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Let’s Try to Think This iPad Mini Thing All the Way Through

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Re: Let’s Try to Think This iPad Mini Thing All the Way Through

#51

Post by melling »

stevenj wrote: post #14

Honestly, I don't know why Apple would create an iPad mini. I have an iPad 2 and absolutely love it. There isn't another tablet I'd trade it in for (other than an iPad 3). I surely wouldn't trade it in for an iPad mini. Paul Buchheit once said: "If your product is great, it doesn't need to be good." To me, the iPad is a great product. Focus on making it better. As Steve Jobs has said: "It's what you don't do that mat…

Market share. Windows has had over 90% desktop market share for almost two decades. If Apple doesn't address the low end of the market, Google or Microsoft will squeeze them into a niche player again.

Re: Let’s Try to Think This iPad Mini Thing All the Way Through

#52

Post by lmm »

michaelpinto wrote: post #26

You know i wish someone would design a product that's really a different size: Imagine a device that's half the size of an iPhone or double the size of an iPad so it's like a big newspaper. Yeah I get the 7" form factor but I've already seen so many of those on the Android side that I'd like Apple to "Think Different".

Half the size of the ipad and you're looking at a big phone - something like the old dell streak or the (actually very popular, though ignored in HN circles) galaxy note. Double the size sounds incredibly impractical to me (you'd need a suitcase to carry it around in), but look for bigger tablets to happen if Toshiba's 13" effort is a success. It's no surprise that most manufacturers are sticking to safe ground, but there is innovation going on if you look for it.

Re: Let’s Try to Think This iPad Mini Thing All the Way Through

#53

Post by guelo »

lostlogin wrote: post #48
guelo wrote: post #24

I like how BS marketing and lying to your customers is somehow seen as a good thing when viewed from inside the Apple bubble. Steve Jobs wasn't lying and playing you for chumps, it was apparently a wonderful gift that he could change his mind from one day to the next. And all the Apple faithful will vehemently spit the old gospel at you until the new pronouncement comes down from on-high and then they will all immedi…

>>I have been accused of a habit of changing my opinions. I am not myself in any degree ashamed of having changed my opinions. What physicist who was already active in 1900 would dream of boasting that his opinions had not changed during the last half century? In science men change their opinions when new knowledge becomes available.<< Bertrand Russell

It's marketing and lies. A video iPod or a tablet or whatever is that worst idea ever only because they're not selling it, once they start selling it it's new and revolutionary and you can't live without it. Most companies lie in their marketing but no other company that I know of has their customers praising them for it.

Re: Let’s Try to Think This iPad Mini Thing All the Way Through

#54

Post by fab13n »

BvS wrote: post #49
gnaffle wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I doubt it will be more expensive. After all, they still sell the iPad 2 for $100 more than the Nexus 7. The only other advantage would be price. Apple's been willing to cut some corners to achieve price before, for instance the iPod displays are (or used to be) worse than the iPhone ones even though they had the same resolution.

Don't they sell the iPad 2 for 400 US$? This would be at least 150US$ more than the most expensive Nexus 7 and 200US$ more than the standard version or the kindle fire (assuming the next version won't be more expensive). I'm sure Apple could meet the price point or even undercut it (bear in mind that Google ads 25US$ credit for the Play store) but that would mean their margin goes down a lot. I'm not sure Apple is wi…

> I don't believe that Apple is going [...] to compete on price.

Probably not on price, but on market share. iPads currently are the only decent game in town, except for the e-reader niche; they're safe as long as Android doesn't reach a critical mass, which would allow a healthy apps market to develop, and competitive HW prices to be reached through economy of scale.

That's worth giving up some gross margin, and even cannibalize part of the iPad 3's market share. I don't know how they'll address the Nexus 7 threat to their monopoly; through a 8'' tablet, by further dropping the iPad 2's price, by litigation or other means... but they will fight back with all their might.

Re: Let’s Try to Think This iPad Mini Thing All the Way Through

#55

Post by MrJagil »

BvS wrote: post #43

So according the the rumors it will probably have a screen of lesser quality than the Nexus 7, it will probably be more expensive and it will probably be heavier (because it is much bigger). What's the point again? Ok, it's bigger but if there is any advantage of a 7 inch tablet it is the form factor (being small and light). So if Apple won't/can't adress the problems mentioned above the only reason I see anyone buyi…

Why do everyone always forget the small things when it comes to Apple? It's what makes them great, and it's why customers will choose the 7-inch iPad over the Nexus. It's about battery life, lack-of-lag, build quality, trust in brand, better camera.

When people ask me why i buy a mac i usuallly answer "because of the magsafe adapter".

Re: Let’s Try to Think This iPad Mini Thing All the Way Through

#56

Post by berntb »

aik wrote: post #42
stevenj wrote: post #14

Honestly, I don't know why Apple would create an iPad mini. I have an iPad 2 and absolutely love it. There isn't another tablet I'd trade it in for (other than an iPad 3). I surely wouldn't trade it in for an iPad mini. Paul Buchheit once said: "If your product is great, it doesn't need to be good." To me, the iPad is a great product. Focus on making it better. As Steve Jobs has said: "It's what you don't do that mat…

I agree with some others here -- the iPad is great, but "great" needs to be prefaced with a descriptor of what it is great at. eBook reading is definitely one thing it is not especially good at in many cases. For the past 2 years I've been reading ebooks, and for the past 6 months I've been using an iPad for reading ebooks, and I've found it just too cumbersome in many cases -- you essentially need 2 hands to hold it…

>>just too cumbersome

If you're reading literature, yes. But for full size pdf docs, you generally want more than 7". (I've heard people claim they regularly read A4 documents on 7", but never seen it...)

Also, my iPad 1 IPS screen blew me away. My new iPad screen is much better.

(I'd prefer an eInk A4 screen, when they get better page turns.)

Re: Let’s Try to Think This iPad Mini Thing All the Way Through

#57

Post by benhalllondon »

Kliment wrote: post #50

I don't get the sandpaper thing. Can someone explain it to me?

A finger is an essentially fat stylus, the raw space that your finger hits on the screen is always (say) .5cm x .5cm or so.

It doesn't matter what the resolution screen your finger touches that size is always the same. So Apple defined that no touch interaction should be less than 44x44 points. And then points map to pixels in different ratios depending on dpi etc.

Jobs was saying that on a smaller screen you either have a smaller number of touchable areas or you get small fingers and reduce the 44x44 points number.

Re: Let’s Try to Think This iPad Mini Thing All the Way Through

#58

Post by raganesh »

mrtron wrote: post #20
stevenj wrote: post #14

Honestly, I don't know why Apple would create an iPad mini. I have an iPad 2 and absolutely love it. There isn't another tablet I'd trade it in for (other than an iPad 3). I surely wouldn't trade it in for an iPad mini. Paul Buchheit once said: "If your product is great, it doesn't need to be good." To me, the iPad is a great product. Focus on making it better. As Steve Jobs has said: "It's what you don't do that mat…

Apple is just getting back to its roots of success - multiple product versions. Obviously an iPod was amazing, but they captured a huge chunk of the market when they came out with the lesser Nano. I think tablets are hitting the phase where it is less about the features and more about true mass market adoption. The key to this is grabbing the huge chunk of the more price sensitive buyers - who appear to be quickly ru…

>who appear to be quickly running to the Nexus 7

Citation please? Has it even started shipping yet? Google is still talking orders, right?

Re: Let’s Try to Think This iPad Mini Thing All the Way Through

#59

Post by mrich »

MrJagil wrote: post #55
BvS wrote: post #43

So according the the rumors it will probably have a screen of lesser quality than the Nexus 7, it will probably be more expensive and it will probably be heavier (because it is much bigger). What's the point again? Ok, it's bigger but if there is any advantage of a 7 inch tablet it is the form factor (being small and light). So if Apple won't/can't adress the problems mentioned above the only reason I see anyone buyi…

Why do everyone always forget the small things when it comes to Apple? It's what makes them great, and it's why customers will choose the 7-inch iPad over the Nexus. It's about battery life, lack-of-lag, build quality, trust in brand, better camera. When people ask me why i buy a mac i usuallly answer "because of the magsafe adapter".

Battery life for the Nexus has been measured at over nine hours for watching video at 100% brightness, 100% volume. Not too shabby and probably hard to beat.

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012/07/divine-intervention-g...

There is no more lag in Android 4.1, which adds triple buffering and runs at a constant 60 fps.

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/12/06/27/project_butter...

I think the price point will play a big role too. $200 is hard to beat and Apple will have to decide whether they want to continue serving the high end with more expensive products and big margins, or whether they want to keep their platform mainstream for years to come. For that they need more market share which the Kindle, Nook and now the Nexus are aggressively attacking on the low end.

Re: Let’s Try to Think This iPad Mini Thing All the Way Through

#60

Post by ljf »

MrJagil wrote: post #55
BvS wrote: post #43

So according the the rumors it will probably have a screen of lesser quality than the Nexus 7, it will probably be more expensive and it will probably be heavier (because it is much bigger). What's the point again? Ok, it's bigger but if there is any advantage of a 7 inch tablet it is the form factor (being small and light). So if Apple won't/can't adress the problems mentioned above the only reason I see anyone buyi…

Why do everyone always forget the small things when it comes to Apple? It's what makes them great, and it's why customers will choose the 7-inch iPad over the Nexus. It's about battery life, lack-of-lag, build quality, trust in brand, better camera. When people ask me why i buy a mac i usuallly answer "because of the magsafe adapter".

I think the 'small thing' that will swing many people (who haven't yet got a full size iPad) will be bringing their iPhone/iPod apps over. I know many people that have a considerable number of apps and games that they are loathed to ditch when they move on to a tablet, and that will be the main reason they won't go Android any time soon.

I am the inverse - I've 'bought in to' the Android eco-system so much so that to set up an iOS device with all the apps/features I love on Android would set me back a fair whack - plus I know what works for me - I'd have to research the best apps etc. for iOS - and I'm just too lazy now.

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