In reply to andyd1970:
I was recently in the market for a new small tablet (I find the bigger 9 or 10 inch screens - think standard iPad - too heavy and clunky, but that's just my personal opinion).
My three options, in ascending order of price, were the Kindle Fire HD, Nexus 7, and iPad Mini. Priorities for me were (in descending order of preference): use as an e-reader, quality and quantity of Apps, and price. I should point out that I have an Android phone (Galaxy S3) but have had an iPhone in the past, and at home I have a Windows desktop PC and a Macbook i.e. I am neither an Apple fanboy nor an Apple hater.
In the end I went for the iPad Mini. I ruled out the Kindle Fire HD because its extreme restrictions on apps (you can only install from the meager selection on the Kindle store). That left the Nexus and the iPad, which I compared next to each other in-store. In this test the iPad feels nicer in the hands and the user-interface is more responsive (despite the new Android version making improvements in this area). Finally, despite the improvements in Google Play, the Apple store still has the edge in terms of range and quality.
After a few weeks I am very satisfied, and think I made the right choice for me.