Stop believing every article John Gruber provides a link for. A iPad mini is a little too " me too" ish for Apple.
Actually, it was Tim Cook who explicitly stated Apple would not leave a price umbrella for the competition. Neither you nor I appear to have any personal knowledge on the issue of whether Apple will release a smaller form factor iPad. However, it's hard to see a market where Apple doesn't address the $200-$250 price tier.
You can be snarky about it, but it doesn't change the reality that a segment of the population is price sensitive AND if Apple feels like it can deliver a top notch product in that tier, it will.
Thats because you can only compare it to the current crop of 7" devices - If Apple think they can produce a 7" device with enough differentiation then they will, and I am sure it will sell lots of them. So many people questioned the original iPad (yes even the name was ridiculed) so why not just wait and see. If you don't want one - well isn't it great having the ability as an individual to say no.....
Apple cares about the user experience more than anything. From a usability perspective, a 7" tablet is worse at everything than a ~10" one.
This is just like the netbook craze five years ago. Companies made 7" laptops. No one actually wants a 7" laptop, since they're unusable. So netbooks got bigger. They made 8" and 9", and finally netbooks settled around 10" before becoming completely worthless. Let's ISOT Apple away in… 2007. I figure netbooks would have only gotten even bigger until they weren't even netbooks anymore, but rather very cheap, very poorly hardware'd laptops.
Yes, a 7in, 16:9 tablet is awful. Which is why Apple wouldn't make one.
Apple may however make a 7.85", 4:3 tablet. Practically twice the screen area as current 7in tablets on the market. That alone would keep it from being too much of a "me-too" product.
The hypothesis from John Gruber (http://daringfireball.net/2012/07/this_ipad_mini_thing) and others is that Apple would use the same screen material as on the 3GS and just cut it larger, to 1024 x 768 pixels. At its ppi density, that apparently comes out at 7.85" diagonally. That would help the profit margin.
The UI would be just about as good as iPads 1 and 2, with the elements only slightly smaller, as they are on the iPhone 3GS and iPod touch anyway. Touch points at same 44pixel recommended targets would be physically larger than iPhone 3GS or iPod touch elements, and developers have already got many 1024 x 768 assets from iPads 1 and 2. This would look sharper on the smaller screen -- rather than using iPhone elements and doing the 2x button thing.
My daughter, who was saving up for an iPod Touch for school, would love it if Apple came out with a 7.85", 1024 x 768 tablet: it would be a great reading size to conveniently take with her to school, and would be great for homework planning apps. I would imagine that lots of industries would opt for a smaller iPad... industries that have just adopted the iPad in droves for specific use cases because it has revolutionized their industry might actually be better served by a smaller one: how about menus for restaurants, and Point of Sale for store clerks? (Apple Store employees used to use iPod touches).
As I think Gruber notes, this would be closer to 8 inches than the current iPads are to 10 inches. So, to keep talking up a 7 to 10 inch comparison based on the current iPad and current poorly-conceived 7in tablets in the market would be a little disingenuous.
Funny that very few people listened to the actual call. They are expecting to sell about the same number of iPhones and revenue is off by 1 billion from the results. However they always low ball these things, that guidance is the same as the last one.
They were asked about products coming up and while they couldn't mention exactly they did say most of the reasons for the drop in gross margins was new lines. This is interesting because it means.
1) the drop in GM is huge - 7%. If this is affected by transitions to new products in one month then that new product has to be a big seller and have a low GM. That's the mini. 2) it's coming in September.
They need two iPhones much like the MBA & MBP address different markets or the 13" & 15" MBPs address different size needs. Maybe even "Consumer" & "Pro" models.
I know they've addressed this in the past by simply selling the old models at a lower price but I wonder if that will continue to satisfy the market demand for "new" devices. Maybe it will. It's worked so far. Who knows.
They need two iPhones much like the MBA & MBP address different markets or the 13" & 15" MBPs address different size needs. Maybe even "Consumer" & "Pro" models.
I know they've addressed this in the past by simply selling the old models at a lower price but I wonder if that will continue to satisfy the market demand for "new" devices. Maybe it will. It's worked so far. Who knows.
Amazing how the world economy is supposedly in such bad shape, talk of another recession, etc. yet Apple is getting dinged because they're not releasing enough shiny new toys for people to buy. Just wow.
Regarding the iPad Mini, if there is something in the works I'll be curious to see how Apple rolls this out that doesn't give the impression they're just reacting to Kindle Fire or Nexus 7. Especially when the price most likely will be more than $199. There will have to be something compelling with the device that will get people to spend the extra $50 or $100. is iOS and the Apple ecosystem enough? If they do release something I hope it's something that blows the Nexus 7 out of the water and really makes that look like a toy.
And I thought AAPL was a good buy below $600. Now they've dropped to almost $570 pre-market! Yesterday was a good day to make short term money on AAPL. I think today will be the same. Low opening and then climb back up.
And I thought AAPL was a good buy below $600. Now they've dropped to almost $570 pre-market! Yesterday was a good day to make short term money on AAPL. I think today will be the same. Low opening and then climb back up.
Note I said "pre-market". This indicates AAPL will open sharply lower. But my guess is that it will climb as the day goes on - but I bought some yesterday at $590 thinking that was a good deal, so don't listen to me.
Note I said "pre-market". This indicates AAPL will open sharply lower. But my guess is that it will climb as the day goes on - but I bought some yesterday at $590 thinking that was a good deal, so don't listen to me.
hehe...now it is showing up. I play a trading game with all cash in Apple stock. I dumped at $600 and just bought back in for $574. Too bad it isn't real.
No, I'd say more the fact that people aren't moving to existing 7" tablets in droves is reason enough to think the majority doesn't want a smaller one. And don't claim it's because there's no "iOS version" of a 7" tablet, because that didn't stop people from moving away from the iPhone.
So you'd rather wait until people move to smaller tablets in droves, then have Apple think about getting into the space? Apple has become what it is because it has always been a proactive, not a reactive company. I'm not saying that people WILL necessarily move to 7" tablets, but your rationalization of why Apple should ignore that (growing) segment is insanely short-sighted. Apple has pulled off some incredible, amazing, things in its time, things that many observers would have said were impossible. From their history making an extremely useable 8" tablet does not seem to be something out of their reach, but for some reason you're convinced Apple doesn't have the competence to figure it out. That's quite a pitiful amount of confidence you have in their company, and I would question why you even like them if you don't believe they have what it takes to pull off a smaller tablet.
Amazing how the world economy is supposedly in such bad shape, talk of another recession, etc.
I'm sick and tired of this argument. Are Rolls Royce cars selling - yes. Are Rolex watches selling - yes. Are millionaire yachts or muti-million pound houses selling - yes. The rich always have money to spend no matter what the economy does. That's why they're rich.
However Apple doesn't only sell to the rich. They also sell to the middle classes who are losing their jobs in the thousands every day.
If you don't believe that Apple will be affected by the worldwide economic recession I suggest you cash in all your life savings and pile into Apple shares right now. They went down 3.5% today so now's your chance to make a killing. I'm sure Apple will post 100% earnings and profit growth next quarter, After all they are apparently immune to the recession. Go on I dare you.
So you'd rather wait until people move to smaller tablets in droves, then have Apple think about getting into the space?
They're not going to do it, otherwise they already would be.
By Steve Jobs' own admission, "We don't know how to make a $500 computer that doesn't suck." I would imagine even they know their own limits and the limits of actual usability better than any of us.
Comments
You can be snarky about it, but it doesn't change the reality that a segment of the population is price sensitive AND if Apple feels like it can deliver a top notch product in that tier, it will.
how could apple release a $200-250 iPad and still sell iPods?
I doubt we'll see anything larger than a 5" iPod but if we do get something closer to 7" it'll be an iPod and not an iPad.
Thats because you can only compare it to the current crop of 7" devices - If Apple think they can produce a 7" device with enough differentiation then they will, and I am sure it will sell lots of them. So many people questioned the original iPad (yes even the name was ridiculed) so why not just wait and see. If you don't want one - well isn't it great having the ability as an individual to say no.....
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
Apple cares about the user experience more than anything. From a usability perspective, a 7" tablet is worse at everything than a ~10" one.
This is just like the netbook craze five years ago. Companies made 7" laptops. No one actually wants a 7" laptop, since they're unusable. So netbooks got bigger. They made 8" and 9", and finally netbooks settled around 10" before becoming completely worthless. Let's ISOT Apple away in… 2007. I figure netbooks would have only gotten even bigger until they weren't even netbooks anymore, but rather very cheap, very poorly hardware'd laptops.
#next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }Yes, a 7in, 16:9 tablet is awful. Which is why Apple wouldn't make one.
Apple may however make a 7.85", 4:3 tablet. Practically twice the screen area as current 7in tablets on the market. That alone would keep it from being too much of a "me-too" product.
The hypothesis from John Gruber (http://daringfireball.net/2012/07/this_ipad_mini_thing) and others is that Apple would use the same screen material as on the 3GS and just cut it larger, to 1024 x 768 pixels. At its ppi density, that apparently comes out at 7.85" diagonally. That would help the profit margin.
The UI would be just about as good as iPads 1 and 2, with the elements only slightly smaller, as they are on the iPhone 3GS and iPod touch anyway. Touch points at same 44pixel recommended targets would be physically larger than iPhone 3GS or iPod touch elements, and developers have already got many 1024 x 768 assets from iPads 1 and 2. This would look sharper on the smaller screen -- rather than using iPhone elements and doing the 2x button thing.
My daughter, who was saving up for an iPod Touch for school, would love it if Apple came out with a 7.85", 1024 x 768 tablet: it would be a great reading size to conveniently take with her to school, and would be great for homework planning apps. I would imagine that lots of industries would opt for a smaller iPad... industries that have just adopted the iPad in droves for specific use cases because it has revolutionized their industry might actually be better served by a smaller one: how about menus for restaurants, and Point of Sale for store clerks? (Apple Store employees used to use iPod touches).
#next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
As I think Gruber notes, this would be closer to 8 inches than the current iPads are to 10 inches. So, to keep talking up a 7 to 10 inch comparison based on the current iPad and current poorly-conceived 7in tablets in the market would be a little disingenuous.
#next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
#next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
#next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
#next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
They were asked about products coming up and while they couldn't mention exactly they did say most of the reasons for the drop in gross margins was new lines. This is interesting because it means.
1) the drop in GM is huge - 7%. If this is affected by transitions to new products in one month then that new product has to be a big seller and have a low GM. That's the mini.
2) it's coming in September.
Apple do need two iPhone releases a year.
Quote:
Originally Posted by asdasd
Apple do need two iPhone releases a year.
They need two iPhones much like the MBA & MBP address different markets or the 13" & 15" MBPs address different size needs. Maybe even "Consumer" & "Pro" models.
I know they've addressed this in the past by simply selling the old models at a lower price but I wonder if that will continue to satisfy the market demand for "new" devices. Maybe it will. It's worked so far. Who knows.
And I thought AAPL was a good buy below $600. Now they've dropped to almost $570 pre-market! Yesterday was a good day to make short term money on AAPL. I think today will be the same. Low opening and then climb back up.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/25/us-apple-earnings-asia-reaction-idUSBRE86O06B20120725
And Apple's suppliers are probably a good place to find some profits, too.
- Jasen.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jasenj1
And I thought AAPL was a good buy below $600. Now they've dropped to almost $570 pre-market! Yesterday was a good day to make short term money on AAPL. I think today will be the same. Low opening and then climb back up.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/25/us-apple-earnings-asia-reaction-idUSBRE86O06B20120725
And Apple's suppliers are probably a good place to find some profits, too.
- Jasen.
What market you find $570 in???? It is sitting at $600 right now.
Quote:
Originally Posted by icoco3
What market you find $570 in???? It is sitting at $600 right now.
http://www.google.com/finance?q=aapl
Note I said "pre-market". This indicates AAPL will open sharply lower. But my guess is that it will climb as the day goes on - but I bought some yesterday at $590 thinking that was a good deal, so don't listen to me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jasenj1
http://www.google.com/finance?q=aapl
Note I said "pre-market". This indicates AAPL will open sharply lower. But my guess is that it will climb as the day goes on - but I bought some yesterday at $590 thinking that was a good deal, so don't listen to me.
hehe...now it is showing up. I play a trading game with all cash in Apple stock. I dumped at $600 and just bought back in for $574. Too bad it isn't real.
Nice move. I should have sold some at the end of yesterday. Oh well, picked some up this morning at $575.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
No, I'd say more the fact that people aren't moving to existing 7" tablets in droves is reason enough to think the majority doesn't want a smaller one. And don't claim it's because there's no "iOS version" of a 7" tablet, because that didn't stop people from moving away from the iPhone.
So you'd rather wait until people move to smaller tablets in droves, then have Apple think about getting into the space? Apple has become what it is because it has always been a proactive, not a reactive company. I'm not saying that people WILL necessarily move to 7" tablets, but your rationalization of why Apple should ignore that (growing) segment is insanely short-sighted. Apple has pulled off some incredible, amazing, things in its time, things that many observers would have said were impossible. From their history making an extremely useable 8" tablet does not seem to be something out of their reach, but for some reason you're convinced Apple doesn't have the competence to figure it out. That's quite a pitiful amount of confidence you have in their company, and I would question why you even like them if you don't believe they have what it takes to pull off a smaller tablet.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rogifan
Amazing how the world economy is supposedly in such bad shape, talk of another recession, etc.
I'm sick and tired of this argument. Are Rolls Royce cars selling - yes. Are Rolex watches selling - yes. Are millionaire yachts or muti-million pound houses selling - yes. The rich always have money to spend no matter what the economy does. That's why they're rich.
However Apple doesn't only sell to the rich. They also sell to the middle classes who are losing their jobs in the thousands every day.
If you don't believe that Apple will be affected by the worldwide economic recession I suggest you cash in all your life savings and pile into Apple shares right now. They went down 3.5% today so now's your chance to make a killing. I'm sure Apple will post 100% earnings and profit growth next quarter, After all they are apparently immune to the recession. Go on I dare you.
Originally Posted by Slurpy
So you'd rather wait until people move to smaller tablets in droves, then have Apple think about getting into the space?
They're not going to do it, otherwise they already would be.
By Steve Jobs' own admission, "We don't know how to make a $500 computer that doesn't suck." I would imagine even they know their own limits and the limits of actual usability better than any of us.