chleuasme
The Missing Link
On these rumors about an iPad mini.
What is the interest for Apple in adding fragmentation to their tablet line?
Does Apple want two different devices to allow to do the exact same things?
Do developpers want to have to target two different devices, even if the downsizing to 7.85" would still make app designed for 9.7" barely usable.
Such a new tablet would sure be nice for its size and weight, but does Apple want two similar devices to coexist in the tablet category?
One thing they could do is rather add a new kind of device to their line of product.
One device completely dedicated to consume what they sell on their stores, and more portable than an iPad, with a bigger screen than an iPod Touch.
Their growing interest in ebooks market might indicate their need of a better eReader, better than the iPad.
The iPod Touch is perfect for music, but not for reading ebooks nor videos.
The iPad is ok for reading ebooks or watching videos, as long as you have strong forearms, but not really transportable.
Rather than a 7.85" iPad mini, they need a new category of product, closer to something like a Fire or even, the Note.
Something like a WiFi touch device with a 6" - 7" retina screen, limited to ebooks, music, video, gaming and web, and not necessarily with 3rd party apps.
A good consumer device, directly designed to enjoy on the go the contents sold on their ebooks/music/video/games stores.
A 5:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio would be fine for ebooks in portrait and videos in landscape, the 6" or 7" screen would be about as wide as is an iPhone screen in landscape and about as tall as an iPad screen is wide in portrait (~150mm x ~75mm), and the device not bigger than a pocket book.
Make it cheap under $300 with good battery life and storage capacity, thin and not too heavy, and it could almost replace the iPod Touch.
You want to do more and use specific apps? Get a real tablet, get an iPad and take advantage of a full experience at 10".
It's too big for you? Then you don't really want to read ebooks or watch videos comfortably. Get an iPhone/iPod.
Now, add to this new device support for 3G, stylus with Apple's Ink tech, cameras, and not only games but real 3rd party apps, and that would open it to a whole new kind of usages different to other iOS devices.
Apple wants people to buy every of their devices, not to please everybody with different variation in a category of devices/usages, very different from the Samsung's approach to offer almost every possible variation of touch devices from 3.5" to 10".
They don't want people to choose between a 8" and a 10" tablet offering the same possibilities, they want you to buy contents and apps on their stores, with devices dedicated to it.
They maybe will offer a second tablet model in the future, but they have a hole to fill in their offering before, and the 8" iPad is probably not the best way to do it.
The Missing Link
On these rumors about an iPad mini.
What is the interest for Apple in adding fragmentation to their tablet line?
Does Apple want two different devices to allow to do the exact same things?
Do developpers want to have to target two different devices, even if the downsizing to 7.85" would still make app designed for 9.7" barely usable.
Such a new tablet would sure be nice for its size and weight, but does Apple want two similar devices to coexist in the tablet category?
One thing they could do is rather add a new kind of device to their line of product.
One device completely dedicated to consume what they sell on their stores, and more portable than an iPad, with a bigger screen than an iPod Touch.
Their growing interest in ebooks market might indicate their need of a better eReader, better than the iPad.
The iPod Touch is perfect for music, but not for reading ebooks nor videos.
The iPad is ok for reading ebooks or watching videos, as long as you have strong forearms, but not really transportable.
Rather than a 7.85" iPad mini, they need a new category of product, closer to something like a Fire or even, the Note.
Something like a WiFi touch device with a 6" - 7" retina screen, limited to ebooks, music, video, gaming and web, and not necessarily with 3rd party apps.
A good consumer device, directly designed to enjoy on the go the contents sold on their ebooks/music/video/games stores.
A 5:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio would be fine for ebooks in portrait and videos in landscape, the 6" or 7" screen would be about as wide as is an iPhone screen in landscape and about as tall as an iPad screen is wide in portrait (~150mm x ~75mm), and the device not bigger than a pocket book.
Make it cheap under $300 with good battery life and storage capacity, thin and not too heavy, and it could almost replace the iPod Touch.
You want to do more and use specific apps? Get a real tablet, get an iPad and take advantage of a full experience at 10".
It's too big for you? Then you don't really want to read ebooks or watch videos comfortably. Get an iPhone/iPod.
Now, add to this new device support for 3G, stylus with Apple's Ink tech, cameras, and not only games but real 3rd party apps, and that would open it to a whole new kind of usages different to other iOS devices.
Apple wants people to buy every of their devices, not to please everybody with different variation in a category of devices/usages, very different from the Samsung's approach to offer almost every possible variation of touch devices from 3.5" to 10".
They don't want people to choose between a 8" and a 10" tablet offering the same possibilities, they want you to buy contents and apps on their stores, with devices dedicated to it.
They maybe will offer a second tablet model in the future, but they have a hole to fill in their offering before, and the 8" iPad is probably not the best way to do it.