Rumors of the infamous 7-inch iPad mini have been lurking in the interwebs since the launch of the first iPad. With the addition of hopeful (not even close) competitors of the Amazon Fire and the Surface, the rumors always point to Apple blowing the smaller tablets out of the water also.
This makes sense when you think long and hard about it. The business model would bring in my users (more money), due to the simple fact that if it is smaller, it will be cheaper, thus more affordable for folks who went with an Android device (sorry!) because they couldn’t or wouldn’t afford the iPad.
Now Bloomberg is making the rumors a bit more palpable with their latest report in which they say, it is indeed coming, and sooner than you think!
“Apple Inc. (AAPL) plans to debut a smaller, cheaper iPad by year-end, two people with knowledge of the plans said, to help maintain dominance of the tablet market as Google Inc. (GOOG) and Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) prepare competing handheld devices.
The new model will have a screen that’s 7 inches to 8 inches diagonally, less than the current 9.7-inch version, said the people, who asked not to be identified because Apple has’t made its plans public. The product, which Apple may announce by October, won’t have the high-definition screen featured on the iPad that was released in March, one of the people said.”
So what does this mean for you? Well it means that more developers will lean more towards iOS as the number of folks having an iPad, or iDevice will grow. This means competition will bring out the best in everyone, which is ALWAYS a good thing.
Will you buy one? Is the price point the only thing that is really holding you back from getting an iPad?
Actually, I would consider selling my iPad 2 if that meant I could get the iPad nano w/ more memory. I like the increased portability of the form factor.
Really!
Guess smaller is better in your world?
When it comes to hauling technology around in my backpack to/from work? Yes. That’s why I rarely take my MBP out of the house. It’s heavy as a brick.
Gotcha, my iPad is no longer mine, my kids take it everywhere with them. Wish we had Wifi at work – I work in IT for Pete’s sake!
You don’t have Wifi at work?! This is 2012, right?
In Healthcare IT it is actually 2004