iPad is too big for that, and the phone invariably dings at me when I am trying to listen to the tapes, or at night when I am sleeping. I shut off all of the sounds and alerts on the Mini, so nothing should be making any noise when I am listening to the self-help apps.

Amazon had a nice little set of headphones on a liquidation sale that are only about the size of a 50 cent piece, and they are bluetooth, so I ordered one of those for when I am listening to the tapes, or just to music or watching a youtube video. They are similar to a set of earbuds, but these fit outside of the ear instead of inside like the earbuds do.
If I should travel out to Idaho or Washington like Robin and I did this spring, I can use the little Mini and not have to take my large iPad along next time; so I think that this will make a great addition to my "iPad collection".

 

This is a picture of my large (almost 13") iPad Pro, and my new (almost 8") iPad Mini 2; so you can see the difference in size. This afternoon I have been loading on the apps that I wanted on the Mini, and taking them off of the phone and big ipad where I no longer need them.
I like the size of this, and I think it is going to work for me, and be a whole lot more portable.

 

I have a 7 Plus iPhone, but I only use it for making necessary phone calls, taking pictures, and texting when necessary. Even though I could use the phone for everything that I use the iPad for, it is just too small for me to read things, and I hate trying to type with the virtual keyboard.
I really like having the large iPad Pro for anything that I need to type, and I don't have a laptop or desktop ; but this is pretty much an equivalent for a laptop.
Having the external keyboard is what also makes a great deal of difference as well, @Holly Saunders . Before I got the keyboard, I had to type everything on the virtual one, and it is just not the same as having an actual keyboard.

 

I gifted my iPad Mini 2 to my daughter-in-law a while back because her iPad was an older model that would no longer update, and I have been using either my new 12.9 iPad Pro, or my smaller/older (but just as heavy) iPad 5th generation.
I brought the older one along on the trip to Hawaii , and while it does take up less room in my backpack, it weighs just about the same as my new large ipad.

I was looking at the new Apple releases, and they have (finally) come out with a new iPad Mini 5 this week, as well as a new iPad Air 3. Both of the new ones will now use the Apple Pencil; but neither one has facial recognition, for some reason.
I totally like the idea of being able to use the pencil along with the new iPads, and both are supposed to be a lot faster than the older versions, each of which are several years old now.

What I am thinking, is that since Apple has released the new Mini, I might find another one of the older models on sale for a better price than they have been before.
The Mini 4 is selling for about the same price as the Mini 5 is going to be, so the price of the Mini 4 should be dropping now, and that will drop the price on the Mini 3 as well; so I am going to start watching for a good buy on one or the other of those on eBay.