[Robo]

Originally Posted by zippy Easier than you type on a 3.5" screen.

Not really. 3.5" screen is small enough to type using two thumbs. A 9.7" screen is large enough to touch type. 7" screens are neither. I've used 7" tablets, and there's no good way to type on them. Their keyboards in landscape are about the size of the iPad's in portrait. And the keyboard on a 7.85" iPad wouldn't be any wider, since that extra screen size is going toward giving the screen a taller 4:3 aspect ratio.

Really, the most (only?) viable way to type on the iPad mini would probably be to use the split thumb keyboard.

Originally Posted by hmurchison It's not really hard to see this unfolding. The ones getting caught up are the Jobsian clones (prattling about sandpaper, fingertips and 7" screens" and those that have a ideal of what an iPad should be and have a hard time seeing beyond.

Or those who have very real concerns about the usability of the product, and what it would actually add to the iOS ecosystem. But, y'know, same difference. Silly Jobsian clones!

Sorry, but ignoring the arguments people are making against a 7" iPad, and then just painting the people making them as close-minded or "Jobsian clones," is pretty lazy. It's like calling someone an "Apple fanboy" and then dismissing everything they say. If someone is an Apple fanboy then critics should point out the parts in their commentary where their fanboyism leads him astray, not just call them a fanboy and leave it at that. Likewise, if I'm wrong about the usability of the screen size or keyboard or whatever than show me why I'm wrong, don't just dismiss the opposing arguments as Jobsian prattling that doesn't need to be addressed.

Because I, personally, don't give a damn about what Jobs thought about iPad screen size. I give a damn about what I think, and what I've felt and experienced, and all the 7" tablets' keyboards have felt like absolute crap to me.

Originally Posted by hmurchison I work with a couple of happy Kindle owners. Not the Fire but the eInk smaller units. They LOVE them..battery lasts a long time...it's small and light.

The battery lasts a long time because of the e-ink screen, and they're light because of their much smaller batteries. In other words, a 7.85" iPad, or even a 6" one, is unlikely to be anywhere near the same weight as an e-ink Kindle anytime soon. Most 7" tablets weigh about a pound.

I'm not sure I buy the idea that the only way to make the iPad lighter is to chop off half the screen. The iPad 2 was 10% lighter than the iPad 1 with the same screen size. Another 10% reduction would take the iPad to 1.1 lbs, which is within spitting distance of most 7" tablets. Sure, the iPad "3" took a small step backwards, weightwise, due to its increased battery needs, but technology will continue to improve.

Originally Posted by hmurchison So it's not a matter of "should it be done?"

I actually think it is a matter of "should it be done?" My hunch would be that it shouldn't.

Apple tries to introduce the fewest possible products — especially with iOS products. They rely on the economies of scale gained by selling tens of millions of the exact same thing, as well as the app ecosystem created when developers can reach tens of millions of customers with one version of one product. Apple still only introduces one new phone each year! So for Apple to introduce a new iOS product, they have to be convinced that it will be a meaningful contribution to the iOS line — and not just "for now," not just "until 9.7-inch screens can be had at the same price," but for the foreseeable future. Introducing a 7" iPad would be committing to the form factor.

That's in part because it would be a burden on developers. It doesn't matter that existing apps would be able to run shrunk down; the savviest developers would still want to custom-tailor their apps for the smaller screen. If their game calls for a one-inch button, they'd still want that to be a one-inch button, which means making larger HUD assets at the 1024*768 resolution and reconfiguring their positions.

I don't think Apple feels threatened by Amazon. If they want to sell a $299 iPad, they can easily wait until they can sell a $299 iPad that offers the full-sized iPad experience.