Apple - iPad® mini 2 with Wi-Fi - 128GB - Silver/White

This is long because I am a relatively new BB shopper, and new Apple user. Until last year, I was a PC user - beginning in the 1950's on the room-sized IBM computers using FORTRAN & ASSEMBLY CODE. My sister has been an Apple user in her work as a teacher and a MAC user since they came out. She has an iPad 2. Last year, after much frustration with WINDOWS 8, I got a MAC laptop; later I saw her iPad and was blown away by it. Went to BB and bought an iPad, the model before the Air, and was very pleased and thought I was set for a couple of years. THEN my sister's kids got her an iPad Mini Retina, she raved about it. Went to BB to check it out, and again was blown away by the new Mini. Ordered one, WF, 128GB. When it arrived, your wonderful Geeks answered my questions about how to load all my apps and data and photos on the Mini, how to remove all my stuff from my iPad, reset it and send it to our brother. He had been saving up for one - we tend to recycle kindles, phones, and now iPads among each other and their kids and grandkids. He is ecstatic! In my opinion, the iPad Retina is far superior to all its competitors, including my Kindle HD Fire. Your store's employees are, by far, the most, courteous, knowledgeable, helpful, and professional folks I know. I always recommend BB to everyone. BB, because of its employees, never seems to be a big box store. Also, everyone I have ever encountered stays with me until I understand them and they understand me or get me to someone else who then helps me. BB must have an excellent training program.

I sold my iPad 2 when I purchased a Microsoft Surface Pro thinking the Surface would work as a PC and a good tablet. Although I love the surface as a PC, it failed to function like a great tablet, specifically my old iPad. I missed all the great apps I had purchased or downloaded for free and I missed the fluidity of function. I broke down and purchased this unit to fill that void. Now with apps like Microsoft Office, not only does it function as my missed iPad, but it works great for business applications as well. I was concerned about the smaller size, but that fear quickly vanished once I used it. The screen size and resolution are more than sufficient and the unit itself feels good in my hands. I'm a small guy so if you're big and have mitts for hands, this unit may be too small for you. I opted for lots of storage due to lack of expandability. At this point I have a substantial music and video collection on board as well as quite a few space eating apps. I currently have used only 1/2 of available space. Speakers sound ok, but don't expect hi-fi, remember it's just a small tablet. I have always loved Apple products and this unit doesn't dissapoint. If you can do with the lack of ports and the locked in storage, I would highly recommend the iPad mini with Retina display, 128 GB.

I recently had my iPod Classic of 7+ years finally give up the ghost leaving me high and dry for portable listening to my 2000+ song library. I bought an iPod Shuffle but it would only store a maximum of ~350 songs so I needed something bigger. I looked at the iPod Touch and gave it some serious thought, but then I decided that the iPad mini would give me a device that has much more potential without being as large as a full sized tablet/iPad. That was an understatement! I have only had this new "toy" for a little over a month now but it is addictive. I read the local news paper and the USA Today on it, I read e-copies of several magazines that we subscribe to, and I have portable access to my e-mail, text messages, Facebook, and other tools in size that it neither too large nor too small. I can now look at movies or videos without having to squint. The built in sound is just fine for local listening and all of my songs and playlists fit on it with room to spare. I keep finding new gadgets, tools, and yes, even games that keep me coming back to this toy in a way that never happened with my iPod. So be forewarned, if you don't have a lot of free time (I'm retired) you will find that free time eaten up by this toy, or you will never use it since it sucks up that free time.

Believe it or not, this was my first iPad, purchased about a month ago (and first ever product review). I've been an iPhone user for a year now and really like the sync-ability among Apple products, so I knew I wanted an iPad as an even more portable accompaniment to my laptop, which I find myself barely turning on anymore. From my research, I knew the iPad Mini Retina (iPad Mini 2) would fit my needs. The iPad Mini 3 had very little hardware improvement over the Mini 2, and with the drastic price drop during the holidays, I really wanted to jump on the tablet bandwagon. I went to feel them out in-store, and decided the iPad Air 2 was just too heavy for my carpal tunnelled wrists. So I snagged the iPad Mini 2 (previously referred to as the iPad Mini Retina) 32gb, since it was all they had in stock during the super sale. The Blue Shirt assured me that I had 30 days, pretty much risk-free to return it, no questions asked, in original working condition, of course. That really sold it for me. I was hesitant that 32GB was going to be enough storage for my heavy usage, and I was correct. Less than two days after purchase, I ordered the 128GB version from BestBuy.com, which was also on sale. It took about 10 days to arrive. Acceptable, given the holiday season. After erasing my data (factory restore), I, then, returned the (still pristine) 32GB iPad, in-store for a full refund...Seriously, no questions asked. About my iPad: It's pretty much what I expected and more! I was completely blown away by the Retina display. I do a bit of photography, and photos look even better on the iPad than on my laptop. I haven't used the iSight camera, because, let's face it...a tablet isn't meant to be used for taking photos. FaceTime works as well as expected. I particularly enjoy the ability to iMessage and SMS via the iPad and pick up my iPhone and continue the conversation. This makes it very easy to use while one device is charging in the other room. I'll admit one of the main reasons I wanted a tablet is to watch tv/movies in bed without having to lug around my laptop. Yes, the display is small, but much easier on my eyes than my iPhone. Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, Youtube, Vimeo, etc all work splendidly. Games are also a fun distraction when I'm in bed doing IV treatments. Keeps my mind sharp and better than sleeping. The Kindle app is beautiful, as well. I could go on for hours, but you get the idea. I'm quite pleased with my purchase. I have had a few freeze ups with both units actually, but nothing a soft reset can't fix. -1 star merely due to Apple's outrageous pricing, lack of memory expansion and user-replaceable batteries. iPad Mini 2 shown in a Unicorn Beetle Pro Defense SUPCASE in Blue/Black

Would have given 5 in all categories if able to play flash videos. Come on Adobe and Apple bury the hatchet and work together on this. Really also wanted a cellular capable version but they were all sold out and I was unable to order one when I purchased this one. What I do like is the size and comfort of the iPad Mini. I had received an iPad Air as a gift but had given a mini to my wife and found it much more comfortable to hold and use. The larger screen of the Air was nice but as I said I found it uncomfortable to hold for longer periods of reading or game playing like this smaller version. This is one of the most Insanely GREAT gifts I have ever received, Love using it!!!

I have an iPad but I found I used it only for e-mail and gaming. It was too big to haul around with me. The mini, on the other hand, is the perfect size for me. I can carry it in my purse for easy access. I didn't even put games on it, so I'm no longer distracted from using it for other purposes. I travel frequently and it's become my new best friend. I've already downloaded about six books on this trip alone. I can pay bills easily, stay in touch with friends and family and coordinate my travel. I won't leave home without it.

I picked the 128 GB version to store as many songs, movies, and TV shows that I wanted to without having to limit myself. Having all the features of the full-sized iPad Air, I'm happy to have the smaller size with me when out & about and it really is less cumbersome to travel with. Battery life, image quality, wifi reception, and speed are everything that they were advertised to be and nothing has shown to be below expectations. My first iPad and I'm completely satisfied with it. I liked how the Smart Cover fit and looks on it and have put the black cover on my space gray iPad.

I decided to upgrade my iPad 2 to a new one a few months ago. Big decision I want to make before purchasing was did I want the full-size screen of iPad air, or lightness of the iPad mini retina display. I decided partially on the iPad mini retina display as I like to read books and evening and holding the iPad when one hand while doing so was a partial selling. Other than that keep in mind I've had many shares all the attributes of its big brother in form and function, and mechanics. Just in a smaller form factor that some may find easier to hold or transport.