I’m a pastor, a church consultant, and an avid Apple fan. I bought the original iPad within three months of its arrival. I loved it. In fact, I even wrote a free e-book called Maximizing Ministry with your iPad. You can download it here for free.
Since then I upgraded to an iPad2 that I’ve used for the past two years. As a pastor for 32 years and now running my own church consulting/coaching ministry,the iPad has proved invaluable. I use it for many applications. Here’s a screen shot of my home page that shows my most often used apps.
When the mini was announced, I confess that I sinned. I was guilty of the malady, “mini-iPad lust.” I’ve since confessed it, many times. 🙂
Although I loved my iPad2 experience, the weight began to bother me. I read all my books with the Kindle app and sometimes it simply felt too heavy. And when I preached from it, it didn’t give me mobility (more about that below).
So when the mini came out, I began to bug my sister-in-law to get me one. When we opened our Christmas presents this year, she gave me a mini-iPad cover, but no mini-iPad. I thought, Well, I guess she assumed I’d eventually get one. To my surprise, later that day she gave me another present, the mini-iPad. She wanted me to sweat.
Backing up from my iCloud account was simple and only took a few password entries to be up and running.
So, how’s my experience been so far? Fantastic.
Here are the main benefits I’ve received from the mini, mainly due to its lighter weight and smaller size.
- Reading is a much better experience because even with my Belkin cover, it weighs about what a book weighs.
- When I take it to church to read Scripture and take notes from the sermon, its smaller package makes me feel like I’ve brought a Bible, instead of a big electronic device. I don’t feel so conspicuous as “the guy with the gadget.”
- Although I’ve not used it yet for preaching, its size and weight will make it easier to hold. When I preached from my iPad2 I had to leave it on the lectern. The mini will allow me to hold it and walk around as I teach.
If you’re considering an iPad, you might want to consider the mini. Its size and weight give it some nice benefits over the larger iPads.
If you own a mini, what has your experience been like?
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