Rumor: Apple prepping 7.85-inch iPad for second-half of 2012 to compete with Kindle Fire
Randomly accurate rumor site Digitimes thinks Apple will be releasing a 7.85-inch iPad sometime around Q4 2012 to help compete with the Amazon Kindle Fire.
Apple is likely to launch a 7.85-inch iPad prior to the fourth quarter of 2012 in addition to a new iPad scheduled to be released at the end of the first quarter, according to sources in the supply chain.
We previously heard rumors of Apple planning the release of a 7-inch iPad by Christmas of 2010, and obviously that never happened. With the Kindle Fire gaining in popularity, however, this new rumor suggest Apple may be inclined to jump into the mini-tablet game to maintain a strong foothold in the tablet market. This rumor also backs up previous speculation of Apple prepping manufacturers for a 7.85-inch iPad for a 2012 release.
Then again, Apple never bothered competing with netbooks, so their not adverse to staying away from low-margin products, and saying the Kindle's size is the key to it's success seems rather superficial. Neither the Galaxy Tab nor PlayBook -- both 7-inches -- sold at anything approaching high volume.
Source: Digitimes
Andrew Wray is a Salt Lake City, Utah based writer who focuses on news, how-tos, and jailbreak. Andrew also enjoys running, spending time with his daughter, and jamming out on his guitar. He works in a management position for Unisys Technical Services, a subsidiary of Unisys Corporation.
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What a worthless rumor.
We haven't heard that one before.:)
God... Not this one again. We've been hearing about this for four years. Just because you want it doesn't mean Apple does.
It is well documented Steve was convinced this size it the right size. I agree.
Let this one die please.
Yeah, Steve was also convinced that people would never watch videos on portable devices, and that mouses should be round. His record was far from perfect.
He does that one purpose.. Throws the market off, instead of letting competitors get an insight into what future products they're planning on releasing down the road.
Good strategy, if you ask me.
Bs rumor digitizes a crappy site don't trust them.
Sadly, this probably isn't true. However, a sub-eight inch iPad with the full resolution of the iPad 2 would make me really happy if they could get the price lower.
What dou you mean by "Apple never bothered competing with netbooks"? What about first MacBook Air?
Wasn't a netbook competitor clearly.. It was more expensive than the pros.
Agree with Kayneeezy on that one. It was not a netbook, that's for sure. The user-experience of a netbook was much worse than even the base model of the original MBA.
If this is true, Steve is rolling over in his grave---again!
Will it come with sandpaper for my fingertips or will that be a separate accessory? 😝
It can happen because a 7-inch tab is easier to carry and if the display is optimized it is as good as a 10-incher.
..and the sound you hear is Jobs spinning in his grave...
The Kindle Fire and iPad are hardly alike. I don't get why they are always compared. There is also no way Apple can compete with the $200 price point of the Fire unless they put greed aside. Which I find highly doubtful.
Apple doesn't build things to compete.. they just build things.. And steal the market..
My bet is it will be a dedicated game player to play the thousands of game apps on a larger screen. Makes sense.
I bet one thousand dollars that says Apple will not launch a smaller tablet. Any takers? This is a ridiculous rumor and it will never happen.
they don't need to "compete" they are two completely different devices
in different markets too
We received a Kindle Fire as an early Christmas present, and, I have to say, I like the 7" form factor much more than I thought. The Fire itself is no iPad (not even close), and I would never want to attempt work on it, but as an extremely portable reading, movies and Plants vs Zombies slate, it has been a pleasant surprise. I would definitely give a 7" iPad some consideration.