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Yr Blues

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Jan 14, 2008
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That would keep the 9.7" iPad relevant to the line of products.

People would end up buying both.

To me, the e-ink Kindle isn't as good as it can be. The resolution isn't great. Its refresh-rate is low. It's not full-color.
 
That would keep the 9.7" iPad relevant to the line of products.

People would end up buying both.

To me, the e-ink Kindle isn't as good as it can be. The resolution isn't great. Its refresh-rate is low. It's not full-color.

The rumored 7.85" iPad wouldn't be competing with the e-ink Kindle, it would be competing with the Kindle Fire. It makes no sense for Apple to turn to e-ink, as the technology a) isn't capable of suitable color reproduction and b) would be a major step backwards from the current iPad.
 
The rumored 7.85" iPad wouldn't be competing with the e-ink Kindle, it would be competing with the Kindle Fire. It makes no sense for Apple to turn to e-ink, as the technology a) isn't capable of suitable color reproduction and b) would be a major step backwards from the current iPad.

It could still be the hybrid e-ink display that was patented a while back. I think e-ink is superior for reading books. The iPad 3 is too big and too heavy for long bouts of reading.

There's also the rumor of a slim bezel, which would be great for books.
 
It could still be the hybrid e-ink display that was patented a while back. I think e-ink is superior for reading books. The iPad 3 is too big and too heavy for long bouts of reading.

Yes, Apple does have, or has at least applied for, a patent that can do both e ink and LCD display. It wouldn't be a big surprise if they put it in an iPad mini. It also wouldn't be a big surprise if they didn't.

Either way, I think if this product is really in the pipeline, there are a lot of companies that should be shaking in their boots. If the price is right, this is going to be HUGE. And I really hope this is for real because I want to buy one for my wife.
 
I read this from a news blog to my kids last night and they are all saving up - this they can afford!:). I'm sure Apple's product will beat the pants off the competition as usual...
 
It will be the replacement to the iPod Touch. Non-retina screen, more of an iPad "nano" experience.
 
But that is e-ink

No, that's old generation e-ink. The retina display was a game changer for backlit technology. There's more innovation to be had.

Also, I love e-ink for it's ultra low power consumption.
 
And if it runs iOS battery life would be measurable in minutes.


The rumored 7.85" iPad wouldn't be competing with the e-ink Kindle, it would be competing with the Kindle Fire. It makes no sense for Apple to turn to e-ink, as the technology a) isn't capable of suitable color reproduction and b) would be a major step backwards from the current iPad.
 
How did you people ever handle reading actual hardcover books?

what makes you think that [a lot of] people read hardcover books using one hand? i always used two hands.

you may not like the answer, but the ipad is a little too large and too flat to hold in one hand for prolonged reading. at least with hardcovers, if you held them in the spine fold, it made them a little more comfortable using one hand, the ipad is completely flat and large enough that holding it along the edge does not give enough balance to avoid hand & finger fatigue.

i was reading on my ipad on the subway this morning - one hand was holding onto the pole and the other hand on the ipad and my fingers were fatiguing even though i have a case that has a hand strap.

and no, i'm not a weakling either.
 
No, that's old generation e-ink. The retina display was a game changer for backlit technology. There's more innovation to be had.

Also, I love e-ink for it's ultra low power consumption.

Wait, so you think this is going to be an ultra-low-power-consumption, backlit, retina e-ink display?
 
It could still be the hybrid e-ink display that was patented a while back. I think e-ink is superior for reading books. The iPad 3 is too big and too heavy for long bouts of reading.

There's also the rumor of a slim bezel, which would be great for books.

To be clear the patent says electronic paper, not eInk. EInk is a form of electronic paper, though it could never possibly work in the way the patent describes; The electronic paper layer would have to be transparent, which is physically impossible for eInk.
 
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i was reading on my ipad on the subway this morning - one hand was holding onto the pole and the other hand on the ipad and my fingers were fatiguing even though i have a case that has a hand strap.

Is a 7inch tablet like Kindle Fire good for one-handed reading? It's a bit heavier than a paper back, correct? And personally I've found that even paperbacks get heavy if I try to hold them one-handed for too long.

I do find that the iPhone / iPod touch is perfect for one-handed reading. Otherwise, I've always thought that reading a book required two hands, which is probably why I'm not bothered that the iPad needs two hands.
 
I really like holding the iPad in "landscape" mode and typing on the nearly full sized keyboard. So, I'm a little skeptical of how useful the smaller iPad will be.

That said, if Apple can make a lower priced 7.85" iPad I might still buy one. It makes sense for students (with iBook textbooks) and for general reading / browsing.

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Is a 7inch tablet like Kindle Fire good for one-handed reading? It's a bit heavier than a paper back, correct? And personally I've found that even paperbacks get heavy if I try to hold them one-handed for too long.

I do find that the iPhone / iPod touch is perfect for one-handed reading. Otherwise, I've always thought that reading a book required two hands, which is probably why I'm not bothered that the iPad needs two hands.

I have a Kindle Fire. It does feel a bit bulky, and honestly I do most of my reading on the iPad. It's heavier, but I guess because of how thin it is, and how easy it is to hold, I find the iPad to be more comfortable.

When I'm traveling, I read on my iPhone quite frequently. It's a surprisingly good e-reader.
 
E-Ink especially in color takes forever to load a page. I am talking about 1 frame per second. Smooth scrolling would be impossible. You would have to revert back to click wait click wait.
 
i don't own a 7" tablet so i couldn't really say. i've held a nook color and didn't find it hard to hold in portrait mode using one hand. landscape mode might have been a little more problematic comfort-wise but still pretty easy to hold.

Is a 7inch tablet like Kindle Fire good for one-handed reading? It's a bit heavier than a paper back, correct? And personally I've found that even paperbacks get heavy if I try to hold them one-handed for too long.

I do find that the iPhone / iPod touch is perfect for one-handed reading. Otherwise, I've always thought that reading a book required two hands, which is probably why I'm not bothered that the iPad needs two hands.
 
I bet the 7.85" iPad is a color e-ink reader

The rumor is LG will supply their usual LCD panels to Apple for the new device. LG doesn't make e-ink displays.

I'm most curious about the thin bezel rumor. If the bezel is really thin and they can keep the size as small as possible, it can be a really good device, basically an 8" iPad in a 7" tablet size.
 
My 3 year old...yes my three year old walks around with her ipad1 all day long. Plays with it constantly. Yet grown adults find it too heavy. Oh please.
 
If they do a 7.85" iPad, I think they will do everything to keep costs down to separate it from the 9.7" model. That probably means a cheaper non-IPS LCD screen such as they have in the iPod touch.
 
im interested in understanding their pricing scheme. at a $249/$299 price, that would equal or be cheaper than an ipod touch. either the 7" ipad will cost much more or the ipod touch is going to drop quite a bit.
 
im interested in understanding their pricing scheme. at a $249/$299 price, that would equal or be cheaper than an ipod touch. either the 7" ipad will cost much more or the ipod touch is going to drop quite a bit.

You're trying to understand an imaginary pricing scheme. This is an unbased rumor that has next to no possibility of being realized. There's no product that they can create, market and sell for $249-299.
 
You're trying to understand an imaginary pricing scheme. This is an unbased rumor that has next to no possibility of being realized. There's no product that they can create, market and sell for $249-299.

I agree which is why I said, either the ipad mini would be priced much higher or the ipod touch would need to be priced much lower....if I had to guess I think this ipad mini would need to be priced at a minimum of $399, but then that doesnt make it price competitive to the Kindle Fire, if thats what they do indeed tend to battle against.
 
I agree which is why I said, either the ipad mini would be priced much higher or the ipod touch would need to be priced much lower....if I had to guess I think this ipad mini would need to be priced at a minimum of $399, but then that doesnt make it price competitive to the Kindle Fire, if thats what they do indeed tend to battle against.

The iPad 2 is now 399 so it's going to need to be around 249-299 to compete with the Fire.
 
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