Original Post from : Tech Savvy Momma
Tablets come in many shapes and sizes, but the fact Apple decided to stick to the 10-inch screen size suggests that they have considered all the downsides of a smaller one. There was some rumors that a 7-inch tablet was in the making, in an attempt to secure an already firm lead to the tablet market, but so far no solid facts were presented. The competition has several devices and if Apple wants to crush its rivals, it should launch its own tablet and capitalize on the huge popularity of the iPads.
Steve Jobs was against the idea, and all his statements pointed into the same direction: a 7-inch tablet is not feasible and the compromises that need to be done are not worth making. The charismatic CEO was adamant and Apple fans knew as a fact that while he is in charge, the odds for a smaller tablet to hit the stores were insignificant. Now that he is gone, rumors has emerged again stronger and those spreading them cite seemingly convincing facts such as Apple’s order for Samsung screens that measure 7 inches.
Closing the gap between smartphones and traditional 10-inch tablets is regarded by some as a necessity while others doubt the usefulness of adding another device into the equation. They say that users should settle for the smartphones if they want a gadget that has plenty of processing power and is easy to carry. For the ones that long for a larger display and don’t like the idea of struggling to pinch and tap a tiny screen, the 10-inch tablets should be enough. Jobs claimed that these were the minimum acceptable dimensions for a tablet and anything smaller would hurt the user experience.
Interesting enough all the iPhones have a small display at least compared to Samsung’s or HTC’s flagship devices that run on Android. The users didn’t complain and for many of those who got used to the petit size of Apple smartphones, the rumors that the next iPhone will sport a significantly larger display is a reason to worry. Frowning upon size and worrying that larger gadgets will be more difficult to carry and impair mobility is not a novelty, but still tablets of all sizes sell like hotcakes. Ideally, Apple should be able to cover all the spectrum so that those who love their products will not have to settle for a tablet made by the competition, simply because they want a specific size.
This brings us to the issue of costs, and this is where things turn sensitive, because a 7-inch tablet will be difficult to market, and profit will be less than impressive. Nobody can afford to sell products that cost more to manufacture than their retail price, just to conquer a niche and despite its financial might, Apple is not an exception. They are known to extract as much profit as possible from any device they sell, but competing with Amazons Kindle Fire or other 7-inch tablets will be a tall order.