ZDNET: Has Apple (accidentally) redefined the tablet?

[afv011]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

I read it as "3G", so you have a 3G, a WiFi, and an LTE variant. Same design, different radios.

Just remember those are internal designs not announced products.
They might decide to drop some variants or market them to different countries.
The main takeaway for me is that they are now designing to 8in instead of seven. Which makes financial sense when you consider how the generic android 7inchers are marching towards US$99. The build cost of an 8incher wouldn't be much higher, if at all, but they'll be able to price them higher.

I wonder if they'll make a model with voice; if you're to carry this around, you might as well replace your phone. But this would be one to use with a BlueTooth handset.

[SeaKing]

I think that 5" is big enough for a pocket. Sure maybe another 1/2 inch or so depending on bezel.
I have been carrying Droid I for a mini-tab. Just use it for wifi and it is pretty hefty with the keyboard and a lot of metal, but the 3.7" screen is too little for browsing.

I think a 5" is the max but again that bezel figures in.
I am going to just stick with my mini-notebook/chromebook type device for main line productivity and browsing and with the Droid or a 5 incher for checking out stuff in restaurants on their wifi.
A simple 4 cent a minute prepay phone for cellular.

Now sometimes for a month or so at a time on a job, I have been using a hotspot with my notebook. Pretty cheap.

[Crowl]

Originally Posted by MikeB1972

Samsung already have tablets / phones in 3, 3.1, 3.2, 4, 4.8, 5, 5.3, 5.5, 7, 9.4 & 10.1 inch sizes (I've missed a bunch out for simplicity) 6 & 8 inch are about the only sizes they didn't have before the iPad mini. I suspect they are just filling the gaps rather than blindly following iPple.

They also had a 7.7" model before so it is actually just adding a Note model in that size range.

[Crowl]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

Me neither.
I just shrugged and went with the FireHD8.9/32.

How do you find that for things like pdfs or magazines, I prefer the greater portability of a 7" tablet but my ipad is noticeably better for that sort of reading and an 8.9" device would seem like a good compromise as I want to replace my ipad.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by Crowl

How do you find that for things like pdfs or magazines, I prefer the greater portability of a 7" tablet but my ipad is noticeably better for that sort of reading and an 8.9" device would seem like a good compromise as I want to replace my ipad.

It's in transit. I'll report once I have it up and running. Could be a couple weeks.

Conceptually I think of it as my "hardcover" reader and a complement to the smaller "paperback-class" eink reader.

I have a bunch of free digital comics codes so I'll be trying those, a couple of Scientific American faux-paper (pdf) editions and a handful of cook books. I might try a National Geographic or two.
I have a couple of Audible books I was gifted so that'll be part of the shakedown cruise.
Plus the usual reading apps; Kindle, Nook, Coolreader, and Aldiko.

Hopefully it'll be a step up from my ten-year old TC-1000 windows tablet.
(Half the weight should help. Better battery life would help but 6 hours on the Compaq wasn't bad for 2003.)

I've been pondering the move for months now and it got to the point I got tired of waiting. Once the Mini disqualified itself it came down to Kindle vs Nook and in the end the Kindle won on a series of minor pluses adding up to a justification for the higher cost.

[Namekuseijin]

still not use for a tablet

a large smartphone like GN is my limit for portable device

[SeaKing]

Originally Posted by Namekuseijin

still not use for a tablet

a large smartphone like GN is my limit for portable device

Excuse me. what is "GN"?

[Lemurion]

Originally Posted by SeaKing

Excuse me. what is "GN"?

I would think a "Galaxy Note."

IIRC it's a 5-6" range smartphone. Personally I want a tablet that's big enough for comics and magazines and am fine with a smaller phone.

[mbovenka]

Originally Posted by Lemurion

I would think a "Galaxy Note."

IIRC it's a 5-6" range smartphone. Personally I want a tablet that's big enough for comics and magazines and am fine with a smaller phone.

Same here. I have a 9.7" tablet and a 4" phone (Galaxy Splus).

[robertc88]

This whole thing about fitting in one's pocket is completely overblown imho. Maybe in the winter with a coat or jacket BUT in the summer or even spring? I focus on being cool and comfortable. I do not wear anything close to having a pocket the fits a 7 inch tablet during those seasons.

And mark my words about the next large IPad that Apple releases. Bet in ain't going to cost 499. Price more than ever matters now witnessing the Mini.

[Lemurion]

With the Mini at $329, there's no reason for Apple to drop the retina iPad below its current $499. They have already demonstrated that their customer base is largely price-insensitive. Most competing tablets have a higher resolution display, better overall specifications, and a lower price, but Apple has no issue selling the Mini.

They have no need to drop the price.

[Namekuseijin]

Originally Posted by Lemurion

I would think a "Galaxy Note."

IIRC it's a 5-6" range smartphone. Personally I want a tablet that's big enough for comics and magazines and am fine with a smaller phone.

it is

someone bought it here and I tested: it barely fits into my pocket, but fits anyway. I didn't like the writing: it's kinda laggy and thus my writing style is not at all the same. I didn't tinker much with it, but I guess there may be some adjusting setting to the interpolation, so that it is less laggy to draw and write...

anyway, a tad too big, even though I have big hands, but definitely useful. about 1 full inch larger than the current screen of mine.

then again, I come from 3.7" where I used to read just fine

I'm definitely not one who thinks that bigger is better

[Lemurion]

Originally Posted by Namekuseijin

it is

someone bought it here and I tested: it barely fits into my pocket, but fits anyway. I didn't like the writing: it's kinda laggy and thus my writing style is not at all the same. I didn't tinker much with it, but I guess there may be some adjusting setting to the interpolation, so that it is less laggy to draw and write...

anyway, a tad too big, even though I have big hands, but definitely useful. about 1 full inch larger than the current screen of mine.

then again, I come from 3.7" where I used to read just fine

I'm definitely not one who thinks that bigger is better

I still read on my iPhone 3GS, and have no problems with the 3.5" relatively low resolution screen. It works, and that's all that matters.

The only times I really need a larger screen are for comics (the lettering is just too small otherwise) and for magazines where the layout is important so I need to be able to both see a full page and read the text.

I've also got fairly poor vision, which doesn't help with reading fine print.

[afv011]

Originally Posted by Lemurion

I would think a "Galaxy Note."

IIRC it's a 5-6" range smartphone. Personally I want a tablet that's big enough for comics and magazines and am fine with a smaller phone.

GN usually refers to the Galaxy Nexus, as it came out first, but it's ambiguous in this context as we're talking about larger devices.

[Lemurion]

Originally Posted by WillysJeepMan

Here in the US, the N10 is the same price as the iPad (for the same storage capacity). So how is Apple charging a premium price?

While technically accurate, I have to say that the statement above is misleading at best.

The N10 is priced at $399 for 16GB and $499 for 32GB.
Apple offers two models with 16GB, one at $399, the other at $499. Their 32GB model is $599.

While one of Apple's three models does offer the same storage capacity for the same price, that is the older iPad 2 model, with less than half the resolution of the Nexus 10.

The retina iPad, which is the closest comparable to the Nexus 10 is $100 more for a given amount of storage. That additional $100 for the same amount of storage represents a premium price.

So the choice is to either go back two generations for an iPad at the same price as the latest and greatest Android tablet with the same storage capacity or pay more for the latest iPad.