Ever since Apple released their 9.7-inch iPad, rumors have been flying about a possible 7-inch model to accompany its bigger brother and compete against the wave of 7-inch Android tablets. However, today Apple CEO Steve Jobs shot down any possibility of an iPad Nano ever hitting the market. Speaking during the company's earnings call, Jobs said that the 7-inch size "is useless unless you include sandpaper so users can sand their fingers down to a quarter of their size." His reasoning behind that statement? The software just isn't a good fit for the smaller screen, and people don't want a small tablet when they've already got a smartphone that can fit in their pocket.
It's interesting that Apple doesn't plan to release a 7-inch device to help compete against the impending wave of Android tablets like the Samsung Galaxy Tab. At the same time, though, it's not totally surprising. Apple has always released the iPhone and iPod Touch with the exact same screen size, so why would that change with the iPad? I'm excited to see how everything will pan out once the iPad's competition really begins hitting the market in the next few months. Will customers continue to buy the iPad or will they be swayed by the smaller, possibly more portable competition?
