How about a great competitor to handheld game consoles. If they use the same GPU as what is expected to run the iPad 3's 2048x1536 display on a 1024x768 display that would seem pretty impressive. Note I have not compared specs to Sony and Nintendo's upcoming devices.
I can't see it. It's good for casual games - but they can't go head to head with the PS Vita without a massive jump in power and buttons. Nintendo being forced to "add on" joysticks after the release of the 3DS highlights this. You just cant play football/fighting/FPS games without a joystick and buttons. On screen controls are crap in comparison.
I recall a lot of people here saying the Verizon iPhone would never happen, too.
Look at the phone market. The fragmentation of the Android market, while excessive, has not seemed to slow down the big market share gains Android has made. The dire predictions many here made about fragmentation destroying Android have yet to come true. It appears that price and offering users a choice has more than made up for any fragmentation concerns. One of the biggest reasons I hear from people who have chosen something other than an iPhone is the "one-size-fits-all" solution Apple is offering. (and I don't necessarily mean "size" as limited to physical size)
Now look the tablet market. Yes, Apple clearly holds the high ground. But does that mean they should sit on their perch and watch Android tablets on the low ground surround them? If more Android tablets start emerging on the low end of the market, they will also inevitably take stabs at the high ground. So Apple can sit and watch that happen, or they can build defenses on the low-end of the market to prevent any small form-factor Android tablets from ever gaining traction.
I'm not saying it's going to happen, but there is an argument to be made for the strategy. If there is no market for the Android tablet to grow and mature, it will be less of a threat to the iPad, in whatever sizes it comes in.
As far as "confusing customers" (again, this was often cited as a reason why there would never be a Verizon iPhone), did the multiple form factors of the iPod confuse people? They all did the same thing, and that seems to have worked out pretty well for Apple.
A key reason why Android is doing well on mobile phones is because they're sold at a subsidized price by mobile carriers, who are incentivized to push Android over iOS.
This leads to a key reason why Android tablets aren't doing so well - they're sold unsubsidized via various retail channels where consumers can make up their own minds instead of being pushed towards one device by a carrier salesperson.
Hmmm.. I wonder how much sandpaper will be included with the model?
Seriously though, one thing people have to realise is that one can never say never. 3 years back, Apple decided that the 9.7" screen size is the optimal size. A lot changes in 3 years and if there is now a market for a 7.8" tablet, then Apple can go for it if they choose to.
And of course, my OCD will compel me to get one.
Where is the market for that size tablet? Outside of Amazon who has a smaller tablet that is selling well? And with Amazon it's more about the kindle name than anything else. And of course the $199 price point. But Apple makes it's money off hardware not content so I can't see them ever selling something with that low of margins.
Apple's strategy has never included targeting the low-end market. It avoids it..
Not completely true, or there would have never been an iPod Shuffle. But, I think Apple might start selling the iPad 2 cheaper to compete with the wannabes.
I've met a handful of other people that purchased the Kindle Fire.
Those weren't millions of fantom sales. There is a market for people that want a tablet but don't want to invest $500 for one.
I'm totally cool with a $399 iPad 2 remix but even then it's still in a high price bracket.
A smaller iPad at $299 -$349 is a viable option for some and quite honestly I think the market is just beginning to bloom.
Cloud technology and easy Wifi make any mobile device worth it. Sure it's smaller but so is my 3.5" iPhone display and I get around on that thing well enough.
Lots of people bought netbooks for a while due to their portability and low price. They were drawn by the wow factor of owning a tiny notebook computer at a price far below the average for a typical notebook. Later this market died off when users finally realized they were pieces of junk.
The color Kindles sell well because they're cheap enough to make them seem like an appealing purchase for consumers who can't afford an iPad and because they're tied into Amazon's well established marketplace. Most reviews so far have pointed out their poor build quality, performance, UI and overall user experience. Once the wow factor of owning your first tablet wears off, people will see its flaws and start craving a higher quality device. Todays' Kindle owners are tomorrow's iPad switchers, especially as iPads become more affordable.
The iPhone is the perfect size for a device that's always with you, carried in your pocket. IPad is the perfect size for a highly portable, lightweight device providing a larger screen size and days' of battery life. MacBooks fill the need for a fully cable portable computer with even larger screens, more power, etc. Each product in Apple's lineup fits a distinct niche.
I've met a handful of other people that purchased the Kindle Fire.
Those weren't millions of fantom sales. There is a market for people that want a tablet but don't want to invest $500 for one.
I'm totally cool with a $399 iPad 2 remix but even then it's still in a high price bracket.
A smaller iPad at $299 -$349 is a viable option for some and quite honestly I think the market is just beginning to bloom.
Cloud technology and easy Wifi make any mobile device worth it. Sure it's smaller but so is my 3.5" iPhone display and I get around on that thing well enough.
That segment of the market will be served by Apple offering last year's model at a lower price point, as they currently do wit the iPhone. Fragmenting the platform by creating an unnecessary new form factor is stupid.
That's how I see it. It not only keeps the iPad intact but it prop up the shrinking iPod market. There is an additional tactic Apple can employ by calling it a touch: TN panel. People think the iPhone and touch have the same 960x640 display but one is IPS and the other TN. Obviously this helps keep costs down.
IPod Touch with the A5 and iPad with the A6 hence the parallel development and support for both in iOS 5.1 ....?
In no way do I think this quote is indicative of Apple's current reluctance to release a product as envisioned in the article, I just wanted to add a relevant quote from Steve.
Apple's strategy has never included targeting the low-end market. It avoids it.
It makes as much sense as Ferrari manufacturing an econobox car.
Apple makes F1-class products. Always has, always will. Apple doesn't even know how to make a great $500 computer. That would be like Ferrari making a truck.
Comments
What's more likely LTE in the iPad or a 7.85" iPad?
Haha! LTE in the iPad3, THAT'S how ridiculous I find this 'rumour' lol
How about a great competitor to handheld game consoles. If they use the same GPU as what is expected to run the iPad 3's 2048x1536 display on a 1024x768 display that would seem pretty impressive. Note I have not compared specs to Sony and Nintendo's upcoming devices.
I can't see it. It's good for casual games - but they can't go head to head with the PS Vita without a massive jump in power and buttons. Nintendo being forced to "add on" joysticks after the release of the 3DS highlights this. You just cant play football/fighting/FPS games without a joystick and buttons. On screen controls are crap in comparison.
Would be nothing but a big distraction for Apple. And it would confuse customers.
I'm personally in favour of less Apple products, not more.
No 17" MacBook Pro. No Airs. No MacBook Pros. (11, 13 & 15" AirBooks as Apple's only laptops)
No iPod touch. (cheaper and cheaper iPhones)
I recall a lot of people here saying the Verizon iPhone would never happen, too.
Look at the phone market. The fragmentation of the Android market, while excessive, has not seemed to slow down the big market share gains Android has made. The dire predictions many here made about fragmentation destroying Android have yet to come true. It appears that price and offering users a choice has more than made up for any fragmentation concerns. One of the biggest reasons I hear from people who have chosen something other than an iPhone is the "one-size-fits-all" solution Apple is offering. (and I don't necessarily mean "size" as limited to physical size)
Now look the tablet market. Yes, Apple clearly holds the high ground. But does that mean they should sit on their perch and watch Android tablets on the low ground surround them? If more Android tablets start emerging on the low end of the market, they will also inevitably take stabs at the high ground. So Apple can sit and watch that happen, or they can build defenses on the low-end of the market to prevent any small form-factor Android tablets from ever gaining traction.
I'm not saying it's going to happen, but there is an argument to be made for the strategy. If there is no market for the Android tablet to grow and mature, it will be less of a threat to the iPad, in whatever sizes it comes in.
As far as "confusing customers" (again, this was often cited as a reason why there would never be a Verizon iPhone), did the multiple form factors of the iPod confuse people? They all did the same thing, and that seems to have worked out pretty well for Apple.
A key reason why Android is doing well on mobile phones is because they're sold at a subsidized price by mobile carriers, who are incentivized to push Android over iOS.
This leads to a key reason why Android tablets aren't doing so well - they're sold unsubsidized via various retail channels where consumers can make up their own minds instead of being pushed towards one device by a carrier salesperson.
Hmmm.. I wonder how much sandpaper will be included with the model?
Seriously though, one thing people have to realise is that one can never say never. 3 years back, Apple decided that the 9.7" screen size is the optimal size. A lot changes in 3 years and if there is now a market for a 7.8" tablet, then Apple can go for it if they choose to.
And of course, my OCD will compel me to get one.
Where is the market for that size tablet? Outside of Amazon who has a smaller tablet that is selling well? And with Amazon it's more about the kindle name than anything else. And of course the $199 price point. But Apple makes it's money off hardware not content so I can't see them ever selling something with that low of margins.
but, but, but you have to file your fingers down because DJ (Dead Jobs) said so.
hmm. If the Kindle Fire and other 7" tabs are having no effect on Apple, as claimed by Cook, why is Apple building this device?
dude! ... where is your respect?... Jewish people deserve respect (as your signature states so), and as such, so does the late Steve Jobs!...
show some class!
Apple's strategy has never included targeting the low-end market. It avoids it..
Not completely true, or there would have never been an iPod Shuffle. But, I think Apple might start selling the iPad 2 cheaper to compete with the wannabes.
My aunt has a Kindle Fire
My gf daughter bought a Kindle Fire
I've met a handful of other people that purchased the Kindle Fire.
Those weren't millions of fantom sales. There is a market for people that want a tablet but don't want to invest $500 for one.
I'm totally cool with a $399 iPad 2 remix but even then it's still in a high price bracket.
A smaller iPad at $299 -$349 is a viable option for some and quite honestly I think the market is just beginning to bloom.
Cloud technology and easy Wifi make any mobile device worth it. Sure it's smaller but so is my 3.5" iPhone display and I get around on that thing well enough.
Lots of people bought netbooks for a while due to their portability and low price. They were drawn by the wow factor of owning a tiny notebook computer at a price far below the average for a typical notebook. Later this market died off when users finally realized they were pieces of junk.
The color Kindles sell well because they're cheap enough to make them seem like an appealing purchase for consumers who can't afford an iPad and because they're tied into Amazon's well established marketplace. Most reviews so far have pointed out their poor build quality, performance, UI and overall user experience. Once the wow factor of owning your first tablet wears off, people will see its flaws and start craving a higher quality device. Todays' Kindle owners are tomorrow's iPad switchers, especially as iPads become more affordable.
The iPhone is the perfect size for a device that's always with you, carried in your pocket. IPad is the perfect size for a highly portable, lightweight device providing a larger screen size and days' of battery life. MacBooks fill the need for a fully cable portable computer with even larger screens, more power, etc. Each product in Apple's lineup fits a distinct niche.
I
My aunt has a Kindle Fire
My gf daughter bought a Kindle Fire
I've met a handful of other people that purchased the Kindle Fire.
Those weren't millions of fantom sales. There is a market for people that want a tablet but don't want to invest $500 for one.
I'm totally cool with a $399 iPad 2 remix but even then it's still in a high price bracket.
A smaller iPad at $299 -$349 is a viable option for some and quite honestly I think the market is just beginning to bloom.
Cloud technology and easy Wifi make any mobile device worth it. Sure it's smaller but so is my 3.5" iPhone display and I get around on that thing well enough.
That segment of the market will be served by Apple offering last year's model at a lower price point, as they currently do wit the iPhone. Fragmenting the platform by creating an unnecessary new form factor is stupid.
Now how do i get IOS installed.
I would be all for this. A lower priced 7.85 iPad with thinner bezel and 1024x768 resolution would be a nice option to have.
You'd be all for tiny-assed icons and incessant inadvertent touches, you say?
And of course, my OCD will compel me to get one.
We need some therapy.
Again with the DigiTimes?
THis is funny!
Hmmm.. I wonder how much sandpaper will be included with the model?
The extra .85 inch makes all the difference.
While a 7 inch iPad would be DOA, this is not a 7 inch iPad.
All those DOA tablets could have been raging successes, if only...
This won't be a smaller iPad... it will be a LARGER iPod Touch.
And the difference is....what?
Android devices are pretty much trash to anyone that is not a hacker type.
Ummm....wait. I thought Android devices sold mostly to people who use them as dumbphones.
Please make up my mind.
That's how I see it. It not only keeps the iPad intact but it prop up the shrinking iPod market. There is an additional tactic Apple can employ by calling it a touch: TN panel. People think the iPhone and touch have the same 960x640 display but one is IPS and the other TN. Obviously this helps keep costs down.
IPod Touch with the A5 and iPad with the A6 hence the parallel development and support for both in iOS 5.1 ....?
In no way do I think this quote is indicative of Apple's current reluctance to release a product as envisioned in the article, I just wanted to add a relevant quote from Steve.
Thank you for that.
Apple's strategy has never included targeting the low-end market. It avoids it.
It makes as much sense as Ferrari manufacturing an econobox car.
Apple makes F1-class products. Always has, always will. Apple doesn't even know how to make a great $500 computer. That would be like Ferrari making a truck.
It will never happen.
Makes no sense.
Would be nothing but a big distraction for Apple. And it would confuse customers.
I'm personally in favour of less Apple products, not more.
No 17" MacBook Pro. No Airs. No MacBook Pros. (11, 13 & 15" AirBooks as Apple's only laptops)
No iPod touch. (cheaper and cheaper iPhones)
Got that right...