Forget the iPad 5 -- I'm waiting for the iPad Mini Retina

Yes, if the rumors ipad mini accessories are to be believed, we're not too far away from seeing Apple unveil a fifth-generation iPad that it may or may not call the iPad 5. That new iPad is speculated to be trimmer and lighter than the iPad 4, which was unveiled last October, and features a design borrowed from the iPad Mini.

It will most likely offer the same or slightly speedier performance than the iPad 4, which runs on an A6X processor, deliver similar battery life despite its trimmer size, and cost the same as the previous generation iPad. Its cameras, front and back, will probably be improved. And xsdsREed2 will probably offer some snazzy new feature that sounds a lot snazzier than it ends up really being. In short, any way you look at it, it'll be the best iPad ever -- and most likely the best tablet ever.

But who cares? It's not the Apple tablet I'm waiting for -- or more precisely, not the one I'm ready to spend money on. That's because, for better and worse, I've gone Mini, and I don't think I can go back.

I'm apparently not alone in my sentiment, as cool ipad accessories sales of larger tablets -- and the 9.7-inch iPad in particular -- appear to have dropped dramatically. Back in February, NPD DisplaySearch said that shipments of 9.7-inch tablet panels (the iPad) had "collapsed" in January, whereas 7-inch and 7.9-inch panel shipments (the iPad Mini falling into the latter bucket) were on the upswing on a year-to-year basis. DisplaySearch's David Hsieh said the Mini would dominate in 2013, with very preliminary forecasts having Apple planning to sell 55 million Minis and 33 million iPads.

I have several iPads in my household. A couple of the cool ipod cases older models have been passed down to my kids, but I retained an iPad 3 and a Mini.

At night, I'll check sports scores and e-mail, play a game or two, do a little Web surfing, read e-books, and watch TV programming in bed using the Sling app or HBO Go. The lighter, smaller Mini is simply more comfortable to use around the house than the Pad 3. And sometimes I go even smaller, watching a movie or reading an e-book in bed on a Samsung Galaxy Note 2, one of those phablets that's also contributed to the demise of larger tablets.

That said, every time I do turn on the iPad 3 -- or Kindle Fire HD, Nook HD, or Nexus 7 for that matter -- I sigh a little every time I see how sharp those screens are compared with the Mini's. "If only," I think.