Steve Jobs Criticizes 7-Inch Tablets, Says 10-Inches Minimum

kdarling said:

Everywhere

At Engadget, for example

Well dag I guess I should have looked first I went to an Android site and nada. I'm still going to wait till 2011 before buying anything. I still want to see what Apple is going to do plus 2.3/3.0 OS may be out and I want to see how Samsung is going to handle that.

Also RIM Playbook will be coming out.

Now I need to see if CDW will sell these. I may can get it a few dollars cheaper if I order through work.

Found this info for you about that.

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That's the down side is that I'll have to tinker with it but as long as it's workable I guess it's not that big of a problem

Now if netflix would just release an Android app that would be good.

ETA:I wonder will the WiFi version have access to the MarketPlace since it doesn't have phone/3G capabilities. I'm sure it'll be side loaded. I need to see how Apps are going to look on it besides the ones that Samsung optimized and put on there

Syk said:

That's the down side is that I'll have to tinker with it but as long as it's workable I guess it's not that big of a problem

Now if netflix would just release an Android app that would be good.

ETA:I wonder will the WiFi version have access to the MarketPlace since it doesn't have phone/3G capabilities. I'm sure it'll be side loaded. I need to see how Apps are going to look on it besides the ones that Samsung optimized and put on there

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Interesting. I never knew that. I suppose I haven't had a need to connect to an Ad-Hoc network, but it'd be more important if you had the WiFi only Galaxy Tab. It's possible that this kernel modification is in the firmware bundled with the Tab already though. We'll have to wait and see I guess.

I don't know whether this came up before, but by looking at him, I think Jobs should be really grateful if he had a 7" one. So should be his wife.

Yeah I just happened to stumble on it when I was researching a few weeks ago. Looks like you can patch it and a wifi tablet be it iPad or Tab etc is what I want especially with a jailbroke iphone4 and unlimited data

Been reading and it some post I've read said that the Tab wifi will have the Market Place on it.

Interesting stuff.

I'm going to see what next year brings. I do like the 7" form factor. I still want to see what the PlayBook, iPad2 will offer though. Also want to see if the HP Slate is going to be released with WebOS

Still think you're right, Steve.

natd1993 said:

Still think you're right, Steve.

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yup

natd1993 said:

Still think you're right, Steve.

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When he said that, there was no budget market for tablets. In 2012 thanks to the Kindle Fire, a budget market exists

Apple is going after that with the mini

Liquorpuki said:

When he said that, there was no budget market for tablets. In 2012 thanks to the Kindle Fire, a budget market exists

Apple is going after that with the mini

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"What's left is a 7" screen...too small. There are clear limits to how close elements can be on the screen before users can't touch accurately. We believe 10-inch screen is minimum necessary."

10 inch screen is the minimum because 7 inch is too small... business was not part of the reasoning back then.

skunnykart said:

"What's left is a 7" screen...too small. There are clear limits to how close elements can be on the screen before users can't touch accurately. We believe 10-inch screen is minimum necessary."

10 inch screen is the minimum because 7 inch is too small... business was not part of the reasoning back then.

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Steve Jobs always says stuff like this when Apple doesn't ship a product in a category only to turn around and say the complete opposite when they do enter a segment.

Then he makes you believe that Apple somehow "got something" and corrected all the problems that made it so it wasn't feasible until they did it, so that it doesn't look like he's flip flopping.

Steve was the master at flip flopping.

It would be entertaining to go through this thread post by post and see how many here were criticizing the idea of a smaller iPad and now are singing it's praises. It was stupid when everyone else made one and now suddenly it's innovative. Priceless!

AppleScruff1 said:

It would be entertaining to go through this thread post by post and see how many here were criticizing the idea of a smaller iPad and now are singing it's praises. It was stupid when everyone else made one and now suddenly it's innovative. Priceless!

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Oh they will, but it will be just as WRX says in reference to the way Steve would explain it away. Those people will indicate how the way in which Apple pulled it off suddenly made it brilliant and THE product to have. I've said it before. The process for products goes:

Someone has a great idea and makes a product (or adds a feature)
Others make a product (or feature)
Apple criticizes the product (or feature)
Zealots here will crow the same for as long as it takes (sometimes years)
Apple finally comes out with their version of the product (or feature)
Zealots here are brought to tears about how wondrous it is
Within 12 months, history is changed and Apple have now created the product (or idea) and all those afterwards are said to have just copied.

Please let me know if I'm off base.

Kadman said:

Oh they will, but it will be just as WRX says in reference to the way Steve would explain it away. Those people will indicate how the way in which Apple pulled it off suddenly made it brilliant and THE product to have. I've said it before. The process for products goes:

Someone has a great idea and makes a product (or adds a feature)
Others make a product (or feature)
Apple criticizes the product (or feature)
Zealots here will crow the same for as long as it takes (sometimes years)
Apple finally comes out with their version of the product (or feature)
Zealots here are brought to tears about how wondrous it is
Within 12 months, history is changed and Apple have now created the product (or idea) and all those afterwards are said to have just copied.

Please let me know if I'm off base.

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ROFLMAO!!! Absolutely priceless. And so true. And may I also add that Apple will then sue the other companies too.

skunnykart said:

"What's left is a 7" screen...too small. There are clear limits to how close elements can be on the screen before users can't touch accurately. We believe 10-inch screen is minimum necessary."

10 inch screen is the minimum because 7 inch is too small... business was not part of the reasoning back then.

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Business wasn't part of the reasoning because there was no business reason back then. There was no $200 budget market, just a bunch of $400-1000 tablets competing in the same space, some with smaller screens. Context of his quote is this market.

My point is now that a budget market exists, Apple's trying to enter it with the mini, and a budget market merits design concessions, that quote doesn't apply.

Liquorpuki said:

Business wasn't part of the reasoning because there was no business reason back then. There was no $200 budget market, just a bunch of $400-1000 tablets competing in the same space, some with smaller screens. Context of his quote is this market.

My point is now that a budget market exists, Apple's trying to enter it with the mini, and a budget market merits design concessions, that quote doesn't apply.

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Why didn't Apple create the market instead of waiting for someone else to do it first? Isn't that what a true innovator and visionary does?

AppleScruff1 said:

Why didn't Apple create the market instead of waiting for someone else to do it first? Isn't that what a true innovator and visionary does?

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The vision died just over a year ago.

Apple seems to be following the technology, not leading.

skunnykart said:

"What's left is a 7" screen...too small. There are clear limits to how close elements can be on the screen before users can't touch accurately. We believe 10-inch screen is minimum necessary."

10 inch screen is the minimum because 7 inch is too small... business was not part of the reasoning back then.

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The problem with Steve's comment is - the iPhone. The iPhone had a 3.5" screen at the time. And accurate or not - people seem to love those things. The comment that he made was nothing but smoke and mirrors to put down the competition

AidenShaw said:

The vision died just over a year ago.

Apple seems to be following the technology, not leading.

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Probably the only reason they didn't make a smaller and cheaper iPad to go along with the 10" model is that most people would have bought the cheaper models, hence less profit. Fast forward a couple of years and Amazon and Google are selling millions of small tablets. Now Apple is concerned about losing this market. I will be curious to see how much this mini will affect the sales of the larger iPad.

AppleScruff1 said:

Why didn't Apple create the market instead of waiting for someone else to do it first? Isn't that what a true innovator and visionary does?

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They did create the tablet market in that they blew it up and differentiated it. Pre-ipad, a tablet was a $1500 laptop with a touchscreen that only a few people wanted. Now it's this slate looking thing in the $200-1000 price range that people buy even though they have no clue what they're gonna do with it.

If you're asking why didn't they create the budget market at the very beginning, no company does that. Why would you create a cheaper submarket that draws customers away from the more profitable market you're already dominant in?

Liquorpuki said:

Business wasn't part of the reasoning because there was no business reason back then. There was no $200 budget market, just a bunch of $400-1000 tablets competing in the same space, some with smaller screens. Context of his quote is this market.

My point is now that a budget market exists, Apple's trying to enter it with the mini, and a budget market merits design concessions, that quote doesn't apply.

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Then Steve should have said: "we will not do a 7 inch because there is no $200 budget market right now"

But in reality Steve said: "7 inch is too small"

Why can't you just simply admit that Steve was wrong or Steve was talking BS just to sell more iPads at the time.

AidenShaw said:

The vision died just over a year ago.

Apple is following the technology, not leading.

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Fixed.

Nintendo Wii of the computing world. Casuals you mess everything up. Even the 360 and P3 you are trying to screw it up. Soccer moms stop buying tech you dont want it anyway.

I am actually kind of serious there.

Liquorpuki said:

They did create the tablet market in that they blew it up and differentiated it. Pre-ipad, a tablet was a $1500 laptop with a touchscreen that only a few people wanted. Now it's this slate looking thing in the $200-1000 price range that people buy even though they have no clue what they're gonna do with it.

If you're asking why didn't they create the budget market at the very beginning, no company does that. Why would you create a cheaper submarket that draws customers away from the more profitable market you're already dominant in?

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They weren't dominant in the tablet market before they sold the iPad so how would they have drawn customers away from their more profitable market?

samcraig said:

The problem with Steve's comment is - the iPhone. The iPhone had a 3.5" screen at the time. And accurate or not - people seem to love those things. The comment that he made was nothing but smoke and mirrors to put down the competition

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iPhone apps are designed to run on the small screen. If you tried to shrink down iPad apps to that size they would in fact be completely unusable.

Now the interesting thing about 7.85".. which incidentally is about 40% larger than a 7"... is that it makes the touch targets of an iPad app the same physical size that they are on the iPhone (assuming the developer followed the published guideline of 44x44px). In other words right at the threshold of what Apple considers useable.

APlotdevice said:

iPhone apps are designed to run on the small screen. If you tried to shrink down iPad apps to that size they would in fact be completely unusable.

Now the interesting thing about 7.85".. which incidentally is about 40% larger than a 7"... is that it makes the touch targets of an iPad app the same physical size that they are on the iPhone (assuming the developer followed the published guideline of 44x44px). In other words right at the threshold of what Apple considers useable.

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Smoke and mirrors.

Apple wanted to introduce one premium size and set a market price and at the same time explain away why any other size would not work. A) to bash the competition both actively and pre-emptively. It worked well - look how many people here think/thought that any tablet smaller than the iPad would "work."

Funny thing happened on the way to the marketplace. Amazon and Google both brought out tablets that were economical and apps that most would argue work just fine at 7"

You know Steve once "denounced" an iBookstore because no one reads anyway.

He also said that 3.5" screen was as large as anyone would want or need

Steve was a master showman. A great PR spinner. Everything was magical - and everything Apple did was CAREFULLY researched and the competition didn't "get it." But Apple did.

Only Steve could make the comment that "copy and paste" was amazing and that Apple took their time to get it right - and have people not laugh their ass off.

samcraig said:

Only Steve could make the comment that "copy and paste" was amazing and that Apple took their time to get it right - and have people not laugh their ass off.

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You mean Steve invented copy and paste too? I never knew that! Was this before or after the rectangle?

AppleScruff1 said:

You mean Steve invented copy and paste too? I never knew that! Was this before or after the rectangle?

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Based on how he presented it - you'd think so, right?