7-Inch iPad Rumored

Stoobalou writes "Rumours of a cut-down Apple iPad are ramping up as Taiwanese news outlet Economic Daily News names names. The often-reliable Chinese language newspaper — which correctly predicted the first coming of the iPad when everyone else on the planet was carping on about a sub-$500 netbook from the Cupertino company — has been digging about in the skips behind a number of Chinese factories and reckons it knows who will be making which bit of the much-predicted iPad 2."

Comments

Re:iPad

[Mongoose Disciple]

Ah hell. I made the mistake of taking that poster seriously. Reading it again it's obvious satire. Whoosh for me.

"Often reliable"

[remove office]

The often-reliable Chinese language newspaper -- which correctly predicted the first coming of the iPad when everyone else on the planet was carping on about a sub-$500 netbook from the Cupertino company

Oh please. This is the same "often-reliable" newspaper that predicted that Apple was going to release an iPhone nano earlier this year.

Also, the idea that anybody expected Apple to release a "sub-$500 netboook" is sheer lunacy. Nobody seriously expected that-- the iPad was widely anticipated by just about everyone for months before it was released.

Re:"Often reliable"

[RingDev]

Also, the idea that anybody expected Apple to release a "sub-$500 netboook" is sheer lunacy. Nobody seriously expected that-- the iPad was widely anticipated by just about everyone for months before it was released.

The entire concept of a "sub-$500 netbook" market is sheer lunacy. I can get a Core-2 duo 2.3ghz 15" laptop for just under $400 (it's in this month's special from NewEgg.com). Why the hell would anyone pay $500 for a netbook when they can get a way more powerful note book for $400?

If I'm going to buy a netbook, we better be talking about the sub-$200 market.

-Rick

Re:"Often reliable"

[denobug]

Why the hell would anyone pay $500 for a netbook when they can get a way more powerful note book for $400?

In the mobile computing world, size matters.

bullshit

[jewishbaconzombies]

Lessie - Apple only updates SKUs once and year - and is having trouble building the current model fast enough. OMG THERE'S ANOTHER ONE COMING TOMORROW!

Fuck you Slashdot.

Re:iPad

[gandhi_2]

Did you assassinate humor in this future you come from?

Re:No way Steve Jobs has 7-inches

[1310nm]

I love Apple's mobile products, I just don't see the point in buying their laptop/desktop machines unless you are an artist. Even then, it's becoming a bit of a stretch of the word "necessary" to have an OS X machine. Their Windows counterparts are just incredibly cheaper and more compatible with devices and other computers around them, usually. 7 is a very good OS, IMO.

Re:iPad

[masmullin]

The 9" impresses more than the 7"; which is, in turn, more impressive than the 3.5".

Re:Other than books, what is an iPad for?

[Remus Shepherd]

My girlfriend has an iPad. She uses it as a network appliance to check email and websites when we're in restaurants with WiFi. She uses it to entertain her children with games. They all use it to watch movies purchased with iTunes while on airplanes or car rides. And yes, she reads books on it.

I'm with you, I don't see it as useful for any dedicated purpose. But I think that's the key -- it's not dedicated to anything. It's a general purpose machine, and easy enough to use that the masses will be able to find something they like to do with it.

Give me a similar machine that runs on Linux and I'd purchase it tomorrow. I don't know what I'd do with it, but I know that I'll find something.

Obligatory

[wembley fraggle]

Seems like we're at:

"An obscure component manufacturer somewhere in the Pacific Rim announces a major order for some bleeding-edge piece of technology that could conceivably become part of an expensive, digital-lifestyle-enhancing nerd toy"

http://www.misterbg.org/AppleProductCycle/

Re:iPad

[Luscious868]

I think it's great. I will have my iPhone as a mobile device, the normal big and classy iPad for coffee shops and to impress girls, and the medium size iPhone/iPad variant for things while iPhone isn't enough, but when iPad is too big. I can already think hundreds of different situations where it will fit perfectly.

I remember the same softballs being tossed at the iPod and again at the iPhone when they were released. There were just overpriced, overhyped pieces of hardware that would only appeal to Apple fanboys. Only people who got caught in the Jobs reality distortion field would ever be interested in buying them.

How did that work out for you? I heard the same arguments against the iPad as well. They are still selling like hot cakes meanwhile the predictions of it's demise are looking just as laughable as that of the iPod and iPhone.

You may be too stupid to get the appeal of a smaller, less expensive iPad because it doesn't smell like Richard Stallman and run Linux. The rest of us, however, who are intrigued about the device but put off by it's price point just might be willing to try a smaller version of it at a less expensive price point to see if we like the concept before committing a larger sum to buy the bigger model. You know, just like the Mac Mini, low end iPods and the entry level $99 dollar iPhone.

1997 called. They want their functionality over ease of use mentality back. What is so hard to grasp about the concept that consumers want convenience first, functionality second? Time and time again in the tech industry we've seen superior technology beaten by convenience.

That's great that your $150.00 tablet can run 7 Linux distros and just about every piece of open source software that has ever been written. The $400.00 tablet from Apple that doesn't require a CS degree to run out of the box will outsell it 100 to 1.

Re:iPad

[oztiks]

Posted from my iPad.

How long did it take to type in :) ...

I've tried to slashdot on my iPad, login box screws up and it takes punch in send comments.