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KUguardgrl13

macrumors 68020
Original poster
May 16, 2013
2,492
125
Kansas, USA
Hello! I'm looking into an iPad (mainly Mini) to complete my "ecosystem" and act as an e-reader, movie device (Netflix and iTunes), and light gaming tablet. I went from being a history major at a 4-year university last semester to an early childhood major at a community college. My textbooks have suddenly gotten less numerous but larger and heavier. I also find that while my rMBP is great for true schoolwork, web browsing, and media consumption, I pull out my iPhone during the shorter breaks between classes. That's fine, but it'd be nice to have a device that could have apps as well as more productive things like e-textbooks or access to PDFs of whatever chapter I need. I also have a part-time job as a preschool aide, and it'd be nice to get some studying done during nap time.

Basically I'm looking for a wi-fi only 32gb or 64gb (if the price is worth it) iPad Mini. I've been watching the refurb store with the 2012 models, but does anyone have any idea when the new retina models will be available? I really like the retina display on my other devices, but I'd also like to see what the 2012 model is priced at after the new models are refurbed.

In general, I think my preference is the Mini over the 4th gen or Air, but do others have insight on this? I already have the 13" rMBP, so a 10in tablet doesn't seem to quite fit the middle ground I'm looking for. Thanks!
 
If I'm not mistaken, refurbs usually show up 6 months after the initial release. So, for the retina mini it should be mid-May. The mini is a great device. The only question I would have would be getting it now or waiting until May.
 
There's a huge difference in hardware between the A5 and A7. I would wait for the rMini to show up in a few months.
 
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