Apple Does Have a 7.85″ iPad in their Labs

iPad Mini comparison t

As noted by The Tech Block and The Next Web, during his Talk Show podcast with Dan Benjamin, DaringFireball's John Gruber offered up some additional confirmation of the existence of a 7.85" iPad. Gruber reports that he has been told by "numerous" people that this size iPad is something Apple has been "noodling with".

When asked by Benjamin if he thought a 7.85" iPad would ever be released, Gruber responded (at ~1hr 19min):

“Well, I don’t know. What I do know is that they have one in the lab…a 7.85 inch iPad that runs at 1024×768… it’s just like the 9.7" iPad shrunk down a little bit. Apps wouldn't need to be recompiled or redesigned to work optimally on it. It's just the iPad smaller.

Gruber has offered accurate information in the past and seems to have many contacts with Apple. Gruber does point out that Apple has many prototype products that never make it to market, and reminds us that Steve Jobs once said that he's was as proud of the products that Apple hasn't done as the ones they have.

It has been clear to us that a 7.85" iPad has been in late prototyping stages. Reports have been coming from the Chinese supply chain about such a device for months. This indicates that Apple isn't just toying around the the form factor in their labs in Cupertino, but is also working with supplies on possible production. As Gruber said, this still isn't a sign that Apple will necessarily release such a device.

The reason why a 7.85" screen might make sense for a new iPad has been detailed in the past, and we have a paper mockup that can be printed out to compare its size to a 9.7" iPad.

Related Roundup: iPad mini
Buyer's Guide: iPad Mini (Don't Buy)
Related Forum: iPad

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Production Will Reportedly Begin Ramping Up in October

Tuesday July 23, 2024 2:00 pm PDT by
Following nearly two years of rumors about a fourth-generation iPhone SE, The Information today reported that Apple suppliers are finally planning to begin ramping up mass production of the device in October of this year. If accurate, that timeframe would mean that the next iPhone SE would not be announced alongside the iPhone 16 series in September, as expected. Instead, the report...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature

iPhone 17 Lineup Specs Detail Display Upgrade and New High-End Model

Monday July 22, 2024 4:33 am PDT by
Key details about the overall specifications of the iPhone 17 lineup have been shared by the leaker known as "Ice Universe," clarifying several important aspects of next year's devices. Reports in recent months have converged in agreement that Apple will discontinue the "Plus" iPhone model in 2025 while introducing an all-new iPhone 17 "Slim" model as an even more high-end option sitting...
Generic iPhone 17 Feature With Full Width Dynamic Island

Kuo: Ultra-Thin iPhone 17 to Feature A19 Chip, Single Rear Camera, Semi-Titanium Frame, and More

Wednesday July 24, 2024 9:06 am PDT by
Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today shared alleged specifications for a new ultra-thin iPhone 17 model rumored to launch next year. Kuo expects the device to be equipped with a 6.6-inch display with a current-size Dynamic Island, a standard A19 chip rather than an A19 Pro chip, a single rear camera, and an Apple-designed 5G chip. He also expects the device to have a...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Less Than Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Thursday July 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
icloud private relay outage

iCloud Private Relay Experiencing Outage

Thursday July 25, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
Apple’s iCloud Private Relay service is down for some users, according to Apple’s System Status page. Apple says that the iCloud Private Relay service may be slow or unavailable. The outage started at 2:34 p.m. Eastern Time, but it does not appear to be affecting all iCloud users. Some impacted users are unable to browse the web without turning iCloud Private Relay off, while others are...

Top Rated Comments

gibbz Avatar
161 months ago
Not surprising. Steve Jobs said Apple tested 7" variants back during the iPad 1 release.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SeaFox Avatar
161 months ago
These 'rumors' are getting tiresome now.

With all the rumors on this forum lately of 7.8" devices, 5" devices, 4.5" phones, 4" phones....
I know! Why don't they move them all to a forum that deals with such stuff. :mad:


:D
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Menopause Avatar
161 months ago
I do really believe this will be a good idea. Choosing between iPad '3' and iPad 2 might not be as easy as choosing between an iPhone 4 and 4S. At 1024 x 768 pixels, a smaller iPad will inevitably have a better display quality, comparable, if not as good as the new iPad's Retina Display.

Apple's bill of materials will go down for the size and they'll be able to keep it at a lower price point. Developers won't need to remake their apps. Customers will have a clear choice to what they want.

Everybody wins.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
arn Avatar
161 months ago
Not surprising. Steve Jobs said Apple tested 7" variants back during the iPad 1 release.

people always say this. but this is different. I'm sure they tested 5" and 12" inch sizes too in their labs, but they aren't exploring mass producing those sizes (like they are for the 7.85")

arn
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
siurpeeman Avatar
161 months ago
this explains why it has to be 7.85":

https://www.macrumors.com/2012/03/27/why-a-7-85-screen-for-the-rumored-ipad-mini-makes-sense/

well if you're going to get all logical on me... :)
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
arn Avatar
161 months ago
when you listen to the actual podcast, gruber's recollection of the "7.85" number seems suspect. he misspeaks little details like this all the time; he even refers to instagram as "instapaper" in this very episode (twice!). i'm not doubting that there's a 7" ipad out there; i'm just doubting the number is exactly 7.85" (why go two decimal places?).
this explains why it has to be 7.85":

https://www.macrumors.com/2012/03/27/why-a-7-85-screen-for-the-rumored-ipad-mini-makes-sense/
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)