The new 7in iPad - real or rumour?

Over the last few days there has been an increasing number of rumours about the existence of a new iPad with a 7in screen. There is certainly no shortage of rumours about Apple products and this is partly because the company is so secretive. It works hard to ensure that no information is leaked to the public, so it's impossible to know whether there is any substance in these rumours. However, it doesn't stop everyone speculating and we can ask whether a 7in iPad makes sense. Does it fit in with the product range? Would it boost sales? What are the implications for app developers? Will existing apps work or will we have yet another category in the app store?

A 7in iPad does actually make sense and if Apple keeps the screen resolution the same as either the iPhone or iPad then all existing apps should work without any modification. The iPad currently has a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels and if a 'retina' type display is used in the 7in iPad as with the iPhone, then the 7in iPad would be able to run iPad apps. They will simply look slightly smaller, but also super sharp. Another alternative, but a less attractive one, would be to use the iPhone 4's display resolution. This is 960 x 640 pixels and it's incredibly sharp on the iPhone. It could be used on a 7in iPad and it would give a similar display quality (dots per inch) to the current iPad. A retina display would clearly be best though.

From a hardware and software point of view, a 7in iPad is obviously do-able. It would take very little effort indeed and it's not like designing a tablet from scratch. Would it fit in with the current iPhone, iPod and iPad range though? Is there a need for it or a demand for it?

Despite all the millions of iPad shipped I haven't yet seen anyone carrying one around or using one in public. Where are they all? Do people just use them at home? I don't think it's as portable or as useful as it could be because it's just a bit too big and heavy. It's great when you're sitting on the couch in front of the TV and want to look something up on the web, but it's not that portable and if you really want a portable device that does everything then there is the Macbook Air (and there are rumours of a new version of that in the pipeline too). It can be tiring to hold when gaming or reading for any length of time unless you rest it on something.

A 7in iPad would not fit the pocket as well as an iPod Touch or an iPhone, but it would be much smaller and lighter than the current iPad. It would have the same screen resolution and run the same iPad apps, but it might fit a large jacket pocket and it would certainly fit a small bag. It makes more sense to me than the current model.

A 7in iPad might even be cheaper too, although I wouldn't bet on it because the smaller you try to make something, the more it costs to make. However, I don't think that you could price them exactly the same because the public might perceive a smaller iPad as being a lower spec model that should be cheaper. It might therefore be priced at $100/£50 less than current prices. That seems possible.

So will there be a 7in iPad? The current iPad has been more successful than most people (non-Apple fans that is) expected and it would be daft not to capitalise on that and increase the range of models offered. I would think that the rumours are true.