Both Favorites

Shawn Blanc has a great post about the new iPad lineup. The future seems bright.

Which is better: an iPad Air that has a bigger screen and which is thin and light enough? Or an iPad mini that is very thin and light and which has a screen that is big enough? I just don’t think you can pit these two devices against one another. They are not competing — they are two of a kind.

They are both great. Both favorites.

-Shawn Blanc

Shawn’s is the first review/impressions post that has really resonated with me. The fact is that the majority of posts have focused on their differences, not their similarities and I think that the similarities narrative speaks more to the future of the iPad line than their differences do. Last year, people worried that the Mini would cannibalize the full-size iPad in terms of sales, but I don’t think Apple cares about that, just like Apple would release the iPhone 5C and the 5S without worry. The Mini and the full-size iPad can coexist, just like the MacBook Airs and Pros of different sizes coexist. My hope is that we see a differentiation in the iPad line (new screen size? different internals?) to focus on the pro market next year.