iPad Mini beat iPad in Q1 2013: a battle between 7" and 10"

People often hesitate between 7 inch and 10 inch (or so) when it comes to tablets. Apparently, larger display  offers much better user experience but smaller display is typically big enough and far more portable. Judging from the sales of apple iPad, people has shown preference for smaller tablets.

According to a post by DigiTimes, apple sold 12.5 million units of iPad Mini over the past three months, taking 64 percent of the tally of 19.5 units, which means less than half customers preferred to the full-size iPad when they had selected apple. Last year, apple sold 17 million iPads in Q3 and 14 million models in Q4. iPad sales decreased by 50 percent in the first quarter, although the total sales (plus iPad mini sales) is not bad. 

Many people thought apple made a wrong decision when it released 7 inch iPad Mini last year, landing both iPad and iPod Touch in an awkward situation. Now the fact is that 7 inch tablets has won the market. Compared to limited 10 inch tablets including iPad, Surface Pro / RT and 8.9 inch Kindle Fire HD, more people are talking about various 7 inch titles such as Nexus 7, iPad Mini, Kindle Fire HD and the like. Moreover, Microsoft updated the required resolution for Win 8-based tablets months ago, planning to break into the smaller market as well.

On the other hand, there are people who are opposed to tablets. They think tablets are almost useless as they do what large-size smart phones do with the calling function removed and can't replace portable computer for good. "In five years I don't think there'll be a reason to have a tablet anymore," BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins said in a recent interview.