7.85-Inch iPad to Ramp Up Production in September at Foxconn Brazil

Macclone said:

Weak argument. Apple supports devices much longer than the competition. How many Android devices don't support ICS and have only ben on the market less than a year. Is it a first ten device if it just a smaller form factor? It will release with iOS6.

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Let's see here. iPod 1 work only on Mac. iPhone 1 has no 3G, no GPS, poor speaker, poor battery, slippery case, stupid headphone jack and expensive. iPod touch 1 has no volume rocker, no speaker, no bluetooth and no free software update. New MacBook Air (2010) has two-year-old core 2 duo, no backlit keyboard and no TB port. New Mac mini (2010) has higher starting price even without DVD drive and then the price goes down in 2011 model. iPad 1 has no front camera, half RAM of iPhone 4 and no iOS 6 (while 3GS get iOS 6). New Retina MacBook Pro has lower smoothness than older pro (fps) and super expensive.
So first gen is like an experiment. Second gen is like the real product.

Windlasher said:

Lets see you put an 7.85" screen in your pocket! Plenty of market for both.

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Glaringly obvious for the rest of us that aren't trying to erect barriers to prevent logical thought.

3.5" = very pocket friendly

7.85 and 9.7 = More handheld and desktop use.

You're not going to see Arm Band fitness accessories for the iPad. There's still a need for iPod Touch though the sizes need to be modified perhaps (16GB minimum)

If it is released, it will have a retina display, nothing less or it would look really lame compared to the retina displays of the other devices.

wrong thread

Defender2010 said:

If it is released, it will have a retina display, nothing less or it would look really lame compared to the retina displays of the other devices.

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They still sell the non Retina iPad 2. It doesn't look lame it just doesn't look as good. The choice is with the consumer.

Yeah I don't think this is happening, Apple already has an iPad 2 and the New iPad, I think adding a 7" tablet will only make things more confusing.. Apple usually doesn't do that..

nuckinfutz said:

They still sell the non Retina iPad 2. It doesn't look lame it just doesn't look as good. The choice is with the consumer.

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Yes, but iPad 2 is not the latest generation. Technically its an old product that they just continue to sell to use up the parts etc. this alleged iPad mini would be a "new" product.

I don't need an iPad, I have a MacPro and an iPhone. I love them. My wife has an iPad(2). She loves it. This morning she said "I can't wait to get an iPhone so I can have something I can fit in my purse". I said, "well this fall they might be coming out with a smaller iPad, you could fit that in your purse". She was like "no no no, I don't want that, I want a nice, tiny, little iPhone!".

Anecdotal, sure, but I don't really see this smaller iPad fitting into our family, and I have a 3.5yo. I'd just as soon get another regular iPad for the money, and with the previous gens going down in price every year, I see this turning out like all the "iPhone mini" rumors of years past which turned out to be Apple continuing to sell the previous gen. models at lower prices. Why would they divert from that strategy to tool up a whole new product when they could simply reap 90% profit on tooling & manufacturing that has already paid for itself, undercutting the competition selling smaller tablets for the same price? I just don't see it.

Just like the NFC thing from earlier, I think Apple is very clever at saying "no", and I think this smaller form factor is another one of those times.

This brings back production to America. Good job, Apple!

Next step... maybe bring some up to the US?

I actually think i'd prefer it if they upped the iPod Touch screen to 5"-5.5" then it would stop being a useless product and instead bridge the gap between the iPhone and the iPad.

I wish that the final design for a 7" iPad would be the same dimensions as Kindle, Nook & Nexus 7... tall but not as wide... not just a shrunken iPad which would still be hard (or impossible) to fit into a suit jacket. The iPad is awesome and I've loved 1, 2 and 3, but I leave it home all the time because it's not as portable as it could be if you could somehow fit it into a pocket. I probably will buy one regardless because I can see advantages -- however at $199, I'll probably be getting the Nexus 7 too (if Apple's smaller table turns out to be the same proportionally as the current iPad.)

daneoni said:

I actually think i'd prefer it if they upped the iPod Touch screen to 5"-5.5" then it would stop being a useless product and instead bridge the gap between the iPhone and the iPad.

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Terrible idea. At that size, it ceases to be an iPod Touch. It becomes a different product altogether. If that's the case, you name it something different. Computers screens are different animal so I don't mind thinking it odd that there's an 11" MBA and a 13" MBA because we've always had different laptop screen sizes. I think Apple simply needs to decide on a different tablet size that's smaller and call it an iPad Mini. What they shouldn't do, IMHO, is create a smaller tablet and just keep it as an "iPad" by name. They must market it as something else.

Back to the iPod Touch. It's been around since 2007 and is entrenched by over 60,000,000 at it's current size. I wouldn't mind it getting slightly taller (as the rumors suggest the iPhone will) in order to bring it to 4". But 5-5½ is just too big.

Yamcha said:

Yeah I don't think this is happening, Apple already has an iPad 2 and the New iPad, I think adding a 7" tablet will only make things more confusing.. Apple usually doesn't do that..

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iPad
Macbook Air
Macbook Pro
Macbook Pro with Retina
iPhone
iPod Touch

If consumers weren't confused they wouldn't be flocking into Apple Stores to speak to the sales reps they'd just buy it online.

Defender2010 said:

Yes, but iPad 2 is not the latest generation. Technically its an old product that they just continue to sell to use up the parts etc. this alleged iPad mini would be a "new" product.

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irrelevant. Apple still sells the iPhone 3Gs and iPad 2 both are not Retina screens. It doesn't really matter if they are new or not. They are both lower priced value products which is what I see the iPad mini being. New Macbook Air and Pro hit without Retina. The argument that Apple will not deliver new product without Retina screens is mythology. They already have.

JGowan said:

... it's not as portable as it could be if you could somehow fit it into a pocket.

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... Sort of like an iPhone...

Just out of curiosity, so you've got an iPhone, and now one of these smaller Pads on you at all times... What tasks are you going to use your iPhone for and what sort of things are you going to use your new iPad mini for? Just seems horribly clunky to me, and I think this is the way apple looks at it as well.

powers74 said:

... Sort of like an iPhone...

Just out of curiosity, so you've got an iPhone, and now one of these smaller Pads on you at all times... What tasks are you going to use your iPhone for and what sort of things are you going to use your new iPad mini for? Just seems horribly clunky to me, and I think this is the way apple looks at it as well.

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Since you asked: several things would be better than the phone: Email, Photos, Web, Games but especially Reading.

Also, with the right 3rd party hardware attachment kit, a 7" at 1,280-by-800 pixel resolution would be much better for GPS and turn-by-turn Maps than an iPhone which is still too small for the car in that capacity.

Ultimately, I love the iPad "3"... when I'm home, but if I'm just running out and have a sports coat (which I frequently do), the iPad is just not an option. But a smaller tablet at the Nexus proportion would fit. Therefore I could take it with me.

nuckinfutz said:

You guys would see the point more if you took a more holistic view. iPads can be used in restaurants and other commercial venues (Real Estate, Insurance -doc signing). They are used in education.

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iPads are already in use in all sorts of commercial ventures. I went skydiving last year and the forms and disclosures were all on an iPad. And a neighborhood restaurant (large, but not part of a chain) has all their waiters take orders on iPads which transmit directly to the kitchen. It's silly to think that everyone has been standing still waiting for a smaller iPad. The current size is not an obstacle to commerce.

poloponies said:

iPads are already in use in all sorts of commercial ventures. I went skydiving last year and the forms and disclosures were all on an iPad. And a neighborhood restaurant (large, but not part of a chain) has all their waiters take orders on iPads which transmit directly to the kitchen. It's silly to think that everyone has been standing still waiting for a smaller iPad. The current size is not an obstacle to commerce.

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Point out where I said that the size was an obstacle? I never mentioned any impediments to using an iPad for business I merely stated that a smaller iPad likely still works well in a variety of vertical markets.

Defender2010 said:

1) If it is released, it will have a retina display,

2) nothing less or it would look really lame compared to the retina displays of the other devices.

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1a) No it will _not_ have retina. That's too expensive for this model.

Besides while there is a difference, it's not as dramatic as many people make it out to be. I know, I have every retina equipped product that Apple currently sells.

2) Why compare? There's a use for everything, and contrary to what the newbie owners of retina devices, or MBPr say, it's not the best thing ever. Very nice? Yes. Earth shattering? No.

My retina equipped iPad 3 is quite nice, yet I'm very eager to buy a 7" iPad.

The extra portability, lighter weight for extended use, and more compact size for the times I'm on a plane will be ideal. When you're on a long flight, like crossing the ocean on the way to Barcelona, the smaller iPad will be greatly appreciated.

We would have already seen leaked parts if this had been true.

tigert07 said:

We would have already seen leaked parts if this had been true.

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Did you see leaked parts of the Retina Macbook Pro? Nope.

Jimrod said:

This is probably just as likely at the moment as the hideous stretched iPhone 5 prototype that's been touted around. Most likely Apple causing misdirection as part of their new security plan...

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Agreed! Plus, why'd Apple only opt for 3G when they already included 4G on it's older sibling?

ixodes said:

1a) No it will _not_ have retina. That's too expensive for this model.

Besides while there is a difference, it's not as dramatic as many people make it out to be. I know, I have every retina equipped product that Apple currently sells.

2) Why compare? There's a use for everything, and contrary to what the newbie owners of retina devices, or MBPr say, it's not the best thing ever. Very nice? Yes. Earth shattering? No.

My retina equipped iPad 3 is quite nice, yet I'm very eager to buy a 7" iPad.

The extra portability, lighter weight for extended use, and more compact size for the times I'm on a plane will be ideal. When you're on a long flight, like crossing the ocean on the way to Barcelona, the smaller iPad will be greatly appreciated.

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What do you really know anyway....more than me? I doubt it. I say a retina display is a given. Prove me wrong when it is not released.

powers74 said:

... Sort of like an iPhone...

Just out of curiosity, so you've got an iPhone, and now one of these smaller Pads on you at all times... What tasks are you going to use your iPhone for and what sort of things are you going to use your new iPad mini for? Just seems horribly clunky to me, and I think this is the way apple looks at it as well.

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The biggest difference is content consumption. Watching a movie, reading a book, surfing the net on an iPad mini would be much better than doing it on an iPhone.

The bigger issue is it gives people a choice. A lot of people on this board have the myopic view that since THEY don't want one, nobody else will want one either.

If the price is right, I'd definitely buy an iPad mini rather than have everyone fight over the one we have. Of course, as soon as my wife finds out it fits in her purse (her complaint about the iPad), I'm sure she'll grab it as hers and call it day.

There's a lot of room between 3.5" and 9.7", so I don't get why its so hard to believe in a 7.85" iPad. And if they could get the weight under 1 pound and have it cost less than $300, people will buy it as their preferred reading device. Its definitely not too small. There's a certain 7" device that did very well for content consumption. Hmmm....and also a 3.5" device that's just right.

olowott said:

*The device is said to be as thin as the 4th Generation iPod Touch.*

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How thin is the ipod touch ? Compared with the iphone & iPad

nuckinfutz said:

They still sell the non Retina iPad 2. It doesn't look lame it just doesn't look as good. The choice is with the consumer.

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Yah they are selling the iPad2 and what's left of their stock/components.

They aren't making more iPad2s...big difference there.

mantan said:

The biggest difference is content consumption. Watching a movie, reading a book, surfing the net on an iPad mini would be much better than doing it on an iPhone.

The bigger issue is it gives people a choice. A lot of people on this board have the myopic view that since THEY don't want one, nobody else will want one either.

If the price is right, I'd definitely buy an iPad mini rather than have everyone fight over the one we have. Of course, as soon as my wife finds out it fits in her purse (her complaint about the iPad), I'm sure she'll grab it as hers and call it day.

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Yep...people are just stupid (myopic) about it. There is a market for it and your quote about your wife taking it and fitting it in her purse is EXACTLY the market they are trying to target.

People who want something larger then an iPhone but smaller then an iPad that they can just grab and go. They can take it out on the bus, train, etc and it's not too bulky. It can fit in a purse, jacket, cargo pants pocket or anything 'new' that comes out with a pocket for it. They can consume content on it and read/surf/browse, etc with ease and with a very light device that isn't 'bulky' in the sense of an ipad is for everyday commuter use.

It's going to REPLACE the iPod Touch. Don't be surprised if its just called 'iTouch'..(then we can have all the iTouch myself jokes).