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.
It may make sense to you, but evidence says otherwise.
In countries without traditional subsidies Android-based smartphones outsell Apple's iPhone by far. Avoiding subsidies altogether actually encourages Android smartphone take-up. IMHO there's no reason to think the tablet space won't follow the same path within another year or two, barring any Apple move into the lower-end of the market. Having said that, I do believe Apple will go after the 7-8" entry market sooner rather than later.
If anything the iPad wants to be bigger, not smaller, especially with double resolution. An 11" to 12" iPad would be an awesome business tool and a fantastic textbook reader, and could exist alongside a 9.7" (or slightly smaller) standard res iPad.
The 7.85" size is pointless. 6" e-Ink readers are on the big end of pocketable. 7.85" is too big for pockets, even coat pockets, yet it is a small size in terms of the current UI.
It's not just a question of fingers, but of eyes. the iPad is already smallish for many Web sites, so making it smaller would force people to zoom and pan a lot more.
The only reason for the 7.85" size is price, and that's not a good reason by itself. As others have pointed out, Apple skipped the netbook market and was right. It should skip the 7" tablet market as well.
If Apple wants to deliver a portable reader, it should sell a 6", single-purpose, capacitive touch e-Ink reader. This would let people read their iBooks on e-Ink. I know a number of people who have e-Ink Kindles (or Nooks), and an iPad, to serve very different roles.
So far there hasn't been one person who gets the 7.85" iPad.
This will be Apple's answer to the Samsung Galaxy Note. If Samsung can make people look ridiculous by having them hold the equivalent of a netbook to their ear then Apple can go one further... just make sure you remove the stylus first or you'll have it sticking straight out of your ear.
I sure hope it's not any bigger than 7". That's the perfect size: you can still fit it into a pocket, it's the same size as a trade paperback. Much more usable for carrying around where ever you go than the current iPad size.
People who complain that that is somehow too small don't know what they're talking about. There are plenty of very usable 7" tablets out there, some of them are actually really good. No one has any issues with needing sanded down fingers. The only thing that sucks about them is they run Android instead of iOS.
This won't be a smaller iPad... it will be a LARGER iPod Touch. The touch is a great gaming machine right now, this will make it even better. They can spread out the Touch's pixels and just hit the ground running using all the current iPod Touch games in the store.
This is the "product transition" Apple was talking about.
Yes I agree. The iPod Touch has kind of lost it's mojo over the past couple of years. iPod sales have been declining and the Touch is neither one thing nor the other for many people. Most adults have probably moved over to the iPhone with the iPod Nano for the gym, etc leaving the Touch mostly for kids and people who can't afford an iPhone. The 3.5" screen is too small to play games for any length of time, the 64GB memory is too small to entice the iPod Classic owners to upgrade and so on.
I think they'll seek to reposition the Touch and differentiate it from the iPhone. Give it a bigger screen (somewhere between 5" and 7"), give it 128GB memory at the top and reposition it as more of a portable games device that you can also listen to music, watch movies and read books. Perfect size for the handbag if you need an eBook reader, etc, etc.
At the same time I think they'll move the iPod Nano up to take its place. 16Gb & 32GB with an even thinner and lighter size, Bluetooth support for wireless headphones. Wear it as a watch, sync it with your iPhone, or just use it as the ultimate MP3 player.
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.
Exactly. There's an iPad market and that's it. The Fire doesn't compete with the iPad because it isn't a full-fledge tablet device.
Personally, I wonder why Sammy hasn't come out with a Galaxy Tab Pi sized edition.
Significant, if you are going with existing resolutions in order to avoid any major fragmentation issues. Can you keep the resolution of the iPad 2 and just cram it into a smaller space? Will the UI still be usable? And the reverse with the iPod - can you enlarge the space and live with the magnification of the UI?
Its not an iPad. Its an in dash infotainment unit for the Volkwagen Group. Its going to debut in the new A3. Siri voice activated.
Hmmm...
Is this three or four times you've said the same thing beginning last fall. You never post any backup for the claim tho, even after at least two other requests to expand on why you think that. Third time charm if I ask again? Not saying you're incorrect but you give no reasons to believe you've got the correct explanation.
Significant, if you are going with existing resolutions in order to avoid any major fragmentation issues. Can you keep the resolution of the iPad 2 and just cram it into a smaller space? Will the UI still be usable? And the reverse with the iPod - can you enlarge the space and live with the magnification of the UI?
Even past the technical issues you mention there are marketing issues. To me, branding it an iPod is better than an iPad if they are going to make a cheap alternative to the iPad. For instance, using a TN panel instead of IPS.
Is this three or four times you've said the same thing beginning last fall. You never post any backup for the claim tho, even after at least two other requests to expand on why you think that. Third time charm if I ask again? Not saying you're incorrect but you give no reasons to believe you've got the correct explanation.
I think he just really, REALLY wants something like this.
So do I; in-car touchscreen systems really need the Apple touch. Usability is laughable right now.
There are always reasons for having multiple sizes.
I never agreed with Steve about 7" tablets. I had no issue with the 7" form factor other than it's very poor in a 16x9 configuration.
The problem with small screens has be solved with the iPhone. Pinch to Zoom,Reader, Pop overs and more UI elements. The problem with the lack of the physical keyboard has been helped by Siri.
I chatted with a Doctor once that said he went into an Apple store with a lab coat on to see if the iPad fit in his coat. It didn't.
I'm not saying this has to be a $200 product but it would make hay at $299.
The reason why this rumor keeps cropping up because it's basic business. The iPad doesn't need to be cheap but it down need to go downmarket a bit.
Apple takes a 30% cut on all paid products on the iTunes store. Increasing the size of overall pie is desirous.
Comments
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.
It may make sense to you, but evidence says otherwise.
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles...subsidies.html
In countries without traditional subsidies Android-based smartphones outsell Apple's iPhone by far. Avoiding subsidies altogether actually encourages Android smartphone take-up. IMHO there's no reason to think the tablet space won't follow the same path within another year or two, barring any Apple move into the lower-end of the market. Having said that, I do believe Apple will go after the 7-8" entry market sooner rather than later.
The 7.85" size is pointless. 6" e-Ink readers are on the big end of pocketable. 7.85" is too big for pockets, even coat pockets, yet it is a small size in terms of the current UI.
It's not just a question of fingers, but of eyes. the iPad is already smallish for many Web sites, so making it smaller would force people to zoom and pan a lot more.
The only reason for the 7.85" size is price, and that's not a good reason by itself. As others have pointed out, Apple skipped the netbook market and was right. It should skip the 7" tablet market as well.
If Apple wants to deliver a portable reader, it should sell a 6", single-purpose, capacitive touch e-Ink reader. This would let people read their iBooks on e-Ink. I know a number of people who have e-Ink Kindles (or Nooks), and an iPad, to serve very different roles.
This will be Apple's answer to the Samsung Galaxy Note. If Samsung can make people look ridiculous by having them hold the equivalent of a netbook to their ear then Apple can go one further... just make sure you remove the stylus first or you'll have it sticking straight out of your ear.
People who complain that that is somehow too small don't know what they're talking about. There are plenty of very usable 7" tablets out there, some of them are actually really good. No one has any issues with needing sanded down fingers. The only thing that sucks about them is they run Android instead of iOS.
Apple had to wait to be able to sand Steve's fingers down.....
[/darkhumor]
i just bought a droid xyboard 8.2 and the size is PERFECT.
Now how do i get IOS installed.
No that size is not perfect. If anything the iPad is too small, but it's certainly not too big. But it's also too heavy, so...
No I think the intelligently went with the right size and they'll stick to it.
I sure hope it's not any bigger than 7". That's the perfect size: you can still fit it into a pocket.
Comedy pockets.
This won't be a smaller iPad... it will be a LARGER iPod Touch. The touch is a great gaming machine right now, this will make it even better. They can spread out the Touch's pixels and just hit the ground running using all the current iPod Touch games in the store.
This is the "product transition" Apple was talking about.
Yes I agree. The iPod Touch has kind of lost it's mojo over the past couple of years. iPod sales have been declining and the Touch is neither one thing nor the other for many people. Most adults have probably moved over to the iPhone with the iPod Nano for the gym, etc leaving the Touch mostly for kids and people who can't afford an iPhone. The 3.5" screen is too small to play games for any length of time, the 64GB memory is too small to entice the iPod Classic owners to upgrade and so on.
I think they'll seek to reposition the Touch and differentiate it from the iPhone. Give it a bigger screen (somewhere between 5" and 7"), give it 128GB memory at the top and reposition it as more of a portable games device that you can also listen to music, watch movies and read books. Perfect size for the handbag if you need an eBook reader, etc, etc.
At the same time I think they'll move the iPod Nano up to take its place. 16Gb & 32GB with an even thinner and lighter size, Bluetooth support for wireless headphones. Wear it as a watch, sync it with your iPhone, or just use it as the ultimate MP3 player.
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.
Exactly. There's an iPad market and that's it. The Fire doesn't compete with the iPad because it isn't a full-fledge tablet device.
Personally, I wonder why Sammy hasn't come out with a Galaxy Tab Pi sized edition.
The 3.5" screen is too small to play games for any length of time
Sure, because no one ever played games on a GameBoy. And certainly no one plays games on a DS.
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)
What makes no sense is using absurdly large font size to call attention to oneself and to compensate for who knows what.
What makes even less sense is to reply to it while maintaining the font size (ZZZ ...)
And the difference is....what?
Significant, if you are going with existing resolutions in order to avoid any major fragmentation issues. Can you keep the resolution of the iPad 2 and just cram it into a smaller space? Will the UI still be usable? And the reverse with the iPod - can you enlarge the space and live with the magnification of the UI?
Its not an iPad. Its an in dash infotainment unit for the Volkwagen Group. Its going to debut in the new A3. Siri voice activated.
Hmmm...
Is this three or four times you've said the same thing beginning last fall. You never post any backup for the claim tho, even after at least two other requests to expand on why you think that. Third time charm if I ask again? Not saying you're incorrect but you give no reasons to believe you've got the correct explanation.
Significant, if you are going with existing resolutions in order to avoid any major fragmentation issues. Can you keep the resolution of the iPad 2 and just cram it into a smaller space? Will the UI still be usable? And the reverse with the iPod - can you enlarge the space and live with the magnification of the UI?
Even past the technical issues you mention there are marketing issues. To me, branding it an iPod is better than an iPad if they are going to make a cheap alternative to the iPad. For instance, using a TN panel instead of IPS.
Hmmm...
Is this three or four times you've said the same thing beginning last fall. You never post any backup for the claim tho, even after at least two other requests to expand on why you think that. Third time charm if I ask again? Not saying you're incorrect but you give no reasons to believe you've got the correct explanation.
I think he just really, REALLY wants something like this.
So do I; in-car touchscreen systems really need the Apple touch. Usability is laughable right now.
But do I want Apple to do them? Eh, not really.
I never agreed with Steve about 7" tablets. I had no issue with the 7" form factor other than it's very poor in a 16x9 configuration.
The problem with small screens has be solved with the iPhone. Pinch to Zoom,Reader, Pop overs and more UI elements. The problem with the lack of the physical keyboard has been helped by Siri.
I chatted with a Doctor once that said he went into an Apple store with a lab coat on to see if the iPad fit in his coat. It didn't.
I'm not saying this has to be a $200 product but it would make hay at $299.
The reason why this rumor keeps cropping up because it's basic business. The iPad doesn't need to be cheap but it down need to go downmarket a bit.
Apple takes a 30% cut on all paid products on the iTunes store. Increasing the size of overall pie is desirous.