7 inch touch tablets could be next year’s main thing?

With passing into the second part of 2010, it’s pretty obvious that in terms of mobile computing, Apple’s iPad was by far the most hyped product to enter the market. And one of the most successful ones as well, if we consider 3 millions of them were sold in 3 months, and those were summer months, when people seldom buy electronics.

In the last weeks, there were many rumors and news of new tablets. There are all kind of devices in plan, from small 5 inch ones (like the Dell Streak 5), to 12 inch monsters (like of the EEEPad EP121). However, I tend to believe that next year, we’re going to see lots of 7 inchers getting popular.

7 inch tablet: compact, but yet good enough to do the job

And here’s why. First, the iPad is great and all, but it ain’t that portable or affordable. In fact, it is wider and longer than a mini laptop, thus carrying it around ain’t that comfortable. That’s for good reason: it was designed for couch multimedia consumption. Still, if such touchscreen tablets are getting so popular, why not get them with you wherever you go? And here’s where 7 inchers come into the story.

They will offer a big enough display for a good multimedia experience, browsing and playing all kind of games, but they can also go in your bag or even your coat’s pocket. While only weighing perhaps around 300 – 400 g (which is less than a pound) and with price tags around 150-250 bucks.

And I’m not the only one thinking so. See this clip from Sascha at netbooknews.de and Taipan from Shanzai.com as well.

Also, rumors are that Apple is planning on having a 7 inch mini iPad for early next year, and they never make something without vast market research. Others are working on such devices. For instance, the Dell Slate and HP PalmPad will probably come with 7 inch displays as well, Acer has something planned, while some devices are already available (or nearly available), like the Archos 7 and Augen Gentouch78 .

Of course, that doesn’t mean we won’t see bigger tablets as well. The ExoPC Slate, Asus EEEPad EP101TC, EnTourage eDGe, MSI WindPad 100 or RIM’s BlackPad are the big names to pop out in the near future with 10 inch displays. While the EEEPad EP121, WeTab (ex WePad) and the JooJoo tablet should boost 11.6 or 12 inch ones.

Still, I do believe 7 inchers will truly be the tablets that could become parts of our mobile worlds, as multimedia and consumption devices on the go. Of course, I’m dying to know what you guys think, so please don’t hesitate to leave your feedback.

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Tags: 10 inch tablets, 7 inch tablets, touch tablet, touchscreen

Last updated: March 23, 2011 | Published: August 13th, 2010 | Add the first comment!