Quote:
Originally Posted by BookCat
I can't see the point of a mini ipad. If Apple want to make an ereader, why don't they just do that?
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If with "ereader" you mean eink, I do not believe they want that. Apple sells hardware to regular users, mostly, but eink is a very focused market. They maybe too late to enter in the game.
With a mini iPad, they can potentially take advantage of existing iOs market and apps, and allow people to use Kindle and B&N for iOs, having two big ebook applications on a single tablet device.
Now, iPad tablets have proved to be a very fast and reliable piece of hardware, with little or no issues, so in theory, that can convince a lot of people to grab their wallets and buy one.
The argument that may be holding the release of such hypothetical device is that Steve Jobs was against it; he believed was too small for a good browsing experience. In my opinion, that arguments is not solid (for certain uses) and proof of that is that Apple sells iPhones and iPods. You can browse Internet with those and they are smaller than any regular 7 inches tablet.
In a nutshell, no ones know, it's pure speculation. But rumors keep increasing and with so many important companies now making money from 7 inches tablets, it would make sense for Apple to come with one and compete for that market as well.