http://www.electronista.com/articles/10/04/08/mini.ipad.would.target.reading.first/

http://www.geek.com/articles/chips/digitimes-5-to-7-inch-ipad-expected-in-early-2011-2010048/

http://nexus404.com/Blog/2010/04/08/mini-ipad-tablet-coming-next-year-we-shall-call-it-the-iphone-analyst-suggest-smaller-apple-tablet-in-the-works-mini-ipad-still-flash-less/

This is what I was hoping for with the original announcement...An all-in-one device that is as portable as my Kindle and PRS-505 (and easier to read than my phone).

(Sorry if this is already posted and it may have been as I saw it this morning...I did a quick search in this forum and didn't see).

Cool for people that want it.

If anything I'd prefer a 12" model so large format PDFs were more viewable in portrait mode vs. having to read in landscape a 1/2 page at a time.

The critics on these articles, seem to lukewarm about the possibility as well.

For me, it means a device that I can carry in my purse...easier to read/use than a phone (I can't use the smaller screen of the iPhone, or Nook, because of my longer nails).

Apple rumors are often more wishful thinking than reality...but I personally want something like this.

That is a ridiculous rumor imo.

I mean really, Apple just added a product which fills the smart phone to laptop niche. There is no way I'd carry a 7 inch iPad as well as my iPhone, too close size wise. I agree, if anything, I'd take another inch or two on the size of an iPad, not a reduction to near phone size.

This would be more up my alley. Especially if the could price it closer to the touch's pricing.

No way that is going to happen (well perhaps a little way ;)) because of apps. All apps for the ipad will be made with the 10 screen in consideration, and a 7 inch screen would cause many apps to be redone.

There is no way I'd carry a 7 inch iPad as well as my iPhone, too close size wise.

There's a very considerable difference in size; a 7" screen has 4x the display area of a 3.5" screen. I think personally that this would be an excellent compromise between size and portability.

It's a nice size --- about the same as the original Newton MessagePad (and I still need to replace mine).

I'd be glad of it, and look forward to the competition in this space (apparently Dell is doing a 5" device called the Streak?).

Agree w/ Fugazied and dmaul that a larger iPad would also be welcome --- we'd get one here at work for the proofreaders if it would show a letter-sized page plus bleeds at 100%. Interestingly, that space has been collapsing and at least one person I know of has purchased an Axiotron Modbook to use as a Windows Tablet PC (since the Fujitsu Stylistic ST6012 seems to have been discontinued).

William

I wouldn't mind seeing a 6 - 7" screen size and wouldn't be surprised if Apple came out with one. After all, they already sell iPods and laptops in multiple sizes so why not iPad?

I was going to buy the iPad but I found it uncomfortable to hold one handed while trying to use the other hand to do stuff.

Well, that one I will buy. 10" with bezel was too much for me to consider carrying around. 7" inch would be perfect.

Cool for people that want it.

If anything I'd prefer a 12" model so large format PDFs were more viewable in portrait mode vs. having to read in landscape a 1/2 page at a time.

Dear, dmaul, that is probably the 817th post that I see where you telling that you need a device of no less then 12" to read pdf and bashing anything that's not.
I have Motion 1300 for 6+ years now, it has 12" screen and a tablet and it reads and annotates pdfs. I cannot use it, because god damn thing is too big to hold comfortably, but why you don't have it yet?
Is it apple-cool-aid you waiting for?

I guess that will be released on the same day as the iPhone with a 2.8" screen that has been predicted to be released in the near future for the past two years. :)

There won't be a 7" iPad. Ever. It just doesn't make any sense since it would lead to further hardware fragmentation (software would have to be redesigned) without any benefits at all. The iPad features a much bigger screen than the iPhone which opens up new possibilities; a 7" version would just be between an iPhone and the current iPad.

I think that would be a great size.

I am not convinced that this rumor will turn out to be true. Would there be enough of a benefit to entice developers to develop for a THIRD class of device? Is there that much money being left on the table between the iPod Touch and the iPad?

I guess we'll see, but I'm skeptical of this one.

Lee

It'd be nice if Apple just got off their backsides and announced the details of the International launch of the iPad they have currently.

I'm starting to suspect we're going to be slapped with a delay at the last minute.

Screen size shouldn't be an issue, and shouldn't be hard-coded into apps --- I've been waiting for resolution-independence in GUIs since I used to run a 15" CRT @ 1600 x 1200 w/ fonts set to _huge_ back in the Windows 95 days.

It'd be nice if Apple just got off their backsides and announced the details of the International launch of the iPad they have currently.

I'm starting to suspect we're going to be slapped with a delay at the last minute.

My parents go the US in one week! I best know before then or i might be tempted to give them $600 to take with them.

Dear, dmaul, that is probably the 817th post that I see where you telling that you need a device of no less then 12" to read pdf and bashing anything that's not.
I have Motion 1300 for 6+ years now, it has 12" screen and a tablet and it reads and annotates pdfs. I cannot use it, because god damn thing is too big to hold comfortably, but why you don't have it yet?
Is it apple-cool-aid you waiting for?


You just said it, it's too big to hold comfortably. The battery life probably stinks etc.

I want something in the iPad type of form factor/battery life. Printouts work fine in the meantime, so I'm in not rush to get some big, bulky, short battery life, hot running tablet PC. :D

Especially now since the iPad is out, a bunch of Android tablets are coming out, thinner tablet PCs like the HP slate etc.

Just silly to buy anything right now IMO vs waiting 6-12 months for these to roll out and find something that's closer to what I need/want.

But yes, some Apple kool-aid as the iPad is fantastic in terms of form factor, speed, battery life etc., just a bit small and needs a real file management system. So the bar is set pretty high, and I may just end up with an iPad if the Android and other tablets don't come close to matching it in those areas.

...the iPad is fantastic in terms of form factor, speed, battery life etc., just a bit small and needs a real file management system. So the bar is set pretty high, and I may just end up with an iPad if the Android and other tablets don't come close to matching it in those areas.

Yes, lack of a file management system gives me pause. It's on my gotta-have list now because of no present alternatives. I'm forcing myself to hold out until the end of the year. Don't think I'll be able to go past that.

Yes, lack of a file management system gives me pause. It's on my gotta-have list now because of no present alternatives. I'm forcing myself to hold out until the end of the year. Don't think I'll be able to go past that.

There have a been highly successful platforms in the past, which also lacked a conventional file system. Most notably the Palm, which simply had one internal database into which all files were "merged". It can be argued that file systems are things that are no concern of the user, but a "system" issue.

There have a been highly successful platforms in the past, which also lacked a conventional file system. Most notably the Palm, which simply had one internal database into which all files were "merged". It can be argued that file systems are things that are no concern of the user, but a "system" issue.


I work that way now with, iPhoto, iTunes and Calibre and of course iPhone.

It certainly took some getting used to and initially I actually went in and changed the settings so I manually managed my files but realised after a while i dont actually care about that!
I just want access to my photos and music HOWEVER there is a potential negative to this.

The software can stop this being a good system in iPhoto for example the fact that i can set it to open the image in photoshop when I click to edit means I dont need to get access to the file in the old way, I can also choose to export selected files to a disc or send via email all from within the app. When it works this way I have no need to open finder and actually touch the file, I love it... BUT if the iPhoto software wasnt this good and flexible I wouldnt like this system...

the iPhone/iPad for me are still missing that central store for all files that all apps then point at(although it does exist for photos and music) they need to do this for all file types imo.

You just said it, it's too big to hold comfortably. The battery life probably stinks etc.

I want something in the iPad type of form factor/battery life. Printouts work fine in the meantime, so I'm in not rush to get some big, bulky, short battery life, hot running tablet PC. :D

Especially now since the iPad is out, a bunch of Android tablets are coming out, thinner tablet PCs like the HP slate etc.

Just silly to buy anything right now IMO vs waiting 6-12 months for these to roll out and find something that's closer to what I need/want.

But yes, some Apple kool-aid as the iPad is fantastic in terms of form factor, speed, battery life etc., just a bit small and needs a real file management system. So the bar is set pretty high, and I may just end up with an iPad if the Android and other tablets don't come close to matching it in those areas.

You giving too much credit to IPad it's as bulky because of it's ginormous bezel as 12" tablet pc I have, and weigh just a few ounces less, I would imagine 12" you waiting for will weight the same and will be even more unweildy if it comes from apple with same bezel. I played with IPad in BestBuy and thing was so heavy I got tired after 2 minutes of holding it with one hand.
Have to acknowledge though, if you are afraid of heat - old tablets are not for you :)

There have a been highly successful platforms in the past, which also lacked a conventional file system. Most notably the Palm, which simply had one internal database into which all files were "merged". It can be argued that file systems are things that are no concern of the user, but a "system" issue.

Well, being successful doesn't mean it's ideal or acceptable to everyone.

I can deal without a file system if they at least make some central places to drag files in iTuens so that every app can find them.

From what others have posted, it does work that way for photos and music. Get them on there and all the photo and music apps can find them as they're in a central location.

But it doesn't work that way for other documents. For instance, PDFs. I can drag and drop them into Goodreader in iTunes, but other PDF apps can't find them as they're in a place specific to good reader.

If they made a folder called "My Files" or "My Docs" or something like that you could drag stuff in and most all apps could find them (as it's a central location on every iPad they could be designed to use) I could probably deal with lack of a true file management system.

But I'll wait and see how the Android, Windows 7 etc. tablets turn out, what's in store for the iPad 2nd gen etc. Though like the guy above I don't really want to wait past the end of this year. But I may wait until next spring as I'd really rather get at least a 2nd gen version of whatever tablet I end up with so I don't have 1st gen bugs, high prices etc.

You giving too much credit to IPad it's as bulky because of it's ginormous bezel as 12" tablet pc I have, and weigh just a few ounces less, I would imagine 12" you waiting for will weight the same and will be even more unweildy if it comes from apple with same bezel. I played with IPad in BestBuy and thing was so heavy I got tired after 2 minutes of holding it with one hand.
Have to acknowledge though, if you are afraid of heat - old tablets are not for you :)


I don't find the iPad bulky or too heavy. Have used it for several hours in different settings since my girlfriend bought one on launch day.

The bezel is a necessity. It could be a bit smaller, but not much. With a super sensitive touch screen you have to be able to hold it without your thumbs etc. touching the screen or you'll be accidentally pressing stuff all the time.

To clarify I don't absolutely have to have a 12" screen. The 9.7" screen on the iPad works better for my needs that I thought it would since the screen is so fast for zooming and scrolling, which makes reading A4 docs in Landscape mode much less annoying that I thought.

I'd prefer a screen an inch or two bigger. But I could deal with a 9.7" if nothing with a bigger screen comes out that matches the thinness, screen quality, speed, battery life etc. of the iPad in the next year or so.

But yeah, whatever I buy I want to be thin, reasonably light, not put out much heat, and get the 10-11 hour battery life of the iPad. Otherwise I'd rather buy the iPad and deal with it's shortcomings, than buy something else that doesn't match those things.

Well, being successful doesn't mean it's ideal or acceptable to everyone.


Oh, I completely agree with you. That's why I personally always used Windows Mobile PDAs rather than Palm devices, because I like being able to see and use files in the "normal" way. We must each make a decision about what suits us personally; no one device is going to be right for everybody.

I can deal without a file system if they at least make some central places to drag files in iTuens so that every app can find them.




Third party apps pretty much all work within a sandbox and can't interact with other apps so having a central place where all apps can find them probably won't be happening.

Third party apps pretty much all work within a sandbox and can't interact with other apps so having a central place where all apps can find them probably won't be happening.

Who knows. It works that way with photo and music files. Those all get stored in a centralized location that Apple puts on the iPad/iPhone.

I don't see a reason they can't do the same thing for say PDFs and other types of docs.

If they're in a central location, any app can be written with that location as they're default storage location and open any files (in that apps format be it PDF etc.) that are in that location. The apps don't have to interact with each other. It's just a matter of having a central file location so all apps can be written to look for files in that location, save their files there etc.

I don't know if it WILL happen. But it seems an easy fix/compromise if they're not willing to have a real file management system.

Well, that one I will buy. 10" with bezel was too much for me to consider carrying around. 7" inch would be perfect.

A 7" screen would be a better size for an eBook reader. But I still don't think I will ever buy into the Apple business model. I believe that once you buy the hardware you should be able to install whatever software you want to on it.

A 7" screen would be a better size for an eBook reader. But I still don't think I will ever buy into the Apple business model. I believe that once you buy the hardware you should be able to install whatever software you want to on it.

Out of interest do you believe that with all hardware devices or just apple media players?
of course with a full fledged computer its a given, but what about your cable box? game console? Ereader? etc

You just said it, it's too big to hold comfortably. The battery life probably stinks etc.

I want something in the iPad type of form factor/battery life....

I absolutely agree. The new tablets, the first of which is the iPad, are thinner, easier to hold and have way better UIs (iPhone/iPad OS does the best (so far) job of UI, and I hope Android 2.1+ gives it a run for the title).

And for PDFs, 10.5"+ is a must.

I work that way now with, iPhoto, iTunes and Calibre and of course iPhone....

Bleh, the main reason I don't touch iPhoto is because I've had its database go bad, and I still have not figured out some of my photos (it scrambled the order, and worse, changed all the dates to the date of corruption).

The best I've found is Adobe's Light Room, and even Apple's new Aperture 3 is way better than iPhoto - and both will maintain your folder structure.

As to iTunes, now that one of my 3G Ss was force-updated to 3.1.3, there is NO app I have found which will let me copy my music from my office Mac to this iPhone (which syncs to my home Mac). (If someone knows of a way, please tell).

And for PDFs, 10.5"+ is a must.

Have you tried the iPad?

After using it I'd still prefer another inch or two in screen size. But I wouldn't call it a must anymore.

I could get by with 9.7 on the iPad (and other tablets if they can match the UI).

Even with a couple 8.5x11" double column scholarly journal articles I checked out, it wasn't bad. Just turn it to landscape, do the pinch zoom to get rid of the margins, and it's super readable.

I thought the scrolling would drive me nuts, but it's so smooth and fast on the ipad that it's not bad at all--vs say the slow e-ink on the Kindle DX.

I'd still prefer a slightly bigger screen for sure, but I could deal with the 9.7 inches if nothing comes out with a bigger screen that matches or surpasses the iPad's UI, battery life, form factor etc. for sure.

But also probably 90% or more of PDFs I read are journals that use smaller, single column pages. Just a few in my field use A4 sized double column formats. So it's less of a need for me than others.

Out of interest do you believe that with all hardware devices or just apple media players?
of course with a full fledged computer its a given, but what about your cable box? game console? Ereader? etc

Yeah, that's personally never been a big concern of mine.

I'm not a big customizer/tweaker. A device that does what I need in a way I like right out of the box is ideal for me.

I wish Apple was more open, but mainly in terms of having a file system to make it easier to put lots of documents on them, organize them, have multiple apps be able to find and open them from a central location etc.

I don't have much issue with the App store. It seems to have most everything I'd want already, and that will only improve.

But to each their own. Some are bigger tech heads and like to tweak, and want total freedom to install anything etc.

My parents go the US in one week! I best know before then or i might be tempted to give them $600 to take with them.

Why wait, the odds are that even if you don't save time then you would say money by buying it abroad.

Ebook readers have already shown the usefulness of devices with a screensize of around 6" and there would more than likely be a good market for a smaller ipad too, there have been plenty of reports of people that found the ipad too heavy to hold for a long period of time and then there are others who simply put a high value on the actual portability of portable devices.

[Please note, there is no need to reply saying you find the weight of an ipad fine, that is an irrelevant point to make since there is already an ipad model for people who find the current size fine, its called the ipad]

6-7" Size doesn't make sense to me. To much fragmentation/models in Apple's market already. Might as well buy an iPod Touch at that point...

It would also make it too much like a big PDA which already died back in the mid-00s. Sure, some people may like it, but you can't please every small market segment.

6-7" Size doesn't make sense to me. To much fragmentation/models in Apple's market already. Might as well buy an iPod Touch at that point...

It would also make it too much like a big PDA which already died back in the mid-00s. Sure, some people may like it, but you can't please every small market segment.

Odd choice of thing to compare it to when the more obvious one would be current ereaders where the vast majority of them are in the 5-7" range and they don't seem to be suffering.

Odd choice of thing to compare it to when the more obvious one would be current ereaders where the vast majority of them are in the 5-7" range and they don't seem to be suffering.

Yep, that's the more obvious comparison.

Is there a market for people who want an iPad sized like current e-readers? Most e-reader fans here don't seem to want any with all the "if it glows it blows" crap.

But maybe there's a market for more casual readers. Or people who want a tablet device that's bigger than an iPhone/iTouch, but easier to stick in a purse etc. than the current iPad.

Time will tell. But again, I think the current model is a tad small for a tablet anyway--would like the screen a bit bigger and the bezel a bit thinner myself. But maybe sales of a smaller model will prove me wrong.

Yep, that's the more obvious comparison.

Is there a market for people who want an iPad sized like current e-readers? Most e-reader fans here don't seem to want any with all the "if it glows it blows" crap.

But maybe there's a market for more casual readers. Or people who want a tablet device that's bigger than an iPhone/iTouch, but easier to stick in a purse etc. than the current iPad.

Time will tell. But again, I think the current model is a tad small for a tablet anyway--would like the screen a bit bigger and the bezel a bit thinner myself. But maybe sales of a smaller model will prove me wrong.

I'd like the exact opposite. Something in the 6 - 7" range would be great.

I'd like the exact opposite. Something in the 6 - 7" range would be great.

Yep, I thought of you when you posted that, from your comments in the apple forum about needing something you can comfortably hold in one hand to read on the subway etc.

I do think there's a market for it--I"ll be curious to see how sizable it is.

I suspect many may think their iPhone is enough and/or want something a lot bigger like the current iPad. As well as readers who prefer e-ink etc. sticking with those devices. But if anyone can sell a 7" tablet it's Apple IMO.

Yep, I thought of you when you posted that, from your comments in the apple forum about needing something you can comfortably hold in one hand to read on the subway etc.

I do think there's a market for it--I"ll be curious to see how sizable it is.

I suspect many may think their iPhone is enough and/or want something a lot bigger like the current iPad. As well as readers who prefer e-ink etc. sticking with those devices. But if anyone can sell a 7" tablet it's Apple IMO.

I love my iPhone but there are definitely times when a little larger screen would be nice :).

With the current ipad you are seeing some people saying that its too heavy for them and others who would like a bigger screen so once the market for slates expands there would be room for both smaller and larger screens to replace or complement the current one.

It'd be nice if Apple just got off their backsides and announced the details of the International launch of the iPad they have currently.

I'm starting to suspect we're going to be slapped with a delay at the last minute.I don't think that there will be a delay but a $1 = €1 price tagging =/

GJMS

I absolutely think there's a market for a 7" model. My iRex is 8" and that is near perfect for reading - the form factor is a marvel. I love my ipad, but mostly prefer to read landscape in the two-page format, unless I am reading PDFs or technical books. The ipad is great for gaming, but I think a smaller device would make a certain segment of the market quite happy, though honestly I like my iPhone a lot.

A mini-iPad would be a good product for someone who doesn't own or want an iPhone or iPod touch, and find the iPad too large. Some people just do not want an iPhone for whatever reason, and the iPod Touch isn't all that fabulous as a music player because most of the time it's more convenient to have tangible buttons. An iPad-mini would fit a gamer who owns a DS or a PSP, or a person who wants an eBook Reader and doesn't mind the glow.

And they should call it Goldilocks.

...

A mini-iPad would be a good product for someone who doesn't own or want an iPhone or iPod touch, and find the iPad too large. ...
mini-IPad, I like that name. And when they come out witha larger one, they can call it a max-iPad. :)