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Why would there be a smaller iPad?
- Thread starter iPhalandrew
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One of two things has to happen in the screen gets smaller.
1) same number of pixels, but on a smaller screen by 20%, then the icons shrink by 20% and become too small to accurately select with your finger when they are close together.
Or
2) same size pixels but fewer of them, and the app needs to be redesigned for the smaller screen's available screen real estate.
You cannot shrink the screen without making one of these choices.
Me too, I think my wife would like the current size. I hope the iPad 3 comes in both and I will buy one of each.
By that render then the iPhone looks unusable small and probably shouldn't exist either. Yet in reality it works fine and has started a revolution.I can see what everyone is saying... and maybe those few square inches make the difference... but after hours of hands on with the Fire (appropriate iPad mini size) I have to say that personally it felt like an odd, too small in-between. Here's the iPhone/Fire/iPad for reference.
The point is that all these people prejudging a product based on their imagination or creative photoshops and with zero experience of what it would be like with Apples OS and Apples hardware. Maybe it won't work and Jobs was right... Or maybe Jobs said what needed to be said for that isolated moment in time when he was trying to sell us a product.
i can definitely see demand for different sizes. personally, i want a bigger ipad!
but, the problem as i see it is how much demand? i don't see the fire size being the most lucrative target, and i hope that apple doesn't mess around with another screen size. in a world of limited time and financial resources, i want them to focus on the products they have.
it is cool that android has lots of sizes, and i am especially impressed with cool ones like the new droid and samsung note. but, the fragmentation
no thank you.
but, the problem as i see it is how much demand? i don't see the fire size being the most lucrative target, and i hope that apple doesn't mess around with another screen size. in a world of limited time and financial resources, i want them to focus on the products they have.
it is cool that android has lots of sizes, and i am especially impressed with cool ones like the new droid and samsung note. but, the fragmentation
no thank you.
Mad Mac Maniac
macrumors 601
I don't understand why people are thinking about an iPhone with a larger screen (4" rumors). Isn't a larger iPhone an iPad?!!?!?!!
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Yes, I choose 1). I have no issues what-so-ever selecting icons on my iPhone... If I had to wager a guess I'd say that 95% of all 9.7" interfaces would work perfectly on a 7.85". Actually that might be part of the reason Apple is looking at the 7.85 instead of just 7 like everyone else. The other 5%? Well thats simple enough to change. I'm sure Apple could even release some developer tools that allow an easy upscale of certain elements.
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no. there is a huge gap, and really cool devices like the droid are so much easier to use than the iphone (in my opinion).
the iphone is made for the old days, when people stuck their phones in their pockets, clipped them to a built, or strapped them to arms. personally, i think this "old" world is still the present-day one. most people are not like me with a man-bag, so i hope apple doesn't waste resources on developing a bigger product (somewhere in-between the ipad and iphone) that would fragment ios and not sell terribly well.
the ipad is a little small for my taste, but i also understand that there aren't many people who want something bigger.
Mad Mac Maniac
macrumors 601
I think your photo really visualizes the appropriateness of filling that size gap.
2 things to consider. At 7.85", the iPad mini would be noticably larger. And it would maintain the same 4:3 aspect ratio of the iPad as opposed to the 16:9 of the Fire.
That may make it seem more doable. Have you printed out the to-scale 7.85" iPad mock up that MacRumors has?
Have had a Kindle Fire in the household since shortly after Christmas. For content consumption, it's great. I'm surprised, in fact, how much more "portable" than the iPad it is without being so small as to be annoying for reading, watching videos, and casual games. In fact, for watching movies the 16x9 aspect ratio compared to the iPad's 4x3 makes up for the smaller screen.
Web "browsing"? Here I find the KF form factor less than optimal. Quite usable for "looking up" something on the web but not for undirected "browsing." To be fair, though, the iPad doesn't provide nearly as good a "browsing" environment as my larger laptop and its second monitor.
Content creation? Nope. Apart from the fact that the KF has no bluetooth capability for a real keyboard, the 16x9 aspect ratio is not as good as the iPad's and the smaller screen is simply too small. Works fine for email, both reading and responding, but beyond that the smaller form factor is a major deficit.
Overall, then, looking only at the size issues, I'd expect a smaller iPad to give up quite a bit in terms of content creation compared to the current model. To be sure, I don't think the iPad is an ideal device for content creation but it can be stretched to support those tasks relatively well. Going to a smaller device more or less limits one, imo, to content consumption.
Web "browsing"? Here I find the KF form factor less than optimal. Quite usable for "looking up" something on the web but not for undirected "browsing." To be fair, though, the iPad doesn't provide nearly as good a "browsing" environment as my larger laptop and its second monitor.
Content creation? Nope. Apart from the fact that the KF has no bluetooth capability for a real keyboard, the 16x9 aspect ratio is not as good as the iPad's and the smaller screen is simply too small. Works fine for email, both reading and responding, but beyond that the smaller form factor is a major deficit.
Overall, then, looking only at the size issues, I'd expect a smaller iPad to give up quite a bit in terms of content creation compared to the current model. To be sure, I don't think the iPad is an ideal device for content creation but it can be stretched to support those tasks relatively well. Going to a smaller device more or less limits one, imo, to content consumption.
good points.
android's aspect ratio has been a real sticking point for me even on the larger devices.
the lack of bluetooth in the fire was a deal killer for me. unbelievable, but i guess it tells you exactly what amazon thought you ought to be doing with it: buying their stuff!
maybe they are onto something, though, and realized the limits of the size. 9.7" works well (for me) with content creation, and i have no desire for anything smaller.
Something noticeably larger than the Fire? This makes even less sense (IMO) than something as in-between as the Fire.
I have not printed that out; however, my girlfriend owns a fire... side by side I (personally) still see no purpose for Apple to create a fire-sized iPad. I completelyyyy understand size being a personal preference... I just think as a business decision Apple will focus on a touch screen Air or larger iPad "Pro" before they make a mini iPad.
The largest difference in screen size would be optimum for Apple. If they are considering making the iPhone 4" or 4.5", and lowering the iPad to 7.85", well then they would be VERY similar. I feel like this would make people not want to own both devices and would cut into Apple's revenue.
Although either of these are more attractive, perhaps, than the current 3.5" and 9.7" devices, consumers who ALREADY OWN these devices are extremely likely (more than other consumers) to purchase both devices. Therefore, keeping the current base satisfied with both individual devices would be far more beneficial than trying to appeal to more people who then only buy one or the other.
imo
Although either of these are more attractive, perhaps, than the current 3.5" and 9.7" devices, consumers who ALREADY OWN these devices are extremely likely (more than other consumers) to purchase both devices. Therefore, keeping the current base satisfied with both individual devices would be far more beneficial than trying to appeal to more people who then only buy one or the other.
imo
Not to be facetious, what's wrong with existing solution, from Apple's point of view, is that they are not Apple products and, therefore, Apple doesn't make any money from their sale.
A smaller iPad might function as an entry level purchase for someone who cannot afford the larger iPad, but would like to have the good stuff that Apple products provide. Or just because of the Apple cachè.
In any case, it seems to me that, from Apple's perspective, having more consumers "in the fold" is advantageous, and might lead to to more Apple purchases.
Apple's never been an advocate of a "loss leader" product. Unless and until a mid-range tablet device can demonstrate independent viability within Apple's lineup we won't see one. By "independent" I mean that it won't cannibalize the current iPad market and can be manufactured at a low enough price to justify its existence.
Mad Mac Maniac
macrumors 601
Well I pointed it out because u mentioned something about the fire seeming "too small". I was suggestion that the slightly larger size paired with the 4:3 aspect ratio might not make it seem so small while adding an extra element of portability.
No doubt the central business objective from Amazon's standpoint was to promote consumption, digital and otherwise, from Amazon. And from all indications, it was a very good strategy.
I'm sure in the product design phase they considered bluetooth connectivity and probably rejected it on the grounds that adding another $10 to the cost of the device would break the $200 ceiling or add to the number of other purchases consumers would have to make for the KF to make money. And just what about a bluetooth keyboard would contribute to that?
I'm quite enamored of the KF. As a "Prime" member I can watch all six seasons of "Foyle's War" and the first season of "Downton Abbey" for "free." My wife can read late into the night without keeping the lights on in the bedroom. My daughter has her own UI for her apps from which she cannot "escape" into the rest of the KF or buy a refrigerator from Amazon. And I have to admit that when I'm leaving home it's easier to stick the KF into the pocket of my jacket than to carry my iPad.
On the other hand, keep in mind that the innumerable discussions on boards like this about whether the iPad can replace a laptop simply don't happen on forums devoted to the Kindle Fire. And that's because no one even thinks the question is worth asking.
Point taken.
I wasn't suggesting that Apple would ever create a product as a loss leader. But the price point for a smaller iPad would be less than the 9.75" and still make Apple's usual excellent profit margin.
As far as cannibalizing the full size iPad market, I would suggest that a small iPad would, to a significant extent, tap into a different market segment.
Admittedly, this is all total conjecture on my part. Because, basically, what the hell do I know?
We had one in the house for a weekend and while it's a good value for the money I didn't see a need for it in addition to the iPad. It's surprisingly heavy for its footprint and didn't really have the same ease of use as the iPad. For someone who wants a portable device for $200, it's a good deal.
Ah I see now... makes sense. Hey, i'm all for Apple making a variety of sizes and specs of the iPad... i'm just in the one camp who's dreaming of a larger 13" model with all the internals of an ultimate 13" air running both OS X & iOS or some amalgamation. Hook it up at your desk with Apple's bluetooth keyboard for media creation... then take it to the couch or on the plane for consumption. I'd buy that in a heartbeat! Hell, I can dream
No a 6.349928980 inch iPad would be best. God people... buy an iPhone or a Touch if you want a smaller iPad
In fact I have an iPad 2 iPhone 4 and iPod touch 4 I really would like something bigger then the iPhone but smaller then the iPad.i guess personal preference does not exist
That's twice you mention a reference to the icons' size as a need to be the same. So I have an iPhone 4S and I have an iPad 1. Last night, I put them side by side and the icons on the iphone 4s are much smaller than on the ipad. i have no problem selecting my apps on either devices even though Apple seems to have broken their own rules of what they can't do. From the difference in icon size and from the difference betwen a 9.7 and a 7.85 (approx), I would think the icons end up the same as the iphone's if the resolution of 1024x768 stays the same on the ipad mini.
So my question to you is: have you used either/both of these devices?!?!?
Current: 9.87"
iPhone: 4.3"
Difference: 5.57"
Ya I don't get the point of my post either. Hopefully someone will. I don't even know if the numbers above are right. Oh well... too lazy to delete.