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

I would be interesting if Apple were to release a 7" iPad, but would it be practical? I'd have to say yes. A smaller less expensive iPad would certainly be welcome as an entertainment device more so than a laptop replacement.

Playing games, browsing the web, managing email, and watching videos are all doable on a smaller screen. People have been getting by nicely with the iPhone. Professional application may be lacking due to smaller dimensions but I'm sure there will be the effort to prove me wrong.

I'd be happy to buy one at $199, but we'll see if this is a real product and if Apple believes they need to match the Kindle Fire's price range.
 
That would fit perfectly in my purse. My current iPad (2) is too big and too heavy.

I'd use it instead of my iPhone when out and about for directions and to save my iPhone battery.
 
Whatever they call it, it's really intended to soak up iPod touch sales. A 7" display is much better for gaming than 3.5". Add to that better web browsing, reading and iPad app capability and you have a pretty desirable product.

It's also designed to dominate the market. I don't see it as apple following their competitors as much as it is simply solidifying their dominant position. Millions of people will not buy a tablet priced over $200-250. They buy them predominantly as more functional ereaders--not computers. This market exists and it is growing. Why force them to go to Android?

Last, Steve Jobs mocking 7" tablets is not going to keep Apple from releasing one. It wouldn't have even if he were still around. Apple has sold iPhones and iPod touches for years and he called them great products. They're only 3.5" displays. If a 7" display is useless then a 3.5" must be absolute garbage right? He knew better. He was making a bold statement to rally people around the chosen form factor for the first iPad. It worked, and he was right. 9.7" is ideal for the majority of people--but now the market has matured and the minority (who it isnt ideal for) is rather large.

It's not my personal choice for a tablet, but really it doesn't make sense NOT to release this product.
 
Sorry, but you must have some mental defect if you think this isn't going to happen. I have a friend with a kid brother who's mildly autistic--even he knows this is going to happen!
 
It's unlikely that Apple would go against its principle and make a subpar iPad to its current iPad. Whoever is making the rumor about the smaller iPad is an idiot.
 
Not read all of the last 200 posts yet but if this is true then it looks like they are planing the end of the year to be dominated by the iPad and iPhone updates, which could be good new for those of us waiting for the updated iMac. It should come sooner not later now.

But why would they launch a new iPad mini almost a year after the last about not include upgraded 4G for world wide use, why 3G even if the new tech is not wide spread yet?

JMO
 
It totally makes sense! Apple's argument for the iPad in the first place was that it provided the best experience in some key specific tasks.

If they release a very thin, very light, smaller iPad, it would be a MUCH better reader than the current one. You'll be able to easily hold it with one hand and not get tired…

I'm pretty sure it's gonna be extremely thin and portable. The 3rd gen iPad can be a little big and heavy in some cases. And the iPod touch too small...

Apple would never do something just to compete with somebody, or to increase consumer's options… They would do something if they believe it can perform better than anything else in a specific task.
 
BTW said:
I'd be happy to buy one at $199, but we'll see if this is a real product and if Apple believes they need to match the Kindle Fire's price range.
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It would seem more typical of Apple to release a tablet that had more functionality (maybe with 3G and/or GPS) and then pricing it higher, but close enough that people would say "heck, why buy a Fire or Nexus when, for $60 more, I can get the superior iPad".

But maybe at the low end they'll also have a barebones 8GB version, wifi only, that's $194. ;)
 
Interesting how often Cook is being 'blamed' for releases people either didn't expect or don't like. The same people forget that it has been said several times now that S.Jobs left a roadmap of at least 5 years for new products. So if the long iPhone and iPad mini is being released, it is likely one of Jobs ideas to begin with.
 
7.85" is really pushing the 8" mark. It's not .85 inches of extra screen space, it's 1.7" of total space. (I think a lot of people forget that screens are measured on the diagonal.) That extra bit of space makes quite a huge difference. When Jobs said Apple would never do a 7" tablet, he wouldn't actually have been lying.

I find full sized tablets a bit cumbersome after a short while. I find 7" tablets are a big too small. (Especially for magazines.) I'd have to see it in person, but 7.85" might just be hitting that sweet spot on a smaller tablet. And if Apple can ditch the huge amounts of ugly bezel most 7" have, even better.

macs4nw said:
What is it going to be like? A large iPod touch or a smallish tablet?
To each his own i guess. I reserve judgement until I try it out myself.
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The same has been and can be said for the first 3 iPads. There isn't much differentiation of IOS devices except for screen size. (Specs sure, but those specs generally match up to the display being driven.)

An iPad IS just a big iPod touch. The iPhone? Well, it's an iPod touch that makes phone calls.

And this is why it works so well... several device options, one seamless user experience with the same OS, apps, features, etc. Size is a preference.


apolloa said:
Still isn't going to happen, and if it does Apple will only price themselves out of the market with it.
And I would also call BS on the idea of it being made on a different production line in a different country to the current iPad and iPhones etc!!
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I have a feeling this IS going to happen. The bulk of all tablets sold that aren't iPads are 7" tablets. Part of that is the price, and part of that is preference. Apple would be foolish to let that market share go... because it's not just the hardware, it's the echo system they lose out on too. For ever Kindle Fire or Nexus 7 someone buys, Apple doesn't just lose a hardware sales, they lose residual income from apps and content purchases.

Manufacturing has evolved... past the point of human assembly to mechanical assembly. There's still the human element, but you can't just slap a whole new device onto the same line that's been custom tailored to make another product. It's more likely than not they'd need an entire new production line, because all the other products are still in mass production. A mini iPad wouldn't be replacing anything. And this would make the new factories that were built in South America only make more sense. Everyone was skeptical last year that they really needed a factory in Brazil just for more iPhone production. I don't know why you find this hard to believe? Apple is also under fire over chinese manufacturing. Would be good PR too.
 
This makes absolutely perfect sense. For a lot of people the iPad is just too big. Eg. for reading books and magazines it is pretty cumbersome which is why so many of us have kindles as well as iPads.

Also, the iPad is increasingly used by small children and a smaller tablet would be much more suitable for them too.

The main reason though is price, there is now to big a gap between the iPad and the nexus 7 and the like.
 
If it fits into a purse, i bet every woman would prefer it over the bigger size.
 
Although I still have my doubts as to wether apple will actually release this, I think it would be a success if they did. It would compete with the other cheaper tablets, and, importantly, would bring people into the apple ecosystem at a lower price point, and then apple could benefit from the resulting halo effect (especially as stuff like iCloud improves the benefits of being in the apple ecosystem). And I don;t think the size would be a mayor detriment, as the portability would be great for those who need it.

But, if they do make an iPad mini, I wonder if they will beef up the normal iPad in some way, as in specs or features, etc.?
 
MeinKraft said:
What's the point of a smaller iPad? You would truly be better off with th regular iPad size. It seems a little unnecessary to decrease the size of one of your products to compete with another company...
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Thanks to YOU and all the others here who are telling me what "i' would be better off with. I would be better off spending $500 i dont have, than spending $250 I Do have (like millions of others) - I would be better off buying a 10" tablet when my needs demand something smaller and more portable?

When you are in best buy and see someone looking at a 32" LCD for his kitchen, do you tell him he is "better off" buying the 60" LED?
 
just speculating

does anyone think there could be a relationship between this device and the partnerships apple has announced with car manufacturers to bring siri to cars?

for me the iphone is too small for gps, and if dash mounted is to hard to read. an ipad seems too large a footprint to deal with.

just speculating.
 
MacAddict1978 said:
I have a feeling this IS going to happen. The bulk of all tablets sold that aren't iPads are 7" tablets. Part of that is the price, and part of that is preference. Apple would be foolish to let that market share go... because it's not just the hardware, it's the echo system they lose out on too. For ever Kindle Fire or Nexus 7 someone buys, Apple doesn't just lose a hardware sales, they lose residual income from apps and content purchases.
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It is NOT going to happen because of the very same reason I have constantly repeated on here. Pricing.

Just how the hell is Apple going to sell a 7" tablet, price it between $199 and $499 plus taxes, and make it competitive agains the Kindle Fire range the the Nexus 7? How???

It will have to be priced around $350 and up, otherwise it will damage iPod Touch sales or the current iPad sales.

This IS Apple, they do NOT do cheap, never have, they aren't going to start now. They cannot compete on a for value level against Amazon and Google, it's the one market Apple cannot enter because of it's pricing culture.
 
...

CorvetteZR1 said:
Too late Apple! Already bought a Nexus 7 and guess what? It's epic. :D
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I highly doubt it is epic. As an owner of a few android phones and one android tablet as well as a nook colour I can say that imo android is not epic, it is a descent phone OS but for a tablet it isn't great as the browser sucks. Jellybean may help that out but so far iPad is better as a tablet
 
The IGZO diplay?

So what about this IGZO display? If it's like something I read about many months ago, it could be every bit as exciting as a mini iPad. I'm thinking brighter colors and better contrast, and maybe looking good in DAYLIGHT! Finally!

Maybe? I don't know.
 
Perhaps this was mentioned somewhere else in the thread, but does anyone else think that this supposed 7-inch iPad could be a remote control for an Apple television? Think about it: it would be better than an iPhone remote app as it could display much more information on the display at one time and it would be smaller than a full sized iPad.

Thoughts?
 
apolloa said:
It is NOT going to happen because of the very same reason I have constantly repeated on here. Pricing.

Just how the hell is Apple going to sell a 7" tablet, price it between $199 and $499 plus taxes, and make it competitive agains the Kindle Fire range the the Nexus 7? How???

It will have to be priced around $350 and up, otherwise it will damage iPod Touch sales or the current iPad sales.

This IS Apple, they do NOT do cheap, never have, they aren't going to start now. They cannot compete on a for value level against Amazon and Google, it's the one market Apple cannot enter because of it's pricing culture.
Click to expand...


I see the iPad Mini as replacing the iPod Touch in that price point - not trying to coexist with it. Anybody who has both devices in their family knows how the tablet threw a wet blanket on the iPod touch experience.

The kids used to love playing games, using apps or watching movies on their iPod touches on long trips. Now they fight over who gets to watch a movie on the iPad the other has #firstworldproblems of having to watch it on a 3.5 screen. Heck, I used to watch movies on my phone when I traveled and have found myself wanting a bigger screen.

The iPhone needs the small screen. But as a game/media consumption device, there is no reason for the iPod touch to be stuck in that form factor any longer.
 
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