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iPad mini
- DenisM 14y agoHello, fragmentation. Resolution might be the same as iPad 2, but pixel density is different. Therefore an area that is clickable on iPad2 or iPad3 may become too small to click on the iPad mini. So we had two platforms - iPad2/iPad3 with one tap area size, and iPhone 4/iPhone 5 with another, and now we have three.
- czr80 14y agoClick targets work out the same size as an iPhone (iPad was always a bit bigger), so no, this is no big deal.
- wavesounds 14y agoSomeone invent a screen that can change size already, sheesh.
- Tycho 14y agoa folding screen would be good. especially if the underside was also an eInk display
- wavesounds 14y agoYeah or maybe some way to stretch pixels closer or further apart being that you move your face further away from larger screens. Seems a little silly to have so many devices that do the exact same thing but just have different sized screens.
- anonymfus 14y agoSamsung already showed several generations of foldable screens.
- rickdale 14y agoI have the same reaction the other companies are taking towards apple products nowadays: Meh.
- jopt 14y agoThank you for the timely announcement. I'll put you down for "meh."
- andrew_wc_brown 14y agoWhen my macbook pro died and I had to get the logic board replaced I tried using my iPad (3) to replace basic web maintenance for the week. I couldn't add a mouse or command-tab between programs. (without jailbreaking). I'd pay for an update for these software features.
- deleted 14y ago[deleted]
- jbigelow76 14y agoIt looks good. The 7.9" screen size may hit the sweet spot for smaller form factor tablets, my rooted Nook Tablet feels just a wee bit small at 7". I'm not an Apple fan but I'll be surprised if Apple doesn't sell these things by the truck load.
- Rygu 14y agoI'm really disappointed by the screen's resolution though. I don't even think I'm the only one. Cuz the (current) iPad has a 264 dpi screen, whereas the Mini has a 162 dpi screen.
- jbigelow76 14y agoIt is odd with the iPad maxi and the iPhone both having retina displays that Apple didn't go with that out of the box for the mini. But maybe hamstringing the resolution is one of the ways Apple hopes they can nudge buyers over to the full size.
- aeontech 14y agoI'll bet on battery life + more powerful GPU required to power a retina display would make the price of a mini way too high to do that out of the gate.
- css771 14y agoOr sell it as an upgrade for next year's version.
- MartinCron 14y agoCan we agree to not say "iPad maxi" again? Thanks.
- jbigelow76 14y agoI'm not aware of anything you need my permission or inclusion as a precondition to agreeing to.
- spot 14y agowow, it's way more expensive than the nexus 7. $330 vs $200 for the bottom.
- TwistedWeasel 14y ago$200 Nexus 7 has 8Gb storage, iPad mini base model has 16Gb. I still think $330 is a little high though.
- k7lim 14y agowait a week. the 16GB Nexus 7 will drop to $200, with the 32GB release.
- kellishaver 14y agoHave you heard anything about what they plan to do with the 8gb when this happens? I've heard they'll stop making them, but it'd be nice to buy one of the leftover stock at a reduced price. I have an 8GB and it's fine for my needs (still 4.7gb free) since I mostly use it for online content.
- k7lim 14y agohttps://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=nexus_7_8gb https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=nexus_7_8gb appears to already be sold out now
- lukifer 14y agoIt's a shame that the Nexus doesn't have a micro-SD slot; they've given up a huge selling point for the platform. They could've bragged about a 64+ GB Nexus 7 that is still cheaper than a 16 GB iPad mini.
- sbashyal 14y agoNexus 7 is again way more expensive than $99 China made android tablets. Depends on build quality and brand. A too low price-point would cannibalize iPads.
- chucknelson 14y agoWas hoping for $299, but it still looks like a nice product.
- Achshar 14y agoThe resolution, they are putting retina displays in macbook pros but launch a tablet with non-retina display. Why?
- BryantD 14y agoTwo reasons: price and ease of development. The non-retina display means that apps won't need to be updated to run on the new device, which is a big win for developers.
- tiredoffps 14y agoTo compete with the cheaper Kindle Fire HD and Nexus 7. Less costly for Apple to make the mini.
- aidenn0 14y agoMeh, 164 PPI isn't bad, and this resolution allows them to run legacy iPad applications unscaled.
- jug6ernaut 14y agoI ask since when are apple products judge by "isn't bad"? And yes, it is this resolution solely to support legacy applications, possibly to reduce costs. But i can only speculate on the latter.
- pooriaazimi 14y agoIt certainly isn't great, but it's positively, definitely the best alternative. I'm one of the biggest retina fans - I just love Retina displays. But having two choises (retina screen, no piggybacked app - non-retina screen, run every single app without modification) I'd definitely choose non-retina.
- DannyBee 14y agoisn't bad? The original android g1 had greater PPI (180) than this thing.
- bluetidepro 14y agoWhy does it cost more than the Kindle Fire HD but has way worse specs? Apple have shot themselves in the foot with this launch. I'm so disappointed in the iPad Mini.
- siglesias 14y agoApple competes on user experience. Not price, and certainly not specs.
- madoublet 14y agoI guess that is why I am not a fan of their products. I just don't see a premium UX experience. The hardware is great, but the software is mediocre especially when compared to Windows 8. I know many would disagree, but I just don't see it.
- bluetidepro 14y agoThe poor specs lead to a poor UX, so I fail to see the difference.
- siglesias 14y agoNot when the software is superior.
- jopt 14y agoIf UX was determined by specs, why would we have a different name for it?
- bilbo0s 14y agoI think you are not Apple's target user. I, personally, would buy the Kindle Fire. Most people, however, will buy the iPad Mini. Bigger price and all. Curiously enough, I think the iPad 2 has just become the most compelling tablet in the market in terms of price/specs/performance. I'm wondering if iPad 2 will eat into sells of the new iPads? And would Apple care? Anyway, interesting times.
- hiddenstage 14y agoAfter clicking on "Shop iPad" it's interesting that they place an ad next to the iPad mini for the regular iPad saying "Just as stunning. Twice as fast." The regular iPad is only $170 more.
- nirvana 14y agoI've been looking forward to this product since the rumors started. I've owned iPads and iPhones and iPod touches. The iPhone (original and 4S) were both great devices but too small. I could carry them everywhere, but the reading and browsing experience was cramped, by necessity of the small screen. The iPad (original and Retina) are big, and lovely for reading and browsing, but too big to hold with one hand. This really is an issue for me, the way I sit when I'm reading... it ends up limiting my use of what otherwise would be a fantastic device. So, the mini seems perfect. Light enough to hold, big enough to get a fantastic reading and browsing experience. I know it will be a little cramped compared to the iPad (well, expect it will be, but the same resolution original iPad was not cramped at all) but that's a fine tradeoff for being able to use it, literally, everywhere. I like that they decided to start at $329 with 16GB, about perfect pricing for me. We spent over $650 on our retina iPad with LTE, and ended up not using the LTE much at all. For our startup, which is heavily involved in iOS, and all of us have iOS devices, we will probably buy 2-3 of these minis. In fact, I think I'm personally, done with the iPad and iPhone... I don't need the phone part (which is why I've mostly bought iPod touches) .... only went with it because the original iPad was not as portable as I'd like. So, I'm totally stoked that this device is as it was rumored... I see no downsides to it at all.
- SoftwareMaven 14y agoI totally agree. I really like my iPad for a lot of things, but it has been disappointing for pleasure reading of books because it is just too heavy. Given that my primary use case will be reading, I now have to decide between a Kindle Paperwhite or the iPad Mini, with the one additional input that my kids would love to have another iPad in the house.
- tiredoffps 14y agoApple: Pay more for less......and again in 6 months.
- camus 14y agoPeople buy a brand , not a product.It's like buying a Vuitton bag , it's not better than the other ones , it's just cool to have one , because now people feels they are defined by what they own. Then people try to justify this behavior by repeating apple talking points , so they dont sound like sheeps.
- lukifer 14y agoThis just in: people are not all the same.
- rryan 14y agoOne of the best parts about my Nexus 7 is that it fits perfectly in my back pocket (and even front-jeans pockets but that's much less comfortable). Having a tablet on my person (i.e. not having to reach inside a backpack to get it out) has been a great convenience. The increase in width from the 7.9" screen is surely going to mean that this won't which is a pity.
- dllthomas 14y agoI've been meaning to get a Nexus 7 precisely because it fits comfortably in the inside breast pocket of my jackets. It doesn't sound like the iPad mini would do the same.
- cheald 14y agoIt's 5.3" vs the N7's 4.7". My N7 with case fits in my pocket, so a bare iPad Mini should, but once you add a case, it may be a little too big. (Totally agreed on the fits-in-pocket thing as a key value point, though!)
- AlexMuir 14y agoHow underwhelming. At 7.9 inches, it’s perfectly sized to deliver an experience every bit as big as iPad What does that even mean? Either it's perfectly sized, and the iPad is the wrong size. Or it's not. There can surely only be one perfect size to deliver an iPad experience??? Either it's 10" or it's 7.9". I think Apple's marketing has always been the same - it's just that for a while they were ahead of the curve and so their hyperbole was justified. The iPhone was amazing. The Macbook Air is still amazing. But there is absolutely FUCK ALL amazing about a smaller fucking iPad.
- akavi 14y agoI say this with absolutely no judgement regarding the value of the iPad Mini, but I'm struck by the similarity between this criticism and the criticism leveled against the original iPad ("it's just a giant iPod Touch!").
- nirvana 14y agoThis is what apple haters say about every Apple product. They said the iPhone would be a total flop and never sell the 10 million units Steve Jobs said they hoped to sell-- because it didn't have a hardware keyboard. They said it about the iPod too- claiming that having less capacity than the creative nomad and no built in radio made it "lame" (CmdrTaco famously said this.) They said it about the iMac as well, calling it a toy computer that looked like candy. Funny how in 2 years all the other manufacturers were making their computers colorful, and the bondi-blue design aesthetic was adopted by a wide variety of products around the world. Now I'm sure somewhere there are people who were not even 10 years old when the iMac was being put down are saying the iPad mini is lame. For the same reasons. Then when the product strikes a nerve with the public, and sells 100 million units, they decide that the people buying it must be stupid and persuaded by slick marketing, because obviously its "lame" or "doesn't have the specs" of the competition (though they never detail how it lacks specs and usually they're completely wrong and ignoring the terrible usability of the competition.) It's the standard issue mythology of the apple hater: Apple products are inferior (even when they aren't.) Apple products are more expensive (even though they aren't.) Apple buyers are stupid and easily persuaded by slick marketing (even though it should be obvious that people buy Apple products because they work better for them.) Consequently, EVERY Apple product introduction is "underwhelming".
- metadept 14y agoWith their announcement speech so full of contradictions, it seems like they're struggling to differentiate the Mini from the cheaper Nexus 7. The major appeal is its small size, but in comparison to the Nexus 7 they emphasize how much larger it is (albeit lower total resolution). Seems to be a clear case of presenting weaknesses as strengths, which will, unfortunately, probably succeed with many existing Apple customers. The two compelling advantages over the Nexus 7, the presence of a second camera and the availability of cellular capability, were barely mentioned.
- kellishaver 14y agoI thought this was weird, too. The reason I bought a Nexus 7 was because of the 7in screen. Saying "It's a smaller iPad, but bigger!" just wasn't doing it for me. Maybe it was an attempt to sell people on the higher price tag.
- maxpert 14y ago$329 for WIFI only? No thanks!
- hkmurakami 14y ago>There's less of it, but no less to it. I must say, I've consistently been impressed with Apple's copy writing.
- kristiandupont 14y agoI might be too Danish to get it but I for one can't stand the full-of-ourselves copy and acting in those videos. I buy many of their products so you might argue that they work anyway but it feels to me like I buy them in spite of the marketing.
- jrnkntl 14y agoExactly. I cringed so much during that live event because of all the 'amazing', 'great', 'innovative', 'beautiful' word dropping, I paused it a couple of times just to yell at the screen (but maybe that's just me)
- modeless 14y agoTim Cook's opening remarks were really over the top. You could practically see an "Applause" light blinking every time he dropped a superlative. Phil Schiller, on the other hand, seemed more genuine.
- enraged_camel 14y agoYou mean an "Apple-ause" light. ;)
- arrrg 14y agoI so want Phil Schiller to take over all Keynotes. He is very clearly the best presenter Apple currently has. I don’t think an Apple CEO has to be a good presenter. Just because Steve Jobs could fill that role doesn’t mean Tim Cook has to force himself to do it, too. I honestly was relieved whenever Phil Schiller came onto stage today.
- sigkill 14y ago
- blinkingled 14y agoThe app situation they highlighted vs Nexus 7 was pretty damning for Google although I have a feeling Apple cherry picked apps that make the N7 look especially bad. On the plus side for the N7, they screwed up on price though - for the ecosystem and build quality advantage may be a $50 premium would have been attractive esp for lesser screen resolution and older CPU/GPU. The N7 also feels like it should be more single hand friendly than the iPad mini.
- cheald 14y agoThey did very much cherry-pick apps that run poorly on the N7. The equivalent would be demoing the N7 against an iPad running iOS apps that only have an upscaled iPhone variant.
- aes256 14y agoObviously there are cases in which the opposite is true and the interface on Android is better, but not many. In my experience, Android apps on tablets are horrible. Apple has the upper hand here in controlling the hardware, and releasing the iPad mini with the same resolution as the iPad 2 was a really smart move. Instant compatibility with all existing apps.
- cheald 14y agoInstant technical compatibility, definitely, but a 20% reduction in physical size on everything has some potentially nasty usability implications. A 44px-high button that is 0.333" high on an iPad is 0.27" high on an iPad Mini, for example. iOS apps are laid out in pixels, while Android apps are laid out with physical units (in, mm) or density-independent pixels, which means that a screen size change doesn't necessarily mean a usability change on Android. Two totally different layout mechanisms, and while this means that Android apps are less precise in their layouts, I'll argue that it improves usability across a range of devices.
- thedufer 14y agoHardware control has basically nothing to do with it. Far fewer people have been motivated to create two (phone/tablet) versions of Android apps than iOS apps. Its almost certainly a volume issue.
- DannoHung 14y agoIt's gonna sell like hotcakes. Also, they probably just iced the iPod Touch.
- deleted 14y ago[deleted]
- edgeman27 14y agoWhat baffles me is the ease by which someone can walk while using and iPad mini with a bicycle between their legs at 0:38.
- monkeyfacebag 14y agoApple stock is down on the news. Although I'm personally underwhelmed by this announcement, I'll bet analysts are more worried about the lower priced iPad cutting into margins than they are Apple's ability to ship them.
- mbreese 14y agoI doubt it. This is typical for Apple's stock. There is always a run up before an announcement, and a drop immediately after. It's the old adage: buy on the rumor, sell on the news. I wouldn't read too much into it. The only time I really pay attention to what the street thinks about Apple is when earnings are announced.
- coob 14y agoAAPL has dropped from 670 odd over the last few weeks. There is no pattern with announcements.
- mbreese 14y agoThere are only a few product announcements each year, so of course there isn't a correlation with the overall price fluctuations. However, you can be pretty sure what the price will do a couple of days before and the day of an announcement.
- pdog 14y agoThe entire market is down today.
- mtgx 14y agoThey could've offered this at $250 and still make a profit. I doubt the profit is much smaller than the regular iPad. All its internals are 1.5 years old.
- grecy 14y ago> They could've offered this at $250 and still make a profit. Absolutely. Apple could sell all their products for 20-50% off and still make a profit. This is not the business Apple are in. They do not want to. Seeings they are the biggest company in the world, I suspect their decision to not reduce margins is working.
- mokash 14y agoIt's only a tiny but smaller. Should have called it the Slightly-smaller iPad instead.
- quux 14y agoSteve Jobs must be rolling in his grave ;) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFAjfUT8wZI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFAjfUT8wZI
- adolph 14y agoThere is a finger sharpening accessory, $29.99.
- mdonahoe 14y agoSteve changes his kind so much he'd probably claim it was his idea! :) Like Bezos said recently, successful people change their mind, especially when confronted with great evidence like the Nexus 7. Judging by the photos of the prototype iPad, I wonder if they ever made a prototype this size before deciding on the original iPad specs. Anyway, I'm glad they didn't make it retina.
- colmvp 14y ago"Anyway, I'm glad they didn't make it retina." Why? Seems like a step backwards. iPhone, MacBook Pro, iPad... Apple pushes the need for Retina and then produces a new product that doesn't have it?
- royalsurfing 14y agoWell, noen of the 1.gen iOS devices have had a retina screen
- mdonahoe 14y agoWeight, battery life, resolution: with current tech you can choose two. Since these devices are hand held, I prefer weight over screen res.
- jonny_eh 14y agoIt's not a 7" iPad, it's 7.9" :-P
- spot 14y ago
- taytus 14y agoI was so ready to buy this but a non-retina tablet at the end of 1012 sounds like a big no no for me, I pass.
- pooriaazimi 14y agoChange title to " iPad mini" (an space at the beginning so HN doesn't automatically capitalizes it, and lowercase m)
- jeswin 14y agoThe best priced tablet out there right now is the Barnes and Noble Nook HD+. 9 inches, 1920x1200, for 269 bucks! If it ran vanilla Android, it would have been a no-brainer for many of us.
- rdhyee 14y agoI have a Nook tablet and like it except for the fact that I can run only B&N blessed apps (of which there are so few).
- stcredzero 14y agoI suspect that lots of women will be buying these with the 4G wireless. That form factor could fit into a lot of purse and pocketbooks quite comfortably, but the screen is still much more usable than a phone. Having that around while shopping will be awesome for users. I also suspect that lots of doctors will buy these. I suspect this will fit very nicely into a lab coat, and the form factor will be a much better fit for doctors with easier one handed operation.
- deleted 14y ago[deleted]
- jpxxx 14y agoThere is no obvious reason this product isn't going to sell in huge quantities. Less conceptually fragile, less expensive, more portable, same software stack, same media stack, same OS, same UX, same premium experience, same monstrous manufacturing and distribution reach, same monstrous advertising and product awareness engine. Every single one of the children you see in restaurants working an iPad so mommy and daddy can eat in peace will have one of these by January. Schools will buy in by the hundreds of thousands, regardless of actual utility or how successful digital textbooks eventually become. This is the new travel iPad. This is the status gift for the developing world. This is the throwaway iPad if you're rich or the first one you look at if you're less so. It's priced to make Apple the margins they want while still inviting comparisons with less expensive and similarly sized tablets. It's going to suck the oxygen out of the $300-$500 price range for anything with a screen. And it's cheap enough to substantially distinguish itself from the main iPad line, which is selling millions a week. That's all it had to do, pricing-wise. I don't want or need this, and I don't think it was particularly necessary for the health of the iPad line, but they dotted all the Is and crossed all the Ts when designing this product.
- tharris0101 14y agoI couldn't have said it better myself. I'd never use this product but I'm sure it will do great. I've been really critical of Apple lately, but I can't find any reason to get upset over this announcement. I find it funny how people are railing against this announcement just because its not useful to them. There are a million different needs and uses out there for different people.
- MatthewPhillips 14y agoA. A person thinks a product is underwhelming. B. That same product sells very well. A and B do not contradict. B does not invalidate A.
- deleted 14y ago[deleted]
- 14y ago
- dman 14y agohttp://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4683962 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4683962 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4683980 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4683980
- sigzero 14y agoNot the "right price point" for me....
- zerohm 14y ago1. Apple releases new product 2. Critics yawn, criticize etc. 3. AAPL goes down 4. Many speculate as to what Jobs would or would not have done, joke about rolling in grave, call for Tim Cook to be fired etc. 5. Apple makes a mint's worth of money, AAPL hits new high. It's been happening for 5 years. It's not just unsurprising, it's predictable.
- anigbrowl 14y agoIt's interesting that they also released an iPad 4 but hardly anyone is talking about that. I presume that this is to address the complaints some people had about the iPad 3 performing less well because of the additional overhead from the retina display?
- Kylekramer 14y agoMy reaction: I imagine Google/Amazon/B&N must be very happy with this. I am sure Apple will sell a boatload and possibly even own a clear majority of the space, but Apple just threw a huge wave of interest into a market where they are being very clearly undercut on price and not offering that much differentation.
- listic 14y agoGoogle/Amazon/B&N will be certainly happy with this, but it's because it will make people consume even more internet/books.
- ahall 14y agosnooze.
- smackfu 14y agoI'm surprised competitors haven't attacked the $129 3G upcharge more directly. That seems like about $100 of profit right there.
- tharris0101 14y agoThe size of the normal iPad is perfect for me. I don't see me ever using this product. On the other hand, I think some people will like this more or this will fit their needs/price range better. Not a very exciting announcement by Apple but not an awful one. I'm more excited about the new iMacs. They look great.
- sneak 14y agoIt's really annoying that the only way to get LTE in Germany on these things (and an iPhone5) is through the shittiest carrier ever. Why is it so hard to build an iPad or iPhone that speaks LTE on 800MHz?
- peterwwillis 14y agoI have nothing against Apple fans. That said, if you own an iPhone 3G, an iPhone 4, an iPod, an iPod Mini, an iPad, and then go and buy an iPad Mini, I am judging you.
- bashzor 14y agoFunny how it's only 1.9 square centimeters larger than the iPhone 5, and I'm guessing it lacks a call feature. Who does phone calls nowadays anyway right? And this old iPod Touch is incredibly obsolete now anyway, nobody uses that anymore.
- bobsy 14y agoI don't really understand the point. Don't Apple now have 4 devices which do the same thing? iPod + iPhone.. as far as I can tell are identical apart from the iPod cannot make calls. iPad is a giant version of the iPod... which I really like to use to browse the web on the sofa. We now have the iPad Mini which is that awkward size which is too big put in your pocket and yet you don't want to put it in your backpack as you could put your netbook / iPad / laptop in your bag. I am sure they will sell plenty. I just don't really get it. Its like innovation has stalled at Apple. How many sizes can we make the iPhone? Beyond this the iMac is incredibly disappointing. Its thin! Oh well. No SDD. No Retina Display. Probably has a little spec boost over last model. Its disappointing. Glad I didn't wait for it.
- robotresearcher 14y ago> iPod + iPhone.. as far as I can tell are identical apart from the iPod cannot make calls. Neither does the iPod have a data modem. It's not an always-connected communicator like the iPhone. There's a big difference in utility between always-online and mostly-online.
- disappointment 14y ago'tis a fine product but $190 for an extra 48Gb of storage? Can we not kill this practice already? I was pretty pissed that Google pulled the same stunt with the Nexus 7. It's 2012. Flash storage is cheap and widely available but Google and Apple (and probably Microsoft) don't want us to have it. It's very irritating behaviour.
- ableal 14y agoApple are exploiting one obvious flaw of the current "accepted wisdom" - that 16:9 movie-oriented wide-screens are to be foisted on all devices in sight. Personally, I'm grateful someone is sticking to the 4:3 aspect ratio. If that made a comeback on laptops and monitors, so much better.
- bane 14y agoIMHO Apple learned the lesson of aspect ratio for watching video with the iPhone 5, then forgot it again with this device. They missed out on a huge opportunity to start kicking their entire lineup towards the new aspect ratio and slowly eliminating any sort of Android-like fragmentation that will induce in their lineup.
- bitwize 14y agoNo NFC. Less screen resolution than a Nexus 7. Lame.
- ashleyblackmore 14y agoCan't watch the videos on linux. Nice.
- deleted 14y ago[deleted]
- pacomerh 14y agoWant it or not these units are gonna sell like pancakes. All the same goodness but now more portable equals a win. Anyways, I was hoping for a little more fanboy vs apple-hater drama on this thread, I always find that entertaining.
- tayl0r 14y agoI hate that you can't use the iPad mini as a cell phone. It's small enough now that in a lot of situations you can carry it around with you. And in those cases, it would be nice to only have to carry your iPad mini and leave your phone at home. Sure, with the 3g model you can still use iMessage, Whats App, Skype, etc- but you're missing out on regular voice calls and SMS. From an engineering perspective- is it that difficult to add a sim card slot and the extra cell antennas?
- billsix 14y agoBut does it come with sandpaper?
- robomartin 14y agoFor me the iPad Mini highlights what I think is a serious problem with iBooks: Landscape orientation should give me the option to read a single page at full screen width. I have never found the two page display to be useful. When looking at PDF files online it is great to rotate to landscape and read full width with nice-big type. This is particularly true at night after a long day in front of the computer. The other thing that iBooks is sorely missing is the ability to use two fingers to zoom in and out of a page. I really don't understand why we have to look at a page with a one inch white border all the way around the page on a digital device, which forces a smaller font to fit the same content. I think that the iPad mini might just stress the need or a better user experience in software such as iBooks.
- confluence 14y agoOh look it's my Nexus 7 with more marketing speak. Apple is now on the back foot and is heading towards market saturation and commoditisation via Android and intense foreign competition. Consequently I have held a large short position from 700 and will continue to do so following my sale of AAPL stock following the Samsung case - unless something changes. You can only win in the brutal consumer electronics space by inventing the future. Otherwise you're just another commodity producer. You can't defeat the entire market by just doing more of the same. Not impressed.
- stinky613 14y agoThe iPad mini looks like it could be the perfect remote for smart homes
- ChuckMcM 14y agoFor those of you who are wondering, this is how a market evolves. When Apple built the iPad they took their best guess at what the 'right' size for the device was. Designers debate this stuff all the time, and I'm sure they looked at the iPod/iPhone screens vs MacBook screens etc. The 10" form factor was very successful for them. Other folks have smaller form factor devices, the Dell 'Streak' [1] being an early example of an Android based device that started out at 5" and 'grew' to 7". 5" was not very successful and mocked as being an unwieldy phone, the larger size was better. Laptops got 'huge' the 17" one being the pinnacle, and then 'small' again with the most popular models being 13 - 16" Other tablets came out in 6, 7, 9, 10, 11" sizes at various levels of acceptance or not. The Kindle was the first e-reader with a solid market foot print, it was 'small'. E-readers of 7" are common. So dialing all of that together you end up with a bunch of different designers trying different ideas and some of them are successful and some aren't. The same designers look at the successful products and try to extract what aspects of the design were critical, which weren't? How did people use them, how did people think of them, what did people want that they didn't get. So this market is evolving. So the folks at Apple see these things and try to capture as much of the market as they can. They saw folks buying a bunch of Kindle fires and Nexus 7's and hey, they could do that. I'm completely conflicted because I like the idea of an A6x iPad but I really like to 30 pin connector on my 3rd Gen iPad. [1] http://www.dell.com/us/business/p/mobile-streak-7/pd http://www.dell.com/us/business/p/mobile-streak-7/pd [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dell_Streak http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dell_Streak
- mdonahoe 14y agoThink they will make a larger iPad? 13" maybe?
- boh 14y agoI'm surprised there's so little talk about the new iMac. It's pretty amazing.
- treskot 14y agoSo now with iPad Mini here, what do you think of "Apple's Contradictions" : Think different each time? - http://blog.cloudmagic.com/2012/10/25/ipad-mini-steve-jobs-and-apple/ http://blog.cloudmagic.com/2012/10/25/ipad-mini-steve-jobs-a...