Apple CEO Tim Cook moved to clarify his position on 7-inch tablets, vowing the company will never make one during an earnings call Thursday.
Apple's decision to launch an iPad mini drew some derision and allegations that the company had become a "trend follower," given the late Steve Jobs' infamous claim that 7-inch tablets were "dead on arrival".
However, Cook said there's a huge difference between the 7.9-inch iPad mini and tablets like the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire, slates with displays that measure 0.9-inches smaller but offer around a third less real estate.
The CEO said: "Referencing all comments Steve made before about 7-inch tablets: Let me be clear, we would not make one of the 7-inch tablets."
'A different league'
Cook went on to reinforce the highly disparaging comments made by Phil Schiller, senior vice president of global marketing during Tuesday's launch event.
"We don't think they are good products, and we would never make one. Not just because it's 7 inches, but for many reasons," Cook said.
"One of the reasons…is size. I'm not sure if you saw our keynote. The difference in just the size between 7.9 - almost eight - versus seven is 35 percent. And when you look at the usable area, it is much greater than that. You know, it is from 50 percent to 67 percent.
"The iPad mini has the same number of pixels as iPad 2 does. You have access to all 275,000 apps in our App Store. So, iPad mini is a fantastic product. It is not a compromise product like the 7-inch tablets. It is a whole different league."
Apple has certainly been on the offensive since launching the iPad mini, with Cook also offering choice words for the Microsoft Windows Surface RT tablet.
However, some folks may question: If the bosses at the world's biggest, most successful company have so much faith in their products (or, in this case, the precise dimensions of their products), then why are they being so defensive?
Via 9to5Mac
