Apple again rumored to launch 7" iPad in 2012

Posted:
in iPad edited January 2014
Asian supply chain sources are now claiming Apple will release a 7.85-inch iPad by the fourth quarter of 2012 to face off against competition from smaller tablets such as Amazon's Kindle Fire.



DigiTimes claimed on Friday that Apple is "likely" to launch a smaller iPad several months after the next-generation iPad, which is expected to arrive at the end of the first quarter.



"In order to cope with increasing market competition including the 7-inch Kindle Fire from Amazon and the launch of large-size smartphones from handset vendors, Apple has been persuaded into the development of 7.85-inch iPads," the report noted sources as saying.



Apple will allegedly purchase the 7.85-inch panels from LG Display and AU Optronics, with makers within the company's supply chain expected to begin production of the smaller iPad at the end of the second quarter of 2012.



The report should, however, be taken with some degree of skepticism, as the Taiwanese industry publication has a mixed track record with Apple predictions.



Rumors of a 7-inch iPad were supposedly laid to rest when late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs proclaimed such a screen to be "too small to express the software." However, reports of the device were resurrected this fall after the announcement of Amazon's Kindle Fire, which some have touted as the first credible challenger to the iPad.



Ticonderoga securities analyst Brian White claimed in October that he had heard rumblings of a so-called "iPad mini" arriving next year, though he believed the device would be cheaper and not necessarily smaller. Also in October, DigiTimes reported that suppliers were gearing up to ship 7.85-inch screens to Apple.



For its part, Amazon may not even stick with the 7-inch size for its Kindle Fire. Recent reports have suggested that the company is looking to expand to an 8.9-inch model. The Fire does appear to be on its way to success, as Amazon revealed on Thursday that millions of the device had been sold, though it declined to provide specific figures.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 89
    Lawl.
  • Reply 2 of 89
    I'm not seeing it. I could see a larger iPod Touch before a smaller iPad.
  • Reply 3 of 89
    quambquamb Posts: 143member
    Nup. Nonsense.



    The iPad is a perfect size. Just like the iPhone. No need to confuse their product line, and I don't hear of any demand for a smaller iPad or bigger iPhone that rumour sites keep hinting at.
  • Reply 4 of 89
    Bullshit!
  • Reply 5 of 89
    Apple sells various sized MacBooks, iMacs and iPods. A 2nd iPad won't be too surprising.
  • Reply 6 of 89
    paxmanpaxman Posts: 4,729member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post


    I'm not seeing it. I could see a larger iPod Touch before a smaller iPad.



    At this point it's academic. The point is the larger / smaller screen which would be great for gaming and social apps. But if we are talking about enlarging or shrinking existing ui's, then yeah, a smaller iPad is out of the question.
  • Reply 7 of 89
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Aizmov View Post


    Apple sells various sized MacBooks, iMacs and iPods. A 2nd iPad won't be too surprising.



    But we're talking about completely different UI paradigms. For Apple to change CocoaTouch UI they need to rethink everything to idealize it for the display, but for Aqua they don't have to change anything for it to work.



    Just look at the iPhone after 5 generations. We still have the exact same size and aspect ratio and they only changed the resolution when they could feasibly double the resolution. For Apple to add another CocoaTouch UI paradigm to the mix will be a huge undertaking and require a lot of consideration, which is probably why we have 3 models of iPhone going back three generations and 4 sizes of Mac notebook displays but all of the same generation.
  • Reply 8 of 89
    paxmanpaxman Posts: 4,729member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by quamb View Post


    Nup. Nonsense.



    The iPad is a perfect size. Just like the iPhone. No need to confuse their product line, and I don't hear of any demand for a smaller iPad or bigger iPhone that rumour sites keep hinting at.



    Yes and no. The iPad is the perfect size for me, but something in between the iPad and iPod would be perfect for my kids. They use their pods for gaming, YouTube, Facebook, ( some email), music and surfing, in that order.
  • Reply 9 of 89
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by paxman View Post


    At this point it's academic. The point is the larger / smaller screen which would be great for gaming and social apps. But if we are talking about enlarging or shrinking existing ui's, then yeah, a smaller iPad is out of the question.



    From a marketing standpoint I think a 5-7" iPod Touch would strengthen the iPod segment but a 5-7" iPad would weaken the iPad segment. That's pretty much my reasoning on that point.
  • Reply 10 of 89
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by quamb View Post


    Nup. Nonsense.



    The iPad is a perfect size. Just like the iPhone. No need to confuse their product line, and I don't hear of any demand for a smaller iPad or bigger iPhone that rumour sites keep hinting at.



    ?I would love a 7" iPod Touch. (Because, let's face it, a 7-inch "iPad" IS a big iPod Touch, whereas the iPad's screen size makes it a much different beast.)



    I have a Kindle Fire, and I love it ? warts and all. (Yes, I'm the one Mac geek who does, apparently.) An iPad is better, sure, but you can't stick it in your back pocket, either.
  • Reply 11 of 89
    Keep the aspect ratio, and the resolution the same as the iPad 2, and I think a 8" iPad would work..



    But as usual, I'll believe it when I see it..
  • Reply 12 of 89
    paxmanpaxman Posts: 4,729member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post


    From a marketing standpoint I think a 5-7" iPod Touch would strengthen the iPod segment but a 5-7" iPad would weaken the iPad segment. That's pretty much my reasoning on that point.



    Ok, I see your point and agree. I wonder if they would call it something else entirely. To some extent such a device would cannibalize both segments but I don't think that would be a 'problem'. I imagine the iPod segment would suffer the most but it it would easily be offset for by massives sales of this new device. It would make the perfect gaming device.
  • Reply 13 of 89
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by paxman View Post


    Yes and no. The iPad is the perfect size for me, but something in between the iPad and iPod would be perfect for my kids. They use their pods for gaming, YouTube, Facebook, ( some email), music and surfing, in that order.



    iPad Jr?
  • Reply 14 of 89
    And of course it will ship with Apple stickers and sandpaper!



    I will never say never - we might actually see something from Apple in that form factor. And if it made design sense, usability sense and business sense I'm sure it would have released even if Steve was there.

    But it seems that they did try out various sizes and form factors before zeroing in on the current size. I'm not sure they would go back to something they felt wouldn't work - unless there was a technical constraint before that isn't there now.
  • Reply 15 of 89
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by quamb View Post


    Nup. Nonsense.



    The iPad is a perfect size. Just like the iPhone. No need to confuse their product line, and I don't hear of any demand for a smaller iPad or bigger iPhone that rumour sites keep hinting at.



    Uh, have ya ever LOOKED at the laptop line? Which of them is the 'perfect' size?



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post


    But we're talking about completely different UI paradigms.



    Yeah, someone who just wants a smaller iPad for a certain purpose is going to say exactly that and not buy. Yup. That's how it works, all right.



    Now, back in the Real World (where us Earthlings live), what will actually happen is that Apple will see the market opportunity for smaller devices (i.e., Kindles selling like mad) and will simply Make It Happen.

    Seems obvious, but the obvious can be hard to see with your head so far up your ass.
  • Reply 16 of 89
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by paxman View Post


    At this point it's academic. The point is the larger / smaller screen which would be great for gaming and social apps. But if we are talking about enlarging or shrinking existing ui's, then yeah, a smaller iPad is out of the question.



    Shrinking or enlarging UIs is a daft idea and I really can't see Apple doing it. You should optimize the layout for the screen size. Buttons and text should stay the same size, just their position changes. It is no different from how windows resize on a Mac.
  • Reply 17 of 89
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    It would also make for a better in vehicle device. The problem is iPad currently is awfully big for the needs of highly mobile professionals. But why would anybody seriously think that Apple would stop at this point with just one sized device, iPad is highly successful and more choice will just lead to more sales and market share.



    As to software, it really isn't a problem guys. Developers will either support the device or they won't. This is no different than iPad today where some apps are developed specifically for it and no other iOS device.



    In any event iOS has been so successful for Apple they aren't going to stop at just one tablet or the current iOS line up. More and more hardware will come from Apple making use of iOS. Maybe even things nobody here has thought of.
  • Reply 18 of 89
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mister Snitch View Post


    Yeah, someone who just wants a smaller iPad for a certain purpose is going to say exactly that and not buy. Yup. That's how it works, all right.



    Now, back in the Real World (where us Earthlings live), what will actually happen is that Apple will see the market opportunity for smaller devices (i.e., Kindles selling like mad) and will simply Make It Happen.

    Seems obvious, but the obvious can be hard to see with your head so far up your ass.



    I'm not sure what part of "UI paradigm" you failed to understand or why you'd mention the Kindle when Apple introduced their first CocoaTouch UI on the iPhone, which is about 1/4 the display area of the Kindle.



    To reiterate, Mac OS can grow with various sized displays because of the windowed model( even though it has its limits), while iOS's CocoaTouch UI needs to be tailored to each device display based on size and aspect ratio in orde to optimize it for the primary input. If you can't see that and think the iPhone's OS would look just as good on an 11 MBA as it would on a 27" iMac then perhaps you shouldn't be here.
  • Reply 19 of 89
    Very unlikely. In the remote chance they did this, it would probably just run iPhone apps, just games, or no third party apps at all. I think it is more likely we would see a less expensive variant of the iPad 3.
  • Reply 20 of 89
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post


    I'm not sure what part of "UI paradigm" you failed to understand or why you'd mention the Kindle when Apple introduced their first CocoaTouch UI on the iPhone, which is about 1/4 the display area of the Kindle.



    To reiterate, Mac OS can grow with various sized displays because of the windowed model( even though it has its limits), while iOS's CocoaTouch UI needs to be tailored to each device display based on size and aspect ratio in orde to optimize it for the primary input. If you can't see that and think the iPhone's OS would look just as good on an 11 MBA as it would on a 27" iMac then perhaps you shouldn't be here.



    Once again, with you it's always the OTHER guy who has the very problem you exhibit. Meanwhile, the very next post on this forum projects a boatload of Kindles cutting deeply into the iPad market.



    Apple can obviously make iOS work on any sized device they need it to, and because of the Kindle, they need it to. Exactly what part of that don't YOU understand?



    Perhaps YOU shouldn't be here, though it's painfully evident by now that you simply have nowhere else to go. Don't concern yourself, though. Just keep saying 'paradigm' and telling yourself you're the only one who knows what it means. Yuck.



    Fortunately, this forum has a garbage can - er, an ignore function. Life's too short. So long, clownboy.
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