Correction, Subby: "Analyst claims that he believes Apple may prepare a 7" version some time this year, in spite of having no actual evidence and in spite of Apple saying, 'no, we're not, that form factor wouldn't work well for the software.'"

Also, this is some seriously great journalism:
Last month, Apple reported that it sold a record number of iPads in the last three months of 2011, the same quarter in which Amazon launched the Fire. The Cupertino tech giant said it sold 15.43 million iPads in the fourth quarter of last year, which was more than the 4 million sold in the third quarter.

Amazing. 15.43 million is more than 4 million? The Chicago Tribune has really hit on a scoop here. The Pulitzer committee should take the rest of the year off.

How will they ever follow this story up, though? Perhaps something about water having a property of "wetness"?

Theaetetus: Correction, Subby: "Analyst claims that he believes Apple may prepare a 7" version some time this year, in spite of having no actual evidence and in spite of Apple saying, 'no, we're not, that form factor wouldn't work well for the software.'"

Nickel says they announce it in a year or less. 7" is a fantastic form factor - a rare miss by Mr Jorbs on that front.

Theaetetus: Apple saying, 'no, we're not

Analysts love to make "predictions" that are really, "I'm smart, and if Apple were as smart as me, they'd do this, because I'm smart and I said so." Apple, of course, ignores them and makes billions of dollars. Analysts then suggest that the Apple bubble is about to burst, and maybe now is a good time to dump that Apple stock before Applocalypse.

OK Farkers, share me your wisdom.

Here's the deal. I want an Ipad like device that I can use to access the internet when I'm either at home or on holiday. I don't need it to have exceptional processing power, just that it's capable of bringing up forums and googlemaps. A good battery life would also be quite high on my list of requirements. Having a reasonable amount of storage would be nice if it let me watch vids too but not a deal breaker.

The thing with the Ipad's is that they are too big. I'm no Apple hater, I don't care who the parent company is as long as the device meets my needs. So, should I wait for this 7" Ipad or is the Kindle Fire plenty good enough? Or is there another device I haven't heard of?

JohnBigBootay: Nickel says they announce it in a year or less. 7" is a fantastic form factor - a rare miss by Mr Jorbs on that front.

No way. Even if we ignore the relative merits of a 7" form factor, Apple is not going to launch a third iDevice line. The only way you'd see 7" is if Apple ditches 11". There is no way they're going to compete in the same space.

Besides, isn't 7" about the size of your average Android phone?

The sound of one hand clapping: So, should I wait for this 7" Ipad

At the very least, I'd wait until the first week of March when the new iPads are announced.

The sound of one hand clapping: OK Farkers, share me your wisdom.

Here's the deal. I want an Ipad like device that I can use to access the internet when I'm either at home or on holiday. I don't need it to have exceptional processing power, just that it's capable of bringing up forums and googlemaps. A good battery life would also be quite high on my list of requirements. Having a reasonable amount of storage would be nice if it let me watch vids too but not a deal breaker.

The thing with the Ipad's is that they are too big. I'm no Apple hater, I don't care who the parent company is as long as the device meets my needs. So, should I wait for this 7" Ipad or is the Kindle Fire plenty good enough? Or is there another device I haven't heard of?

I have a fire, and while its great for reading books (on the go or at home), and watching movies (only at home), the web browsing is pitiful at best. I've tried a variety of browsers, and none seem to work well.
also, kindle has very little storage on the device- which isn't an issue for me, because I do streaming, but you seem to want storage.

the best browser I've found so far, is the new beta firefox, called aurora. I'm seriously hoping something gets better, because I bought this to replace my dying netbook.

t3knomanser: No way. Even if we ignore the relative merits of a 7" form factor, Apple is not going to launch a third iDevice line. The only way you'd see 7" is if Apple ditches 11". There is no way they're going to compete in the same space.

I don't think they'll ditch the big one - just add another device.

Besides, isn't 7" about the size of your average Android phone?

WTF does that have to do with the price of tea in china?

I'd say go with the Samsung GThe sound of one hand clapping: OK Farkers, share me your wisdom.

Here's the deal. I want an Ipad like device that I can use to access the internet when I'm either at home or on holiday. I don't need it to have exceptional processing power, just that it's capable of bringing up forums and googlemaps. A good battery life would also be quite high on my list of requirements. Having a reasonable amount of storage would be nice if it let me watch vids too but not a deal breaker.

The thing with the Ipad's is that they are too big. I'm no Apple hater, I don't care who the parent company is as long as the device meets my needs. So, should I wait for this 7" Ipad or is the Kindle Fire plenty good enough? Or is there another device I haven't heard of?

I'd say go with the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 it'll do all that which you require and is just the right size. I had an iPad 2 and replaced it with that and couldn't be happier...

isheltoe: I'd say go with the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 it'll do all that which you require and is just the right size. I had an iPad 2 and replaced it with that and couldn't be happier...

I'd like to play with one. We have an ipad2 and a kindle fire. Ipad 2 is great for the couch or the dining room or the plane and has better games for sure. But I primarily utilize a tablet when I'm on the treadmill at the gym and the 7" form factor is utterly fantastic for that - primarily because of the size and weigh and it fits in my pocket. Video is great on either but I find I rarely watch video on a portable.

The sound of one hand clapping: OK Farkers, share me your wisdom.

Here's the deal. I want an Ipad like device that I can use to access the internet when I'm either at home or on holiday. I don't need it to have exceptional processing power, just that it's capable of bringing up forums and googlemaps. A good battery life would also be quite high on my list of requirements. Having a reasonable amount of storage would be nice if it let me watch vids too but not a deal breaker.

The thing with the Ipad's is that they are too big. I'm no Apple hater, I don't care who the parent company is as long as the device meets my needs. So, should I wait for this 7" Ipad or is the Kindle Fire plenty good enough? Or is there another device I haven't heard of?

I use an Archos 70 internet Tablet *7 inch* for the past year and it works great for me. I read books on it either using the kindle app, or moon reader from the droid market. I watch movies on it that I download and store on the micro SD card slot or stream through netflix. it's not top of the line, (since it's last years model). I use it at work as well to make notes and such when working on computers. Great little device and would recommend it if this is what you are looking for. (and as usually there is an app you can download that will give you full access to the droid market place) or you can use amazon.com market place as well.

JohnBigBootay: I don't think they'll ditch the big one - just add another device.

They never will. Apple does not like to manage varied product lines. Right now, there's already three iDevice lines (iPod, iPhone, iPad), and each is available in a variety of sizes (things like the iPod Nano are not actually in competition with iOS devices- they're in a totally different market segment). They will not add a fourth.

JohnBigBootay: WTF does that have to do with the price of tea in china?

It's a joke about the fact that Android phones tend to be comically large. Often, on Fark, people will make sarcastic comments, usually to insult someone or some object.

The sound of one hand clapping: OK Farkers, share me your wisdom.

Here's the deal. I want an Ipad like device that I can use to access the internet when I'm either at home or on holiday. I don't need it to have exceptional processing power, just that it's capable of bringing up forums and googlemaps. A good battery life would also be quite high on my list of requirements. Having a reasonable amount of storage would be nice if it let me watch vids too but not a deal breaker.

The thing with the Ipad's is that they are too big. I'm no Apple hater, I don't care who the parent company is as long as the device meets my needs. So, should I wait for this 7" Ipad or is the Kindle Fire plenty good enough? Or is there another device I haven't heard of?

Check out the Samsung Galaxy series of tablets. They have a number of different screen sizes and are supposedly pretty solid tablets. A friend of mine bought the 8.9" one recently and seems to be very happy with it.

But I agree that you should probably wait a few weeks until after the Apple announcement just in case they announce something particularly attractive.

/posted from my Asus Transformer

Yeah, but it will cost more than an Android tablet, and that's the most important thing.

t3knomanser: They never will.

I'll see if I can remember that prediction

It's a joke about the fact that Android phones tend to be comically large

I know. It's weird that millions of people might prefer something in a size larger than your favorite device. What will be even weirder is how effortlessly you change your stance when apple comes out with a larger screen on the iphone.

Thank you Farkers, you never let me down.

Well, thats some good food for thought. I had no idea that there were so many tablets out there now. Storage really isn't too much of a concern. The Kindle Fire seems to be on the low end of storage (quoted at 6gb) but that would actually be fine for me. I really wouldn't need a lot. 6gb would give me, what, about 3-4 hours worth of video at the resolution the tablet displays. That'd be fine since I'd only want a little something to watch for a portion of a long flight.

Sounds like the Samsung Galaxy Tab's are gonna be the ones for me to check out though. What sort of web browsing experience do you guys who own one get out of them?

/Will still wait just to see what the new Ipad will be like probably.
//Got a holiday at the end of April though so I'm trying to get something by then without breaking the bank.

JohnBigBootay: t3knomanser: They never will.

I'll see if I can remember that prediction

It's a joke about the fact that Android phones tend to be comically large

I know. It's weird that millions of people might prefer something in a size larger than your favorite device. What will be even weirder is how effortlessly you change your stance when apple comes out with a larger screen on the iphone.

I like having different choices because different people will be more comfortable devices. You have to match these things up with what works best for you, not some theoretical average person.

My wife is a good deal smaller than me, so a smaller phone or tablet makes more sense for her. It fits her hand better and fits in her pockets better, so I picked out an iPhone 4 for her. I'm a decently large dude at 5'11", so the larger HTC Evo 4G works better for me. I have a friend who is teeny tiny at 5'1", so when I got her a new phone a few years ago I intentionally picked a phone small enough for a Japanese schoolgirl - sans the intrusive tentacles of course.

One size does not fit all when you're talking about a piece of technology you're going to spend hundreds of dollars on and use many times a day.

t3knomanser: JohnBigBootay: Nickel says they announce it in a year or less. 7" is a fantastic form factor - a rare miss by Mr Jorbs on that front.

No way. Even if we ignore the relative merits of a 7" form factor, Apple is not going to launch a third iDevice line. The only way you'd see 7" is if Apple ditches 11". There is no way they're going to compete in the same space.

Besides, isn't 7" about the size of your average Android phone?

Maybe the iPod Touch will be upgraded to the 7" form factor. That way people have a choice. I have an iPad 2, and I think a bit smaller device with the same functionality would be cool.

I have a G-Tab with CM7 and a Toshiba Thrive (stock, waiting on CM9).

Still would like a Kindle Fire for the tight Amazon integration, but like the larger screen size.

My problem is that I don't want to be tied to the apple ecosystem and I really don't like itunes as a media management tool.
It's not a hate thing, it's a they don't run well in my environment thing.

Tellingthem: Yeah i love my fire.

At $199 it's pretty fantastic. I put all my tunes on there from the cloud drive. It knows where I am in my kindle books. Amazon streaming which is just getting better and better. But mostly it's the 7" thing - very nice grab and go device and inexpensive enough you don't feel like you have to treat it like your firstborn. It's not the "best" tablet in my house but it is the one I find myself using most often because it fits in my damn pocket. If I'm gonna load up a bag and do some work I just take my laptop so the ipad has become my wife's facebook machine.

mongbiohazard: The sound of one hand clapping: OK Farkers, share me your wisdom.

Here's the deal. I want an Ipad like device that I can use to access the internet when I'm either at home or on holiday. I don't need it to have exceptional processing power, just that it's capable of bringing up forums and googlemaps. A good battery life would also be quite high on my list of requirements. Having a reasonable amount of storage would be nice if it let me watch vids too but not a deal breaker.

The thing with the Ipad's is that they are too big. I'm no Apple hater, I don't care who the parent company is as long as the device meets my needs. So, should I wait for this 7" Ipad or is the Kindle Fire plenty good enough? Or is there another device I haven't heard of?

Check out the Samsung Galaxy series of tablets. They have a number of different screen sizes and are supposedly pretty solid tablets. A friend of mine bought the 8.9" one recently and seems to be very happy with it.

But I agree that you should probably wait a few weeks until after the Apple announcement just in case they announce something particularly attractive.

/posted from my Asus Transformer

I've been looking at the Asus Transformer Prime. It looks pretty nice, though from what I have read, the first batch had some wifi and gps issues. Anyway, I was thinking about a tablet since I kinda want a device where I can enter appointments, edit powerpoint presentations, use it as a media player, and access the internet. I thought about a netbook, but they seem to be a bit slow and clunky. Any recommendations?

/btw - I don't like the iPad since it uses iTunes instead of a drag/drop method of uploading media.

The sound of one hand clapping: The thing with the Ipad's is that they are too big. I'm no Apple hater, I don't care who the parent company is as long as the device meets my needs. So, should I wait for this 7" Ipad or is the Kindle Fire plenty good enough? Or is there another device I haven't heard of?

I got a Fire for christmas, and while it is great for what it is, I'm honestly less than thrilled with it and wish I had just chosen to get a Netbook.

Now, I find it is *far* superior to my wife's ipad when it comes to reading and websurfing, and for the needs you describe it will definitely do the job.

But I'm gonna flash this puppy once a stable ROM comes out. It is not meant nor is it marketed as an android tablet, but after using it for awhile I think that's what I really want.

Recently bought a Nook Tablet.

I decided to get a 7" tablet in the sub $300 range. The Nook Tablet has better specs all-around than the Fire + a microSD slot for only $50 more. Kind of a no-brainer.

So far I like it a great deal. B&N just needs to approve more Android apps for their store. Or else I need to work up the courage to root the thing.

I don't get this love for the 7" form factor. It is too big to put in my pocket, so what benefit does it have?

I have been doing a lot of medium-level photo editing and a bit of video editing and the iPad is almost too small already. I guess I could still play games on a smaller device (and read books), but I can do that on the phone that fits in my pocket.

Anyway, I would be shocked if we saw a smaller form factor for the iPad without any notice to the developers first. It is possible that they would make you just use the iPhone version of apps at first, or the resolution could remain similar to the current iPad through a denser display. I guess we will see.

GameSprocket: I don't get this love for the 7" form factor. It is too big to put in my pocket, so what benefit does it have?

I put it in a coat pocket where it fits rather easily - I'm not putting it in the back pocket of my jeans. I live in seattle so I'm wearing a cot or a jacket most of the year. Perhaps I would not find it so convenient if I lived in a warmer locale.

GameSprocket: I don't get this love for the 7" form factor. It is too big to put in my pocket, so what benefit does it have?

That's pretty much the reaction I have. My father in law has a 7" Samsung tablet, and it isn't really more useful for anything than an iPod touch would be for, and is much less convenient to carry around. Meanwhile, it isn't useful for doing the things I use an iPad for--reading full sized color magazines, comics, using apps that take advantage of the larger screen. 7" is a really weird, tweener size, don't understand the attraction at all.

wozzeck: GameSprocket: I don't get this love for the 7" form factor. It is too big to put in my pocket, so what benefit does it have?

That's pretty much the reaction I have. My father in law has a 7" Samsung tablet, and it isn't really more useful for anything than an iPod touch would be for, and is much less convenient to carry around. Meanwhile, it isn't useful for doing the things I use an iPad for--reading full sized color magazines, comics, using apps that take advantage of the larger screen. 7" is a really weird, tweener size, don't understand the attraction at all.

Fits perfectly in the outside pocket of my purse, or into a large coat pocket. I'd have to carry a specially sized bag for the ipad.

Katie98_KT: wozzeck: GameSprocket: I don't get this love for the 7" form factor. It is too big to put in my pocket, so what benefit does it have?

That's pretty much the reaction I have. My father in law has a 7" Samsung tablet, and it isn't really more useful for anything than an iPod touch would be for, and is much less convenient to carry around. Meanwhile, it isn't useful for doing the things I use an iPad for--reading full sized color magazines, comics, using apps that take advantage of the larger screen. 7" is a really weird, tweener size, don't understand the attraction at all.

Fits perfectly in the outside pocket of my purse, or into a large coat pocket. I'd have to carry a specially sized bag for the ipad.

Really? I mean clearly I don't know what you carry with you, but the iPad would fit in most full-sized purses I know of. That said maybe you have a small purse or something.

Aw come on guys, we weren't done trolling in the first Apple thread today. I can't even keep up in this place anymore.

Fire just came in the mail 15 minutes ago. Can't wait to start using it. After reading up on all the different tablets I decided on the fire because it does exactly what I want. And the price is great.

Katie98_KT: The sound of one hand clapping: OK Farkers, share me your wisdom.

Here's the deal. I want an Ipad like device that I can use to access the internet when I'm either at home or on holiday. I don't need it to have exceptional processing power, just that it's capable of bringing up forums and googlemaps. A good battery life would also be quite high on my list of requirements. Having a reasonable amount of storage would be nice if it let me watch vids too but not a deal breaker.

The thing with the Ipad's is that they are too big. I'm no Apple hater, I don't care who the parent company is as long as the device meets my needs. So, should I wait for this 7" Ipad or is the Kindle Fire plenty good enough? Or is there another device I haven't heard of?

I have a fire, and while its great for reading books (on the go or at home), and watching movies (only at home), the web browsing is pitiful at best. I've tried a variety of browsers, and none seem to work well.
also, kindle has very little storage on the device- which isn't an issue for me, because I do streaming, but you seem to want storage.

the best browser I've found so far, is the new beta firefox, called aurora. I'm seriously hoping something gets better, because I bought this to replace my dying netbook.

The Fire browser works pretty well for me, but at the same time I am running it with pluins set to on demand so that it only loads the Flash content you want to see. Also, I goggles off web page loading acceleration, since in most cases using the Silk service actually slows down page loading.

*toggled off

If there is one thing I hate about the fire, it is the terrible keyboard. The period key, for example, is in a horrible place so I'm always hitting it instead if the space. Autocorrect isn't very smart either.

Jobs was against a 7" version saying that it was too small. Jobs is dead. Expect the 7" iPad by the end of the year.

I want to be an analyst. You get to pull "rumors" out of your ass, then ignore the ones that don't come true, and pad your resume with the ones that do.

Apple is not going to introduce a device that competes with an existing device - they never have (unless it was meant to REPLACE an outgoing device) - and they never will (at least, not until they run past the end of Steve's "what the company should do in the coming years" manifesto and get greedy and stupid). It's stupid of any analyst to predict this - except to cover all bases so they can potentially add stuff to their resume.

I had a 7" Samsung Galaxy Tab Plus. It was nice.

However, it was pointless. My Motorola Triumph has a 4.1" screen and does pretty much everything the Tab did, plus taking phone calls. I returned the Tab, and I'm happy with having all my Android goodness in my pocket now.

I had an iPad 2, and would have kept it if Apple weren't such jerks about pushing AirPrint and disabling paid apps like Print-n-Share. When we complained that we could no longer use our new $400 printer despite it working just fine with Print-n-Share before Apple disabled it, Apple's response was "You can purchase a new AirPrint-enabled printer to get all the print functions back."

Seriously? Buy a new printer? That's your solution?

Screw you Apple. My Android phone not only prints to my Epson, but to thousands of other printers. It also has an SD card slot and HDMI out. So you can keep iOS from now on. You squeezed too hard.

Subby: Well, Apple is prepping a 7" version that will be a cheap knock-off

Cheap? Really? Someone has obviously never shopped for an Apple product before.

I can see the pros and cons of boths sizes, but the 9-10" is what I would consider laptop replacement territory. Unfortunately a tablet(at least not iOS, Android, or webOS) can't replace my laptop yet and having a 9-10" tablet and laptop both seem redundant.

The 7" tablet on the other hand is a nice middle ground between laptop and phone. It's just small enough to fit in back or large front pants pockets or coat pockets, but still big enough to be a nice upgrade from a 4" or so phone in screen real estate. It's also the perfect size for an eReader. the 9-10" tablets I used just seemed too cumbersome as an eReader. I do expect tablets to continue to improve and my next "laptop" will probably be a tablet that's at least 10"(but I'd prefer larger), and I'll probably still have a 7" tablet for real portability. Basically I'm hoping for a single platform across three devices at 4", 7" and 12".

DontMakeMeComeBackThere: Apple is not going to introduce a device that competes with an existing device

Depends on what you mean by "competes". Because the iPad and the iPhone already rival each other in a few areas. Granted that a larger screen is better for some apps, while a smaller size is more convenient for other purposes.

I can see room for something in the lower priced 7 inch area that is more of a button ladled portable game machine to compete with the 3DS and PS Vita. Being an iProduct it would also have access to books, music, and movies.
With the right 4G contract for internet (a dirt cheap data plan, at least) it would do more damage to the kindle and android systems than to its larger brother.

Ultimately, Apple wants to shut other companies out of the ultra portable market. It can't do that if large niches are left open for them to survive and evolve in.

/Not that the article, devoid of evidence or insight, suggests this is what Apple is actually doing.

JohnBigBootay: I know. It's weird that millions of people might prefer something in a size larger than your favorite device. What will be even weirder is how effortlessly you change your stance when apple comes out with a larger screen on the iphone.

Kinda like 4G/LTE isn't important, but as soon as an iphone comes out that actually supports 4G it will be a MUST HAVE FEATURE!

Flash will never be must have apparently. Because instead of just surfing to a flash website you can buy an app or register to get an app that will conveniently let you get the same content that everyone else could see back in 2004.

Also no porn. So if you're a nun, that's a huge plus.

I switched batteries on my phone after a couple long days a while ago. An iphone guy was like "oh, you can open your phone? wow."

/End CSB snippets.

Ipad/Ipod......what is the difference at this point. Just ditch the ipod line and sell different sizes of ipads. The iTV is the next big thing from Apple.

Anyone wanting a 7 inch tablet should probably wait for the ASUS MeMo 370T. It'll have a quad core cpu and 1 gig of ram at $250. Those kind of specs crush anything in its price range. Hell it crushes most tablets higher than its price range.

Bacontastesgood: JohnBigBootay: I know. It's weird that millions of people might prefer something in a size larger than your favorite device. What will be even weirder is how effortlessly you change your stance when apple comes out with a larger screen on the iphone.

Kinda like 4G/LTE isn't important, but as soon as an iphone comes out that actually supports 4G it will be a MUST HAVE FEATURE!

3G/4G isn't very important. The step up to LTE (the current standard for any decent new smartphone) is very important and only the uneducated would confuse the three.

GBmanNC: Anyone wanting a 7 inch tablet should probably wait for the ASUS MeMo 370T. It'll have a quad core cpu and 1 gig of ram at $250. Those kind of specs crush anything in its price range. Hell it crushes most tablets higher than its price range.

I bought my Nook Tablet about a week after the Asus was announced.

I thought about holding off for it, but the thing doesn't even have a release date AFAIK. Anyway, there will always be a better device coming coming down the pipe. If you want to get something, you have to take the plunge at some point.

Bacontastesgood: Also no porn. So if you're a nun, that's a huge plus.

Eh? If you have a browser, you have porn. As of March of last year, 63% of the video on the web was HTML5 compatible. (new window)

Doc Daneeka: GBmanNC: Anyone wanting a 7 inch tablet should probably wait for the ASUS MeMo 370T. It'll have a quad core cpu and 1 gig of ram at $250. Those kind of specs crush anything in its price range. Hell it crushes most tablets higher than its price range.

I bought my Nook Tablet about a week after the Asus was announced.

I thought about holding off for it, but the thing doesn't even have a release date AFAIK. Anyway, there will always be a better device coming coming down the pipe. If you want to get something, you have to take the plunge at some point.

I'd much prefer an asus tablet- they make good devices. But yea, I bought my fire because asus doesn't seem real motivated to bring anything to market.