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Traveling
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Gregg Thurman
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There was a time, maybe 10 years ago, wherein when getting on a plane I’d see maybe 12 - 15 people with laptops. Maybe one would be a Mac.
Yesterday I flew from Spokane, WA to Lawrence, KS (drove last 60 miles). In the Denver food court I saw ~6 laptops, evenly split between Macs and Windows. One of the Wintels was a netbook. I swear the screen was the same size as that of the iPad.
Getting on the plane to Kansas City (Southwest) I saw 5 iPads in just the first two rows (I caught a bulkhead seat).
I didn’t see an eReader on the entire trip. The screen size I saw on the Netbook got me thinking, did anyone make a 7” netbook? I don’t think they did. So why would a 7” tablet be desirable?
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You can’t do more, make more, be more, than the next guy, if you think like the next guy. Think different.
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adamthompson32
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There was a time, maybe 10 years ago, wherein when getting on a plane I’d see maybe 12 - 15 people with laptops. Maybe one would be a Mac.
Yesterday I flew from Spokane, WA to Lawrence, KS (drove last 60 miles). In the Denver food court I saw ~6 laptops, evenly split between Macs and Windows. One of the Wintels was a netbook. I swear the screen was the same size as that of the iPad.
Getting on the plane to Kansas City (Southwest) I saw 5 iPads in just the first two rows (I caught a bulkhead seat).
I didn’t see an eReader on the entire trip. The screen size I saw on the Netbook got me thinking, did anyone make a 7” netbook? I don’t think they did. So why would a 7” tablet be desirable?
The huge difference is input method. Touch vs. traditional QWERTY keyboard. Touch has changed the computing world. 7” iPad will be a homerun of epic proportions.
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The huge difference is input method. Touch vs. traditional QWERTY keyboard. Touch has changed the computing world. 7” iPad will be a homerun of epic proportions.
Admittedly there are some great things about touch, but there are also times, say email or just writing something, when keyboard (whether real or otherwise) input is an important feature. The 10” iPad’s built in touch keyboard is already a bit scrunched from a real keyboard and the scrunch would be significantly greater. As it is I find the on-screen keyboard on the 10” iPad very difficult for me to touch-type upon. That is why I bluetooth connect an Apple aluminum keyboard to my iPad when entering text is important.
I guess what I am saying is that for me a 7” iPad would be literally useless. Admittedly that will not be true for everyone, in which case I accept that a 7” iPad would be a successful addition to Apple’s lineup.
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James Leo Ryan
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About a year ago, now, I got my wife a Kindle. She LOVES it, and quite literally takes it everywhere, including church and work. It fits quite nicely in her purse, which makes it very convenient for her to haul around. An iPad of current configuration would not fit in her purse, and as such, it would not be anywhere nearly as convenient to casually carry around as part of one’s every day complement of items to have on hand.
I believe a 7” iPad would sell like hot cakes, even at a price 30-50% above other 7” tablets. It would be a big hit, if not a full-on grand slam for Apple to add it to their lineup. People who need the larger screen ill always have the full-size iPad to choose from, while those needing more portability, but simultaneously more screen than a smart phone, will LOVE a 7” iPad.
Disclaimer: I, personally, have no real interest in either, as my needs lean heavily toward a MacBook than a tablet.
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“Everything in excess! To really enjoy the flavor of life, take big bites. Moderation is for monks.” -Lazarus Long
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I honestly don’t know if it would be a hit, but the keyboard matter could be an issue. It’s interesting that the well-touted MS “Surface” tablet is boasting that its built-in keyboard is part of its significant advantage. They, at least, contend that the keyboard aspect is a game changer. Still, if they make one for only a smaller share of the market, I’m going to be rather mad that they used the same “small market” reason to get rid of the 17” laptop.
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greedyn00b
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There was a time, maybe 10 years ago, wherein when getting on a plane I’d see maybe 12 - 15 people with laptops. Maybe one would be a Mac.
Yesterday I flew from Spokane, WA to Lawrence, KS (drove last 60 miles). In the Denver food court I saw ~6 laptops, evenly split between Macs and Windows. One of the Wintels was a netbook. I swear the screen was the same size as that of the iPad.
Getting on the plane to Kansas City (Southwest) I saw 5 iPads in just the first two rows (I caught a bulkhead seat).
I didn’t see an eReader on the entire trip. The screen size I saw on the Netbook got me thinking, did anyone make a 7” netbook? I don’t think they did. So why would a 7” tablet be desirable?
A 7” tablet would fit in a woman’s purse
Now, the argument is whether it is reasonable to shrink iPad apps’ UI into a 7” form factor, or whether a 7” table needs correspondingly lower resolution and apps that are more “enhanced phone” apps than they are “shrunken tablet” apps…
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It’s interesting that the well-touted MS “Surface” tablet is boasting that its built-in keyboard is part of its significant advantage.
The problem with the Surface keyboard is that it is about 80% of the size of a normal keyboard, an aspect that makes touch typing awkward if not impossible. In other words, the Surface keyboard is something Microsoft can brag about, but it is actually, to a great many, if not most people, something totally useless!
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James Leo Ryan
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greedyn00b
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...80% of the size of a normal keyboard…
Been there, done that, sucked massively.
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When traveling by plane, I regularly walk the aisles (chronicled elsewhere on this board). Same thing on the train, where my method is to increment +1 for every Mac and -1 for every PC. The tally went positive in 2008. While I haven’t regularly done the same for tablets, the eReader was king until late 2011. In the lead-up to the holidays iPad2 was just crazy popular.
I love the 7” form factor. Thumb typing on my Nook Color is much easier than on iPad. The device fits in a jacket pocket or a back pants pocket when moving through a terminal, then out and immediately in use when sitting at the gate. User experience is greatly enhanced by the larger screen and accompanying freedom from squinting. For travelers and regularly mobile people I have found 7” to be the sweet spot.
Still I love the larger screen & device for couch surfing, mobile movies and of course battery life. For me a 7” iPad would not be considered a compromise, even if Apple forced a higher price to maintain margins. Time will tell.
What I REALLY want is for Apple to enable Dvorak software keyboard layout for iOS. Hunt and peck typing on QWERTY while traveling makes me look silly.
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Use your powers for good.
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Whole generations are nearing adulthood who have done 90% of their ‘typing’ not on keyboards, but on phones.
Their thumbs won’t have any trouble with a 7” form factor.
It might be a little early for the rest of us, but it’ll be right on schedule for them. Kiss QWERTY goodbye.
I think Apple will absolutely own this market if they introduce a 7” iPad.
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Jack
"We’re surrounded, that simplifies our problem."
Gen. "Chesty" Puller, USMC
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About a year ago, now, I got my wife a Kindle. She LOVES it, and quite literally takes it everywhere, including church and work. It fits quite nicely in her purse, which makes it very convenient for her to haul around. An iPad of current configuration would not fit in her purse, and as such, it would not be anywhere nearly as convenient to casually carry around as part of one’s every day complement of items to have on hand.
I believe a 7” iPad would sell like hot cakes, even at a price 30-50% above other 7” tablets. It would be a big hit, if not a full-on grand slam for Apple to add it to their lineup. People who need the larger screen ill always have the full-size iPad to choose from, while those needing more portability, but simultaneously more screen than a smart phone, will LOVE a 7” iPad.
Disclaimer: I, personally, have no real interest in either, as my needs lean heavily toward a MacBook than a tablet.
+1
My wife keeps asking me when is the smaller iPad coming out. She has an ipod touch. She wants:
1- 3G but doesn’t want an iPhone
2- a reader but not a Kindle or the other readers
3- it has to be an Apple product
4- Most importantly, it needs to fit in her purse!She wants an iPad mini or iPod maxi!
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MS Surface is just a reengineered laptop. Period. It’s imaginative and quirky, but not THAT imaginative.
If Apple wants to be “disruptive” yet again, make the iPad whatever they call it (not a fan of iPad Mini as a moniker), price it at $189 and watch every other maker ____ bricks.
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greedyn00b
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If Apple wants to be “disruptive” yet again, make the iPad whatever they call it (not a fan of iPad Mini as a moniker), price it at $189 and watch every other maker ____ bricks.
No, no, no. They need to leave themselves plenty of margin so they can drop the price of every iPad (& iPod Touch) $50 across the board 1 week before MS announces prices of the Surface
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Gregg Thurman
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The 10” iPad’s built in touch keyboard is already a bit scrunched from a real keyboard and the scrunch would be significantly greater [on a 7” screen].
I agree (emphasis above is mine)
[ Edited: 06 July 2012 10:30 PM by Gregg Thurman ]Signature
You can’t do more, make more, be more, than the next guy, if you think like the next guy. Think different.
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It all really comes down to quality. Will a smaller iPad work well with the software made for a regular sized iPad? Can developer have different interfaces between the larger and smaller iPads in cases where it is not? Apple could build a larger iPad just as well some day. It could be a beautiful thing to work with such an intimate device…
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It all really comes down to quality. Will a smaller iPad work well with the software made for a regular sized iPad? Can developer have different interfaces between the larger and smaller iPads in cases where it is not? Apple could build a larger iPad just as well some day. It could be a beautiful thing to work with such an intimate device…
Welcome badlemon! Good post.
There is so much undecided. Will this have a retina display or not. Will this be a big iPod Touch (the smaller screen made proportionately larger) or a smaller iPad (the larger screen made proportionately smaller.
I’m confused.
