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This is the end of 9.7" iPad era
- Thread starter GoodBoy
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I don't think I will like the 7" screen. I mostly surf on my Ipad and that will suck on a 7" screen. Make it much more like using a smartphone - something you do in a pinch not something that surfs better than my laptop most of the time.
On the other hand text input might improve as thumb typing is easier on a 7". And it is lighter in the hand which helps when reading ebooks or any article formatted for that size of device.
Won't hurt music playing. Watching movies will be worse although can't say I watch many movies on my Ipad. Maybe a few times on the road and once in bed.
Email might improve as text input probably improves for most usage cases because of easier thumb typing. And email is mostly text right?
Still a bigger screen really makes the ipad. What if they come up with a folding iPad. Folds in half when not in use?
On the other hand text input might improve as thumb typing is easier on a 7". And it is lighter in the hand which helps when reading ebooks or any article formatted for that size of device.
Won't hurt music playing. Watching movies will be worse although can't say I watch many movies on my Ipad. Maybe a few times on the road and once in bed.
Email might improve as text input probably improves for most usage cases because of easier thumb typing. And email is mostly text right?
Still a bigger screen really makes the ipad. What if they come up with a folding iPad. Folds in half when not in use?
Lol what's that got to do with strength? Women's purses may fit a mini a lot better than the regular one.
They put a man on the moon And the Space Shuttle into space with less computing power.
The iPad is a computer. Just doesn't have the horsepower of today's computers.
But certainly people did a ton of work on computers not any more powerful not too long ago.
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Another big drawback of the 7" is going to be worse battery life right? Or no?
half the screen but half the battery size means less battery life as screen is only one drain, albeit a big one, on battery life. I also imagine that a 7" screen isn't quite 1/2 the power consumption as a 10" screen.
Maybe so, but even if that's your only use for it, how in the world is that a "powerful media creation tool"? Clearly you don't need such a tool which is fine and I'm happy to hear you enjoy your iPad so much, but that does not make it a "powerful media creation tool" no matter how much you love it.
I don't know what kind of writing you're referring to, but journalism/professional reviews/articles/novels, someone with a laptop will crush you. They will just be able to create and distribute content so much faster than you, your head will be spinning.
Once reason I gave up on the iToys for notetaking was how do you reposition the cursor? It's horrible, you touch a point and get sort of close, try to drag your finger a bit. It's so bad, I'd rather leave my typos and mistakes in place and try to fix it later from the desk top of just delete if it's only a line back. Just thinking about writing anything substantive on an iToy makes me cringe.
That's one example. There's many more and I only used it for about a week.
I do agree with what you are saying about how horrible it is to position the cursor. I really wish Apple would add arrow keys to the on-screen keyboard (not that difficult, jailbreak tweaks have managed to do this). However, despite the difficulty of cursor movements, the iPad does allow me to get some writing/editing done on the subway and bus during my commute. I'd never open a laptop on the subway or bus, there just isn't enough space for that, but the iPad works very well in that context.
I wouldn't consider the iPad a power tool, but it is much more useful to me than a toy. Whether or not a smaller iPad will work as well, I don't know -- I'd have to take one for a spin to find out. For some tasks, like keeping my calendar, contacts and todo list, I'm fairly sure the smaller size wouldn't matter. For some tasks, like reading PDF documents, I want an even bigger tablet than the current iPad -- fortunately, that's not something I have to do very often. For yet other tasks, like reading ebooks and writing/editing documents, I'm not sure whether or not the iPad mini size will work for me.
But seeing how the iPad can be used for many different types of tasks, and how even in my own use case, some tasks can be performed adequately on the mini while others can't, I'm thinking that there will likely be people who prefer the mini size, and there will be people who prefer the current size, so both will sell well, and both sizes will likely co-exist for a long time.
I agree with pretty much everything you said. But the other poster called the iPad a "powerful media creation tool", and I don't know what sort of twisted internal reasoning can lead someone to a conclusion like that.
I'm not sure I follow your reasoning here. It's true that the computers on board Apollo and the Shuttle were deliberately as simple as they could be. And the technology available at the time was obviously less advanced than today.
But my argument about the iPad not being suitable for creation was more to do with the closed nature of iOS, and how that hampers simple workflow such as file exchange and easy interfacing with other devices.
That was kind of the point I was making....A tablet and tablet OS that can also quickly function as a laptop / desktop is a winning combination IMHO.
What part of my statement is confusing you? Writing is a form of "media creation." The iPad is a "tool." Being able to write something from the initial draft to the final, published product on a tablet makes it "powerful."
I produce as much or more on my iPad as I do on my MBA.
A bluetooth external keyboard (I recommend Apple's) enables you to use shortcut keys, which make the mouse unnecessary. I say this as someone who used to complain loudly, even on these forums, about the inability to use a mouse with the iPad. That is, until one of our fellow forum members schooled me, and I realized that I didn't need a mouse after all.
I encourage you to read a bit more on the forums before you rush to judgment about the iPad or your fellow forum members. I have been working on the iPad for a couple of years, so I know what I am talking about. And, it is not just me. YOU might not be able to imagine how to use the iPad as a content-creation device, but I can assure you that many OTHERS have.
Obviously, there are certain kinds of work that don't fare well on the iPad because of the form factor or various iOS restrictions. Writing happens to be one of those tasks that is probably best-suited to the device, provided your writing falls within the parameters of what Pages (or your writing app of choice) can accomplish. Although I am very productive on it, even I have to use a computer on a regular basis (maybe 10% of the time), but usually these are because of bizarre limitations that Apple has built into the device. It is frustrating, especially since software and hardware designers are increasingly trying to imitate Apple in nerfing their products. The iPad Mini fails to inspire me both because of its size (see earlier comments, and my ones below) and the fact that it will work just like the iPad, so doesn't solve any of my problems. In other words, it is nothing "new." I have high hopes for the Windows 8 tablets, and some hopes for Windows RT tablets, but very low expectations. Whatever my complaints about Apple, it is true that they are the only ones so far who have built a tablet that can reliably do what I need. Android is very, very close, but not quite there yet.
Returning to the topic, I think that there will be people who find their work easier to do on a larger iPad than on a smaller one, so the 9.7" version will stick around. I think the number of people like this is probably quite large, but I suppose only market research teams have data to back this assertion up.
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In my opinion there's no room for 2 sizes in tablet market to be both equally successful, especially coming from the same company. There will be one winner and if iPad mini will not cannibalize larger iPad totally, it will kick it out of the throne for sure. As for productivity usage, there's really no difference for me between 7,8" and 9,7". Some else could as well say that 9.7" is crap compared to 12" tablets. Truth is anything larger than 6" is comfortable for reading and typing and thats two most important things when it comes to productivity. I see most people who voted "no way" are the ones who own 9.7" iPad or recently purchased one and just don't want deal with or are in fear of the fact that the new king is coming so their newly obtained tablet won't be as much hyped anymore... Tommorrow everyone will be talking about 7,8" inch tablet, not the 9,7" one. If everything goes right and the iPad mini won't be a disaster, it will easily succeed and then if 9.7" iPad survives, it will be second best.
mba 11 and 13, mbp 13 and 15, ipod nano and touch... it seems to me that there is room. if you can get as much done with a smaller form factor, that's great! that isn't my experience, though.
i can't speak for everyone else, and i don't agree with the conclusion you have reached about their motivations. as for me, i've already got a small tablet (nexus 7), so i've got a stake in both big and large, but i am finding the larger size to be better for what i do. actually, everything from web surfing to writing notes in meetings is preferable on the ipad.
i don't know anything about kings or other royalty, but i'd say interest in the larger ipad will remain.
I like my iPad III. I sold a 15" Macbook Pro to pay for it. The iPad handles my word processing needs adequately, and when I have to travel to meetings, its smaller size, smaller charger, and a lot less weight make it much more totable. I wouldn't want to trade its 9.7" screen for the smaller one on the iPad "mini." 
I got the ZAGG case and bluetooth keyboard for my iPad. Works fine.
I got the ZAGG case and bluetooth keyboard for my iPad. Works fine.
You said the iPad would be "outsold" by the Mini, the Mini would "cannibalize" it, it would become a "pro" device, and it would rise in price.
I have tried to explain why I think this doesn't make sense: we already have several iPods, including one quite close in size to the Mini. Others have said that in many respects, the jump to the iPad is superior in terms of content consumption. I have pushed the idea that the larger iPad is better for content creation as well. I think people have made a good case for why the current iPad is doing so well.
What have you offered us to bolster your claims? As far as I can tell, no one in the marketing world is expecting more than a 20% cannibalization of sales. So, the iPad will remain 80% of the tablets that Apple sells. Of course there is cannibalization, so you are right on that, but everything else seems off to me.
I think there is a market for the Mini, but not the large one you see, and I am wondering if you have any evidence to convince us otherwise. Maybe it was in the thread, but I just missed it.
I am not terribly talented at prognostication, but the scenario you describe seems unlikely to me. Something tells me that if the Mini was really that great, then Apple would have gone with it before they made the iPad.
What I think we are seeing is a retrenchment of sorts by Apple as they realize that they need to deal with the rise of the minis elsewhere (Fires and Nexus), but nothing innovative or market-changing, as far as I can tell.
4" iPod touch is nowhere near the size of nearly 8" tablet. Two completely different devices. That device isn't the touch, it's an iPad 9,7", that's why it's going to be cannibalized - to what point only time will tell, but it's pretty clear current gen iPad sales will shrink the moment iPad mini comes out. That 20% of cannibalizaion you reffereing to is only based on initial iPad mini sales prognostics. In time, if the mini succeeds, it will be even worse for it's bigger brother. I understand some people, especially the ones who invested in iPad 2 or iPad 3 are threatened by the iPad mini potential of dominance in Apple's tablet category. Just because the support will not be as long as anyone can expect or the larger iPad will no longer be the main focus of development for Apple. But you know what, the times have changed and so is the market. "Pro users" I was reffering to are the people who use an iPad occasionally for some work/business and for them I agree larger device is better. There's Microsoft Slate tablet coming just around the corner who will strongly compete with iPad on workability level, but that's a different story. However I believe most people use their tablets for fun, media consumption purposes and web browsing. For that most people more compact, lightweight and cheaper tablet can be a lot better in just about every aspect.
No it won't cannibalize the iPad
The ipad Mini won't cannibalize the iPad, now the iPod Touch might be something else entirely.
it's a "cheaper", smaller alternative, perfect for kids, folks on the go etc.
There are audiences for everything.
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all I want is a keyboard cover.
Lighter, longer battery life and all that is fine for my 2014 upgrade.
The ipad Mini won't cannibalize the iPad, now the iPod Touch might be something else entirely.
it's a "cheaper", smaller alternative, perfect for kids, folks on the go etc.
There are audiences for everything.
...
all I want is a keyboard cover.
Lighter, longer battery life and all that is fine for my 2014 upgrade.
Actually, the iPod is pretty close in size, in my opinion, but we'll just have to disagree there.
As for your attribution of motive to people that disagree with you, I'd like to see some evidence for these small minded people who cling to their iPad 2s and 3s, and scoff at the Mini because they feel threatened. In my experience, most people have a bunch of idevices. Heck, I've had just about every one of them myself. That's kind of how the Apple ecosystem works.
Anyhow, you are just repeating your doom and gloom claims about the iPad without any evidence for it beyond your gut feelings. I was hoping to hear more than that, because it is interesting to speculate about where trends are taking us. In this case, I don't think the Mini is the future.
I bought apple's keyboard, it may be pretty but it's one of the most painfully unergonomic keyboards available. I use it on my media PC and it's actually quite nice for that. For any real data entry, it's carpel tunnel surgery in a small package. Your blind devotion to apple would be funny if it weren't so sad.
For a century, people would create major works from initial draft to finished product on a mechanical typewriter. I've never heard of one being referred to as a powerful media creation tool, though I suppose in the 19th century it would have been.
I feel like I am talking to someone trying their hardest to convince me that the backseat of a car is only good for groceries and seating passengers, and there is nothing more creative that anyone could ever come up with to do there. Just because you can't see the potential in an iPad doesn't mean everyone cannot.