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

A couple of hours ago I was thinking about when that rumor would be stirred up again...this is getting pathetic... Large screen iPhone...small screen iPad...large screen iPhone...small screen iPad.
 
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PracticalMac said:
I a way everyone saw it coming!
Table computers existed since the early 90's, and in imagination longer, but what Apple did was make it USEABLE.
Apple/Jobs, I am sure after a lot of experimentation and thought, found the right combination.
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And nuclear fission existed since forever, but somebody figured out to make it usable for us. That's the point. Everybody can have an idea. To implement it, that's a little more challenging.
 
tido2012 said:
I use an iPad quite a bit when I'm at home and I'm just curious, if there are people out there that would be interested in the iPad mini? I'm not opposed to an iPad mini, just wouldn't purchase it.
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If you look through the old rumor threads, you'll see a lot of people (like me) who say they'd prefer that form factor.

You'll also see a lot of existing iPad owners who think the iPad is perfect, and who basically can't grasp how another person's opinion could possibly differ from theirs. :D

BTW as far as scaling goes (addressing other comments) - check the size of the icons on an iPhone/iTouch versus the size of the icons on the iPad. Somehow we manage to hit them even though they're significantly smaller.
 
Steve would come back from the grave to haunt Tim Cook if Apple released an iPad with a smaller screen. Steve was extremely adamant about 9.7" being the best size, and I'm sure many at Apple came to the same conclusion in their testing.

If they choose to, Apple will introduce a cheaper iPad model the exact same way they've done with the iPhone — by keeping last year's model around and cutting the storage in half. They could so very easily sell a $299 iPad 2 with 8GB of storage when the iPad 3 with Retina Display, A6 chip and 16GB of storage is released next spring for $499. And by doing so, they'll make any cheap 7" tablet appear as a fool's purchase; who in their right mind would spend $199 on a 7" Amazon Fire if for just $100 more they could get a 10" iPad 2?
 
HobeSoundDarryl said:
Com'on. Steve Jobs did this himself often. He was notorious for putting down something until Apple's version of that something came out. Then it was "great", "magical", etc. Do a little research. Try searching for "Apple flip flop" for starters and read some of those lists of times when Steve and/or Apple wailed against something until they rolled out an Apple version of it... and then it was the best thing ever (until the next best thing ever was ready). It's not being disrespectful. It's just doing more of the same.
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Are you saying Steve Jobs was a flip flopper?
 
Cory Bauer said:
Steve would come back from the grave to haunt Tim Cook if Apple released an iPad with a smaller screen. Steve was extremely adamant about 9.7" being the best size, and I'm sure many at Apple came to the same conclusion in their testing.

If they choose to, Apple will introduce a cheaper iPad model the exact same way they've done with the iPhone — by keeping last year's model around and cutting the storage in half. They could so very easily sell a $299 iPad 2 with 8GB of storage when the iPad 3 with Retina Display, A6 chip and 16GB of storage is released next spring for $499. And by doing so, they'll make any cheap 7" tablet appear as a fool's purchase; who in their right mind would spend $199 on a 7" Amazon Fire if for just $100 more they could get a 10" iPad 2?
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So basically you are saying that due to public remarks made by Steve Jobs the former boss of Apple. Apple as a company can never, and I mean NEVER, be it in the next 5, 10 or 100+ years ever release any tablet computer smaller than the first iPad because of what Steve said?
 
As a pad--a computer for semi-desktop use--a 7.x" iPad mini would be tedious. As a media viewer for videos/music/books/documents on-the-go, the 7.x" iPad mini would be excellent: far better than an iPod Touch or iPhone for such uses.

It just seems that a price point of $249-$299 would put the iPod Touch down the toilet unless they reduce iPod Touches to $149+ or slowly eliminate the iPT line or squeeze it down into the Nano-type range of product.
 
Pah lease! Apple is always testing new things but most never leave R&D. Ipad mini? Think iphone 5 with a 4 or more inch screen and gestures.
 
I own a Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 and the original ipad and I love the small size of the Galaxy. I'm looking forward to the Galaxy Tab 7.7, due to its very impressive specs. I think an Ipad mini is a step in the right direction, but I think going ghetto with the specs isn't the way to go. Apple shouldn't be competing in the low end sector, they've been known for premium quality. Leave the sub standard junk to Acer and the other bottom feeder brands.
 
HobeSoundDarryl said:
I didn't say that AT ALL. You're adding new information to twist it into a different argument. I completely agree that Apple has NO INTEREST in making anything on which they will try to solely make money on their 30% cut of iTunes transactions. First, they don't have to do that. Second, if they wanted to do that, current iDevices would be sold at cost instead of current pricing.

This rumored smaller iPad/bigger iPod Touch is NOT about that at all either. I'm sure that if Apple chose to build this iPad, they would do it with their usual margins in mind. I'm confident that if others can create and sell the hardware at prices below $499 and make a profit (on the hardware itself), Apple can figure out a way to do that too.

The person to which I originally responded was not making such a suggestion either. He simply implied that the 30% cut has "very little profit" in it for Apple and I suggested that a 30% cut on over 3 Billion in revenues is not "very little".
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Fair enough. We agree that they would build such a device only if the profitability were in the same ballpark as their other devices.

However, I don't think you can look at their cut of the app revenue as being significant. Sure, it sounds like a big number -- 30% of 3 billion is 900 million, after all -- but I don't think it is. Not for a company that does what? $20b per quarter? And the number we have is not net of the cost of sales either. Didn't Apple always maintain that they broke even at best on iTunes sales?
 
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What about an iPad maxi?
 
Piggie said:
So basically you are saying that due to public remarks made by Steve Jobs the former boss of Apple. Apple as a company can never, and I mean NEVER, be it in the next 5, 10 or 100+ years ever release any tablet computer smaller than the first iPad because of what Steve said?
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No. Apple didn't make the iPad 9.7" because Steve said so; they made it that size because after internally testing many sizes they concluded that 7" was a stupid-ass size for a tablet. It's what Apple learned that fueled Steve's comments, not the other way around. 7" is too large to fit in your pocket but too small to give a significantly different experience than a touchscreen smartphone. Apps designed for a 10" screen are not usable on a 7" screen unless we, as Steve said, file our fingers down to points.
 
lilo777 said:
Are you saying Steve Jobs was a flip flopper?
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Usually when a person is making a joke, they use the wink smily. Otherwise, it might be taken as a serious question. Have you seen: http://www.wired.com/gadgets/mac/commentary/cultofmac/2006/03/70546?currentPage=all but that one is only through 2006. And http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2010/01/26/steve-jobs-flip-flopper.html
Do some search for topics like Apple Flip flops and similar and read the lists. It has happened lots of times.
 
andreiru said:
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPod; CPU iPhone OS 5_0 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A334 Safari/7534.48.3)

What about an iPad maxi?
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From the very 1st moment I held my 1st iPad in my hands on the launch day of the iPad 1. My first reactions were. Oh, I thought it was bigger than that :(

I think my disappointment was due to the fact that a lot of the online reviews showed women holding and demonstrating them with smaller hands.

As a tall male, I have quite large hands, and the iPad feels quite small to me, and a lot smaller than it looks in most online photo's.

I'd buy a larger screen version over the current model in an instant.
 
I'd seriously consider buying one. It would be a great option to buy as a second tablet device for the family instead of dropping another $500-$800 on another iPad.

I think people are looking at the Kindle Fire as fighting the iPad. To me it's target is more around the iPod Touch and people looking to buy something with a more palatable price point. A lot of families who don't mind buying a kindle (back when it was $150) or iPod Touch (same price neighborhood) for their kids are not going to drop iPad money for their kids to use.

But a $200-$250 7 inch tablet would be VERY tempting...especially since I'd be able to use the same apps we've already purchased.
 
mantan said:
I'd seriously consider buying one. It would be a great option to buy as a second tablet device for the family instead of dropping another $500-$800 on another iPad.
...

But a $200-$250 7 inch tablet would be VERY tempting...especially since I'd be able to use the same apps we've already purchased.
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Wouldn't you rather have last year's model with the storage cut in half for $299? And by "last year" I mean the iPad 2 when the iPad 3 is released.
 
Cory Bauer said:
Wouldn't you rather have last year's model with the storage cut in half for $299? And by "last year" I mean the iPad 2 when the iPad 3 is released.
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Corey, why is Apple going to do that? Go into the Apple refurb store for "last years" iPad pricing and notice it is well above $299. You're now dreaming of them taking iPad2s and heavily cutting their pricing even further than what they've done with a more than 1-year old (not new, refurbished) iPad 1? Just to make the current model a real competitor against those attracted to the Fire's smaller size and much lower price? If we're just going to make up anything, I'd much rather have a 17" Macbook Air for $299 (I know, we're just making up "what ifs" to defeat the idea that someone may like a Fire size or price) instead of the Fire.
 
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