Why would Apple build a 7 inch tablet? Steve Jobs already declared them stupid:
Couple of things. First, Steve's dead man.
Second, Apple will always position their existing solution as the best solution, and all others as folly. They did this with the iPod as well - the infamous "who would want to watch video on something that size" turned around when they suddenly had access to low cost colour LCD's and cheap processors in the appropriate size range.
Never, ever underestimate Apple's ability to revise the story however it suits their current product roadmap; they are very, very good at it.
The truth is always in the middle somewhere - I suspect Apple couldn't sell a 7" tablet at a $200-$250 price point, to their existing standards for design and quality, and still make their customary margin. Probably now they can.
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Second, Apple will always position their existing solution as the best solution, and all others as folly. They did this with the iPod as well - the infamous "who would want to watch video on something that size" turned around when they suddenly had access to low cost colour LCD's and cheap processors in the appropriate size range.
Never, ever underestimate Apple's ability to revise the story however it suits their current product roadmap; they are very, very good at it.
And they deserved to be called on it when they do, both for the sheer joy of illuminating hypocrisy (might not be exactly the right word), and as a reminder to the Apple cultists that the Word of Apple should not be taken as sacred truth.
U.S. buyers will see the full range of content, including TV shows, music, and magazines, whereas the remaining countries --- Canada, the U.K. and Australia --- will see a limited selection of content to download.
And they deserved to be called on it when they do, both for the sheer joy of illuminating hypocrisy (might not be exactly the right word)
If that's what floats your boat, sure.
If you feel its hypocrisy that nobody wants a 7" tablet, where are the market leading 7" tablets in the last 2 years since the iPad was introduced? There isn't one that has sold anywhere near as many units as the iPad. You could likely take all the 7" tablets combined and end up with fewer units sold.
Clearly there is demand emerging now for different form factors, but that doesn't mean it existed, or would have been sustainable, 2 years ago.
It's hypocricy because the argument from Jobs wasn't that there was no market for a 7 inch tablet, but that the 7 inch form factor was inherently flawed.
It's hypocricy because the argument from Jobs wasn't that there was no market for a 7 inch tablet, but that the 7 inch form factor was inherently flawed.
Did you even watch the clip?
I didn't re-watch it, I remember listening to it at the time, and you're right he's mostly not talking about the market, but about the design.
I still don't see the hypocrisy though - The former head of Apple made a strategic decision based on his perception and evaluation(and apparently testing) of UI ergonomics, and the positioning of a 7" device as a "tweener" that didn't logically fit between smartphones and tablets. During his tenure, they didn't manufacture a 7" device. So they were consistent with his stated convictions.
We'll revisit this discussion when/if Apple does release a 7" iPad - it will be interesting to see how the story morphs at that point, because the topic is sure to come up.
When they announced that the new content was now available, I looked at the Play store and didn't really see a change. The copyright needs to be negotiated country by country, so it doesn't surprise me that there was little difference right off the start.
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Note that you have to use an iPad to view these, since they are calibrated to the physical size and pixel density of the iPad.
So it's interesting - some apps, like Flipboard, clearly look quite usable in a 7" iOS form-factor unmodified. Others, like Tweetbot, look problematic with the extremely small buttons on the left hand side. A lot of the links and buttons in a Safari web page look too small to me to be easily targeted, but you can pinch to zoom in, so I consider that a less serious issue.
It definitely illustrates the hypocrite's point - some of the tap targets are extremely small, to the point with an app like tweetbot that I think you'd want an interface re-design for a smaller form factor. On the other hand, plenty of apps look like they'd be generally pretty usable un-modified on a smaller iPad form factor.
It's hypocricy because the argument from Jobs wasn't that there was no market for a 7 inch tablet, but that the 7 inch form factor was inherently flawed.
Did you even watch the clip?
There are a few thousand forums out there that will be better for rattling fanboy cages than this one.
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I disagree. These forums have a Tech section, the Tech section has a Nexus 7 thread, and the Nexus 7 thread included discussion of Apple's foray into 7" tablets, so it was perfectly appropriate.
I disagree. These forums have a Tech section, the Tech section has a Nexus 7 thread, and the Nexus 7 thread included discussion of Apple's foray into 7" tablets, so it was perfectly appropriate.
Sorry - to be perfectly clear, by "better forums" for poking fanboys I meant "forums that I don't participate in". There are a handful of Apple fanboys here and a handful of Apple fanboy haters, and you're both equally annoying and tiresome.
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Sorry - to be perfectly clear, by "better forums" for poking fanboys I meant "forums that I don't participate in". There are a handful of Apple fanboys here and a handful of Apple fanboy haters, and you're both equally annoying and tiresome.
What if I generally like Apple products, but feel like their software is getting progressively worse lately, and generally losing any edge or innovation it had previously (iOS 6, I'm looking you square in the eyes)
What if I generally like Apple products, but feel like their software is getting progressively worse lately, and generally losing any edge or innovation it had previously (iOS 6, I'm looking you square in the eyes)
Which camp do I fit in?
Fanboy, obviously
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Even if I'm envious of Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8?
The software/hardware pendulum is swinging again for me, no idea where I'm gonna end up.
That Google Now stuff on the Nexus 7 is similar to Windows Aero tiles, and I'm damn envious of interfaces moving in that direction, while OS X and iOS continue to clunk along with their mid-90's interfaces.
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Last edited by sclitheroe; 07-11-2012 at 03:41 PM.
Put me in with the other 6 people on the planet who are actually interested in seeing a Windows 8 tablet. Both iterations (mobile and full-OS). My issue with Android tablets has never been about the size of their screen. I want a tablet, not a really big phone, and the only one I see being any different than either an iPad or an Android tablet is a WP8 one. Having switched to a WP7 phone, I'm now very much interested in the WP8 stuff.
Incidentally, here's a graphic comparing the sizes of the "mini" tablets, which was stolen from http://daringfireball.net:
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