Yes, the size and price makes it far more appealing for kids.
And women who want a Kindle++ that fits in the purse they already carry everywhere (but is too small for a 10" tablet) could make a stronger case than most.
But, in general, half the size of a 10" tablet doesn't make it half as useful as a 10" tablet and thus worth half the price. Half the size makes it really hard to argue that the apps or browsing experience is notably better than a phone. And not being able to pocket the thing, thus necessitating a bag only raises the question of: is this thing good enough to justify bringing a bag when you otherwise wouldn't? And half the size of a 10" tablet again makes this a hard pitch.
Even if you're extremely price-bound, I just don't see the point. The price-bound have, at this point, waited three years to make a tablet decision anyway. Going without for a year or so to save for something that makes a stronger case can't be all that unacceptable.
I don't see how that works logically. A 7" tablet is just about exactly as much bigger than a 4" phone as a 10" tablet is bigger than a 7" tablet. Why is one quantum more important than the other?
I could just as well say "Double the size makes it really hard to argue that the iPad is notably better than a 7" tablet." with exactly the same justification.
I think it's very much taste-dependent. I've used an iPad and been broadly unimpressed with the form factor; you have to "put it on something" to use it, it's too big to hold for long periods in one hand. I've never used a 7" tablet but it seems like for simple browsing on a plane or whatever like it might be a better fit.
>Why is one quantum more important than the other?
I've owned both. Long story short, things like comics, magazines, non-mobile web, etc are terrible on a 7". Consuming this media often involves lots of tapping and zooming. Its annoying. Two people can sit together and watch a TV show or movie comfortable with a 10" tablet. With a 7" its almost like crowding around someone's phone.
Oh, and the 10" opens up this world of remote desktop/citrix apps that suddenly are usable.
I'd also argue that a 10" is just a sexier and more futuristic device. A 7" is typically fatter and has a larger bezel while a 10" has a lot more area to spread this stuff out. There's something really fun about having a thin 10" screen that weighs next to nothing in your hands. This is sci-fi territory here.
I'd also argue that no 7" is really pocketable. Unless you're a woman with a purse or are wearing massive cargo pants, you'll be carrying a bag anyway.
Well my Nook Color (first gen) is a 7" device, and I can easily slip that in the back pocket of my dress pants or jeans. Of course it is good to remember to remove it afterwards. Usually I would slip it in my back pocket on the way to the car, take it out, then repeat for entering the office -- no bag needed. It does work really good for regular books, but around the house I mostly use it to look stuff up online when someone else is at the computer. Things like checking the weather, looking up a channel listing, etc. The one thing that it really stinks at though is PDFs. For some reason, almost every PDF is formatted for 8.5x11 (or A4) -- even when there is a load of white space around the document. Now if I have the source for a PDF document and reformat it for this size screen, it works great.
What I think would be a killer feature is having a print driver on your desktop that sends formatted PDF printouts directly to your tablet device, sized for the screen. Then you would have a true replacement for your printer for many use cases (such as printing off some quick notes for a meeting, etc).
> Consuming this media often involves lots of tapping and zooming.
That depends on your vision. If your vision is good leave everything small and just read it.
If not, put on some supermarket reading glasses to magnify everything and enjoy.
If it has the resolution, you can make a small device appear big by magnifying it to your eyes with glasses, while still leaving the device physically small.
Right: taste dependent. I see what you're saying on some of that, but others just sound ridiculous (e.g. Watching a movie on 10" is bad enough, but sharing the screen? Not in my lifestyle, sorry.)
And some of your points (non-mobile web, remote desktop) mostly just amount to "10 inches is closer to a laptop", which prompts the question of why bother with the tablet when you already have a laptop?
And the rest just sounds like fanboism: why isn't it "really fun" and "sci fi territory" to have a 7" screen that weighs next to nothing in your hands? (And as I stated before, I have to quibble with the weight comment: the iPad is definitely not a one-handed device; I get tired using it like that.)
I'm not really defending the "paperback" form factor, as I haven't used it. I'm just very surprised at the level of resistance. It looks cute to me.
I've read arguments claiming fullsize pages can be read from 7" (or that the reflow of pdfs works well). I've never seen anyone do that regularly in real life and don't really expect to.
But sure, if you're rich, retired and only read literature -- not documentation, documents, code, etc... :-)
I routinely read full-size PDFs in duplex on my laptop screen, which is barely larger in physical size than a 7" tablet and actually lower resolution. That's a clear functional use case, right? So by your logic that makes you objectively wrong, not simply subject to different taste than me?
Stop it, this kind of flaming is beyond dumb. To claim that you prefer a 10" screen is fine. To claim that you can't read a PDF on a 7" screen is absurd.
> A 7" tablet is just about exactly as much bigger than a 4" phone as a 10" tablet is bigger than a 7" tablet.
I'm surprised that nobody else has pointed this out, but that's not true at all - we measure screen sizes by the diagonal, but the actual screen size is a quadratic function of the diagonal. If the aspect ratio were such that the screen were a square (it's not), this would mean that a 10'' screen would be more than twice as large as a 7'' screen, which would be three times as large as a 4'' screen.
That said, the screen size is really only part of the picture. At least for me, I like the size of the Kindle Fire (also ~7'') - it fits perfectly in my hand both when traveling and when reading. A 10'' screen to me feels massive enough that I'd just as rather have my computer (heck, 10'' is almost the size of some ultrabooks or the Macbook Air!)
7" tablet fits in a jacket/coat pocket. 10" tablet does not. I also find the 7" tablet is more comfortable to hold in one hand. I have both a rooted Nook Color and an iPad, and while the iPad is undeniably a better piece of hardware, I find Nooks size more convenient to hold and use.
I'm not trying to say it's the wrong size or anything.
I have a friend who lives in a warm climate, wears cargo shorts year-round and couldn't care less about anything other than long-form reading on the thing. And he won't shut up about how awesome his Nook Color fits his life. I get it, for him. Or for a hypothetical mad-reader who has a purse or pouch they carry everywhere.
I just hear a lot of chatter about how the 7" size is desirable coming from people who don't/can't already wear clothing that makes sense of the form-factor. [1] Or don't have that long-form reading focus. [2]
And I don't get that. I figure there has to be something to it. Which is why I still talk about it. I'm just not seeing it.
[1] e.g. they don't live in a climate or work environment where they can sport cargo pants/shorts all the time, or they don't already wear a jacket everywhere with pockets big enough, etc. And there, "it fits some pockets" sounds more hypothetical and comes off like they've just turned "you have to carry a bag that you don't already" into "you have to carry conforming_clothing, that you don't already".
[2] Personally, that's the only time I wish my iPad was more comfortable to one-hand. It doesn't come up often. But during long reading sessions, while I'm rotating postures and grips, I miss the one-hand grips that are available with a paperback, magazine, or 7" tablet. But I'm not so short on comfortable grips that it matters much. That said, I never found the weight of an iPad to be a problem either. So maybe that's just me.
If the only real good use case for the 7" tablet is long-form reading, why not get an e-ink device? better to read on, weighs less, thinner, cheaper, better battery. My kindle 3 perfectly complements my smartphone and 10" tablet.
I spent all last weekend looking for a bag to carry my transformer in. There seem to be two standard sizes for bags that it falls between; you get the full-sized satchel/briefcase, or the small taller-than-it-is-wide size. (Do a google search for manbag and you'll see the two options I'm talking about). The latter is a perfect fit for my 7" netbook or my kindle, but infuriatingly slightly too small for the transformer, while the former feels like a cavernous void when my transformer's the only thing in it. I guess the logic is "if the guy's buying a larger-than-A4 bag it's because he wants to carry three folders full of papers", but I'm amazed no-one's selling something that's just a minimum-sized case and shoulder strap for a tablet.
So for me the bags amplify the difference between a 10" and a 7". Usually I just carry the satchel everywhere, but I'd feel like a jerk taking it to a restaurant or a gig; the small bag fits on my shoulder without thinking about it and looks good enough that I'm happy to wear it anywhere. I feel like it should be possible to make a 10" tablet this practical - it's not much heavier - but I think the bag industry hasn't caught up yet.
second that. 7" is a great size for a tablet. I used fire for some time and it was quite useful to take it with me. If I am going for a larger tablet though I'd much rather prefer a more functional Surface over iPad... if only it was available :)
I own a 10-inch tablet (Transformer Original) and a 7-inch-tablet (Nook Color with CM7) and I can say that the 7-inch form factor more beautifully fits the hand, and is easier on the eyes (and grip) for things like reading, light browsing, and email.
And not being able to pocket the thing, thus necessitating a bag only raises the question of: is this thing good enough to justify bringing a bag when you otherwise wouldn't?
It fits in a purse, so that's only an issue for us guys (unless you're man enough to carry a man-purse and not give a fuck what people think).
Personally, I already have a 12" laptop and no smartphone (my wifi-less S60 doesn't really count), so a cheap and small tablet would cover the "really portable media/web viewing" nicely.
A 7" fits in my trouser pockets; for a 10" I'd need to carry my satchel, and then I'd just bring my laptop instead.
The iPad or 10" tablets provide a different experience. iPad is a great size but just a little too big to take everywhere with you. The 7" is just so much more portable.
I would say that if you are young and/or have very good eyesight then you will be fine. Most people over 40, for example, will have a hard time reading without zooming well in.
I'm over 40 and wear reading glasses. I love the Kindle 3's form factor. It fits in my bag it's far more pleasant to read on a 7" tablet than a smartphone.
Same here, age and eyesight wise, but I find that text on screens below a certain size is either too small to read confortably or too large breaking the reading flow. I guess this is a personal thing more than a scientific fact.
Having owned both a Kindle Fire and then an iPad 3... The Kindle Fire was nice... but the iPad 3 was a revelation. The 10" screen of the iPad completely changed my perception of tablets. I found the 7" Kindle Fire to be unbearable afterwards and was forced to sell it.
