Apple's iPad Mini: Less Is Less Interesting

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moarsauce123,
User Rank: Ninja
9/3/2012 | 4:00:53 PM

re: Apple's iPad Mini: Less Is Less Interesting

When Apple enters the small tablet market they look at an entirely different audience: people who want a tablet, but don't want to shell out 500 bucks for an overpriced base version of an iPad. If the iPad mini does not clock in at the now established 200 $ line then success is questionable. I also think that 7" screen size is not the sweet spot, not even if it is a wee bit bigger as rumored for the iPad mini. I think the regular iPad has already the best screen size for a tablet, but it is too expensive.
Also, the target for Apple is different. Apple makes the most money from the hardware sale and only slowly grows revenue streams from content sales. Amazon focuses exclusively on content sales and as long as that revenue stream stays strong it is fine to make no money on hardware sales or even take a loss. Amazon also does not need to include hardware that is not supportive of content sales, such as cameras, a bunch of apps, etc. Apple needs to change the mix and sell hardware more at cost than trying to get the big bucks right up front. At the low end of the market price is what matters most.

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pkohler01,
User Rank: Apprentice
8/20/2012 | 8:33:13 PM

re: Apple's iPad Mini: Less Is Less Interesting

You know, I'm not a big Apple fan but this device is interesting to me. I admit, I don't use my iPad like most other people seem to - I never watch video on it, never use it for messaging, I don't play any of the games on it that so many people love. I've found that I like using it to browse the web. That's about it.

I tried using it for ebooks but, its size and weight made that an issue. Try laying in bed with your iPad held at a comfortable position. It gets heavy fast. This compelled me to buy a 7 inch Samsung Android tablet - a device whose usage resulted in my iPad being retired to the bookshelf.

If I didn't have my Android tablet, I would probably be very interested in the mini iPad. My Android tablet kills most of that interest, though. Being able to read any format eBook, access the local file system, and play any format media provides a level of freedom that I have grown to love.

Still, I like that Apple is offering a device with this form factor. While I might not rush out to buy one, I like the idea of there being choice available to users. There's a lot of value in having that variety since consumers will be freed to pick the device and OS that's right for them and their needs.

I think the sentiment in this article hits the nail on the head - a 7 inch iPad really isn't uber exciting at this point. I also like the points you raise here to support the idea that it's really kind of boring news. Still, I really do like reading articles discussing the more superficial aspects of the device - colors, exactly what it will look like. It's not as fun as when they release a new version of the standard iPad or iPhone but, hearing peoples ideas on it stil has entertainment value.

Great article! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this, Mr. Claburn!

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Paloaltogirl,
User Rank: Apprentice
8/18/2012 | 9:51:15 PM

re: Apple's iPad Mini: Less Is Less Interesting

"In the middle" is no problem for me. As a middle-aged (and proud of it) person, I find the iPhone to be too small to use comfortably, and the iPad to be too big to be portable. This looks like Goldilocks' "just right" size device. If designers (and reviewers) weren't mostly callow young whippersnappers, this might have come out a lot sooner!

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jfsn,
User Rank: Apprentice
8/17/2012 | 9:31:28 PM

re: Apple's iPad Mini: Less Is Less Interesting

The true sadness about all this is that John Sculley invented the iPad with his 1985 'Knowledge Navigator' concept which was later robbed by Jesus Steve (oh, yeah: there is a pattern here) and called his own.

The first 'pad' was the 'ThinkPad' in the early nineties that bombed but later flourished as the keyboard-attached ThinkPads which today we know and love.

Messiah Jobs flunked out at NEXT and drug the only toy he had back to Gil Amelios' Apple Computer in the form of OS X.

And, the rest is marketing hype BS.

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jfsn,
User Rank: Apprentice
8/17/2012 | 9:22:57 PM

re: Apple's iPad Mini: Less Is Less Interesting

Somehow, words like 'mini-pad' call to mind other elements of the human life experience.

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jfsn,
User Rank: Apprentice
8/17/2012 | 9:17:08 PM

re: Apple's iPad Mini: Less Is Less Interesting

I have an armada of Mac gear about me since 2001 when OS X 10.2 was released.

I was a 'switcher' then and loved it!

Today, I ordered a new ThinkPad X Carbon and am loving that! I must be a 're-switcher'!

The Apple fanboy thing for me, at least, is over.

My iPads are basically Netflix movie watching devices and not much more.

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ANON1237925156805,
User Rank: Apprentice
8/17/2012 | 5:22:22 PM

re: Apple's iPad Mini: Less Is Less Interesting

NONE of this hype is coming from Apple. Apple always plays coy of course but in a way that telegraphs what's coming. This feels different. It's as if they are downplaying what they know very well to be not revolutionary but reactionary. Certain Apple fanbois and anti-Apple fanbois are trying to make a big deal out of this and the press is following their lead.

If Apple does come out with an iPod Touch Maxi or an iPad mini, it's because the market told them to. For a company that is in the habit of telling the market what it wants, that's no doubt a humbling experience.

So instead of complaining that Apple is not changing the world, let's give them props for being willing to eat Jobs's famous "no way never" comments about smaller tablets. After all if they were to ignoring this trend and it backfired we'd be all over them. I can write the obituaries in advance: Apple was too rigid and stubborn. They didn't see the future coming. Etc., etc., etc.

One other thought: This device will almost surely be a me too, perhaps with more polished hardware and maybe with a slightly premium price tag. But once Apple is in this space, don't be surprised if they find a way to innovate there too going forward. .

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GAProgrammer,
User Rank: Ninja
8/16/2012 | 6:22:53 PM

re: Apple's iPad Mini: Less Is Less Interesting

I'll have to disagree with you here on the "turning the market on its ear". The two main appeals of 7" tablets is size and price. A small iPad (or large iPod) doesn't bring anything to the market except more money from Apple fans. If you are an Apple fan and you want a smaller iPad, you might buy the Mini. However, if you aren't, there's no reason to believe that the price will be $199 (Apple always overprices it products), so you're better off with a Fire or Nexus.

Apple used to have the easy user experience on lockdown. As an owner of a Fire, a Nook, and an iPad, I can say they are all equally easy to use. I agree with the author that this is reactionary, not innovative, which is what Apple is known for. I predict that comparably, the sales of the Mini will be very lackluster.

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catz122,
User Rank: Apprentice
8/16/2012 | 3:30:12 PM

re: Apple's iPad Mini: Less Is Less Interesting

Here is another article trying to throw stones at the big guy for the sake of press. The iPad mini isn't the main show in September, it is the iPhone 5. It's going to come out as, "oh, by the way, we made an iPad mini." You are trying to make the point that apple is just being evolutionary instead of revolutionary. They are doing that because they made the game so that they can. They OWN the full size tablet market and it isn't necessarily running in another direction. What has happened is the Kindle Fire and the bunch have shown that there is a market there for lower cost smaller screen tablet devices. Apple has built themselves such a daunting lead in this space when they DID revolutionize it that they can wave a hand with a smaller lower cost iPad and turn that market on it's ear, and you write an article on how the hardware isn't going to be a big change. It is so simple, yet so many writers miss it, the beauty is in the simplicity. There are a lot of companies that have spent a lot of money and a lot of people's jobs on trying to differentiate on hardware. They fail. That isn't where the magic is. The magic is in the OS, interfaces, and apps. Apple owns that. So what that the hardware ends up being a shrunk iPad 2. That's great. I can see this main market being the school kids anyway. IPad is too big and expensive to get around, but the mini would be perfect. You can now afford to have a couple of tablets in a household which is great from a user perspective. And guess what, with the IOS media library that is built, that is going to be a natural extension with the iPad mini. In a world full of companies that are so poorly managed, Apple makes a game that is fun to watch. Please find some better things to write about and just sit back and watch the Apple show as it unfolds.

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