Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

This is the end of 9.7" iPad era

Will iPad mini cannibalize 9.7" iPad?

  • Yes, most definetely!

    Votes: 77 17.9%

  • No way!

    Votes: 352 82.1%
  • Total voters
    429
G

GoodBoy

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Nov 17, 2007
474
0
This is the beginning of the end of 9.7" iPad era. iPad mini will outsell current iPads, and eventually cannibalize it. Just because of the lower price, more compact design thus more sexy device. There's a reason Apple is planning to sell over 20mln iPad minis during holiday season alone. iPad 9.7" will continue to exist, but it'll be pushed to pro market and with time become even more expensive than it currently is.

What do you think?
 
9.7" is Apples first tablet size, but what always struck me as odd is that so many people felt it was the PERFECT tablet size and have rejected the idea that different needs may require different products.

Apple may have gotten a lot of things right in their iPad design, but who's to say that size is one of them. It feels right to us because, as Apple fans, it's all we know. But my feeling has always been that once people try a smaller size then they'll realize that 9.7" is nice but it's not necessarily ideal.

Poll: Will the iPad Mini become Apples best selling iPad?
 
Last edited:
I think the iPad mini will attract a combination of new customers who never considered the full sized iPad, those that will switch to the smaller version once it becomes available, and those that will have both.

It's a little early to say because we aren't sure exactly what specs the mini will have and what the price will be. I think there will continue to be a strong market for the full sized iPad for quite awhile. I'm not sure that the size of an iPad necessarily makes it more "sexy". :)
 
For people that want 7 inch tablets they now have an option to get one from apple. But not everyone wants a smaller iPad.
 
Aren't they different devices?

In the same way you have 13" Macbook Pro and 15" Macbook Pro. They have different uses and appeal to different people.;)
 
Have you tried this size?

I had a Nexus for while and although it's a nice machine it was too small for me.

Diminutive things attract diminutive people :D
 
mac jones said:
Have you tried this size?

I had a Nexus for while and although it's a nice machine it was too small for me.

Diminutive things attract diminutive people :D
Click to expand...
Yes I have. iPad 9.7" is just too big and too heavy. If I want to use device of this size I use my netbook, which is just a little bigger. If I want to use a tablet device, I want something significantly smaller and more pocketable. I understand that everyone have their own needs.
 
GoodBoy said:
Yes I have. iPad 9.7" is just too big and too heavy. If I want to use device of this size I use my netbook, which is just a little bigger. If I want to use a tablet device, I want something significantly smaller and more pocketable. I understand that everyone have their own needs.
Click to expand...

Although I do like my 1st Gen iPad, I too feel the 9.7" size is too big. Especially when holding it with one hand. I was eyeing the Nexus 7 because of its smaller form factor but I will be getting the iPad mini now.
 
Woodcrest64 said:
Although I do like my 1st Gen iPad, I too feel the 9.7" size is too big. Especially when holding it with one hand. I was eyeing the Nexus 7 because of its smaller form factor but I will be getting the iPad mini now.
Click to expand...

I am the exact opposite. I wish they would make tablets with a full 8" x 11" (or the European size - A3 or 4?) sized display. Even slightly shrinking down, say, a piece of sheet music affects it's readability. I would like to be able to display documents at original size, no matter how slight the difference is.
 
While I do believe that smaller, cheaper iPad will ultimately gather more sales, analogous to iPod Mini/Nano vs. iPod Classic, this is by no means the end of an iPad "Classic". General purpose computers such as Laptops, Tablets and even Smartphones, are different beasts compared to limited funtionality music player where size/price is everything. People who'll need that extra screen real estate and/or extra power will still buy a full sized iPad. You can look at it in the same way as 13" MBP/MBA vs 15" MBP, the smaller, cheaper models are best selling, but the larger, more powerful models are quite popular as well.
 
bilibug said:
I am the exact opposite. I wish they would make tablets with a full 8" x 11" (or the European size - A3 or 4?) sized display. Even slightly shrinking down, say, a piece of sheet music affects it's readability. I would like to be able to display documents at original size, no matter how slight the difference is.
Click to expand...

Good point. Hopefully in our life time we can carrying something small as a iPod Nano and have it project a 3D or 2D image as large as 60" or whatever. That be stellar for things like music notes, movies and etc :D

I do see your point. One size doesn't suit everyone's needs.
 
I have the Nexus 7. It's nice to carry, nice to read ebooks, etc., but terrible for notetaking and reading PDFs. The iPad Mini will have the same problems, so I have no interest in it. I am sure it will sell well, but for people who want to get stuff done, it might be just another toy.

In fact, I am sorry to say, I am getting tired of iOS and even Apple. As you can tell by my many posts on this forum, I am a heavy consumer and creator of content on the iPad. I have arguably pushed it to its limits in order to get as much done with it as I can. But, for reasons beknownst only to Apple, they simply cannot provide it with basic functionality like (for example) the easy ability to upload things to websites, save files to external drives, have multiple windows open at once, or have old copies of software available in the appstore when updates go awry.

If Windows 8 works out, I will probably jump ship, because quite frankly, I want to be able to leave the house with just my tablet and know that it is going to work. That is all I want. No more funky workarounds that may or may not work. No more proprietary funky cables. No more expensive drives with built in wifi just to do the job that a thumb drive used to be able to do. No more sites that simply don't work on the iPad in any browser. And, no more apps that cannot talk to one another.

I'll miss the retina display, all of the synchronicity with Apple stuff like Apple TV, but I won't miss the hassles. The tablet form factor is the way to go, but iOS is inadequate. That said, has anyone gotten it right so far? Android is close, but still not a full-fledged operating system. I have high hopes for Windows, but low expectations. I might have to stick with Apple for another year or two yet.

Don't get me wrong. I've gotten a lot out of Apple. I just don't know why they make it so difficult to do some things, and I yearn to get more done with my iPad. The Mini could be so great, but it is hobbled by an approach to operating systems that takes away the power of the user to adapt the device to their needs. Maybe I just need to jailbreak my stuff and move on :)
 
Last edited:
bilibug said:
I am the exact opposite. I wish they would make tablets with a full 8" x 11" (or the European size - A3 or 4?) sized display. Even slightly shrinking down, say, a piece of sheet music affects it's readability. I would like to be able to display documents at original size, no matter how slight the difference is.
Click to expand...

You'd want A4 size - 29.7 x 21.0 cm or 11.7" x 8.2". A3 would be 42.0 x 29.7 cm or 16.4" x 11.7". A bit large. That said, yes, I'd personally like a larger iPad for my uses.
 
End of the 9.7" era? Yeah, not so much....

...for me, anyway.
I use my iPad every day, for 5-6 hours at the very least. Most days, in fact, I actually run the battery down to 10-25%. I actually use the thing all the time.

Perhaps it's because I'm a grad student, or perhaps it's because I'm an Internet addict and a technophile, or both. But, the truth of the matter is that it's the perfect size for reading, studying, researching, web-browsing, producing content, and consuming media while on the go.

I have bought each successive generation of the iPad, because it has proved to be such a valuable tool for me that I've had no qualms whatsoever about ensuring that I have the latest and greatest version. It's my central workhorse, whereas the iMac stays at home. I also use the cellular version of the iPad, and have since day one of its availability. It makes all the difference for me.

I find the idea of a smaller version interesting, inasmuch as I'm always tempted by new Apple devices, but there is no way I'd ever consider downsizing. But, again, that's just my opinion although I know I'm not the only one that feels that way.
 
thefreeagent said:
I find the idea of a smaller version interesting, inasmuch as I'm always tempted by new Apple devices, but there is no way I'd ever consider downsizing. But, again, that's just my opinion although I know I'm not the only one that feels that way.
Click to expand...
We'll see. Seems like most people don't believe iPad mini will cannibalize bigger iPad, but so was the case with not believing in iPad mini ever coming out not so long ago....
 
I love my 9.7" iPad. Now the iPad mini will be almost an 8" as the iPad 3 is almost a 10". So it will be a little bigger then most of the 7" tablets on the market. I won't get one, I'm going to hold off and see what iPad 4 has.
 
The current iPad is pretty compact lol. I bring it every where never once wished it was smaller,in fact it would take away from some of the experience
 
You can almost fit 2 nexus 7s on the 9.7'' iPad, give or take one or two inches.

The larger iPad is here to stay. If anything, it'll be bigger and lighter in the near future.
 
Ive had all three ipads, my wife has had the last two. Two months ago i bought a nexus 7 and fell in love with the form factor. I've never used my ipads for productivity -- strictly entertainment of all kinds. Have mac mini and macbook air for work. Same with the n7 that i now tend to use more than the ipad. So an ipad mini with a rear camera will be mine/ours. If the n7 had a rear camera i'd probablypass on the mini and use the one my wife will get.
 
The whole premise of the thread is absurd. IPad Mini will "cannibalize" 9.7" iPas in the same way as 11" MacBook Air "cannibalizes" 15" MacBook Retina. It's called giving people a choice
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back