“It’s a rumor that won’t die: Apple and a 7-inch iPad,” Nathan Olivarez-Giles reports for The Los Angeles Times.
“On Thursday, Ezra Gottheil, an analyst with Technology Business Research, told Computerworld that he expects Apple to release an iPad in a 7-inch screen size later this year, after a speculated March introduction of an iPad 3 with a 9.7-inch touchscreen,” Olivarez-Giles reports. “The late Steve Jobs, Apple’s co-founder and longtime CEO, also shot down the idea of a 7-inch iPad stating that, at that size, ‘the screen is too small to express the software.’ But Gottheil told Computerworld that he thinks Apple will bring a 7-inch variation of its next iPad to market and that the smaller iPad could ship alongside a case that integrates a keyboard as an accessory, too.”
Olivarez-Giles reports, “‘I believe that’s always been in the plan,’ Gottheil said in the report. ‘Actually, that’s a good form factor for some users, and although they will also charge a premium above other similar-sized tablets, they want to protect that price flank.'”
Read more in the full article here.
Yessssssssssss!!!!! And with Flash!!!! Mwahahahahah….
That analyst must have a kindle fire jammed up his ass… Apple is NOT going to release a 7″ tablet.
What?! After all the scorn MDN heaps upon Kindles and their too-small screens, you have no comment about this rumor?
This just in! The 7-inch iPad will have a built-in 24-inch display!
Yes, Kindle Fire with 3+ million sales — and that being heavily subsidised — are huge incentive to come up with 7″ iPad.
MDN posts a comment like that every single day in case you haven’t noticed and after a while it gets redundant
See, here’s a way I think that Apple can both belittle the Kindle and compete with it at the same time:
release a 7 inch iPod HD. Don’t call it an iPad, call it an iPod.
Standardize the iPod Touch at the existing size with 8GB at $149, and then have 7 inch models at the current prices for 8/16/32 touches.
That would substantially dent sales of the Kindle, kill demands to produce an undersized iPad, and would kill off the idea of the Fire being an iPad competitor–there would no longer being any way to describe it as affordable iPad alternative, it would suddenly be stuck as an overly thick, overly heavy, slow and clunky fake ipod.
Opj, I have been thinking along these lines since the giant sized android phones started to appear. I figured that Apple would come up with five inch+ iPod touch and position it as more of a game device. With a retina display (and sandpapered fingers) it would make a pretty good reader and more portable, and presumably cheaper iPad.
What Kindle sales are you talking about? The 2-3 million sold at Christmas, not counting the million or so returned or sitting unused in junk drawrers?
I also have heard from a good source that the 7″ will also have two USB ports.
And a floppy drive!
And don’t forget the built in floppy disk port, and serial port
it’s gonna be the new iPod Touch, not an iPad.
…or Apple tv controller with 3D gesture support or…
Not a 7″ iPad though.
A Mini-pad & a Maxi-pad. Luverly. Just what’s needed.
Here we go with this rumor again… I want to see the 7in iPad rumor combined with the 4in iPhone rumor.
Just to see if anyone would notice how silly they both seem when put next to each other.
The two products as they stand today, are significantly different from each other. They leave the buyer with zero doubt and remorse in true Apple style.
I don’t think the sales guys and/or analysts think that far into it.
Everyone needs a 7 incher with two dongles.
Don’t you mean two dangles?
How much cheaper is it to produce a 7″ iPad? Not much. Apple will defend the lower price range with a 9.7″ iPad and the current resolution.
The software experience will suck on a 7″. It’s another form factor for developers. No, it will not happen. Steve was right: 7″ is dead on arrival.
Yup, 7 inch screen, flash support, two USB ports, a stylus, a keyboard, and a mouse. Sure thing, that’s the ticket. ROFL
…and a modem, please!
Yah, a modem, that’s the ticket, and lets see the list
a docking port, a dongle, two USB ports, a stylus, a keyboard, flash support, a game cartridge support, an external drive port for floppy disks, a mouse port, coupons, and…and.. A pony. Yah that’s the ticket. And if this phantom 7″ screen really shows up the marketing model has already been demonstrated. You can try to dump this pig for $99.
And dont forget the Samsung Logo.
I hope SameDung is reading this. Lux has it right! Make your next 7″er as described above! Beat Apple to the punch! Just think of the money you’ll make! 🙂
I think a 5″ iPod Touch XL might be more likely than a 7″ iPad, and although the resolution wouldn’t allow it to be a “Retina Display” 960×640 would hold up fine on a 5″ screen.
That resolution would be fine on a 7″ device as well… remember the iPad is 9.7″ and has a resolution of 1024×768
No, not a 7″ screen, a 7.85″ screen. That would be almost identical to a regular paperback book, an ideal pocket size, and also close to the size of a folded Ordnance Survey or USGS map, making a Pad of such size perfect for navigation.
I’d fight my way to the front of the queue for such a device.
No need for a comment until we see a product.
If apple does produce this it will sell, likely more than the Kindle too, but unlike Kindle currently you’ll have a choice of the full size or half.
I still suspect it won’t happen this year. But I won’t be shocked if it does eventually happen.
One thing, if Apple does sell this size they will create a reason to own this size beyond price point.
Apple needs to augment its product line with
– 7″ iPod touch
– 4″ iPhone
Should happen this year.
You have been Touching your 7′ Pod too much.
Seven foot? That’s not touching, that’s frightening.
Yah, and they’re hiring Big Foot for the commercial for the 4″er iPhone. The 7″er iPod Touch might be doable as a gaming platform, ir you can get developer support for another new screen size. 🙂
And an iPad Nano as well with a 2″ screen. That would be awesome.
How about a range of sizes:
2.5″
2.75″
3.0″
3.25″
3.5″
3.75″
4.0″
4.25″
4.5″
4.75″
5.0″
5.25″
5.5″
…
Have every size from 2″ to 12″, come in seven color choices, a range of memory sizes, wifi and 3G…
Clearly BLN does not even remotely understand Apples strategy or corporate focus.
It’s not impossible for there to be exactly one device between 3.5 and 10 inches, but there will not be more than one.
Will there be a vegan version?
Said it before, will say it again…
Apple will not release a smaller iPad, if anything they’ll release a larger iPod Touch.
Wanted to add the new line up …
iPod Touch @ $169
iPod Touch XL @ $249 (6″ – 7″ screen)
iPad 2 @ $399
iPad 3 @ $499
I feel like the iPhone 5 and iPod touch will both get the 4″ screen sometime soon. But there is no way in hell we will see a 7″ tablet from apple.
These rumors are just set-ups to manipulate Apple stock prices. When Apple doesn’t release a 7″ iPad, they will be ‘disappointed’, and AAPL will drop because of it.
Nathan Olivarez-Giles and all the other so-called technical analysts are not analyzing anything, they’re just repeating the same unfounded or already discredited rumors over and over. They are no better than the so-called financial analysts who don’t know how to value APPL and keep calling for APPL to declare a dividend.
This news goes against the grain of the wood. Apple has stated several times they would not make anything smaller than the size of the iPad now. This is just another media hype to disappoint people when the iPad 3 comes out.
These rumors will never die. Why? Because they will always be rumors and never be reality.
I think they want to convince SameDung the rumors are serious so SameDung will try to copy a nonexistent product. Nuclear proliferation of smartphones al over again. And the winner is…. 🙂
7 inch just ain’t gonna happen…Apple places importance upon a distinguishable product line…one of each type of product. Muddying it up would be like Epson printers. I do see an iPad 3 with an iPad 2 price drop, but only for awhile.
Sure the next iPhone and iPod Touch should get a larger screen, but not an increaded form factor size…I would rather see an 11 inch iPad than a 7 inch iPad…but don’t think that will happen, either.
The only leg missing from their chair is an iOS TV monitor that solves all the cable and satellite 64 button remote issues and terrible heiarchial sub-menu navigation problems.
I agree. If a 7″ tablet does come from Apple it will be an iPod Touch Maxi. It will never be an iPad. Almost exclusively for gamers – not the other apps that you need an iPad for.
Gottheil got now knowledge about Apple, does he?
THERE WILL BE NO 7″ iPAD!!!!! The size simply makes no sense.
Apple will NOT ship a case that includes a keyboard. Apple will leave that to third party accessory makers. Not that many people want a keyboard anyway, otherwise there would be a plethora of keyboard cases on the market now.
And Apple will NOT slash prices. There’s no need.
Why does this guy insist on Apple making the iPad into a laptop?
When has Apple ever introduced products to protect price flanks? They make products around user experiences and have deemed the 7 inch to be inferior experience. Apple has won by keeping focus not by filling price points.
This report is not credible. If Apple were to create a 7-inch mini tablet, it will NOT use the iPad form factor and aspect ratio, but WOULD use the iPod/iPhone aspect ratio.
Why? Because ideally, a 7-inch tablet also has to fit into the Double-DIN form factor used in industry-standard, automobile dashboards (180mmx100mm). The iPad aspect ratio does not scale down to the correct dimensions!
It would be dumb to design a smaller tablet if it could not gain widespread acceptance in both the automotive and mini-tablet markets.
I don’t know what this guy normally analyzes (tea-leaves?) but he displays a rank lack of knowledge about Apple. We know that Apple plans well into the future, so for at least another year or two they’re going to be working off Steve’s road-map and we know Steve wasn’t going to be having anything to do with 7″ iPads.
This sort of crap reminds me of a story I heard last week about how 60% of ivy-league graduates are going into finance and consulting, no matter what their major, and I wondered how you can become a consultant when you have no experience or wisdom to impart. Now we know…
Nailed it, twice