This is the end of 9.7" iPad era

[Medic311]

since tablets are headed towards small-notebook replacements (we see it with Android tablets and Apple will eventually follow despite what Tim Cook says), good luck with that 7" screen.

really anything under 11" in 16:9 format is horrendous to deal with, but since the iPad is 4:3 and 9.7" it's actually a nice screen size.

i bought a logitech ultrathin keyboard dock and a bluetooth mouse and i'm running that BTC Mouse app (jailbreak on Cydia). it works great as a second workstations on my desk while i'm at work or when i am at home. with apps that sync data with my Windows 7 laptop including Google Chrome active tab sync, i can make seamless transitions between both devices

 

[Zwhaler]

I would expect the mini to become the most popular iPad because of the price. I don't think it will mean the death of the full size iPad because it has a really hi res display and so many people are used to it, OS has already developed around it as well as apps, etc.

 

[zephyrnoid]

As I've maintained since the iPad 1 was released. What about 50% of the market really needs is an Apple branded 7" diagonal tablet. So here we are, Two years later and finally, Apple's vision, lines up with mine.
It's not Steve Job's fault we had to wait this long. Apple read the market correctly, the OTHER 50% that is
Oh and BTW. if it's more than 1/2" wider than the Nexus 7 it will NOT fit into my Burberry Trench coat and will therefore, not make MY cut. As always YMMV

 

[bilibug]

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.

Yes, A4!
Thanks!

 

[andrewnguyener]

I think that they will keep the 9 inch iPads because Apple likes to hit products at all price points. More options=larger customer base.

 

[brentsg]

I don't want a larger phone and I don't want a smaller tablet.

 

[rowspaxe]

I haven't figured out why the seven inch form factor has inspired so much chauvinism. Some pretty weird threads. There seems to be a slight uptick in posters responsive to a larger ipad. A lot of people don't get the large tablet thing because they see it as a pain to carry around. I think a 15" tablet with a digitizer would be awesome. I would accept trade offs in battery life to have this size realatively light and slim. Like a 17" mbp, portability is not the point. Its going to happen, probrobly with a win oem partner catering to the design community--like lenveno. I don't know if apple is ready to re-vision the ipad as a productivity device. There will be inertia to keep ios very consumer-ish. You can't really have an ipad pro without an ios pro. This is opening for MS, but they will likely flub it.

 

[mac jones]

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.

That's the thing for me and many others. Original document size. For this the 9" is ideal. I mean, if I want a document displayed, a reduction in size is a compromise. Now this may or may not be acceptable, dependent upon portability. That pretty much sums it up.

 

[Michael CM1]

A smaller iPad will fill a demand a lot of people have. But if you like reading magazines and books, it's hard to beat a 9.7-inch iPad. That's pretty close to the actual size of a standard sheet of paper. For books, it allows some pretty big text without having to flip every three seconds. For photos, you don't have to zoom in to see details.

Don't forget that this device will likely have a 1024x768 display, nothing close to the third-gen iPad. It will be the iPod nano of the lineup. Apple sells a ton of those, but the iPod touch doesn't do too bad, either.

 

[dieburnbot]

Never I love my 9.7 inch iPad. If I want something smaller I have my iPhone. The 9.7 inch screen is perfect for web browsing and other tasks.

 

[TheWheelMan]

I don't think it'll in any way kill the full size iPad, but it could lead to the larger iPad going to the 16:9 aspect ratio. I hope not, but I could easily see the Mini leading to that change.

 

[GoodBoy]

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

13" and 15" MBPs cannibalized 17" MBP. Apple pulled it from the store. Similar fate can happen to 9.7" iPad, while I don't exactly believe it'll be discountinued anytime soon, it will be pushed to niche category. In other words an iPad mini will steal the show regarding Apple's tablet market. It will be the main focus, not 9.7" iPad.

 

[0111587]

I would like 12" iPad.

 

[Blakjack]

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....

The only thing the iPad mini is going to do cancel out all other tablets(excluding current ipad) chances of success. After this release, Google will just give up on the tablet market and amazon will have to release a true $99 tablet and fail. #iKid

 

[GoCubsGo]

For people that want 7 inch tablets they now have an option to get one from apple. But not everyone wants a smaller iPad.

Exactly. For me, a couch surfer, the larger is better. If I were a frequent commuter (public transport) I would really want something smaller. I love the size of my little Kindle so I assume I'd benefit from a smaller iPad if my situation were different.

 

[S.B.G]

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?

It's hard to say, but I doubt the 9" iPad will go to a "pro market" and become more expensive. I have one and do not have any desire for the rumored iPad mini. I think the new one will have a good market share and will probably take more of a bite from Android tablets than it will of it's own iPad brethren.

 

[Luis Ortega]

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

I have an Asus tablet with windows 7 as well as an ipad 2, and the Asus tablet is an actual computer, with file system, usb ports, and the ability to install any software I choose, while the ipad is not.
The ipad has better touch response, so I am looking forward to win 8 to see if the touch interface works better on the Asus tablet.

 

[RedRaven571]

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

This.

In the MacBook Pro series, the 13" probably outsells the 15", its smaller, lighter, and less expensive (sort of like the iPad mini). Do lots of people still buy the 15"? You betcha.....

 

[Thegolem]

and those that will have both.

Why would anyone barring those with excess cash reserves to buy both pretty much just for the heck of it need to buy both?

 

[palpatine]

I have an Asus tablet with windows 7 as well as an ipad 2, and the Asus tablet is an actual computer, with file system, usb ports, and the ability to install any software I choose, while the ipad is not.
The ipad has better touch response, so I am looking forward to win 8 to see if the touch interface works better on the Asus tablet.

I keenly miss these basic features on the iPad, and I feel like the iPad Mini is just going to continue Apple's trend of nerfing their stuff. It is a real shame, because Apple COULD give us tremendous power, but they refuse to do it.

Next week will be pretty exciting, and I wonder which tablet will emerge victorious. It would be great if Windows does well, but nothing really compares to the iPad's display (you mentioned its touch response, and I will chime in to say that the Nexus 7 isn't as good as the iPad), and I'll be surprised if Microsoft "gets" it.

More importantly, I guess, what is RT and would I just be buying into another nerfed experience? I suspect we may have to wait a while before someone can surpass the iPad, big or small.

 

[ctyrider]

13" and 15" MBPs cannibalized 17" MBP. Apple pulled it from the store. Similar fate can happen to 9.7" iPad, while I don't exactly believe it'll be discountinued anytime soon, it will be pushed to niche category. In other words an iPad mini will steal the show regarding Apple's tablet market. It will be the main focus, not 9.7" iPad.

I don't think so. There will be markets for both form factors. Especially if Apple limits the "premium" features (like Retina display) to a 9.7" model. 7.85" will be an entry-level iPad and 9.7" will be a high-end model.

Anyway, there is no such thing as "cannibalizing" your own products - it's a silly made up concept. Prior to 7" iPad - those who desire a smaller form factor just give their money to Google for Nexus 7. Now, Apple can compete for these customers and get the revenues that would otherwise go to Google and Amazon.

I think it was Steve Jobs himself who said once - "if you are too afraid to cannibalize your products - your competitor will do it for you".

 

[bilibug]

...

Next week will be pretty exciting, and I wonder which tablet will emerge victorious. It would be great if Windows does well, but nothing really compares to the iPad's display (you mentioned its touch response, and I will chime in to say that the Nexus 7 isn't as good as the iPad), and I'll be surprised if Microsoft "gets" it.

...

One sign that they don't is the exclusion of Remote Desktop on the Surface Tablet. That is a pretty big omission for something that is supposed to be a "real" computer compared to an iPad.

There are very few things that Microsoft does well anymore. And I'm an ex-fan boy (beta tester Windows 95 -> Longhorn. Almost sent me running with Windows ME, but lost me completely with Vista.).

 

[knemonic]

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

The Mini will have a 7.85" screen at 4:3 aspect ratio, meaning it will be 40% bigger than the 7" 16:9 screens on the nexus and kindles.

This will be a great in the middle, which is why I am psyched.

 

[Breaking Good]

I see the iPad Mini eventually getting a retina display along with the MacBook Air and the 9.7" iPad getting a scaled back version of OS X. Then we will have finally reached Apple-vanna and all shall be good with the world.

 

[palpatine]

One sign that they don't is the exclusion of Remote Desktop on the Surface Tablet. That is a pretty big omission for something that is supposed to be a "real" computer compared to an iPad.

There are very few things that Microsoft does well anymore. And I'm an ex-fan boy (beta tester Windows 95 -> Longhorn. Almost sent me running with Windows ME, but lost me completely with Vista.).

I still don't know what is missing from RT, and I get the sense that it will run into some of the same problems as Apple's iOS. For example, until this time last year no app existed that could give you footnotes in iOS. This made it useless for many students. Now we have them in Pages (nowhere else?), so things are getting better. Will Microsoft run into the same kind of seemingly trivial, but actually crucial omissions? Maybe footnotes are not everyone's thing, but there are all sorts of functions that you just have to have if you are going to leave the house for a business trip and depend on some device to work. This is where I feel like RT will probably stumble and fall.

Apple's iOS is now barely able to do my most important, daily work, but that took years. Microsoft is so very far behind

In this sense, I think the iPad Mini is a safe bet. It is going to lack all sorts of things I want to see (see my rant above), but you know what it will have, and because it is Apple, you know it will work. Even if it isn't the greatest device in the world, I think we can expect it to sell really well. At that size, though, I think it is still inadequate for business professionals. I could be wrong, but it seems to me that the regular-sized iPad is here to stay, and that really exciting possible competitors (Windows RT) will probably not live up to the hype.