Whenever a new device comes out, I often wait until a certain person analyzes it before I form a full opinion. For screen and build quality I look to [John Gruber](http://daringfireball.net), for reading and font rendering I look to [Marco Arment](http://www.marco.org), for speed [Bare Feats](http://www.barefeats.com), and so on.

We all have *the* “guy” that we look to for an opinion on a specific aspect of something. For tablet usage, and usability, and overall guidance I look no further than Fraser Speirs. Speirs just weighed in on the tablet size debate with the most astute point I have seen, saying:

>I’ve said before and I still think I’m right on this: a sub-10″ device makes a wonderful adjunct to a computer. A 10″ device can replace it.

So very smart and well said. The iPad mini will compliment the typical laptop/smartphone setup whereas the iPad can, and at times will, replace your laptop. I really want the iPad mini, but I know I won’t be happy until it has a retina screen on it — at that point I probably will switch from a full sized iPad to an iPad mini.

Why? Because an iPad is only useful if you have it with you, and you want to use it. Right now I don’t always have the iPad with me because of the size, but I always want to use it. With the iPad mini as it currently is I would likely always have it with me, but not want to read on it. A retina screen iPad mini would change that.