Steve Jobs said NO to a bunch of things that his companies ended up doing (and doing quite well) a few years later. So if Apple does something to which Steve said no awhile back, the company is likely running according to plan, as well as according to corporate history.
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Bloomberg: iPad Mini Coming in October [Updated]
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Steve Jobs said NO to a bunch of things that his companies ended up doing (and doing quite well) a few years later. So if Apple does something to which Steve said no awhile back, the company is likely running according to plan, as well as according to corporate history.
The arrival of the Google Nexus 7 tablet has pretty much forced Apple to unveil a smaller 7" iPad. If you combine the 7" iPad with retina display and either 16 or 32 GB of local storage, it becomes a very compelling device. Now include an IR or special RF port to make it a universal remote and this device would suddenly become a VERY hot seller. 
I really don't see why do you people have problems with this "smaller iPad" idea. OK, Steve Jobs said once it's too small... wasn't he the one too, who said that they were never going to make a notebook with smaller screen than 13"? And see, here is the 11" MBA, which is a super successful, beautiful machine.
The 1024*768 resolution would look pretty good on this smaller screen. Yeah, it wouldn't be retina, but yet a lot better pixel density than on any Mac (except of the rMBP of course), I guess it would look quite nice.
You know what? With a lower price tag, it would be an instant success!
P.S.: and stop these "i'm perfectly happy with my iPad 3" comments... ok, you're happy, congrat, but there are still millions of people out there who are just looking for a tablet, and maybe they would be happy with the smaller iPad!
The 1024*768 resolution would look pretty good on this smaller screen. Yeah, it wouldn't be retina, but yet a lot better pixel density than on any Mac (except of the rMBP of course), I guess it would look quite nice.
You know what? With a lower price tag, it would be an instant success!
P.S.: and stop these "i'm perfectly happy with my iPad 3" comments... ok, you're happy, congrat, but there are still millions of people out there who are just looking for a tablet, and maybe they would be happy with the smaller iPad!
i personally don't think this will happen, even though i'd like to see it happen. but really Apple doesn't need a smaller iPad, instead they need a bigger iPhone
The iPad is the perfect size and ratio. Would hate to see some half arsed 7" version just to meet a pricepoint.
YES 7.7" iPad
Given the techno-savvy of many people who post here, the inaccuracies and mis-perception never cease to amaze me.
Calling a 7.7" ipad "just an ipod touch" is flat out stupid. It's like saying an 11" Macbook and a 24" Macbook are really just the same.
Whining about the possibility of the same non-retina number of pixels as the iPad2 is foolish, too. Lots of people were perfectly happy (and still are) with the iPad2, and this device would be roughly 30% sharper than that anyway. Retina would be nice, not having it would not be a deal-breaker for most. Retina would likely come later as screen prices drop, anyway...
It will not come with 8GB as a cost-saving measure. The current component price difference for 8 vs 16GB is what?...maybe $4? Apple will not invite ridicule to save $4.
It will not be super-cheap. Forget $199, and $249 is unlikely, too. $299 is my guess. It will have roughly the same internals as the iPad (otherwise, yes, it would be crap, and Apple doesn't do crap). So the only ways to save money are on the cheaper screen, smaller battery, and smaller profit margin. So don't expect much savings.
Make no mistake, it will sell like MAD. Remember, this is not a zero-sum game. There is not a fixed number of devices that can be sold in the world. Three years ago people here thought the iPad idea was dumb. Two years ago some households had ONE. One year ago many households had more than one. There will come a day when most household have several.
I'm guessing Apple would like to be part of that...
Given the techno-savvy of many people who post here, the inaccuracies and mis-perception never cease to amaze me.
Calling a 7.7" ipad "just an ipod touch" is flat out stupid. It's like saying an 11" Macbook and a 24" Macbook are really just the same.
Whining about the possibility of the same non-retina number of pixels as the iPad2 is foolish, too. Lots of people were perfectly happy (and still are) with the iPad2, and this device would be roughly 30% sharper than that anyway. Retina would be nice, not having it would not be a deal-breaker for most. Retina would likely come later as screen prices drop, anyway...
It will not come with 8GB as a cost-saving measure. The current component price difference for 8 vs 16GB is what?...maybe $4? Apple will not invite ridicule to save $4.
It will not be super-cheap. Forget $199, and $249 is unlikely, too. $299 is my guess. It will have roughly the same internals as the iPad (otherwise, yes, it would be crap, and Apple doesn't do crap). So the only ways to save money are on the cheaper screen, smaller battery, and smaller profit margin. So don't expect much savings.
Make no mistake, it will sell like MAD. Remember, this is not a zero-sum game. There is not a fixed number of devices that can be sold in the world. Three years ago people here thought the iPad idea was dumb. Two years ago some households had ONE. One year ago many households had more than one. There will come a day when most household have several.
I'm guessing Apple would like to be part of that...
I am happy with my 3rd gen iPad and would never buy a smaller one, but I'm not everybody else. Giving people the choice doesn't hurt, though there's something to be said about Apple's success in making its product line simple and unconfusing, in contrast to every other company (especially in the cell phone market).
For a different size, a bigger one would actually appeal for me. I could totally see myself buying a 12" iPad MAXI (haha). On the 9.7" iPad, surfing websides in portrait mode can be troublesome as the text is just so damn small. The Retina display makes it crisper, but it can still be too small for me when held from a normal distance on certain sites.
There's a balance between giving people a few options and not fragmenting and confusing the hell out of people. I think Apple will balance this just fine, even if the iPad comes in a few different models (and really, for Macbooks there are both different screen sizes, resolution options, body sizes and spec options without people complaining so much!)
For a different size, a bigger one would actually appeal for me. I could totally see myself buying a 12" iPad MAXI (haha). On the 9.7" iPad, surfing websides in portrait mode can be troublesome as the text is just so damn small. The Retina display makes it crisper, but it can still be too small for me when held from a normal distance on certain sites.
There's a balance between giving people a few options and not fragmenting and confusing the hell out of people. I think Apple will balance this just fine, even if the iPad comes in a few different models (and really, for Macbooks there are both different screen sizes, resolution options, body sizes and spec options without people complaining so much!)
What about this
Ipod touch: 16GB Wifi/Bluetooth no celluar option $199
Ipad mini: 16GB only, 4G/Wifi/Bluetooth standard 7' inch screen at $299.
Ipad: 16GB,32GB,64GB 4G/Wifi/Bluetooth standard, no more wifi model, no more selling old ipads, at $499/$599/$699
Iphone: the usual
Ipod touch and Ipad mini updated september every year.
Iphone back to june updates every year.
Ipad updated march every year.
This will keep everyone happy I think, and allow for rumours all year around.
Ipod touch: 16GB Wifi/Bluetooth no celluar option $199
Ipad mini: 16GB only, 4G/Wifi/Bluetooth standard 7' inch screen at $299.
Ipad: 16GB,32GB,64GB 4G/Wifi/Bluetooth standard, no more wifi model, no more selling old ipads, at $499/$599/$699
Iphone: the usual
Ipod touch and Ipad mini updated september every year.
Iphone back to june updates every year.
Ipad updated march every year.
This will keep everyone happy I think, and allow for rumours all year around.
or smaller iPad - depends...
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, yea, I see the titles: "biggest iPad ever - enjoy XYZ millions pixels...I can see this happening - a lighter, smaller iPad not only is a better form factor for reading and on the move, but will also allow Apple to compete with lower priced tablets. I don't think they are cannabaliding their product line either. There are several notebooks, two sized iMacs, and supposedly with the larger (reportedly) new iPhone there will be two sized phones - assuming they continue with the 4S. Adding one new smaller iPad seems a natural move.
7.85 inch iPad is great size, easier to carry around, and it will probably have same resolution as iPad 2 (1024x768)
Actual size comparison with iPhone and standard size ipad
Actual size comparison with iPhone and standard size ipad
1. Steve Jobs is dead. Tim Cook is CEO of Apple. Tim Cook decides.
2. Steve Jobs often said "Apple will never do this" - until Apple did exactly what Steve Jobs said they would never do.
When Steve Jobs said "NO", it always, always meant "not now".
Still, that's different. Jobs explicitely stated that they have done 'extensive testing', that's a different kind of argument than 'I don't 3rd party apps ruining my iPhone'. The things Jobs said no to, were things he just didn't like, not things they've extensively tested.
Second, iPads are still selling extremely well. I think a new smaller iPad would cannibalize both sales and profit.
Google releases a 7" tablet and rumors of a smaller iPad surface again. Just because it's Bloomberg doesn't mean it's any more credible. Especially with "unnamed sources". But this rumor will never die because wall street analysts created this meme that the Kindle Fire (and now Galaxy Nexus) would be iPad killers and Apple would have to release a similar sized device to compete. So they keep trotting out these rumors to support their meme.
There are plenty of Android tablets out there that haven't sold very well. I somehow doubt just having the Google name attached to it is going to make the Nexus 7 fly off the shelves. And Google doesn't have the ecosystem Amazon does. Most people looking for a cheaper tablet for their kids, for movies and Internet aren't going to care about things like quad core and jelly bean. Ask the average non techie who buys a tablet what quad core means and you'll most likely get a confused look. As what do you really even need quad core for anway in a mostly consumption device? Other than something to put on a spec sheet that gives tech nerds a boner.
There are plenty of Android tablets out there that haven't sold very well. I somehow doubt just having the Google name attached to it is going to make the Nexus 7 fly off the shelves. And Google doesn't have the ecosystem Amazon does. Most people looking for a cheaper tablet for their kids, for movies and Internet aren't going to care about things like quad core and jelly bean. Ask the average non techie who buys a tablet what quad core means and you'll most likely get a confused look. As what do you really even need quad core for anway in a mostly consumption device? Other than something to put on a spec sheet that gives tech nerds a boner.
Don't believe it, and if it has a resolution like that it'll be a flop as it'll cost double a Nexus 7 or Fire.
An iPad with a screen resolution lower then a competing device costing half as much.....
An iPad with a screen resolution lower then a competing device costing half as much.....
Where are any manufacturing cost savings coming from? They won't dumb it down...maybe less ram but ram prices are dropping...same screen resolution but smaller...so how can it be that much less expensive ?