Apple reportedly 'noodling with' 7.85-inch iPad prototype
Apple is said to be "noodling with" ideas and prototypes for a 7.85-inch iPad, though it's not clear if the device will ever see the light of day, according to one well-connected insider.
John Gruber of Daring Fireball said during an episode of "The Talk Show" that he knows Apple has a test 7.85-inch iPad with a resolution of 1,024 by 768 in its lab, as noted by The Next Web.
"I've heard from numerous people that that's one of the ideas that they're noodling with," he said.
Gruber added that the height of such a device would be roughly the same as the width of the current iPad. After testing the appromixate size using a screenshot rotated into landscape mode, he believes it would be "usable."
Screenshot of iPad in portrait viewed in landscape
"There are a couple areas where I think text is maybe a little too small, but it's not ridiculously small," he said.
He went on to say that he has "heard from nobody" on whether the 7-inch iPad will actually be released and when that would happen. Gruber did speculate, though, that Apple may have prepared enter the low-end tablet market should the Kindle Fire prove to be a runaway success. He also suggested that the company could possibly unveil the smaller iPad at the Worldwide Developers Conference, since it's unlikely that Apple would release a 2012 iPhone at WWDC.
Reports of a smaller iPad have persisted since the original iPad launched in April 2010. DigiTimes, which has mixed accuracy, has been one of the chief sources of rumors about a 7-inch iPad.
Speculation on a smaller form factor iPad gained legitimacy in February when The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple officials have been showing off designs for a smaller iPad that has a similar screen resolution as the iPad 2. The report did caution, though, that Apple could be simply testing new designs and might not actually release the device.
Recent reports have also suggested the rumored device could feature a "slim bezel display." A leaked research note from Samsung Securities that surfaced in March hinted that Apple will release a so-called "iPad mini" in the third quarter of 2012.
[ View article on AppleInsider ]
Comments
but just because they tested it doesn't mean they will ever release it.
The regular iPad already has bigger icons and screen elements than the iPhone... so those won't be any harder to press. The slight reduction in size won't matter too much.
Think of the iPad Mini like a paperback... to the iPad's hardcover.
As for the iPod Touch, it meets a need in non-iPhone-owners? pockets, that something larger wouldn?t fill, no pun intended.
I don't think a 7 inch device is really what the people crave. No, not Braundo at all..
haha, it actually was Brawndo, but +1 for the Idicoracy reference.
If you think about it, it also makes a bit more sense that they dropped the generation number on iPad 3 back to straight up iPad. Say this iPad mini comes out in 6 months, it wouldn't fit right to only use one with version numbers.
Well.. The iPod Touch is an endangered species. They might as well kill it off and replace it with a smaller iPad. Kindle Fire has proven there's a market for smaller tablets if done right.
i know a few android owners who have bought ipod touches because apple / itunes match is a much better ecosystem for their music than amazon's cloud on android... and i'm hoping it's a gateway drug.
Gruber added that the height of such a device would be roughly the same as the width of the current iPad. After testing the appromixate size using a screenshot rotated into landscape mode, he believes it would be "usable."
It might be because im viewing the image on my iPhone but I'm not following how this is showing a 7.85" display.
it makes sense that they would have prototyped several sizes of iPad and even iPhone before deciding on the sizes and designs that they released.
but just because they tested it doesn't mean they will ever release it.
I'd be more surprised if Apple didnt consider that size back in the 2000s when they still had no iOS-based device on the market.
Makes sense. The full iPad is still killing but they need something to compete more directly with the 7" / 200 dollar Kindle Fire. I could see a 7" iPad at 300 dollars.
If you think about it, it also makes a bit more sense that they dropped the generation number on iPad 3 back to straight up iPad. Say this iPad mini comes out in 6 months, it wouldn't fit right to only use one with version numbers.
How exactly would the price drop to those levels? Note the iPod Touch prices. Also note they use a display and other inferior components to the iPhone.
Not only that, apparently Jonny Ive and co made countless prototypes of the iPad (and iPhone) in all sorts of sizes. After much r&d they came to what was to be the "perfect size".
The only thing that makes sense is if the iPod Touch is starting to fall behind, then yes, that line may be updated to be a mini iPad of sorts... If it's marketed as an iPad or iPod, who knows.
Kindle Fire has proven there's a market for smaller tablets if done right.
Really? How did you come to that conclusion? Do you have any actual, hard data to back that up? Did Amazon report something that none of us heard about? (And, please don't link us to some newspaper stories or estimates put out by some consulting firm or analyst).
How does it stack up against the 55M iPads that Apple had sold at the end of last year, well before the new iPad?
Incidentally, all we can say - even if it sold well, which I doubt - is that, if you sell something for less than it costs to produce and sell, then it might sell well.
Really? How did you come to that conclusion? Do you have any actual, hard data to back that up? Did Amazon report something that none of us heard about? (And, please don't link us to some newspaper stories or estimates put out by some consulting firm or analyst).
How does it stack up against the 55M iPads that Apple had sold at the end of last year, well before the new iPad?
Incidentally, all we can say - even if it sold well, which I doubt - is that, if you sell something for less than it costs to produce and sell, then it might sell well.
Not quite. More like, if you sell something cheaply enough, ...
After all, customers don't care if the price is above or below COGS.