Looks like you've already made your decision but, having both the iPad 3 (two of them, wife and self) and the iPad mini, I would definitely not trade the 3 for the mini. If you can have both, do so, reading your books may be more comfortable on the mini. But, surfing the web, watching videos, and even typing emails is all easier on the iPad3. And, as someone said above, the mini2 is just around the corner which will have your Retina screen if we are to believe the rumors. To me, the screen on the mini is clear and sharp, just too small for some uses.