How is this helpful?

You do realize that the iPad Mini won't ship until next Friday, and that people may want a head start on testing their app on a smaller screen.

And additionally, I'm sure there are a lot of small developers who can't afford to buy all the devices their software might eventually run on.

I want to check before it is out (and don't want to queue when it is). I'm small scale for the moment and still experimenting so the purchase wouldn't make financial sense at this point. I'll probably try to get my hands on one for a quick test at some point but I don't expect general bugs just how it feels to use. From the quick try with this method so far I might try to scale up some of the elements a bit. It works but isn't as I would have designed for that screen I think.

I've only just submitted my first version with in-app purchases to the store but if you get it now you will be grandfathered into some features when the update lands. http://itunes.com/apps/fastlists

I would have ordered the mini if it had more pixels (even at a higher price and lower battery life) but as it is I think I'll skip that version.