Apple's 'iPad mini' rumored with 7.85" IGZO display for $250-$300
Rumors of a smaller iPad with a 7.85-inch display continue to crop up, with one new report out of the Far East claiming the device will feature a Sharp IGZO display and will cost under $300.
The latest details claim Apple's so-called iPad mini will be as thin as the iPad 2, according to anonymous sources who spoke with the Chinese-language site MyDrivers.com (translation, via Unwired View). The machine translation indicates that the "endurance has also been strengthened," perhaps referring to the battery life of the rumored device.
The report also said that Apple's smaller iPad will feature Sharp's IGZO display technology, named for its use of indium, gallium and zinc. The new screen would be optimized to reach 330 pixels per inch, according to the latest rumor.
Finally, the new iPad is rumored to have a capacity of 8 gigabytes with a price between $249 and $299. It was said that Apple's primary target with a smaller iPad is Google's newly unveiled Nexus 7, as well as the Amazon Kindle Fire, both of which are available for $199.
But the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire feature 7-inch displays, while Apple's rumored new iPad has been said in various reports to feature a slightly larger 7.85-inch display. Rumors of a smaller iPad have lingered since Apple launched its first model in 2010.
Speculation on a smaller form factor iPad gained traction again this year 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.
As for IGZO technology, it was also rumored to be featured in the high-resolution Retina display of Apple's third-generation iPad. But those claims didn't pan out, and follow-up reports suggested that Sharp's new screen technology couldn't meet Apple's approval process.
The latest details claim Apple's so-called iPad mini will be as thin as the iPad 2, according to anonymous sources who spoke with the Chinese-language site MyDrivers.com (translation, via Unwired View). The machine translation indicates that the "endurance has also been strengthened," perhaps referring to the battery life of the rumored device.
The report also said that Apple's smaller iPad will feature Sharp's IGZO display technology, named for its use of indium, gallium and zinc. The new screen would be optimized to reach 330 pixels per inch, according to the latest rumor.
Finally, the new iPad is rumored to have a capacity of 8 gigabytes with a price between $249 and $299. It was said that Apple's primary target with a smaller iPad is Google's newly unveiled Nexus 7, as well as the Amazon Kindle Fire, both of which are available for $199.
But the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire feature 7-inch displays, while Apple's rumored new iPad has been said in various reports to feature a slightly larger 7.85-inch display. Rumors of a smaller iPad have lingered since Apple launched its first model in 2010.
Speculation on a smaller form factor iPad gained traction again this year 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.
As for IGZO technology, it was also rumored to be featured in the high-resolution Retina display of Apple's third-generation iPad. But those claims didn't pan out, and follow-up reports suggested that Sharp's new screen technology couldn't meet Apple's approval process.
Comments
No. No, no, no. No iPad Mini. Not very Apple-esque. You better agree.
Heck, a smaller iPad makes so much sense and so very Apple. Just look at what they did with the iPod and it's easy to see where having a collection of iPads serving different needs and markets SHOULD be the end-game for Apple. Perhaps melding the iPod and iPad together into a single product line would make sense. Offer 4 sizes, Nano, Touch (sized), 7.85" and iPad as we know it.
Apple will sell a lot of these.... And I think people with current "regular" iPads will find room in their budget and life style for this kind of device.... I don't see any problem with this....
Quote:
The new screen would be optimized to reach 330 pixels per inch, according to the latest rumor.
In order to reach that pixel density it needs to have the same resolution as The New iPad.
A 7.85 inch screen needs approximately 2048x1536 pixels to reach 330 ppi. Check for yourself: http://members.ping.de/~sven/dpi.html
The only reason I see Apple releasing an “iPad Mini” is to solidify its position as the tablet leader. You’d have a hard time arguing that they aren’t already, but this would allow Apple to effectively eliminate the competition with only 2 product lines.
The sandpaper for fingers quote from Steve Jobs still rings in my ears when I hear talk of the iPad Mini though. Perhaps a larger iPod Touch, running iPhone apps rather than iPad apps, is in the works. It might be renamed but I doubt it would use the iPad name because it wouldn't run full size iPad apps. It would fill a gap for those who, for whatever reason, don't want a smartphone. That makes a lot more sense to me. I think the Nexus 7 will sell pretty well, but only to those who don't have an Android phone (it's not that much bigger and doesn't do anything your Android phone can't) or who are hardcore Android fans and will buy anything they release, or as a gift. Apple will want to compete if it does turn out to be a hit.
That would make the competition sweat.
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Originally Posted by logandigges
No. No, no, no. No iPad Mini. Not very Apple-esque. You better agree.
In my opinion, anything less than 9 or 10 inches is too small to properly express tablet software.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jmgregory1
Heck, a smaller iPad makes so much sense and so very Apple.
Does it? What kind of apps will it run? Shrunk down iPad apps? Or blown up iPhone apps? If neither, what kind of apps would you design for this screen size. It's too big for pocket sized apps, and too small for full "page" productivity apps.
This may actually be the "for content consumption only" device that people mistakenly accuse the iPad of being. It's good for reading a book, browsing the web if you don't like the larger iPad size), games, music. But is there enough screen real estate for productivity?
If you take an iPad and hold it upright in portrait view and draw an imaginary horizontal line halfway down the screen, the screens on these 7-inch tablets are a bit smaller than the bottom half of the ipad’s display. This size isn’t sufficient to create great tablet apps in our opinion. While one could increase the resolution of the display to make up for some of the difference, it is meaningless unless your tablet also includes sandpaper, so that the user can sand down their fingers to around one quarter of their present size.
Apple has done extensive user testing on touch interfaces over many years and we really understand this stuff. There are clear limits of how close you can physically place elements on a touchscreen before users cannot reliably tap, flick, or pinch them. This is one of the key reasons we think the 10-inch screen size is the minimum size required to create great tablet apps… The 7-inch tablets are tweeners. Too big to compete with a smartphone and too small to compete with an iPad.
These are among the reasons we think the current crop of 7-inch tablets are going to be DOA. Dead On Arrival. Their manufacturers will learn the painful lesson that their tablets are too small and increase the size next year, thereby abandoning both customers and developers who jumped on the 7-inch bandwagon with an orphaned product.
Nonsense.
Apple has always shown a willingness to adapt.
At the time the iPad was introduced, there was no real competition, so there was no problem with only having one size. Now that the market has grown to its current size, there's no reason not to have 2 sizes.
As it is, Apple is completely ignoring the lower half of the market. Not only does it lose sales, but it allows the competition to get a foot-hold. They don't need to match the price of low end tablets, but they need to have something.
And they can't simply drop the iPad 2 to $299. First, margins would stink. Second, that lowers the perceived value of a 10" tablet - which would impact the new iPad, as well.
What if this device exists and is a compliment to (controller for) the Apple TV? Others have asked the question previously. It could then be an iPad by stealth and an iPod growing up.
This will work. Most of the people I know that own a iPad use it mostly for media consumption (browsing, books, videos, games), not productivity. If there's an iPad with a significantly lower price and a 7.85 inch screen, this thing will sell like hotcakes. The advantage Apple has over the Nexus 7 is its selling network. It has Stores all over the world and sells its products in a wide variety of shops. This alone will allow the 7.85 inch iPad to sell like crazy, while the Nexus 7 will only be available in the upcoming months in the US, UK and Canada.
And I wonder if they'll drop the price of their iPod Touch. A 16GB version could become the base-model at 199$.
I can't see it. Beyond the dilemma of sizing of apps and Steve Jobs quote about the form factor, it doesn't seem necessary unless the 7" market is gaining in sales. Then again, maybe Apple has some data that says yes, that's the case. Or they just don't want to concede any portion of the market no matter how small.
If this did happen, it seems odd to use a different display type than the full-size iPads because it would be difficult to match color density.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AppleInsider
The new screen would be optimized to reach 330 pixels per inch, according to the latest rumor.
That is the ppi for a phone but the iPad is said to be held further away and the size of the unit does't change that distance so shouldn't they be using the same 264 ppi as the retina iPad.
A lot of people here are going to be eating humble pie when Apple unveils this thing later in the year. I can't wait.
I hope there is a 8GB & 16GB version.
Quote:
Originally Posted by logandigges
No. No, no, no. No iPad Mini. Not very Apple-esque. You better agree.
I agree to a point. IF Apple makes something in between the iPhone and the iPad it won't be a mini iPad. it will be a bigger iPod and use those apps not the iPad ones via scaling up like they do with iPhone apps on the current iPad. I could see them doing something in the 6-7" with the iPod touch which has become rather stagnant. They could position this 'new' iPod touch as a gaming device for the kiddies so they stop using daddy's iPhone/ipad and risking drop damage. They could revamp the remote app and position it to go with the Apple TV, and so on.
Please do NOT call this thing an iPad Mini. I just don't think that I can bear the "Mini Pad" jokes that will surely follow... And for all things sacred, don't give it wings!!! LOL
My vote is "iPod Touch Max".
There is a huge difference between a smaller iPod and smaller iPad. A smaller iPod with a new display only required the UI to be redesigned without any consideration for the ecosystem since there was no App Store. Music is unaffected. Even when the iPod Mini used varying display sizes, aspect ratios and resolutions YoY it simply didn't matter because the effort was contained all within the UI without considering any 3rd-party devs.
The ecosystem complicates things in a big way which is why Apple had to wait until the iPhone 4 to up the resolution so it's 2x and why it had to go backwards in some regards with the iPad 3 to get the resolution 2x. If there was no ecosystem they could have scaled them gradually at will.