I’ve pretty much had my eye on an iPad (haha pun intended) since the first one came out. I never really had the opportunity to buy one though, until this last year. I’m a huge fan of gadgets and electronics (I’d way rather get a new iPhone or something than a piece of jewelry as a gift) and I’m also really lucky that my job allows me to buy some of the ones I really want for the business! 😉 I looked at both the traditional iPad and the mini and settled on the mini. I have mini sized hands (I’m petite) and the iPad mini just felt right in my hands when I held it! I love being able to hold it comfortably in one hand while I’m reading, or cooking, or just pinning late at night. I also really like that I can just throw it into my normal sized purse if I’m going out to meet with clients or heading out to grocery shop. It’s the PERFECT size for me. If you’re a man, or you have larger hands, I could see how the size of the iPad mini might actually be a little awkward for you…particularly using the keyboard when you’re holding it in portrait orientation. Also, the front camera isn’t the best, but it’s just fine for the few times I’ve used it to FaceTime. I very rarely use the back camera…I have an iPhone, a camera, and a point and shoot camera if I want to take pictures. Plus, the iPad is just so awkward to photograph with!

My favorite business uses for the ipad are: blogging on the go, mobile banking apps, reading business books, social media via the hootsuite app, answering emails, and of course, sharing galleries at client consultations. One of the biggest business uses the iPad gets is showing off example galleries to potential clients! I actually only meet with about 10 percent of my clients before booking them, but when I do, I always take the iPad. I started doing that ever since I started using Cloud Storage as an image delivery system, and it’s been wonderful showing them how beautiful the galleries are and how easy they are to use!  The iPad is also great at client consultations because if they decide they’d like to work with us right there, we can get their contract signed and retainer paid easy as pie! I love that too! Anything that makes life easier for me AND my clients is a win/win.

All in all, I love my iPad mini. I’ve never had anything to complain about with it, and I would recommend one to anyone in the market for a smaller tablet (ipad mini, nook, kindle fire, etc). I personally think the iPad is so much more versatile than say, a nook or a kindle. I hate to be “that person” fangirling an Apple product so hardcore (especially since I’ve had PC computers my whole life), but I’ve never had a good experience with an Android product, and my Apple experiences have been great (I also have a few different iPod models, and a couple different iPhone models). I think Apple products are designed so beautifully inside and out, and I’m always a sucker for a great design!

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Here are a few of my favorite iPad apps right now:

Gmail
Kindle
Mint.com
Kayak
Google Drive
Wordpress
Spotify

And…Fruit Ninja!