[PCWorld]

Post your comments for The Case For (and Against) a Smaller 'iPad Mini' here

[JoshLitherland]

Mostly good reasoning, but how do you figure that a 7-inch device cannot replace a 10-inch device? I'm an Android user, and in my experience once I got the 7" Kindle Fire, it completely replaced my 10.1" Moto Xoom.

[Detailzz42]

Looking at it as a consumer; "variety is the spice of life" You bring up a valid point when you mention that the ipad2 is cheaper but an ipad mini ( if priced right along side with Kindle Fire ) This will introduce a new wave of consumers. Students and those fresh out of college that can't spend 500 plus for a tablet but are apple enthusiast.

[Cullan66]

There isn't going to be one. Bloomberg reported this without any evidence whatsoever, and Apple has stated they aren't going to make one.

[DaltWisney]

I think the biggest risk for an iPad Mini is that "cheap" might devalue the prestige of owning an Apple product. I'd definitely like to see it and play around with it to see how it compares against the other $200 tablets.

[JoelAustin]

I love my iPad and I very much like the 7" size. I just ordered a Galaxy Nexus 7.

[DaltWisney]

Cullan66, on 05 July 2012 - 07:13 AM, said:

There isn't going to be one. Bloomberg reported this without any evidence whatsoever, and Apple has stated they aren't going to make one.

These rumors come from the Asian manufacturing orders, I believe. In this case, it's the smaller displays. Apple has enough $$ to screw with their competitors' heads and could decide to sell/not sell a new product.

[PhilA]

If I remember correctly, Steve Jobs said that they'd NEVER release a 7" tablet...

The problem with the iPad is that it's a 4x3 screen, rather than a 16x9 screen, and if you watch a recent (last 10 years) TV show, or YouTube video, then you get HUGE black borders top & bottom, unless you like cropping the sides off (think watching TV with blinkers on)

If Apple shrink the device to 7" & keep the 4x3 aspect ratio, any videos you watch on it will mean that you might as well have a 5" 16x9 screen (Galaxy Tab anyone?)

The BIG difference between the Android tablets and the Apple tablets is the aspect ratio, with all Android manufacturers realising that video production has moved on from 4x3, and did so just after the year 2000, so making 7" screens for them means that it fits perfectly in your hands or in front of you, and 10" 16x9 screens look HUGE when you're watching videos on them


Now time for the obligatory joke... but there already is the iPad mini, it's called the iPod Touch

[SmailBuzzby8xza]

Alright, here is THE idea...make a very high resolution screen in a series of sizes that you can wirelessly sync to anything?
Now you can turn a laptop into a tablet. Or a smartphone into a tablet. Without having to spend too much money on a tablet, which is a pretty much useless device on its own.
I is a genius.

[GaryKilroyko19]

The massive success of the Kindle fire shows there is a huge consumer demand for tablets of this size and that's all the reasoning Apple will need to make one. People are already buying them so Apple will want in.

[tonybradley]

GaryKilroyko19, on 05 July 2012 - 07:39 AM, said:

The massive success of the Kindle fire shows there is a huge consumer demand for tablets of this size and that's all the reasoning Apple will need to make one. People are already buying them so Apple will want in.

There's no arguing that the Kindle Fire is a success, but "massive" success is relative. It's a "massive" success compared to all of the "Android" tablets (assuming you count the Amazon proprietary OS as "Android"), and it's a "massive" success compared with competing 7-inch tablets. However, relative to Apple's iPad sales, the success of the Kindle Fire is a drop in the bucket.

The 1.8 million units Amazon is estimated to have sold during the first quarter of 2012 is less than 15 percent of the estimated 12.2 million iPads sold during the same timeframe. What seems like "massive" success to Amazon or Android tablet rivals, or other 7-inch tablet devices, is just a decent week and a half of sales to Apple.

It's not a serious threat to Apple's tablet market share, but it may be enough to at least be worth Apple's effort to cater to that niche and capture those sales away from Amazon, Google, and others.

[HankRearden]

I like the gateway analogy and I think it is the right thought. To go from a $99 or $199 phone to $499 tablet might be a stretch. But to go to a $199 tablet is easier. It gives potential customers a low cost way in. Not everyone is an early adopter and ready to take a $499 step into a tablet world. Especially true if it is for their child, or if they just want to read books and play a games while sitting for 5 hours on a plane. $199 with good specs makes a lot of sense to me.

[jeneastonvdr6]

My wife and I have owned iPhones for years so when we decided to buy a tablet we automatically thought of the iPad (since we were already invested into that app market). But to be completely honest, I had a looooooong second thought about just buying 2 Kindle Fires and saving $100. I can definitely see that reasoning cannibalizing sales of their iPads. Think of how many families would opt for two 7" versions over one 9.7", especially if it was the same amount or cheaper?

[JakeTerry]

JoshLitherland, on 05 July 2012 - 07:06 AM, said:

Mostly good reasoning, but how do you figure that a 7-inch device cannot replace a 10-inch device? I'm an Android user, and in my experience once I got the 7" Kindle Fire, it completely replaced my 10.1" Moto Xoom.

Not to be rude, but do you think that is because the Xoom was so crappy? I have an iPad and a Kindle Fire. The iPad is with me at all times and the Kindle Fire is in a drawer, probably dead because I don't use it. My Xoom was returned like a week after I got it. I tried to like the Xoom but it was just a portable web browser. Sorry Google, Android just isn't on par with iOS for a tablet. Although I do like your phones.

[HankRearden]

JakeTerry, on 05 July 2012 - 08:43 AM, said:

JoshLitherland, on 05 July 2012 - 07:06 AM, said:

Mostly good reasoning, but how do you figure that a 7-inch device cannot replace a 10-inch device? I'm an Android user, and in my experience once I got the 7" Kindle Fire, it completely replaced my 10.1" Moto Xoom.

Not to be rude, but do you think that is because the Xoom was so crappy? I have an iPad and a Kindle Fire. The iPad is with me at all times and the Kindle Fire is in a drawer, probably dead because I don't use it. My Xoom was returned like a week after I got it. I tried to like the Xoom but it was just a portable web browser. Sorry Google, Android just isn't on par with iOS for a tablet. Although I do like your phones.

I feel closer to where you are. I too have a Galaxy Tab 10.1 and have felt it is no way on par with the iPad. It simply lacks good tablet apps which take advantage of the screen. That being said I also think there is a degree of some other ingredient in this. And that is how invested you are in the Google or Apple eco system. Over the few months Google has made pretty good moves in the right direction. Though I am no iTunes fan I have always said I still felt it was the best eco system out there. Lately I think Google has closed the gap much more so than at any time in its history. Books, TV shows, Movies, rentals and purchases are now part of Google. GoogleMusic no longer feels like a beta. Still not perfect, but respectable.

There is a Galaxy Note 10.1 coming and that may be the 10" tablet for me. So far the 7" tabs have good me hooked.

[KLanD]

If Apple's going to do it, it'll probably be the guts of the iphone with a 7" screen.

Oh, and there's no way it's priced @ $200. more like $299 or even $349 (so they can do a "price drop" a few weeks after it's released).

This post has been edited by KLanD: 05 July 2012 - 09:19 AM

[crosswordbob]

JoshLitherland, on 05 July 2012 - 07:06 AM, said:

Mostly good reasoning, but how do you figure that a 7-inch device cannot replace a 10-inch device? I'm an Android user, and in my experience once I got the 7" Kindle Fire, it completely replaced my 10.1" Moto Xoom.

Speaking for myself, a 7" tablet could not replace my iPad—I find the software keyboard in landscape just right for natural typing, and while it's not awful in portrait mode (about as wide as a landscape 7"), it's not comfortable. Also, I use remote desktop apps semi-regularly for tasks that I wouldn't run on a mobile device, and couldn't imagine squeezing my entire desktop onto a 7" screen.

However, I've ordered a Google Nexus tab to see if a 7" tablet could complement the iPad—at the price, I don't mind trying it out and passing it along if it's no use to me.

[jeneastonvdr6]

KLanD, on 05 July 2012 - 09:10 AM, said:

If Apple's going to do it, it'll probably be the guts of the iphone with a 7" screen.

Oh, and there's no way it's priced @ $200. more like $299 or even $349 (so they can do a "price drop" a few weeks after it's released).

You're right it would probably be just a larger screen version of the iphone. Also I agree with you about the price, you can buy the iPod touch for $200 and an iPad 2 for $400 so in their price range for $300 you'd get a bigger screen than an iPod but not as big as an old gen iPad.

But that was Best Buy with the 2 week later sale not apple, so don't bash them for that. Heck, why bash anyone for selling something for less?

This post has been edited by jeneastonvdr6: 05 July 2012 - 10:16 AM

[FalKirk]

JoshLitherland, on 05 July 2012 - 07:06 AM, said:

Mostly good reasoning, but how do you figure that a 7-inch device cannot replace a 10-inch device? I'm an Android user, and in my experience once I got the 7" Kindle Fire, it completely replaced my 10.1" Moto Xoom.

Josh, I say this from a place of respect and a place of inexperience since I do not own an Android tablet. So please forgive my possible misconceptions.

It is my understanding, from my extensive reading, that one of the difficulties with Android tablets is the lack of optimized Apps. While iOS has over 200,000 tablet specific Apps, Android has few. It is my belief that your 7 inch Android tablet may actually run Android taps better than your 10 inch tablet did for this exact reason. In essence, an Android App stretched to 7 inches may actually be superior to one stretched to cover a 10 inch canvas.

Thoughts?

[HankRearden]

FalKirk, on 05 July 2012 - 11:10 AM, said:

JoshLitherland, on 05 July 2012 - 07:06 AM, said:

Mostly good reasoning, but how do you figure that a 7-inch device cannot replace a 10-inch device? I'm an Android user, and in my experience once I got the 7" Kindle Fire, it completely replaced my 10.1" Moto Xoom.

Josh, I say this from a place of respect and a place of inexperience since I do not own an Android tablet. So please forgive my possible misconceptions.

It is my understanding, from my extensive reading, that one of the difficulties with Android tablets is the lack of optimized Apps. While iOS has over 200,000 tablet specific Apps, Android has few. It is my belief that your 7 inch Android tablet may actually run Android taps better than your 10 inch tablet did for this exact reason. In essence, an Android App stretched to 7 inches may actually be superior to one stretched to cover a 10 inch canvas.

Thoughts?

I'm not Josh, but own all three tablets in question and that's my feeling 100%. A 7 inch Android tablet does not suffer any software screen issues. It benefits from being a larger screen than a phone but smaller than a tablet. It's outstanding for all kinds of games, books and other media. It is very portable, often very light-weight and low cost. Essentially it is a perfect product.