This thread caught my eye because of the similarity to my own situation. I too have an iPad 2 that has been taken over by a three year old; I too had found the larger iPad somewhat cumbersome for reading; I too considered holding-out for a Retina mini. In my situation, I decided to go ahead and purchase the mini and have been very glad I did.
As others have noted, the full-size iPad is more natural for many tasks -- certainly for web browsing, movies, etc. (though those work more than acceptably on the mini). But I have to say that I'm thrilled with the form factor of the mini. It's a perfect size for reading. I've been using mine both to read books and to mark up PDFs on the train for work. If you're a serious reader, it's really nice to be able to hold the entire device in one hand while comfortably viewing an entire page.
More surprisingly, to me anyway, is that I have not been too bothered by the lack of a Retina display. While I certainly will rejoice when the mini gets one, the current display is noticeably sharper than my iPad 2's display because the pixels are smaller and closer together. In short, this device has been a very satisfying purchase.
As to whether to wait, I decided against it because: (1) there is no guarantee that the next mini will actually get a Retina display, (2) the next mini's release doesn't seem imminent -- certainly not at WWDC, (3) the current mini likely will have good resale value even a year from now, and (4) it was worth something to me to start using the mini now. But I'm also someone who doesn't get upset if a better device comes along a month after I buy something.
As others have noted, the full-size iPad is more natural for many tasks -- certainly for web browsing, movies, etc. (though those work more than acceptably on the mini). But I have to say that I'm thrilled with the form factor of the mini. It's a perfect size for reading. I've been using mine both to read books and to mark up PDFs on the train for work. If you're a serious reader, it's really nice to be able to hold the entire device in one hand while comfortably viewing an entire page.
More surprisingly, to me anyway, is that I have not been too bothered by the lack of a Retina display. While I certainly will rejoice when the mini gets one, the current display is noticeably sharper than my iPad 2's display because the pixels are smaller and closer together. In short, this device has been a very satisfying purchase.
As to whether to wait, I decided against it because: (1) there is no guarantee that the next mini will actually get a Retina display, (2) the next mini's release doesn't seem imminent -- certainly not at WWDC, (3) the current mini likely will have good resale value even a year from now, and (4) it was worth something to me to start using the mini now. But I'm also someone who doesn't get upset if a better device comes along a month after I buy something.