Ah ha! After much waiting Apple finally released an iPad Mini with retina screen. I ended up picking up a white iPad Mini Retina 32gb (wifi only) and a blue Smart Case to carry into around in. Not that retina is a big deal (honestly it’s a special word for a HD screen), but I was waiting for Apple to release this so that I’d could use the tablet as a quick to-go portfolio. By quick I’m referring to something I’d  tags along regularly and be able to carry both completed and in-progress work. I’d do this with my phone but the screen is much too small (additionally I have no desire to get a larger phone.)

Now let’s get into unboxing that iPad Mini Retina!

Does a Tablet Make a Good Portfolio?

I wouldn’t call a tablet the ideal portfolio replacement to a traditional printed one. Personally I still prefer seeing a printed image that’s tangible and big. Instead I think of them as a happy middle ground between a printed book and a smaller equivalent (phone, cheap 4×6 prints, etc.) Plus you have the benefit of doing other productive activities on it like emails, accounting, being a book nerd [Books to Read] catching up on the news, …binge watching Netflix…  Tablets are not only a great way to keep an updated archive of your images with you, they could also be good on set for tasks such as keeping track of schedules, modeling releases, mood boards, etc.

Although I prefer the experience of viewing work in a big, beautiful printed portfolio it requires a lot of time, commitment, and a lot of money.  Good photo paper is not cheap and neither is printing from a quality printer. As a starving artist without abundant funds and resources to create a new book for every single meeting/appointment a tablet will do the job. Of course when I’m going into something where I’m not pitching or bidding for a job (think more along the lines of getting a review or critique) I’ll bring out my 11x17in portfolio book printed on Epson Exhibition Fine Art Fiber paper –nom nom nom! Without the cost of upkeep you could update your on-the-go portfolio on your tablet and test new work by seeing how people respond to it without the printing commitment.

Why Not a non-Apple Product?

To be honest I like how Apple products look, I’m used to their OS system (although they really need to stop fighting with Google), I’m not fond of my father’s Samsung Galaxy Tab, and I’m probably only going to use this to show my photographs, check emails, create mood boards, and binge watch things on Netflix. Since almost all my techie toys my workflow incorporates are Apple products I rather stick to something that’s familiar.

Why the Mini Over the Air?

Many of my peers suggested I get the iPad Air over the iPad Mini because of the display size. However, when I went to compared the models in the store the difference in screen size wasn’t significant. The Mini  pretty much the Air minus a giant border and a little bit of screen. I’ve been traveling a lot recently for work and portability is very important to me. Also the iPad Air is only a couple of inches smaller than my laptop, there’s no reason to have two relativity similar sized bulky items.

Why the White with a Blue Case?

Originally I was planning to pick up a black iPad with a black case to go along with it. The combination would make a slick-looking device. I’d imagine that I’d going into a meeting and present this clean black book and have its dark borders keep the focus and attention on my images. However, after visiting the Apple and reviewing a few of my images on both the Mini and the Air I decided that the white Mini framed and energized my colorful images more. The white model combined with the blue color is more in line with my branding [Thoughts Behind Redesign] –on top of that most of my belongings are some form of obnoxious blue.