Should Apple Release a 7.85 Inch iPad?

Apple was probably never going to release an iPad mini under Steve Jobs. It is no secret that the late great CEO of Apple was not a fan of smaller tablets (due to user experience issues). But things could always change under the new CEO. According to DaringFireball’s John Gruber, Apple has been noodling with a 7.85 inch iPad and could release smaller iPads in the future. It seems Apple already has a prototype in the lab that runs at 1024 x 768. It is just a small version of the 9.7 inch iPads. Apps won’t need to be recompiled to run on it smoothly.

Apple is in a curious position here. The company is already selling a ton of iPad 3 tablets. It is dominating the market while others are trying to catch up. We are still skeptical Apple will release such a device this year. It may wait and see how the tablet market develops before introducing a smaller iPad product.

Apple has big plans for the upcoming years. It is expected to get in the TV business next year. At this point, it seems the company does not have a good enough reason to introduce the iPad mini. But that could always change.

What’s your take? Should Apple release a 7.85 inch iPad?