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No need to struggle with the concept of a iPad mini, just don't think about it. Every product is not for every user.
Tell that to all the MacRumors users who list all their electronic devices in their signature. ;)
 
Steve Jobs would never have allowed it.

First off, that's conjecture. Secondly, they felt that a 10" is more suitable and maybe down the road if the market wants a 7" as well, then great. Some people look at a 7" product more of a reader and the 10" is more of a tablet.

Just like the MacBookAir is more like a netbook than a laptop due to it's size, weight, functionality.

Trust me, the classifications of what a product should be called mutate until they get a handle on what the customers really want/need.

Personally, for some people a 7" might be fine for THEIR situation and there might be enough people requiring it for those needs, same with a 10" model, it's just that one might be more popular.

Personally, if they could make one light enough that has enough battery life, I think a 15" might be cool But since battery technology isn't there, they can't make one the same weight as a 10" model with a 15" screen.

There are certain companies/businesses models that have certain types of tasks where a 7" would fit the bill or a 10" will. So, Apple has to decide what's best of the customer and Apple. But I doubt they'll replace it altogether, so it shouldn't be such a big deal.
 
You are right in parts of your observation of some Apple fans. I am challenging your view that it's damning that Apple takes a follower's approach as it relates to Samsung. On that point I can't co-sign. There are many of Apple users me included who would prefer to have a 7" tablet as opposed to a 10 inch tablet from Apple. To date Apple doesn't have a product out yet for the 7" iPad category. That is a FACT. If they release a 7" tablet then you can say that Samsung maybe inspired Apple to make a 7" tablet. The size of a tablet doesn't qualify as infringement of a patent. You can't patent a size only an overall design. Apple markets their design and the quality of their hardware and software together as original. It is original. What did smart phones look like before Apple got into the market? What did tablets look like before Apple got into the market?

I am questioning what you stated in your previous post much of which simply doesn't align with the facts. I'm certainly going to respond when what you are saying isn't true.

So what if Apple looked at Sony's product. Does the iPhone look like Sony's product? Does it behave like Sony's product? I'm sure Apple looked at Blackberry's and any other phone that was out on the market at the time of the original iPhone development.

Well here's the truth. I for one do not care who takes inspiration from who. All I care is for the end product and whether I suits me. I have absolutely no loyalty to any brand. I find it ridiculous that so many people for some reason feel the need to have this blind loyalty to a brand or they lock themselves in a closed ecosystem and later say they want to try something else but can't because they are stuck in this ecosystem. What?
I've got an S3 right now, but guess what, I will be grabbing a Windows Phone 8 phone when they get released. This is Fact. It could be a Nokia, HTC, or Samsung. Which ever one I like best. This very fact of openness gives someone more credibility when giving an opinion on smartphones. It is this healthy way of purchasing that keeps competition alive and strong. This is something the Apple loyalist can never say, which is quite sad.
 
Oh Steve, you know you can't ALWAYS have your way...

I'm going to be honest with you. When the Mac first came out, I didn't like the original design. I would have done it TOTALLY differently for an all in one model when CRT was the only type of screen. I wanted what actually ended up being the first generation iMac.

Now, what would have happened if Apple came out with a product back in the beginning that resembled a first generation iMac instead?

I thought they should have made the original Mac OS Unix, used a 13inch COLOR screen, a decent sized hard drive, a decent amount of RAM, built-in ethernet instead of AppleTalk and a parallel printer port and serial port. That was more of MY idea that I had. But since I'm not Steve Jobs or work at Apple doesn't mean my idea wasn't better than his. I just never worked for a computer company making decisions on a product.

Steve was not always right either.

Not too many people always come up with the best ideas. Many times people come up with a decent idea and many times their wrong. Well, BFD.
 
It's important to remember that this "7 inch" iPad people are talking about is rumored to be closer to 8 inches.

The math I saw worked out to this smaller iPad having 40% more screen space than the current 7" Android tablets.

So worth remembering...when Steve said those 7" tablets were too small they could still have been planning something in between that and the current iPads.

Thank you for pointing this out. I read all of these threads about the 7" iPad and keep wondering why it's called that, when it's constantly rumored to be 7.85", which is just about an 8" iPad. I can see why you'd want to call it the iPad mini but at less than 2" smaller than a regular iPad it's basically the same thing as an iPad except it would suit people with petite hands. That would be marketable but there's no way I'd get one. However, for the most part, women and children have smaller digits so it may work very well.
 
Well here's the truth. I for one do not care who takes inspiration from who. All I care is for the end product and whether I suits me. I have absolutely no loyalty to any brand. I find it ridiculous that so many people for some reason feel the need to have this blind loyalty to a brand or they lock themselves in a closed ecosystem and later say they want to try something else but can't because they are stuck in this ecosystem. What?
I've got an S3 right now, but guess what, I will be grabbing a Windows Phone 8 phone when they get released. This is Fact. It could be a Nokia, HTC, or Samsung. Which ever one I like best. This very fact of openness gives someone more credibility when giving an opinion on smartphones. It is this healthy way of purchasing that keeps competition alive and strong. This is something the Apple loyalist can never say, which is quite sad.

Openness doesn't give anyone more credibility when giving an opinion on smart phones. If you value openness, then why would you buy a Windows phone? Windows is the definition of a closed platform. Do you think they will have porn apps on their app store or malware? Why would Apple giving all the potential for legal liabilities? Google made their app store open and now they are trying to close it down even stripping people of their apps whether the end user wants it or not.

You are either open or you are not.

OSX is far and away more open than Windows will ever be. Smart phones will never be as open as full on computers because phones are different. People value phones differently than they do a computer. A phone is viewed as more of a necessity than a computer. Linux is the only truly open platform out there.

Openness doesn't mean anything if it doesn't benefit the average consumer in any significant way. Openness has significant negatives as it relates to smartphones.

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Thank you for pointing this out. I read all of these threads about the 7" iPad and keep wondering why it's called that, when it's constantly rumored to be 7.85", which is just about an 8" iPad. I can see why you'd want to call it the iPad mini but at less than 2" smaller than a regular iPad it's basically the same thing as an iPad except it would suit people with petite hands. That would be marketable but there's no way I'd get one. However, for the most part, women and children have smaller digits so it may work very well.

I'm a big guy with big hands and a smaller iPad is much easier to carry with one hand while walking or standing up on the subway.

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First off, that's conjecture. Secondly, they felt that a 10" is more suitable and maybe down the road if the market wants a 7" as well, then great. Some people look at a 7" product more of a reader and the 10" is more of a tablet.

Just like the MacBookAir is more like a netbook than a laptop due to it's size, weight, functionality.

Trust me, the classifications of what a product should be called mutate until they get a handle on what the customers really want/need.

Personally, for some people a 7" might be fine for THEIR situation and there might be enough people requiring it for those needs, same with a 10" model, it's just that one might be more popular.

Personally, if they could make one light enough that has enough battery life, I think a 15" might be cool But since battery technology isn't there, they can't make one the same weight as a 10" model with a 15" screen.

There are certain companies/businesses models that have certain types of tasks where a 7" would fit the bill or a 10" will. So, Apple has to decide what's best of the customer and Apple. But I doubt they'll replace it altogether, so it shouldn't be such a big deal.
The MBA is as powerful as any standard laptop and it's certainly faster. Most of the developers I work with on a daily basis use their MBAs. What can another laptop do that MBA's can't besides provide support for legacy technology? I agree with the end conclusion of your post. +1
 
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The key word that keeps leaping out at me is "compete".

Why?

People say Apple needs a cheaper, lower cost, 7" iPad to "compete" with the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire, but the truth is these smaller tablets are not competition to the iPad, they are cheaper alternatives.

The iPad, despite being larger and more expensive, is still outselling every other tablet on the market, so Apple is not the one who needs to do the competing.
 
Tell that to all the MacRumors users who list all their electronic devices in their signature. ;)

So what if people list all their electronic devices in their signature. What does that have to do with anyone else? Why are you so sensitive about people posting the devices they've purchased in their signature? How does that harm you in any way and what does that have to do with the point the other guy made?

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The key word that keeps leaping out at me is "compete".

Why?

People say Apple needs a cheaper, lower cost, 7" iPad to "compete" with the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire, but the truth is these smaller tablets are not competition to the iPad, they are cheaper alternatives.

The iPad, despite being larger and more expensive, is still outselling every other tablet on the market, so Apple is not the one who needs to do the competing.

I just don't buy that argument at all.
 
The key word that keeps leaping out at me is "compete".

Why?

People say Apple needs a cheaper, lower cost, 7" iPad to "compete" with the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire, but the truth is these smaller tablets are not competition to the iPad, they are cheaper alternatives.

The thing is, if you leave the "cheaper alternative" segment open and it becomes filled with products all using a competing eco-system, than that ecosystem risks growing and becoming more relevant than your own.

If that happens, then people get more and more invested in that ecosystem and when it comes time to move up to a more expensive product, your iPad, 10" category, their investment will make them choose a product that fits in the ecosystem you're competing against rather than your own.

So your own ecosystem/product will become a niche for people who entered it directly through your own more expensive offering rather than the ubiquitous "standard" everyone has. Kind of like the Mac if you will.
 
First the Apple iPad Mini will likely be 7.85 inches - not the kinda crappy skinny display of other 7-inchers but the same more book-like ratio as the iPad. To me, that means it's already going to be better than the cheap tablets.

That said, it could cannibalise iPad sales. Many people complain that the iPad is just a bit too big to carry around with you all the time. The 7" iPad may not simply be cheaper but a BETTER option in many peoples' eyes. Than again, I'm sure there'll be millions out there that have both sizes...
 
The key word that keeps leaping out at me is "compete".

Why?

People say Apple needs a cheaper, lower cost, 7" iPad to "compete" with the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire, but the truth is these smaller tablets are not competition to the iPad, they are cheaper alternatives.

The iPad, despite being larger and more expensive, is still outselling every other tablet on the market, so Apple is not the one who needs to do the competing.

So did Nintendo with their NES systems and so did Sony with their Playstations, and the both got complacent feeling they were too BIG and important to worry about things.

Will Apple do that same? Who know.
 
So what if people list all their electronic devices in their signature. What does that have to do with anyone else? Why are you so sensitive about people posting the devices they've purchased in their signature? How does that harm you in any way and what does that have to do with the point the other guy made?

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I just don't buy that argument at all.

:D That's quite clever, responding with sensitivity while you accuse someone else of being sensitive. Good one. Your ingenuity in this regard gives me confidence that you possess the ability to see the irony in my post.
 
The thing is, if you leave the "cheaper alternative" segment open and it becomes filled with products all using a competing eco-system, than that ecosystem risks growing and becoming more relevant than your own.

If that happens, then people get more and more invested in that ecosystem and when it comes time to move up to a more expensive product, your iPad, 10" category, their investment will make them choose a product that fits in the ecosystem you're competing against rather than your own.

So your own ecosystem/product will become a niche for people who entered it directly through your own more expensive offering rather than the ubiquitous "standard" everyone has. Kind of like the Mac if you will.

So did Nintendo with their NES systems and so did Sony with their Playstations, and the both got complacent feeling they were too BIG and important to worry about things.

Will Apple do that same? Who know.

Both excellent points, appreciate the replies.
 
What a load of crap.
So you're saying that browsing on a 3.5" display on an iPhone is fine, but on a 7" display it's not? Get real. :rolleyes:

The issue may be the default browser itself, fortunately for Android devices you have many choices for browsers.
Web browsing on the iPhone is not fine at all. I didn't say anything about the iPhone (that's a different segment altogether and it's a "mobile phone" - not a web consumption device). The larger retina resolution made it a little easier to browse webpages, but it's not ideal in any sense. Anything less than 10" makes web browsing fiddly due to the average hand size. To fit iOS onto the slightly larger 7" tab would make all the icons smaller and make it fiddly like I've seen on devices like the Nexus. I'm unsure on how Android works when applying apps on different devices, but I'd take a guess buttons get redrawn to a percentage of the optimum display it was designed for? Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

I wish people wouldn't make assumptions like quoted above. :(
 
I saw a blog posting on ZDNET the other day saying the race to the bottom in the tablet market is a bad idea. Basically saying its very hard to build a good tablet with decent margins for $199. But now consumers are expecting it and are price sensitive to more expensive devices. Of course it's easier for Google and Amazon when they don't care if they make any money off the hardware. Will be interesting to see how MS prices the surface.

MS Will price the surface at a very small profit, then do what google and amazon do, and sell a crap ton of content on it.

Thats why Google and Amazing can get away with pricing things so low, the hardware isn't ****** or anything. Its that amazon and google make TONS of money On content, so they break even on the hardware, and make all their money on content.

Apple makes far more on hardware, rather than content, so they sell hardware at a good margin.

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It's funny that everyone is saying Apple needs to build a 7" iPad to compete in the $199 to $299 market.

I keep thinking about something Jobs once said....

"What we want to do is deliver an increasing level of value to these customers, but there are some customers which we choose not to serve. We don't know how to make a $500 computer that's not a piece of junk; our DNA will not let us do that. We've seen great success by focusing on certain segments of the market and not trying to be everything to everybody, and you can expect us to stick with that winning strategy." - Steve Jobs

Remember this is a company that sales $2199 to $2799 base price laptops that they cannot keep in stock due to demand.

Why would they care about the $199 to $299 market?

Your right, they would never sell a pile of **** computer for 500 bucks, they take a pile of **** like the Mac Mini and sell it for 700 ;)

Yes, and they arent the only company that makes high end laptops, my Laptop will spank a MacbookPro all over the place ;) And them being not in stock is far more of a PRODUCTION issue.

I'll tell you why they care about it, because theres MONEY to be made.

Apple doesn't care about anything else than making products, then making money off them. Its what all companies do. There was no " vision " outside of Jobs marketing ability.
 
Openness doesn't give anyone more credibility when giving an opinion on smart phones.

When I said openness, I wasn't referring to the OS, I was referring to my openness to buy any platform from any manufacturer. And that ability to do so, does indeed give a person more credibility with their opinion on smartphones. How can you not see this? It's completely logical. This is why I called it a healthy way of purchasing. It breeds competition and innovation. Sticking to one brand blindly no matter what, will give you a manufacturer who becomes arrogant and slow to update with hardware and features. Because at that point, they know they got you right where they want you.
This is why you have Android manufacturers moving at such a quick pace. When I refer to Android, I'm only talking about the high end phones. Just look how it only took 3 generations to bring the GS3 to where it is. Look at how many iphones have come out and it's still behind in hardware and features. As I said, Apple's got you right where they want you. In their reality distortion field.
 
I'm a big guy with big hands and a smaller iPad is much easier to carry with one hand while walking or standing up on the subway.


Yes, that less than 2" in size difference is going to make a huge difference to a 'big guy' carrying a small device. I can barely hold the iPad now as gargantuan as it is, if they would only make it 1.85" smaller my whole life would change.
 
This is why you have Android manufacturers moving at such a quick pace. When I refer to Android, I'm only talking about the high end phones. Just look how it only took 3 generations to bring the GS3 to where it is. Look at how many iphones have come out and it's still behind in hardware and features. As I said, Apple's got you right where they want you. In their reality distortion field.

This is exactly the point. Open minded purchasers who are willing to jump ship from manufacturer to manufacturer are the ones who keep manufacturers on their toes striving to beat out the next guy and move the industry forward.
 
I'm not sure that I do. The smaller screen size to the new iPad does not appeal. I'm always going to want the larger screen. Except if the price of the 7" mini is £200. The problem, as far as I can see, is that Apple can't do that unless they kill the iPod touch.

This is totally absurd. Here is how Apple can sell 7" iPads and iPod Touch at the same time: They just do it. Give me one reasonable argument why they can't.
 
This is totally absurd. Here is how Apple can sell 7" iPads and iPod Touch at the same time: They just do it. Give me one reasonable argument why they can't.

I'll give you a reasonable argument why they should :

- an iPod Touch is quite portable, pocketable and easy to use as a music device on the go, with some applications support where there's Wifi access. An iPad, even at 7", not so much.
 
Thank you for pointing this out. I read all of these threads about the 7" iPad and keep wondering why it's called that, when it's constantly rumored to be 7.85", which is just about an 8" iPad. I can see why you'd want to call it the iPad mini but at less than 2" smaller than a regular iPad it's basically the same thing as an iPad except it would suit people with petite hands. That would be marketable but there's no way I'd get one. However, for the most part, women and children have smaller digits so it may work very well.

And 8" is close to 9", which is close to 10", so the mini iPad will basically be the same size as the current iPad, hence no need for Apple to produce it.
 
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