Best apps to show off your new iPad 4 or iPad mini

If you just got your new iPad 4 or iPad mini and you're wondering which apps and games you need to download right now to show off that gorgeous new piece of tech, you're in luck. We have your list right here!

Twitter apps: Tweetbot, Twitter, and Twitterrific

If you're a Twitter user, the retina iPad and iPad mini are both great for taking part in the social network. The three big iPad Twitter apps are the original iOS Twitter app, Twitterific, which is great for those who enjoy just reading through Twitter, the official Twitter app for iPad, which has one of the most audacious user experiences ever seen on the iPad, and Tweebot which is perfect for power users with best-in-class notifications and great features like "mute". If you're brand new to Twitter, check out Twitterrific. If you're a hard core tweeter, give Tweetbot a go.

• Tweetbot for iPad review
• Twitterrific vs. Twitter for iPad vs. Tweetbot shootout

Office apps: Numbers, Pages, and Keynote

Apple's iWork suite, which consists of Keynote for presentations, Numbers for spreadsheets, and Pages for word processing has just been updated for Retina, so all your documents will look fantastic on the high-density screen of the iPad 4 and also work fantastically on the iPad mini. Keynote was built for Steve Jobs so it's absolutely best in class, while Numbers and Pages are easy to use and produce great looking documents.

• Keynote for iPad review
• Numbers for iPad review
• Pages for iPad review

Creativity apps: iPhoto, iMovie, and GarageBand

Apple's entire iLife suite is available on the iPad and iPad mini. It includes iPhoto for image editing, iMovie for video editing, and GarageBand for music creation. They're all optimized for multitouch as well, so you can really get your hands on them and manipulate your content like never before.

• iPhoto review

eBook apps: iBooks

While Amazon's Kindle for iPad app has also been updated for Retina, and has a bigger catalog of titles, not to mention cross-platform support, Apple's iBooks is just better looking, better animated, and has an overall better experience. And if we're talking showing off, that's what wins out. From the latest novels to the best non-fiction to high school textbooks to cartoons like Bloom County and comics from Marvel, you'll think you're looking at digital paper.

Newsreader apps: The Early Edition 2

The Early Edition 2 is an RSS reader with a gorgeous user interface that looks absolutely stunning on the new iPad. Because of our love for eye candy, one of our favorite features is the manilla envelope that pops up when sharing an article to a social network and the “Shared Copy” stamp that appears just before it pops up. If you ever dreamed of reading the news on your iPad with your feet up and while sipping excellent coffee (or wine), this is the app for you.

Games

Be sure to check out our list of the best free games for your iPad 4 or iPad mini.

Your favorite apps?

So there you have them, the best apps available to really show off you new retina iPad or iPad mini! What apps do you use to show off your new iPad?