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If true..at that price the amount they would sell would be phenomenal.
I see people all over the world wanting them.

Although I do think 8GB is to small, should be 16GB minimum.

Yup. I don't have an iPad because i have an iMac and iPhone. I would rarely use it, so paying $500 for an iPad makes no sense. If i could get one for $250-300, i would likely buy one. Besides, i don't like the 10" screen. I'd prefer 7-8".
 
Can you quantify this market, especially in relation to the tablet market as a whole?

17.5% of the USA. (ages 5-17, per Census Bureau) 67m iPads sold through 2011 (per Wiki). Potential is in the millions, which is probably viable.
 
Can you quantify this market, especially in relation to the tablet market as a whole?

Looking at the 100+ reviews in the last few days for the Samsung Tab 2 7.0 on Amazon, they all say the same thing: I have an iPad but am looking for a smaller one. I think there is a market for this.
 
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I hope this is true

I and many others would benefit from a smaller device cause travelling on trains at peak hour just isn't funny!
 
As a public transportation commuter, I know these will sell like hotcakes. The reason why more people (for commute) have kindles out than ipads everyday is that the 10.1in doesn't not work well at all. I've tried multiple time to only be irritated. Try standing, one hand grabbing a pole or hand strap and the other grabbing the device. All this while maintaining balance and people constantly bumping into you. It's an iPad fail and very uncomfortable.

The main reason why I got the iPad was that I could read magazine/game, but it doesn't work to favor. So now it sits at home and I do the kindle/phone combo. 7in will be a success because you can easily one palm the device and it's very secure. It why Amazon chose the size for their reader.. (but the Fire sucks ass in my opinion).
 
Wow I thought this was just a rumor as Steve Jobs said he would never release one so small. I'm kind of torn because I can do most everything with my iphone now. That screen would be kind of small to watch movies which is what I normally would use the ipad for.
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never used the kindle and i'm not sure of the 7 inch is or the 9 inch is the perfect size,i just don't like the fact ppl call it iPad mini when it's only smaller by 1.85 inch.

remember those 6-inch iProduct rumors? it would make sense if they released a 6-inch iPad with $249 starting price....7.85 is just so close to the current size 9.7.


I don't think you understand how screens are measured. That small numerical difference makes for a sizable different product.

There are sites where you can punch in the diagonal of two screens and it will show you side by side how different they are.

Also Mac rumors runs a mocked up comparison in all these articles.
 
yea right. Apple isn't going down to $250. $299 absolute minimum for ipad. The premium is part of the Apple 'tude, they're not going to stoop to budget level products

Did you say the same thing when everyone thought the iPad would be 999 and they would never sell it for less let alone half.

Apple has never been a premium priced manufacturer outside of their old computer lines. iPods, iPhones. Airs, iPads etc etc have all been priced competively and only out priced by people selling absolute low end junk.

Apple has managed to master the art of selling a high quality device for the same price as their lesser quality competitors. This idea you pay extra for apple has. It been true for most of their products for a long time. Most of their products offer more quality and value than any of their competitors. The core of apples financial success is supply side which has been Tim Cooks for a while. If anyone can deliver a super high quality device while still making money it is Apple. It is what they do.
 
it's too large and heavy for me to comfortably use and hold for more than a few minutes.

Try some small dumbbells (around 5 lbs.). After a few weeks, you will get used to it :D

I think that most good tablets (with decent specs) aren't getting any smaller than around the 10" iPad range any time soon. The best, the iPad and the Transformer Prime, are exactly in this sweet spot.
 
I don't think you understand how screens are measured. That small numerical difference makes for a sizable different product.

Yes indeed. A 7", a 7.85" and a 9.8" diagonal might sound somewhat similar, but they are pretty different when it comes to their actual surface area.

Here's a relevant comparison with the smartphones of different display sizes in terms of relative % proportion:

The jump from the 7" Kindle Fire display to the supposed 7.85" iPad Mini is about the same as the difference between the 3.5" iPhone and a 4.3" qHD Android phone display, roughly 40% increase in area size.

The jump from the Kindle Fire to iPad would be about equal to the jump from the iPhone to Galaxy Note (5.3" diagonal), approximately 110%+.

This is why I don't buy the 7" rumor as it just sounds too small on paper to keep the iPad apps usable. 7.85" on the other hand is significantly bigger than the current 7" tablets and might just be (barely) big enough to keep them usable.
 
Try some small dumbbells (around 5 lbs.). After a few weeks, you will get used to it :D

I think that most good tablets (with decent specs) aren't getting any smaller than around the 10" iPad range any time soon. The best, the iPad and the Transformer Prime, are exactly in this sweet spot.

It's not heavy in the sense that I can't hold it up :p, it's that the weight combined with the position that I hold tablets ( like a book almost) hurts my hands
 
No way they are going to release a product this cheap. No reason to do so based on the market, and their costs don't drop even an interesting amount compared to the current iPad design.

$399 for an entry level, wifi only device would be the lowest option we might see, but even then they would be lowering margins significantly to enter a market where they I'll only sell 5% of the iPad volume today.

Bad business all the way around.
 
No way they are going to release a product this cheap. No reason to do so based on the market, and their costs don't drop even an interesting amount compared to the current iPad design.

$399 for an entry level, wifi only device would be the lowest option we might see, but even then they would be lowering margins significantly to enter a market where they I'll only sell 5% of the iPad volume today.

Bad business all the way around.
The iPad 2 is already selling for $399. It wouldn't be too hard to shave off $100 for a 7 inch model.
 
I would totally go for this. I'm on the verge of selling my iPad 2 and replacing it with a base 11" Air. Why? Because I'm about to buy the ultrathin logitech keyboard cover for coffee shop writing and when you add it all up AND compare the size of the ipad with the air... I might as well get the air. The 7" would be a perfect companion to the air.
 
How do you they don't have iPhones? Just saying...unless you are walking right up to them, it's pretty hard to tell the difference in the two devices especially if they have a case on it.

Most kids I know that have iPod Touches want iPads now or something bigger.

Quite easy to see the slot for the ear speaker on the iPhone, or lack of on an iPod touch. You really don't need to be that close if you know what you are looking for.
 
On one hand.... I'm not considering an iPod purchase and not considering a 10" iPad purchase, but I'd jump all over a 7.85" iPad. That wouldn't cannibalize any sales.

On the other hand.... I'm probably in a very small minority.

I'm in the same boat. I'm a college student...I can't afford $700+ for an iPad. I have a 15" MBP and an iPhone 4. This is riiiiiight in the middle. Perfection.
 
I'm in the same boat. I'm a college student...I can't afford $700+ for an iPad. I have a 15" MBP and an iPhone 4. This is riiiiiight in the middle. Perfection.

Depending on configuration, the iPad starts at $399. The middle between 3.5" diagonal and 15" is 9.25" which is pretty close to the current iPad's 9.7". Going by # of pixels would put the middle even larger than the current 9.7". So, it sounds like you're good to go with current iPad :D
 
The rumor persists. Perhaps Apple will actually build a "mid sized" iPad.

There would be two major benefits, one is to the delight of everyone who understands the benefits and would buy one.

The secondary benefit, is it would stop all this whining, negative posts, and hate towards the concept.

Some poor souls, have no sense of humor ... LOL :D
 
If they did this, they'd be going after the low end market dominated by the Fire and the Nook

Just like they used the Shuffle and Nano to go after the low end MP3 player market
 
Depending on configuration, the iPad starts at $399. The middle between 3.5" diagonal and 15" is 9.25" which is pretty close to the current iPad's 9.7". Going by # of pixels would put the middle even larger than the current 9.7". So, it sounds like you're good to go with current iPad :D

I am in no way going to spend the bare minimum on a 16GB iPad 2 when I can just wait for a new product to come out! :D
 
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