Is 7" enough?
 

Steve Jobs ripped on other manufactures the other day for mainly only producing 7" tablets in the near future, compared to the iPads almost 10" screen. In Steve's mind 7" just ain't going to cut it. How does the FT community feel?

Personally, I kind of agree with Jobs. A 7" screen has basically half the surface area of the iPad's screen. That is a noticeable difference. However, I think where I would really notice the difference would not be in the apps, per se, as those can be designed accordingly, though on the keyboard. The wide screen keyboard on the iPad is the perfect size I feel, any smaller would be strange and inefficient I feel. Then again I am not typing up a thesis on my tablet anytime soon so perhaps that is not such a big deal in the long run. On the flip slide, I have to imagine one of the reasons the iPad does weigh so much is the amount of glass you need to protect the larger screen. Perhaps the weight factor would be a more fair trade-off to the smaller screen size.

I used to have a netbook with a 7" screen and it felt too small. My current netbook has a 10.1" screen and it feels comfortable. That's why, IMO Steve has a good point. Ultimately, the market will decide.

And the reason why it sucks is because the netbook OS is designed for a full screen and not 7". If they use a mobile OS 7" is plenty.

Size doesn't matter - resolution is what matters. The Samsung Tab is 1024x600, and the iPad is 1024x768 - so it really won't look that different.

Remember, this is the same Steve Jobs that said netbooks were useless, and just announced his own 11" machine, so don't fall for what he says.

7" is the PERFECT size for a tablet - and I think products like the Samsung Tab will be a huge hit.

says you. :rolleyes: :D

There he goes again. (voice of Ronald Reagan).

Size, font size, etc is a personal thing, IMO. 7", 11", ... isn't going to work for everybody. For you, you say it's the perfect size, that's fine for you. Let us know how you feel about it after getting it and using it for a while. I doubt 7" will work for me. 11" with decent rez doesn't work for me either. I know that what works or doesn't work for me is just for me, and not for you or anybody else.

-David

I know some people who think 7" is enough, but they're not talking about tablets. Even there, though, they say a bit more is nice if the application can utilize it effectively. :D

I disagree that resolution, not size, matters. As adambadam wrote, it's the keyboard. I don't care if the resolution of a 7" screen is 2000x1600 or whatever. My hands are still the same size they've always been. The central typing area of my current laptop keyboard (left edge of the "Q" key to right edge of the semicolon key) is 7 1/2" wide. I wouldn't want it much, if any, smaller. That pretty much mandates an iPad-like screen for any real typing. A 7" tablet might work if you're not going to type much, but to me that means you have to carry a computer (or a separate keyboard) too. At that point, its whole justification disappears.

Seriously, get out of defense mode for everything you post. I did not say 7" is perfect for everyone. And unless you think my posts speak for anyone other than myself, you can safely assume that anything I post is my own personal opinion.

I've been using a 7" tablet for some time now, and I find it much better than the size of an iPad. That doesn't mean the device is better, because in many ways, iOS is way ahead of what this (not to be named) device runs. But size-wise, I think it is excellent. Resolution is ideal, and some of these upcoming devices will feature smart things like a memory card slot and a kickstand - all things that moved me away from the iPad. I love the apps on the iPad, but the size and lack of ergonomics just killed it for me, which was a real shame.

A good tablet OS will allow for open keyboard access - on Android for example, you can install Swype, which reduces the need to tap on a piece of glass for your typing work. Running Swype, Swiftkey or one of the many, many other keyboards available for Android makes a huge difference - and in many cases outperforms the keyboard on the iPad.

Disclaimer: this is my own personal opinion. I am not speaking on behalf of anyone else. You do not need to report this differing opinion to Apple or anyone else who does not want to hear what I have to say.

The smiley faces and voice of Ronald Reagan didn't clue you in that I was half-kidding?

That's not what you said, you stated unequivocally that it was perfect, but I kind of guessed that's what you meant and you've been posting things like that since I've been here, like how Vista was such a great OS. :)

Take a breath, Scott. Relax. When you post things like that, people are going to react and some will reply.

Since you use so much tech and try everything, I'm certainly interested in your opinions, but it's hard to separate the difference between personal choices vs technical differences/issues sometimes.

I think we still get to comment on opinions here, don't we? Even if they differ from yours or mine. Right? It's not personal. We still love you.

-David

The 7-inch tablets may appeal more to people who prefer the Kindle form factor, which is lighter and easier to hold up. The smaller screen is probably not as limiting for eBooks but for everything else ...

And to charge more for a smaller, inferior screen?

I see 7" as a very appealing size for a media-consumption device, whereas I find the 10" iPad an unappealingly clunky size for a device without a keyboard. That said, the 7" ones would have to be substantially cheaper than an iPad to be attractive as essentially a big media player/ebook reader.

Though I'm far from an Apple fanboy, I get why 10" is the right size for on-screen typing.

That said, for most media consumption, 7" is fine for me.

However I do find myself just reaching for my Android handset most of the time for browsing and basic media, which I think was Steve's point. 7 is close enough to 3 for basic consumption. 10 changes how you use it (less flexibility but more input and interaction).

7 is a lot better than 3. Heck, 2.8"-3" is small enough that the 3.5"-4.3" of the current bigger handsets is a BIG improvement. 7" is probably too big for even a jacket pocket, though, which makes me suspect that if you wanted to create a mega-handset size (which might be ideal) something like 5" or the 5.6" used in some of the mini-convertable tablets from Fuji (U810/820) might be perfect.

Dell has some 5" handsets on the market. http://www.dell.com/us/p/mobile-streak/pd

I've seen online mentions, but have not seen it in person.

Being locked to AT&T and the old version of Android would both be non-starters, although both of those may be fixable.

For me it is too small. I had one of those Asus 7 inch netbooks 3 years ago and its damn small for me. Now I'm using 12" netbooks. Perfect for carrying around and the screen is just the right size for a laptop/netbook. Mind you, if I want big screen then I'll use my desktop with 22 inch LG.

You really can't compare a 7" tablet with mobile OS to a netbook with a desktop OS.

Yeah, I had an iPad for a couple weeks...and while it was pretty cool I could never find a comfortable way to hold it. The thing is just heavy to hold for very long. While the extra screen size is certainly nice, the reality is a 7" tablet is easier to use while walking around. It obviously all comes down to usage requirements and personal preference.

I borrowed one for an hour last week and came up with the exact same conclusion (but I still would like to have one).

MisterNice

I can't imagine myself wanting to type for any length of time on a touchscreen of any kind. If typing is involved, a traditional clamshell design is the only choice, IMO.

That, to be fair, is the main reason I've never looked at the iPad. I'd be more likely to be interested in the new MacBook, though what I'd really like (manufacturers, are you listening?) is a 10" netbook-sized laptop with a decent spec, so I can have one machine and just plug it into a big monitor/keyboard/mouse when not travelling. That tiny Sony Vaio almost fits the bill but it's that little bit *too* small.

Neil

There is a full-size keyboard that you can attach to the iPad when you need to. It also doubles as a charging station.

If you can find a machine with the specs you want at it without breaking the bank, a convertible tablet machine gives you the best of both worlds hardware-wise (the software on a Windows 7 one won't be up to the iPad's for the touch-use, but they're pretty nice for media consumption and use in close quarters nonetheless.)

There are a moderate number 11.6" and 12" machines with genuinely high specs now, but I can't seem to find any 10" ones even with the new dual-core Atoms.

I have to date paid little attention to the tablet market or the iPad-related mass-media lovefest.

A 7" Android tablet, however, would certainly cause me to pay attention. I'd love something like that for flights.

I'm currently rocking a 10.1" Netbook on flights, and even that's too big and uncomfortable in Y. I'm flying a bunch of short hops on either a regional jet or Southwest, so the days of a nice F seat (or even UA E+ since I'm mainly on WN, AE, and CO Express routes these days) are few and far between...

With the Droid X at 4.3", these two units are close.

for me 7" is too small. i prefer to use 12" up as to satisfy my viewing. even on office applications, large viewing is more preferable.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/01/s...xy-tab-review/

There is a side-by-side here with the iPad, the latest Kindle, and the 7-inch Samsung Galaxy Tablet. The Kindle and the galaxy are basically the same size. Compared to the iPad it is practically an entirely different class of device. I think this is good for Android right now as they do not have the ecosystem that the iPad and iPad devs had when it comes to making apps for tablets. In other words, an app originally designed for a phone won't look too much worse when it is only blown up another few inches as compare to what iPhone apps look like on the much larger iPad.

Given Apple's secretive ways, it's doubtful developers knew about the iPad coming before it was announced.

They did announce about 3 months before they released so there were some apps. on day 1 but not a lot.

Similarly, people know Android tablets are coming. In fact, they knew back in January, when the iPad was announced.

But it seems a lot of tablets announced at CES this year didn't pan out.

Review of the Galaxy Tablet where they talk about why 7-inch screen is not a good choice.

http://gizmodo.com/5686161/samsung-g...le-train-wreck

But they also say that the $599 off-contract Tab is more expensive than a $499 iPad (which has no Wi-Fi).

In other words, I'll wait till Engadget gets their review up.

All iPads have at least Wifi.

The Verizon-distributed Tab is Wifi-only isn't it?

It's the Sprint Tabs which has 3G but you have to sign a 2-year contract.

While many of the other complaints seem reasonable - it sounds like the software from Samsung isn't very good, and the lack of 3rd-party software is unsurprising (although with the number of other similar sized 7" Android tablets coming out, that should be fixed soon), that first section on size seems to be written from a pure iPad-fanboy perspective. I've used coworker's iPads a fair bit, and I dislike it the more I've used it - too big to not think "why wouldn't I just use a netbook or laptop instead?" and too heavy to hold up comfortably a e-reader (while a netbook only slightly heavier holds itself up, and has at least a chiclet keyboard [although I am rather horrified as those move to larger laptops.])

Then again, I despite touch-screen "typing," so better or worse between the 7/10 screens (or between either and 3.4-4.3 of current phones) is a comical non-issue for me.

[replying re: the Dell Streak]
And it looks like Dell is fixing both.