"If you love reading and are looking to invest a chunk of money into a device as a dedicated e-reader, then the iPad is not your best bet, " Cesar Torres, of CNN content partner ArsTechnica , wrote last year in a review comparing the third-generation iPad to e-readers such as the third-generation Kindle. (That iPad has the same screen as the most recent one).
In fact, Apple introduced two new iPads this week: The fourth-generation of the regular 9.7-inch iPad, which replaces the third-generation model released back in March, and the iPad mini, a smaller-screen version (7.9-inch display).
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"Because the iPad mini enjoys most of the same features as a full-sized iPad, it only makes sense to offer a scaled down version of our award-winning keyboard folio for the iPad mini, " said Jamie Elgie, senior director of product management at Belkin.
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Data Express, a Taiwan-based reseller, told DigiTimes that it has received more inquiries for the iPad Mini than the full-size iPad.
Bolstered by users like Andersen and Ostrowski, developers are adapting their location-based applications to run on the iPad. (Most of these apps work best on the 3G version of the iPad, which has built-in GPS, but will also operate on the cheaper, Wi-Fi-only iPad.) The trend caught some developers by surprise.
Stores with iPhones will be the only ones using the free Sail mobile apps and readers at first, but Android- and iPad-toting entrepreneurs will have their alternative to Square or PayPal Here as soon as the end of May.
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Apple, by contrast, doesn't need to give OS X a radical mobile makeover or gin together an iPad-esque tablet -- hey, it's already got the iPad.
Analysts were much more conservative about their predictions for the iPad Mini and the fourth-generation iPad, which went on to sell three million units (combined) during their first weekend on store shelves.
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The RBC analysts are already looking ahead to results from the current quarter, when potential factors like a global launch of the iPhone 5, international iPad sell-through, and an iPad HD launch could have a positive benefit.
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He sees iPad growth accelerating with a late 2012 launch of a smaller-size iPad, likely with a 7-8 inch screen.
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Market-leader and iPad-maker Apple saw its share slide to 43.6% from 51.7%, despite also seeing a jump in sales.
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To preserve the iPad's aspect ratio at a relatively large screen size meant Apple had to trim the side bezels, making the appearance a bit more iPhone-like than iPad-like and, at best, a snug fit for smaller hands.
Likely catalysts such as a possible late-March iPad refresh with a lower price point on the iPad 2, a mid-year iPhone refresh, and the launch of the iOS-based television launch in late 2012 or early 2013 back up the positive rating for the company.
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Medium-term, newly introduced content (books, magazines, video) and iPad-optimized apps could broaden the addressable market and strengthen iPad sales momentum later this year.
However, Sprint announced recently that it will be carrying the iPad mini as well as the fourth-generation iPad announced recently, which should help bolster net add numbers in the coming quarters.
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Under Apple's plans, companies wanting to distribute their content to iOS devices - including the iPhone and iPad - would have to offer users the option of subscribing directly from their app.
Placing a picture of the Google Nexus 7 alongside the iPad mini, he went through their specifications - the iPad's screen size was not so mini, 30% bigger than the Nexus, the overall experience on one was "great", on the other "not so great".
Nearly three quarters of the tablet market may have tunnel vision when it comes to a platform of choice -- that being Apple's iPad -- but for the Android faithful, there are options readily available -- a wide and confusing glut, at that.
Apple didn't provide much explanation for its decision not to use a specific name such as the much-rumored iPad 3 handle--which some branding experts said could confuse purchasers.
Fancy fans, pretty parasols and wicker chairs, for example, are a far cry from some of the poster-plastered, traveller souvenir filled, iPad-littered rooms of the 21st Century.
It is wholly possible that Chinese consumers were overwhelmed with anticipation for the iPad Mini and decided to bail on the third-generation iPad.
As a result, some publications say they may choose not to offer an iPad-only subscription, but to bundle access to an iPad app with their own products, so they can use their own billing systems instead.
Don't get your hopes up for a tie-in on the level of VW's iPad-friendly Bulli concept, however.
On the other hand, there's also been some reports of Apple canceling orders for being "over the limit" -- even from folks that have just ordered one iPad -- although those seem to be few and far between at the moment.
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If the devices are good enough, BlackBerry 10 could grow slowly over time just like the first-generation iPad and the first-generation iPod Touch.
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The band accused The Warhol Foundation of trying to "deceive the public" into thinking they had given their "sponsorship or approval" to a number of products - including iPad covers and accessories - that now carry the image.
The iPad mini will similarly be the budget version of the full-scale iPad, bridging that gap for people who really just want to play Angry Birds on a bigger screen without shelling out for an iPad.
Meanwhile, the Kindle Fire tablet -- which may become the strongest challenger yet to Apple's iPad -- led the way for a big day for Amazon.
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