How the iPad mini killed the iPad

Bigger is better- until Apple says otherwise

The iPad was released to a confused public. Steve Jobs gave one of his famous keynotes and revealed to the world something "magical." This thing was to become an enormously popular product and one that literally created a new type of device- the tablet. But, not before it was ridiculed by just about everyone that had access to the internet. Hell, I remember that Apple's stock plummeted when it was announced. I found this particularly interesting as many were asking for an iSlate or iTablet, yet once they got one, suddenly, it was unnecessary. Countless articles derided it as unnecessary.
Well, that's all in the past and the iPad has become an outrageously in-demand product. Old people love it, kids love it, business owners love it, doctors love it- it's truly a perfect example of Apple showing us what we wanted before we knew we wanted it.

But the iPad has a newer, lighter, sexier(?) sibling now. And it seems to have lost the limelight. What exactly does the mini have that makes it better? Let's discuss how they fit together, and what changes need to be made to the "big" iPad so it can hold a candle to the mini. Let's talk iPad after the jump.

1. The mini is cheaper, sleeker, and more portableI've owned the iPad mini since it's launch and I can say honestly say that I love it. I wasn't an iPad guy before. I was one of the people that still saw it as an "in-between" product that I didn't really need. I mean, I own a MacBook Air and an iPhone 5, why would I need an iPad?

Well, let's fast-forward to why I purchased the mini. I was initially looking into an ereader. I'd been on this Star Wars novels kick and I decided that having an ereader would be much more efficient than carrying the damn series around with me everywhere- so I began researching into what was the best ereader. I arrived at the Kindle Paperwhite and I was pretty sold. It had the e-ink display which would make it easier to read outside (which I do like all the time) but also, make reading easier on the eyes in general as it mimics the look of a natural page. I was sold on it. Super light and I could carry my books around with me everywhere. Until I played with the iPad mini.

There are some products that you have to get your hands on to really understand. You can't explain to someone how much different the iPad mini feels in the hands- they have to go and hold one themselves. And after owning one for so long, I feel like it's older, huskier brother is looking long in the tooth. The iPad mini's bezel has been made so small that the device is mostly screen when viewed from the front. The same can't be said of the regular iPad. But, most importantly, the difference in weight is the biggest thing that sold me. I mean, some consider it negligible, but considering I was looking at a lightweight Kindle before, the iPad "Retina" seemed like a heavy laptop by comparison.

2. The next iPad will be like the mini

So that both iPads can coexist, Apple will likely take design cues from it's mini and make the larger iPad slimmer, lighter, and sleeker. A bit predictable, but Apple very often takes design elements from their products and implements them into the design of others. The Iphone 5 had that black aluminum backing which became the back of the mini. Though there's a pretty big difference in demand between the two iPads, it's not likely that they're damaging each other's sales, but merely cannibalizing each other's sales. And this isn't a terrible thing considering the mini is probably sold at a handsome profit.

So, we'll see the larger iPad get a redesign and be the in-demand product again when there's a redesign. But until then, bigger isn't better when discussing a tablet, so the larger iPad will be in the uncomfortable position of being the Apple product in need of an update. And until then, the mini will be the more popular Pad.

What do you think? Is the mini a better product than the larger iPad despite being less "powerful"? Do you really need the "power" of the larger iPad? Sound off in the comments!