Ipad Mini

There's been a lot of discussion surrounding why Apple would release an iPad mini, but maybe even more concerning how Apple would go about implementing it. iMore originally heard back in May that the so-called iPad mini would be almost identical to the current 9.7-inch iPad, simply shrunk down to a 7.x-inch form factor. (I'm using 7.x-inch in lieu of a specific size since we haven't heard a specific size yet, but AppAdvice's A.T Faust III made a great case for 7.85 inches, so feel free to substitute that in.)

Some people, designers and end-users alike, feel the iPad interface won't scale down elegantly -- that touch targets will be too small and interface elements will feel too cramped. I've had the same concerns.

With that in mind, it's worthwhile considering the different 7.x-inch options Apple might choose to implement, and the benefits and compromises inherent with each.

Back in May, iMore heard that Apple planned to move ahead with a 7-inch iPad this fall at a $200 price point. Stories about a smaller iPad have been around for a while, but as far as I know that was the first time such aggressive pricing got tagged onto them.

The reasons Apple was planning this, we heard, was the same reason they planned and executed on the lower price point iPod mini and iPod nano -- to take the oxygen out of the market. In this case, to leave no room for discount competitors like Amazon and Google.

Some have a hard time believing Apple would enter the low end tablet market. Apple didn't make a netbook and didn't release an iPhone nano. They thought differently and released the MacBook Air and the iPad, and kept around previous generation iPhones instead. Steve Jobs went so far as to say 7 inch tablets were DOA. So Apple couldn't, wouldn't, and shouldn't do an iPad mini, right?

What's the easiest way to take a weapon away from a Grammaton Cleric? The answer to that is the answer to a lot of seemingly difficult problems, including, sadly, how to get passwords away from unsuspecting users. Unfortunately, it's not at all a way to get anything away from Apple. Not ever. So we're left with a mix of leaks, speculation, and analysis. We've been trying to avoid the rumor regurgitation lately to focus on some of that analysis. More on that below.