Gadget Reviews, Product News, Electronic Gadgets

With shipments of 7″ tablet display panels growing 17% in November, analysts are starting to wonder whether the smaller form factor tablets are gaining momentum and increasing in popularity (beyond that of the devices with 10″ screens). While this may be true in a sense with so many Amazon Kindle Fire and Barnes and Noble Nook units being sold recently, I am not certain that the limitations and concerns over the smaller format are becoming less warranted.

Besides, there is plenty of room in the market for the both of them.

It likely shouldn’t be ignored that Apple made a point of letting people know that the iPad 2 production was intentionally slowed down. As we reported a few weeks ago production of the iPad 2 was slowed down because a short while earlier Apple had actually ramped up production in an effort to amass a surplus of the devices as they headed into the holiday season. While many people were quick to say that the surplus meant Apple wasn’t selling as many devices as they had anticipated I maintain that the company was busy filling warehouses to keep operations going while they switched production over to the upcoming iPad 3.

News like this always leads analysts to wondering and speculating whether Apple will join the 7″ tablet form-factor market with insinuations that they are really missing out by not having a competitor for that realm. With no real rumblings coming from Apple that lead us to expect such a device to launch I think it is still safe to assume that they will stick with the tried-and-true 9.7″ screens we are already familiar with.

Have you used a 7″ screen? Do you agree with the criticisms that they are too small to offer meaningful web browsing experiences? Do you think Apple should be seriously considering an entry into this market? Is it just wishful thinking that a ‘cheaper iPad’ will become available?