Is a 7in iPad possible?

The court battle between Apple and Samsung is likely to continue for some time yet. One thing that has come to light is that Apple has been seriously considering a 7in iPad. You can see the email in this CNET article here, and apparently some people at Apple were in favour. It all stems from a blog someone wrote about the iPad not being portable enough and that the 7in format was superior.

I have a Google Nexus 7, a 7in screen tablet, and the iPad, a 9.7in screen. So which is better?

Neither is better and they are both different. A 7in tablet is in many ways superior to a 10in one, but in some ways a 10in one is better. I like both, which might seem like I'm sitting on the fence, but it's like asking which is better, my desktop PC or my laptop. They are both good in their own ways and I use them for different purposes.

The Google Nexus 7 is a great tablet and it is smaller, lighter, easier to hold and more portable than the iPad. It actually fits in the pocket of the trousers I'm wearing right now (but don't ask me to bend over or sit down). It certainly fits a jacket, coat or bag. If I wanted to go somewhere with a tablet, it is the one I would choose. If I want to read a book, it's the one I prefer. It is better for many apps like books, news, email, notes, reminders, calendars, and so on. This is all because it is small and these apps suite the small screen.

The iPad is better for apps that need more screen space, such as Pages (word processor), Numbers (spreadsheet), iPhoto (photo editing), GarageBand (music editing) and others. Apps like these benefit from a large screen and they just wouldn't work as well on a 7in one.

It is interesting to see how Android phones are growing in size and I'm leaning a bit towards this myself. I'm wondering if something a bit smaller, but more portable might be better. Something like a Samsung Galaxy Note. There's a new one coming out soon and it is rumoured to have a 5.8in screen. Now that's big for a phone and some people may find the idea of holding it up to their ear ridiculous, but to me it's more like a tablet that fits my pocket, but lets me make the occasional phone call too.

I have an iPhone and it's far too small. I use the apps so much and the phone so little that I would prefer something with a bigger screen. The screen is cramped and the text is so small on some apps I'm struggling to read it, so I hope the iPhone 5 is bigger.

I think there is a place for large tablets like the iPad, but also room for smaller, more portable devices too. Being half the size and half the weight of an iPad makes a big difference in your hands.

Will there be a 7in iPad? Only Apple knows the answer to this. Steve Jobs said no, but that was a long time ago and if the 7in market continues to grow then we may well see a 7in iPad.