Home Live Blog: Apple iPad Mini Announcement

Live Blog: Apple iPad Mini Announcement

Thanks for listening and reading our sometimes contentious views on Apple. Still hungry? For more meat, take a bite and get more details on the mini-announcement from Taylor Hatmaker and Jon Mitchell on the updated iPad

11:13: Dan Rowinski: The 3rd gen had LTE.

11:13: Fredric Paul: Well, the 4G replaces the new ipad at same price

11:12: Adam Popescu: We hope you like these products as much as we liked creating them…you mean underage workers overseas??? Sorry, too easy.

11:12: Dan Rowinski: So, the third generation iPad is just gone, huh? The iPad 2 is sticking around.

11:11: Christina Ortiz: Wonder if I can write off a $329 iPad mini on my taxes as a work expense….

11:09: Taylor Hatmaker: Ack! $329

11:08: Fredric Paul: $329 is not a good price – Google/Amazon just had a huge exhale.

11:07: Robyn Tippins: I’d love to be a fly on the wall in the room where the Android team is watching this.

11:05: Taylor Hatmaker: I am definitely going to buy the iPad mini… assuming it’s priced in a way that makes sense, i.e. close enough to $199 to not be insane

11:05: Robyn Tippins: I know, I love that accent.

11:05: Dan Rowinski: The way Ive says aluminum kind makes me giggle.

10:59: Robyn Tippins: Huge. Gigantic. Thinner. Lighter.

10:59: Dan Rowinski: Is there irony in announcing a “Mini” device and touting how much bigger it is than the competition?

10:58: Fredric Paul: Mini isn’t so Mini — thinner/lighter but taller/wider

10:58: Fredric Paul: Interesting, though, for the first time, he’s comparing a NEW Apple product to an existing competitor. That’s a big change.

10:56: Fredric Paul: Some of that stuff is gonna look pretty darn tiny, though. Which one is he comparing to…

10:55: Fredric Paul: Same res as my iPad 2…So SW should still work…

10:53: Dan Lyons: The world has changed. utterly and completely. boom. game over.

10:53: Fredric Paul: Steve Jobs is rolling over in his grave…

10:52: Fredric Paul: “There is nothing as amazing as this”

10:51: Taylor Hatmaker: This screws me on selling my new iPad on CL so I can snag a Mini. Which is bound to materialize because Cook made a joke about it

10:51: Fredric Paul: if you’re looking to buy an iPad – this is great. But you wouldn’t turn in your “new iPad” for a 4G.

10:51: Taylor Hatmaker: I guess maybe the Mini will just be the small version of the new gen. Hm.

10:50: Dan Rowinski: I would like to note that I predicted in Dec. 2011 that Apple would announce two iPads this year.

10:49: Fredric Paul: faster chips is not the key here, no one is complaining about processor performance

10:48: Robyn Tippins: I wish Phil would just stay and Tim would go.

10:48: Jon Mitchell: iPad 4??

10:47: Fredric Paul: OK, here we go…

10:47: Jon Mitchell: He can barely contain himself. I wonder if it’s going to be retina.

10:47: Fredric Paul: But what, exactly, are all those companies actually using iPads for? Despite trying for years, I still don’t have a good answer for that…

10:45: Taylor Hatmaker: “Today we’re announcing…. the latest version of iBooks author!” zzzzz hearing “widgets” in the context of iOS is a strange experience

10:45: Robyn Tippins: No, available. Big difference.

10:44: Adam Popescu: 80% of US core curriculum textbooks made by Apple? WHHHAT???? And in 2500 school?? hmmm

10:44: Fredric Paul: more important than graphics, is that they can be upgraded more frequently, so that they’re not years out of date

10:44: Robyn Tippins: Books maybe…

10:44: Adam Popescu: now they’re making textbooks? did i miss something?

10:42: Taylor Hatmaker: I will like mine when it is 7.85″

10:42: Fredric Paul: But when it’s time to lose a device, the tablet goes first

10:42: Robyn Tippins: Say what you will, the iPad is awesome.

10:39: Fredric Paul: Finally – one more thing. What’s more interesting than 100 M iPads is that so few COMPETING tablets were sold.

10:39: Dan Rowinski: Those iMac prices are actually reasonable. No different from previous generations, really.

10:38: Fredric Paul: I don’t care about the 21.5 version – rather have a laptop. But that 27-incher – yes please!

10:38: Brian Proffitt: I feel stuck in the past…

10:38: Dan Rowinski: Seagate is a Samsung partner …

10:36: Fredric Paul: That is the right way to do it – for now while HDD prices are still so much lower.

10:36: Taylor Hatmaker: I like Asian fusion so i imagine that the Apple fusion drive is somewhat analogous

10:36: Dan Rowinski: He said reads and writes. Drink.

10:36: Fredric Paul:Fusion Drive is SWWEEEEET!

10:36: Dan Lyons: Gotta keep those high school kids working

10:35: Adam Popescu: Foxconn has been BUSY

10:35: Fredric Paul: 3TB, now THAT is a proper amount of storage!

10:33: Fredric Paul: And no matter how much fun I make, I soooo want one of those 27-inchers.

10:33: Robyn Tippins: I just keep thinking about the folks who have to make these.

10:33: Fredric Paul: Agreed, but sooooo geeky!

10:33: Jon Mitchell: The optical drive is over.

10:32: Dan Rowinski: Fred, the manufacturing process that Apple creates to make these things might be some of its biggest contributions to innovation these days.

10:32: Fredric Paul: LOL molecules of aluminum and friction stir welding!??   Really!?

10:31: Dan Rowinski: I wonder how hot it gets.

10:29: Robyn Tippins: Probably slows if you have a competing browser open

10:29: Fredric Paul: it looks the same…

10:29: Dan Rowinski: It is very easy to get caught up in all these announcements, Mr. Lyons. It seems like madness when we are wallowing in the mud on the day of an announcement, already looking forward to the next announcement from some competitor. I noted in an article earlier today that what we see now is much different from what we saw in 2003. I like to take a step back, take each announcement for what it is worth and put it in the grand scale of things. The long view, so to speak, while paying attention to the present day current detail.

10:28: Brian Proffitt: I do find it interesting that Apple is emphaszing the environmental figures.

10:28: Taylor Hatmaker: the smallest air is the relatively affordable macbook line entry point

10:28: Fredric Paul: Just count the figures on the other side of the decimal point…

10:27: Robyn Tippins: Do people make less than 6 figures?

10:27: Taylor Hatmaker: My google i/o chromebooks remains unopened in a box sitting next to me. womp.

10:27: Jon Mitchell: Yes. They make other models. Jeez, guys.

10:27: Robyn Tippins: No

10:27: Brian Proffitt: $2K for any laptop seems really high. Does Apple even care about the anyone making less than six figures?

10:27: Jon Mitchell: “You knew there would be something called mini in this presentation, didn’t you?”

10:26: Fredric Paul: Mac Mini – Better than a Chromebox!

10:26: Dan Lyons: Someday we will look back on this madness and laugh

10:26: Fredric Paul: $1999 for a 13-inch with Retina. Well?????

10:26: Robyn Tippins: And everyone clapped for the ad.

10:25: Dan Rowinski: I already have a 27-inch iMac. But I need a decent laptop too. Something under $1000 would be nice.

10:25: Fredric Paul:Even with iCloud etc., I still really want 500GB

10:25: Adam Popescu: Peter Coyote on the voice over btw

10:25: Dan Rowinski: Indeed, Mr. Lyons. That, as a consumer, is what I desire. I prefer Mac OS X over Windows. My MacBook is five years old and dying but I am not looking for something with top of the line prices.

10:24: Fredric Paul:$1699 is almost reasonable, but how much with 256GB? 128GB is NOT enough for your main computer.

10:24: Dan Lyons: Rowinski did you say you are looking for something cheaper? From Apple? Amen to Fred on the speaker thing

10:23: Taylor Hatmaker: Steve refused to keep sub-10.1″ objects in his presence

10:23: Fredric Paul: All laptop speakers stink, though. Some just stink a little less. Even all the brands that emphasize sound, like “Beats Audio” still stink.

10:23: Dan Lyons: Can we start a pool on which publication will say “Steve would never have done this” and what specifically they’ll be talking about?

10:22: Taylor Hatmaker: Better speakers on a macbook is actually a draw for me. They are excruciatingly tinny

10:22: Fredric Paul: I love good screens, believe me. But pixel count is like selling chip GHz – it’s just a number.

10:21: Jon Mitchell: This is why people buy retina Macs. https://readwrite.com/2012/07/17/counterpoint-the-retina-macbook-pro-is-not-a-boondoggle-at-all

10:21: Fredric Paul: True, but designers are a small group.

10:20: Jon Mitchell: That’s not true.  Designers care about screen resolution, and designers buy retina Macs.

10:20: Fredric Paul: It’s a great screen, but don’t sell it by pixel count. Nobody cares.

10:20: Robyn Tippins: burn

10:19: Fredric Paul: I collect pixels, doesn’t everyone? I mean, does anyone choose a computer by number of pixels. Focus on benefits already.

10:19: Taylor Hatmaker: 2,560 x 1600 display on the 13″ retina MBP

10:18: Dan Rowinski: What I am really looking for from Apple in terms of MacBooks is something a little cheaper. It is great to add new features, specs and all the fun doodads, but I just want something functional that doesn’t break my bank. 

10:17: Robyn Tippins: LOL

10:16: Fredric Paul: Not everyone – https://readwrite.com/2012/07/12/apples-brilliant-boondoggle-macbook-pro-retina-display

10:16: Taylor Hatmaker: c’mon 13″ retina Macbook… daddy needs a new pair of… high resolution notebooks?

10:16: Robyn Tippins: Finally.

10:16: Taylor Hatmaker: macbook refresh incoming!

10:15: Fredric Paul: Am I missing something, but is this kinda boring so far? Tim is not at his best here.

10:14: Dan Rowinski: That would put Apple’s cut at nearly $3 billion actually.

10:14: Taylor Hatmaker: “Just like you would expect… If you’re Japanese”… lol

10:14: Brian Proffitt: So that puts Apple’s cut at nearly $279 million

10:12: Robyn Tippins: 🙂 I’d like to fast forward…

10:12: Dan Rowinski: Apple keeps 30%

10:11: Robyn Tippins: He’s really breathy. Robyn Tippins: 30% right?

10:11: Brian Proffitt: So $6.5 billion to developers… what’s Apple’s cut again?

10:11: Adam Popescu: This feels like an episode of South Park

10:11: Taylor Hatmaker: That’s almost .5 Kajillion

10:10: Taylor Hatmaker: 35 billion app downloads. Wowza

10:10: Dan Rowinski: Classic device launch script: tout all your big stats, make yourself look good and give headlines to the bloggers. Everybody does it, not just Apple.

10:10: Brian Proffitt: This is a very soft intro. A lot of these features are pretty well-known. Wonder what the pay off will be?

10:09: Taylor Hatmaker: Watching this livestream is the first time that I’ve opened Safari in… ever

10:09: Robyn Tippins: Probably the most usage Safari has had in a while…

10:08: Brian Proffitt: Definitely a dig on the Android fragmentation problem.

10:07: Fredric Paul: 200 Million devices on iOS 6 is actually impressive, because when Android debuts a new OS, very, very few devices actually use it.

10:07: Fredric Paul: Is Cook positioning the mini as a super iPod Touch?

10:06: Jon Mitchell: That video made me hate myself

10:05: Robyn Tippins: I think it’s creepy

10:05: Fredric Paul: The level of fetish that Apple creates is sort of impressive. It’s just a phone, but people treat it as a talisman.

10:04: John Paul Titlow: I like how they snuck in a shot of somebody taking a photo with an iPad, to try and make that look normal.

10:04: Jon Mitchell: This video is disgusting

10:03: Brian Proffitt: Hey, it’s a Samsung commercial!

10:03: Robyn Tippins: SNL is going to have a field day immitating him

10:02: Brian Proffitt: Our factory didn’t make enough phones! Work harder! 

10:02: Robyn Tippins: Good song. Feels weird that they clap for this…

9:59: Jon Mitchell: This is my friend’s band. I can’t believe this is happening.

9:58: Brian Proffitt: Apple’s Next Big Thing: iZombies

9:58: Dan Rowinski: Are the Foo Fighters going to play again? Or, has Apple figured out how to to bring people back from the dead and put Kurt Cobain and Nirvana on stage?

9:57: Dan Rowinski: Petty dig by Apple to only make the livestream available through Apple products and the Safari browser.

9:55: Fredric Paul: The touch comparison is very interesting, since it’s now priced at $299

9:54 Taylor Hatmaker: Weird watching one of these livestreams, i can’t remember the last time they provided one

9:53: Jon Mitchell: Apple’s stream only works on Safari. I can’t believe how much of dicks they are.

9:50: Taylor Hatmaker: Apple’s iPod touch shopping page is down for now, so obviously that will all be reconfigured in light of the New Thing

9:50: Dan Rowinski:  Many people thought that when the original iPad came out, it was the classic tweener device. Not a smartphone, not a laptop. Yet, the touchscreen tablet has found a viable niche for itself. Yet, is the so-called Mini the tweener of a tweener? A luxury device or essentially for entertainment and productivity? All the same Tuestions apply that come with any new device that enters the market, but because it is Apple, those questions are infinitely magnified.

9:49: Taylor Hatmaker: It’s going to be interesting to see how low Apple can push the price on an iDevice. Especially how it will be positioned with the iPod touch, which will obviously be an inferior device hovering around the same price point

9:47: Dan Rowinski: My biggest question here is a matter of market dynamics. The iPad Mini is great, in theory, for a standalone device. But, how much does it cost? Will it eat into Apple’s margins? If Apple prices it at greater than $300, will it be enough to undercut the quality (but cheaper) entries to the market like the Nexus 7 and new Kindle Fire?

9:45: Brian Proffitt: Basically I am interested in how Apple will message the whole new-tablet/new-laptop form of devices, if that’s what happens today. Should make for a very balanced approach.

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