Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Mobile
    • Networking
    • PC Hardware
    • Small Business

    Apple 7-Inch iPad Rumors Continue

    By
    Nicholas Kolakowski
    -
    September 26, 2010
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Another week, another story about Apple supposedly working on a 7-inch iPad. This newest rumor comes courtesy of Shanzai.com, which claims to have sources inside Chinese factories tasked with producing the device.

      “Yes, there will be a 7″ tablet, yes it’s well underway in terms of product development and in fact it’s a finished product,” the Website posted Sept. 24. “Yes 5 plus different designs have been floating around to help Apple protect itself from people discovering its next product look and feel but … the final design will in fact bear more resemblance to the iPhone 4 stylings than the original iPad design.”

      Rumors of a smaller iPad, possibly equipped with cameras for FaceTime video conferencing, have drifted vampirelike around the Web for the past couple weeks. As far back as August, Digitimes Research predicted a 7-inch iPad due to launch in the first quarter of 2011, armed with an ARM Cortex A9-based processor.

      That same month, iLounge Editor in Chief Jeremy Horwitz claimed an unnamed source told him that a 7-inch iPad would launch in either late 2010 or early 2011.

      The current iPad remains a strong seller, but rival manufacturers’ upcoming devices-notably the Samsung Galaxy Tab-are likely to leapfrog its hardware with features such as dual cameras for video conferencing. Hewlett-Packard is reportedly working on a set of tablet PCs with video conferencing and the ability to run Flash.

      The more prominent of these devices, including the Galaxy Tab and a Dell Android tablet prototype shown off at Oracle OpenWorld, feature screens measuring 7 inches-which may become something of a sweet spot for future tablets. The 7-inch Galaxy Tab can be held easily in one hand and weighs about as much as a full can of soda.

      The original iPad also invited rampant speculation in the months and weeks ahead of its January unveiling. Many of those rumors proved patently untrue, although others-including a persistent one that the device would run a modified version of the iPhone operating system-proved within spitting distance of reality.

      In between speculation about Apple’s possible future moves, analysts have been debating about whether the iPad is cannibalizing the market for low-end notebooks. That may not be the case, depending on whom you ask, but the general expectation is that the tablet market will only continue to expand.

      “No one expected netbook sales to stay at the atmospheric levels of 2009 and in fact netbooks, as a percentage of U.S. consumer sales, have been very steady all year in the mid-teens,” Stephen Baker, an analyst with NPD Group, wrote in a Sept. 20 posting on the research firm’s official blog. “In light of those sales facts it is, in my view, a mistaken and absolutely untenable position to claim that PC sales are under pressure because of the iPad when there are so many other factors that are contributing to the poor results.”

      However, other analysts see the growth in tablets as impacting the notebook market in negative ways.

      “We expect tablets to continue to pressure PCs as more vendors launch products (e.g., Dell Streak and Samsung Tab) and Apple expands its iPad distribution,” Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty wrote in a research note, as quoted by Fortune Magazine Sept. 17. “Tablet cannibalization” was supposedly responsible for NPD Group data showing a year-over-year dip in U.S. notebook sales.

      Nicholas Kolakowski
      Nicholas Kolakowski is a staff editor at eWEEK, covering Microsoft and other companies in the enterprise space, as well as evolving technology such as tablet PCs. His work has appeared in The Washington Post, Playboy, WebMD, AARP the Magazine, AutoWeek, Washington City Paper, Trader Monthly, and Private Air. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×