Jobs Says There Will Be No 7-Inch iPad

Rather than let these rumors continue to circulate, Steve Jobs decided to put this particular strand of gossip to rest nice and early. Contrary to the reports we’ve heard from sources such as DigiTimes, Apple will not be releasing a 7-inch version of the iPad. This news came straight from the CEO himself during the company’s fourth quarter conference call yesterday.

At first, the idea of a smaller, lighter, and less expensive iPad doesn’t seem like a bad thing. But Jobs is urging everyone to look at it from a different angle: Cheaper, smaller hardware is useless if the software running on the devices is subpar. And that’s exactly what he predicts would happen should Apple try to nail the segment of the market situated between the iPhone and iPad (right in that 7-inch range). On top of that, he doesn’t even expect that developers would take the bait: He says they’re more likely to say, “Sorry, I’m not going to write a watered down version of my app just because you can sell this version of your phone for $50 less.”

So, now we know that the mid-size tablet is going to be the domain of devices like Samsung’s Galaxy Tab or RIM’s PlayBook. Perhaps these devices have a better chance of getting high quality apps from developers, since they can focus solely on the 7-inch format . . . We’ll find out later this year and into next, as the next wave of tablet computing gets rolling.

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Devin Wieland

 

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