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'iPad Mini' Rumors Revived with Claims of 7.85-Inch Screen

JHankwitz said:
They may be "raking in" money from the App Store, but they're making very little if any profit with only a 30% cut. Most distributors get far far more than that.
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Didn't Apple just share that they had paid out $3 billion to developers? You can do your own math to calculate how much/little Apple has made with their 30% cut. Personally, I lean to the "much" vs. the "little" or "very little".
 
iEvolution said:
I think it may be true just to get an iPad model with a lower price tag. Not everyone has $500-$800 to spend on a tablet.

If Apple were smart they'd release a lower priced tablet, even if it means cutting the size. I really think the Fire is going to take off.
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History tends to repeat itself over and over:
Just recall the zillion Android Tablets that have come out so far and their impact on Apple products (do you see any impact???).
Same happened with the iPod. None of their competitors could steal the iPods market (Zune, Sansa, Sony, etc.).
 
Xendren said:
Apple already sells a $200 tablet. It's called an iPod Touch. Compare it's specs against the Kindle Fire. The only measure that the Fire is better on is the screen size. Since the media doesn't think screen size matters when comparing the Fire to the iPad, then it shouldn't matter when comparing the Touch. Maybe Apple should just rebrand the Touch to IPad Mini to get the media to take notice?
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^This. Completely agree.

If Apple wanted a 7" anything, it would up the size of the iPod, not downsize the iPad.

Still believe Apple will release an upgraded iPod Touch along with a larger sized (6" - 7") iPod sometime during spring of next year when they also release the iPad 3. And for ***** and giggles, keep the iPad 2 around at a lower cost. This would cover a wide range of costs and form factors for iOS devices.
 
Tiger8 said:
iPad 3 debuts next year with Retina and A6...
iPad 2 drops in Price by $100 or so...
iPad 1 drops even further...
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RoboCop001 said:
lol It's probably just going to be them selling iPad 2 alongside the iPad 3, just like they do with the iPhone 4/4S.

So the cheaper iPad is just the previous generation. I'd say just a WiFi model, 16GB, and since it's last years model they can price it cheaper.
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I don't think they're keeping the iPad 1 around; they're already selling them at a discount (as if to get rid of them ahead of the iPad 3 launch), and those are refurbished.
 
This makes even less sense than the (many) previous mini ipod rumors.

The main advantage of smaller tablets would be:

1: Comfortable to hold in one hand.
2: Fit in a pocket.

7.85" screen gives you neither, with a 4:3 aspect and bezels it would still be about 6" wide. Which would NOT be comfortable to hold in a one handed grip and would not fit in a pocket.

If Anything Apple would likely go smaller, I think it would make more sense to make a large iPod Touch, about 5"-6" with a 3:2 ratio and no side bezels, so it would be easy for anyone to hold in one hand and fit in most pockets. It could just use the standard resolution, and run the same apps as the iPhone/Touch, by scaling up, you don't have fragmentation issues.

Now if there is need for more actual iPad models, I would rather have an 11" or 12" version.
 
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Bytor65 said:
This makes even less sense than the (many) previous mini ipod rumors.

The main advantage of smaller tablets would be:

1: Comfortable to hold in one hand.
2: Fit in a pocket.

7.85" screen gives you neither, with a 4:3 aspect and bezels it would still be about 6" wide. Which would NOT be comfortable to hold in a one handed grip and would not fit in a pocket.

If Anything Apple would like go smaller, I think it would make more sense to make a large iPod Touch, about 5"-6" with a 3:2 ratio and no side bezels, so it would be easy for anyone to hold in one hand and fit in most pockets.
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Probably, but one thing for sure: Apple will not change the screen ratio. It would become a nightmare for developers, as they would have to code their apps for both aspect ratios. 4:3 ratio is here to stay.
If you were an iOS Developer you would understand this.
 
I'd buy one in a heartbeat

I travel a lot, with a decent amount of paperwork in my bag plus an MBA, and it still gets heavy (so much better than when I had the 15" MBP, though). I had an original iPad for a while (my wife's hand-me-down), but it just got too big and bulky in combination with the MBA.

I can't really not bring the MBA, so something that I could A) read books on; B) surf the internet; C) Use Maps; D) Check email; E) Use the productivity apps (Things, Reminders, Pages, etc.); F) maybe watch a few movies on; and G) listen to a sub-section of my 50GB music collection would fit my needs perfectly.

That's an iPad, but the 10" is too big. Something smaller, lighter, than just can slip in and out of my shoulder bag would be perfect for me. If it were cheaper, that would just be the cherry on top.

Just like the MBA is a netbook but BETTER, a 7" (or 6.5 or 7.13528 or whatever) iPad would be a more-portable tablet but BETTER. I don't see any reason why they wouldn't produce it if they could resolve the scaling issue.
 
radicalcentrist said:
I travel a lot, with a decent amount of paperwork in my bag plus an MBA, and it still gets heavy (so much better than when I had the 15" MBP, though). I had an original iPad for a while (my wife's hand-me-down), but it just got too big and bulky in combination with the MBA.

I can't really not bring the MBA, so something that I could A) read books on; B) surf the internet; C) Use Maps; D) Check email; E) Use the productivity apps (Things, Reminders, Pages, etc.); F) maybe watch a few movies on; and G) listen to a sub-section of my 50GB music collection would fit my needs perfectly.

That's an iPad, but the 10" is too big. Something smaller, lighter, than just can slip in and out of my shoulder bag would be perfect for me. If it were cheaper, that would just be the cherry on top.

Just like the MBA is a netbook but BETTER, a 7" (or 6.5 or 7.13528 or whatever) iPad would be a more-portable tablet but BETTER. I don't see any reason why they wouldn't produce it if they could resolve the scaling issue.
Click to expand...


Unless you work on insurance, why don't you replace all that paperwork with an iPad? You can fill up forms, have these signed, and then emailed to your clients. Or just carry a portable printer, which certainly weights a lot less than a pile of paperwork.

Or...You are already carrying a lot of paperwork; an iPad 2 would not add much weight to it. Plus, I'm sure you would want its battery to last you all day, right ?



----------
steadysignal said:
good thing is people will still by apple product in droves...
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Could you please translate that? Thank you :D
 
This probably isn`t going to happen and it`s too bad.

As much as I admire Steve Jobs he was way off base about the 7 inch tablet.

The only reason I don`t own an iPad is that it`s to bulky to be a comfortable reading machine.

The Kindle Fire does look like exactly what I want and I`m already pretty invested in the Amazon eco system so I guess that`s the route I`ll go.

It`s a shame really because I love Apple machines.
 
Amazing Iceman said:
Probably, but one thing for sure: Apple will not change the screen ratio. It would become a nightmare for developers, as they would have to code their apps for both aspect ratios. 4:3 ratio is here to stay.
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I am not suggesting a change of ratio. iPhone/Touch are 3:2 and I am suggesting a scaled up Touch, not a shrunken iPad.

Zero fragmentation. Same resolution, just a bigger screen. Design targets remain for aimed at the Touch/iPhone. Everything will just be a bit bigger.

This is not a new target for developers at all. Just a bigger screen for people with less than Hawk vision who would prefer a bigger screen. A 5.5" Touch XL would still have about 210 DPI, which is still beyond the limits of vision at the distance I want to use it.
 
HobeSoundDarryl said:
Didn't Apple just share that they had paid out $3 billion to developers? You can do your own math to calculate how much/little Apple has made with their 30% cut. Personally, I lean to the "much" vs. the "little" or "very little".
Click to expand...

A billion might seem big to you, but compare it to Apple's total revenues over the past 3 years. Fraction of a percent. Compare it to Apple's operating costs over the same time period, and it barely covers any of it.
 
New potential good competitor with Amazon tablet at 7". Apple spreads rumor of smaller cheaper iPad in spring. People hold off buying new amazon tablet waiting to see if rumor pans out. Amazon tablet is released, and is semi failure like all Android tablets. In spring new iPad 3 is released with crazy retina display, iPad 2 sticks around as cheaper option (ala iPhone 4/iPhone 3GS still avail now). People decide to buy cheaper version of iPad 2 instead of Amazon tablet. Apple wins again.

I will admit that Amazon is the biggest threat that apple has faced in the tablet space. They have a established quality name, and people like the kindle, so this could get interesting. If anything it will prove again that competition only helps consumers.
 
CIA said:
New potential good competitor with Amazon tablet at 7". Apple spreads rumor of smaller cheaper iPad in spring. People hold off buying new amazon tablet waiting to see if rumor pans out. Amazon tablet is released, and is semi failure like all Android tablets. In spring new iPad 3 is released with crazy retina display, iPad 2 sticks around as cheaper option (ala iPhone 4/iPhone 3GS still avail now). People decide to buy cheaper version of iPad 2 instead of Amazon tablet. Apple wins again.
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Heheh! It couldn't have been said any better than that! Rumors could be a very powerful marketing weapon.

For example, consider how much time we have all wasted so far talking about it. I'm getting back to work now! :eek:
 
Bytor65 said:
This makes even less sense than the (many) previous mini ipod rumors.

The main advantage of smaller tablets would be:

1: Comfortable to hold in one hand.
2: Fit in a pocket.
Click to expand...

To you maybe. How about not as heavy? more portable? thinner? You know, stuff that Apple likes to tout every time they roll out a next big thing. I think filling the hole between the Touch/Phone and iPad with a smaller tablet at a lower price will simply take that market niche from the players trying to grab it now. It won't kill the bigger iPad nor kill the smaller iPod/Phone space: just put something in the middle... just like we have small Air's at 11" and "big" laptop screens at 17", there are still lots of buyers at 13" and 15" too.
 
Amazing Iceman said:
History tends to repeat itself over and over:
Just recall the zillion Android Tablets that have come out so far and their impact on Apple products (do you see any impact???).
Same happened with the iPod. None of their competitors could steal the iPods market (Zune, Sansa, Sony, etc.).
Click to expand...

True but Amazon has what all those other Android tablets lacked.

A viable extensive inexpensive eco system already in place.

Books, Movies, TV, Music, shopping.

People buy Apple mobile products because of the elegant design AND the killer eco system.

Amazon has them matched if not beaten in the eco system department and a $199 price tag could cause people to overlook the slightly less elegant design.
 
HobeSoundDarryl said:
To you maybe. How about not as heavy? more portable? thinner? You know, stuff that Apple likes to tout every time they roll out a next big thing. I think filling the hole between the Touch/Phone and iPad with a smaller tablet at a lower price will simply take that market niche from the players trying to grab it now. It won't kill the bigger iPad nor kill the smaller iPod/Phone space: just put something in the middle... just like we have small Air's at 11" and "big" laptop screens at 17", there are still lots of buyers at 13" and 15" too.
Click to expand...

I could use a 22" Tablet for the kitchen. Great to read recipes and entertain the person cooking.
 
firewood said:
A billion might seem big to you, but compare it to Apple's total revenues over the past 3 years. Fraction of a percent. Compare it to Apple's operating costs over the same time period, and it barely covers any of it.
Click to expand...

But that's no excuse. You can't count Apple's total operating costs (of all business operations) against their profits of just one piece of their revenues to try to make this point. Sure, it's small relative to all profits or all costs, but he wasn't claiming it was small against all profits: he was just inferring that there is "very little profit" in Apple taking 30% share of iTunes transactions.

If you're going to weigh Apple's total operating costs against anything, it should be Apple's total revenues... not just iTunes transactional revenues alone.
 
I think the biggest problem with the Kindle Fire will be it's small widescreen. A small widescreen is just horrible for web browsing.

I like the 4:3 ratio on the iPad's.
 
HobeSoundDarryl said:
Didn't Apple just share that they had paid out $3 billion to developers? You can do your own math to calculate how much/little Apple has made with their 30% cut. Personally, I lean to the "much" vs. the "little" or "very little".
Click to expand...

You do understand that Apple has to employ staff to manage the App Store, app reviewers, and server storage and bandwidth costs? This is not free.
 
kingsmuse said:
True but Amazon has what all those other Android tablets lacked.

A viable extensive inexpensive eco system already in place.

Books, Movies, TV, Music, shopping.

People buy Apple mobile products because of the elegant design AND the killer eco system.

Amazon has them matched if not beaten in the eco system department and a $199 price tag could cause people to overlook the slightly less elegant design.
Click to expand...

When the time comes for people to want to synchronize their tablet's content (Music, address book, calendar, etc.) to their computer and phone, they realize how easy it would have been if they just got an iPad.

True, there's Gmail and I have been using it to synchronize with my MAC and WinMo 6.5 Phone, but it keeps messing up my contacts, mixing phone numbers.
And Calendar sync works but is limited too.
I'm getting an iPhone as soon as my contract with T-Mobile expires, and all my problems will be gone. Everything will work in harmony.

I don't declare the Kindle Fire a failure; I'm sure it will succeed to a point, but not for long.
 
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