I got an Air, so I thought I should start a thread to justify my decision 
But seriously, I love the form factor of the Mini. For now I have to pick one, and after all the pros and cons argument with myself, the Air wins this year.
One serious consideration is how comfortable the Air is to hold for a long time versus the Mini. Well, it is a lot lighter than my old iPad 3, so much that I pick one up in the Apple store by accident thinking it was the Mini!
For long term holding, both the Air and the Mini are comfortable if hold it the way you would a book: support your arms by resting your elbows on the couch, say. Neither are comfortable if you hold them wrong, like by not supporting your elbows. As a matter of fact if you just sit on a couch and hold your empty hands up without supporting your elbows, your arms will get tired in a short time.
I just want to point out the obvious because there are people like me who comes up with unrealistic tests and come to the wrong conclusion. When I asked my 7 year old daughter if a smaller iPad is better for us due to the lighter weight, she gave me a puzzled look. I figured if a little girl can handle an iPad 3, there is no reason for a grown up to complain about the weight of an iPad Air.
I am not saying that everyone should choose an Air over a Mini. I just want to share my perspective on the weight of the Air for long reading sessions.
And if you really want to be comfortable, get an iPad pillow. The most comfortable way to hold an iPad is not to hold it at all.
But seriously, I love the form factor of the Mini. For now I have to pick one, and after all the pros and cons argument with myself, the Air wins this year.
One serious consideration is how comfortable the Air is to hold for a long time versus the Mini. Well, it is a lot lighter than my old iPad 3, so much that I pick one up in the Apple store by accident thinking it was the Mini!
For long term holding, both the Air and the Mini are comfortable if hold it the way you would a book: support your arms by resting your elbows on the couch, say. Neither are comfortable if you hold them wrong, like by not supporting your elbows. As a matter of fact if you just sit on a couch and hold your empty hands up without supporting your elbows, your arms will get tired in a short time.
I just want to point out the obvious because there are people like me who comes up with unrealistic tests and come to the wrong conclusion. When I asked my 7 year old daughter if a smaller iPad is better for us due to the lighter weight, she gave me a puzzled look. I figured if a little girl can handle an iPad 3, there is no reason for a grown up to complain about the weight of an iPad Air.
I am not saying that everyone should choose an Air over a Mini. I just want to share my perspective on the weight of the Air for long reading sessions.
And if you really want to be comfortable, get an iPad pillow. The most comfortable way to hold an iPad is not to hold it at all.
