Hasta La Gadget!

In 2010, Steve Jobs minced no words as he expressed his distaste for 7-inch tablets, stating that the size is useless unless users sand their fingers down to a quarter of their size. The iPad’s competition was DOA, he said. Now Apple’s introduced its 7.9-inch iPad mini, and some consumers are pointing fingers.

Apple CEO Tim Cook took a moment during the company’s earning call to address the criticism, stating that Apple would not make “one of the seven inch tablets.” According to Cook, the 7.9-inch iPad mini is in an altogether different league than its competition. “[The iPad mini] is not a compromised product like the seven inch tablets.”

At its event on October 23, Apple revealed the iPad mini, which is 23% smaller than the 4th Generation iPad. The not-quite-a-7-incher tablet has a 7.2mm body, and weighs .68lbs. The display has a 1,024 x 768 resolution, which is the same as the iPad 2, allowing users to run iPad 2 apps on the mini without issue. The gadget has a 5MP rear camera and FaceTime HD front camera.

During the announcement, Apple gave a fairly thorough comparison between the iPad mini and Google’s Nexus 7. One of the differences that Cook reiterated during the call was the size difference between the two aforementioned tablets, with the iPad mini offering 35-percent more real estate than the Nexus 7. Apparently .9-inches means the difference between usability and needing to sandpaper one’s own fingers.

Said Cook:

The comments that I think you’re referencing are comments that Steve had made before about seven inch tablets. And, let me be clear, we would not make one of the seven inch tablets. We don’t think they’re good products, and we would never make one. Not just because it’s seven inches, but for many reasons. One of the reasons, however, is size.

I’m not sure if you saw our keynote, but the difference between just the real estate size between the 7.9… versus 7 is 35 percent. And when you look at the usable area it’s much greater than that… The iPad mini is a fantastic product. It is not a compromised product like the seven inch tablets. It’s in a whole different league.

[via The Verge]

Tim Cook says iPad mini is in a different league than 7-inch tablets is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Anyone wondering what Apple CEO Tim Cook thinks of Microsoft’s new Surface tablet didn’t have to wait long to get an answer. Cook offered a fairly blunt assessment of the device on the company’s quarterly earnings call today, saying that while he hasn’t personally played with one, “we’re reading that it’s a fairly compromised, confusing product.” He went on to say that “I think one of the things you do with a product is make hard trade-offs. The user experience on the iPad is absolutely incredible,” adding, “I suppose you could design a car that flies and floats, but I don’t think it would do all of those things very well. When people look at the iPad versus competitive offerings, I think they’ll continue to want an iPad.”

As for Apple’s own new tablet, the iPad mini, Cook dismissed the notion that it would cannibalize other iPad sales. “The way that we look at this,” Cook said, “is that we provide a fantastic iPod touch, an iPad, and an iPad mini. Customers will decide which one, two, three or four they want, and they’ll buy those.” He went on to add that “we’ve learned over the years not to worry about cannibalization of our products. The far bigger opportunity is the 80 to 90 million PCs shipped each quarter. I think a great number of those people would be better off buying an iPad, or a Mac. That’s a bigger opportunity for Apple. Instead of looking at cannibalization, I see an incremental opportunity.”

Filed under: Tablets

Apple’s Tim Cook sees Microsoft Surface as a ‘fairly compromised, confusing product’ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 17:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, hello there, the worst-kept secret in tech. Apple’s iPad mini is the company’s newest device, a 7.9-inch tablet that’s designed to go toe-to-toe with Google’s Nexus 7. For now, it’ll sit alongside the iPad 2 and fourth-generation iPad, and as it packs the same 1,024 x 768 display as the second-generation slate, apps will carry across without any resizing. While Phil Schiller didn’t mention Google or the Nexus 7 by name, the rival slate (and Google’s app library) was compared to the newest iOS device. On stage, he claimed that the screen, which is .9-inch larger than the Nexus 7, gives the iPad mini 35 percent more display area than Google and ASUS’ collaboration.

On the hardware size, the 7.2mm thick, .68 pounds device has been manufactured with an “all new” process that gives it the same anodized edges as you’ll find on the iPhone 5. If you were hoping for equal specifications to the big-daddy iPad, you may be mildly disappointed. While it will pack a 5-megapixel camera and an LTE modem (if you opt to buy a cellular model), it’s running the last-generation A5 CPU. However, the slower internals and less potent display may account for how the company has been able to squeeze out a claimed 10 hours of use despite the constrained space for a battery. Pre-orders for the $329, 16GB WiFi-only model begin on Friday (October 26th) and will begin shipping on November 2nd. The cellular-equipped models will begin shipping a few weeks afterward on AT&T, Verizon and Sprint, with the 16GB base model costing $459, running all the way to $659 for the 64GB unit.

For more coverage, visit our Apple Special Event hub!

Continue reading Apple announces 7.9-inch iPad mini with a 1,024 x 768 display, A5 CPU and optional LTE for $329

Filed under: Tablets, Apple

Apple announces 7.9-inch iPad mini with a 1,024 x 768 display, A5 CPU and optional LTE for $329 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 13:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Citing this as the “fastest upgrade rate in history — that we’re aware of,” Tim Cook has announced on stage in San Jose that 200 million iOS devices have been updated to iOS 6. If you’re still on the last version, are you feeling the peer pressure?

For more coverage, visit our Apple Special Event hub!

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Software, Mobile

Apple: 200 million devices already upgraded to iOS 6 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 13:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s a year today since former Apple CEO Steve Jobs passed. Fittingly, Apple has posted a moving video tribute on the front page of its website, which remembers his enthusiasm and determination. More »