iPad mini Here's how I think Jobs would have approached the iPad mini

Steve died last year ? I don't remember

But if it was last year I'm sure he knew about the mini no ?


I remember when the ipad 2 came out and people where expecting retina screen

So I think Steve would have released the mini without a retina screen too

Who knows

It's been stated that Steve had a hand in the next few years of products at Apple before he passed away. To think he had nothing to do with the mini is just silly. Apple plans these products so far in advance.

the price is on point.. OP i agree with your prices if it was retina but it just goes to show you get what you pay for.. I've learned the ahrd way that cheaper is not always better in some of the things i've bought..

we all know Apple is quality compared to any Google or Android based tablet

Frankied22 said:

Apple plans these products so far in advance.

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So they clearly knew they were screwing over customers who just bought an iPad 3 when they released the iPad 4.

F123D said:

So they clearly knew they were screwing over customers who just bought an iPad 3 when they released the iPad 4.

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Yup, the new connector was ready anyway, but it would have hold off a lot of people from upgrading their iPads...and they had to launch a new model at that time.
The iPhone was the only way for them to force people to accept the lightning connector.

I would think the iPad mini, in it's final form, had Steve's approval. It was something Apple was working on for a while. And they did it the way Steve taught them. Decide if it's worth doing, research everything that's being done wrong by everyone else, get it right, and take it to market.

Oh lookie here, another person who thinks he knows what Jobs would have done better than those who have worked with him for years.

How do you know Jobs didn't work on the iPad mini before his death?

cnev3 said:

I think if Jobs was alive, he would have made the iPad mini with the retina display, and priced it at $399/$499/$599. He would have seen a 7" iPad existing because of it's form factor, not because of the lower price point.
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Agree.
And yes he may have a had hand in the mini and he might have wanted the retina, but once he died things changed. The question is would he have waited until he could get it right....or would he rush it to market for a few holiday bucks?

But really- how in the heck do we know what he would have done?

what a bunch of hogwash...any corporation - esp apple - plans their products at least 5 years - maybe 10 - ahead. This mini is exactly what "Steve" had in mind....I know it's fun to play conspiracy theory but Ives and Cook did not shortchange this product after Steve passed away.

The mini is here for Xmas and schools, and will be successful, mainly due to non geeks like Macrumors forum members...

rdowns said:

Oh lookie here, another person who thinks he knows what Jobs would have done better than those who have worked with him for years.

How do you know Jobs didn't work on the iPad mini before his death?

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I think you are right. We (those in the outer circle) are not privy to all of Jobs Apple dealings and plans before his death.

Anyone could speculate on WWJD (What Would Jobs Do) but the fact is . . . . he's dead. To the best of my knowledge no one speaks from the grave. Notice that I said "to the best of my knowledge, didn't say it wasn't possible

Considering that Steve did not want the ipad mini configuration I would say he had ZERO to do with this product.

You give him way to much credit for forward thinking/planning products.

ZipZap said:

Considering that Steve did not want the ipad mini configuration

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The mini was in the product pipeline while Steve was alive, he knew full well of its existance, he even stated prior to his death that the next 5 years were taken care of product wise.

He was negative on the 7" tablet stating it was too small because apple didn't have one at the time - why praise a competitor's product.

He and others at apples stated back in the day that the iPhone doesn't need multi-tasking and look what happened there.

He's was salesman and he always said stuff that would promote Apple's products, or criticize the competition - pure and simple.

ZipZap said:

Considering that Steve did not want the ipad mini configuration I would say he had ZERO to do with this product.

You give him way to much credit for forward thinking/planning products.

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Steve dissed the 7" tablet concept.

The iPad mini is not a 7" tablet. It's 7.85. It's wider and bigger, although thinner and lighter.

Oh, the mini has Steve's fingerprints in it. You can be sure of that.

maflynn said:

The mini was in the product pipeline while Steve was alive, he knew full well of its existance, he even stated prior to his death that the next 5 years were taken care of product wise.

He was negative on the 7" tablet stating it was too small because apple didn't have one at the time - why praise a competitor's product.

He and others at apples stated back in the day that the iPhone doesn't need multi-tasking and look what happened there.

He's was salesman and he always said stuff that would promote Apple's products, or criticize the competition - pure and simple.

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^^^ This !

That's one thing Apple is lacking right now at the top. As good as Tim Cook is running the company he doesn't come off as someone who can energize you with the latest and greatest products. I always had the impression that Steve could sell ice cubes to Eskimos.

Steve was also critical of those small tablets, for the reasons he was critical of so-called smartphones in and before 2007. The same reasoning behind everything he did. When he would see these garbage products, he believe Apple could do it right and dominate the market.

There's a lot of bad decisions involved with the Mini. Steve probably had his hands in some of them. He wasn't the brightest guy all the time. The decision to make the Mini a premium priced product but filled with inferior hardware was a lame one. That's a huge reason for the large jump in Kindle Fire HD sales that occurred immediately after the Mini announcement. Apple had a chance to wipe out the competitors in the 7 inch tablet market, but instead they just made the other options more attractive. Mini will cannibalize iPod Touch and regular iPad sales. Comparing it to the 7 inch tablets was also really lame on Apple's part. They missed the point of why those smaller tablets are selling so well - video. The screen dimensions on the Nexus are much better for widescreen movies than the Mini, which is why in their presentation Apple never showed that aspect.

cnev3 said:

I think if Jobs was alive, he would have made the iPad mini with the retina display, and priced it at $399/$499/$599. He would have seen a 7" iPad existing because of it's form factor, not because of the lower price point.

There's no way they could make the iPad in the same ballpark price wise as the Kindle Fire. If someone wants a $200 tablet, let them buy a $200 tablet.

When Apples at it's best, they focus on making a good product, not products to win back marketshare by updating it with a new model that's inferior to it's predecessor, and effectively degrading the allure of the brand.

I see it as a compromise, and a poor decision for Apple in the long run. Stubborn, idealistic Jobs would have never allowed it. I think Tim Cook operates at the whim of the shareholders, and that could be the cause of Apples demise. History tends to repeat itself.

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Jobs said he hated the idea of a smaller tablet, if he was still alive there simply wouldn't be one

I can't believe how many people believe that '5 years in the pipeline' BS.

That was a shrewd marketing statement to extend the 'Jobs effect' on Apple to future products. 5 years in technology is like 20 years in other industries.

While it didn't quite do away with the "This wouldn't have happened under Steve Jobs' drivel around here...it was a good way to easy shareholders and customers (make no mistake in that order) that things were going to stay on the same trajectory.

Even if Jobs had a hand in the Mini's direction, the simple fact the market has changed significantly in the last 6 months would limit the usefulness of that information.

Jord5i said:

Jobs said he hated the idea of a smaller tablet, if he was still alive there simply wouldn't be one

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So you are saying he would never change his mind faced with different market conditions?

I don't think so.

how do people think the loss of one person completely changes what happens in a multi billion dollar company surrounded by talent. Things would be the exact same...we would just have better keynotes.

cnev3 said:

I think if Jobs was alive, he would have made the iPad mini with the retina display, and priced it at $399/$499/$599. He would have seen a 7" iPad existing because of it's form factor, not because of the lower price point.

There's no way they could make the iPad in the same ballpark price wise as the Kindle Fire while maintaining their extreme price margins.. If someone wants a $200 tablet, let them buy a $200 tablet.

When Apples at it's best, they focus on making a good product, not products to win back marketshare by updating it with a new model that's inferior to it's predecessor, and effectively degrading the allure of the brand.

I see it as a compromise, and a poor decision for Apple in the long run. Stubborn, idealistic Jobs would have never allowed it. I think Tim Cook operates at the whim of the shareholders, and that could be the cause of Apples demise. History tends to repeat itself.

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I fixed it.

CapnJackGig said:

The decision to make the Mini a premium priced product but filled with inferior hardware was a lame one. That's a huge reason for the large jump in Kindle Fire HD sales that occurred immediately after the Mini announcement.

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By "large jump" you talk about 200 devices per day? That is next to nothing compared to iPad sales.
http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-kindle-fire-sales-after-ipad-mini-2012-10

steve is a master salesman and manipulator

he also had great vision and loved to take risks

remember the boombox or the cube or switching back to the current shuffle design

he's a fluid animal and I doubt he used a rigid formula

ZBoater said:

So you are saying he would never change his mind faced with different market conditions?

I don't think so.

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I think he wouldn't have changed, the demand for the 7' was there last year as well, he was a very stubborn man Then again he would often change his mind on things very quickly so who knows.