I don't think it was an "outburst" as much as a just a statement of his opinion, and probably an informed opinion at that. From what I hear, Apple tried the 7" form factor in early prototypes even before the original iPhone debuted.

Knowing the way Apple prototypes and vets new product ideas internally, there is a strong chance that Jobs HAS experience with 7" prototypes and the reason Apple doesn't currently produce a 7" tablet is because he didn't like the experience.

The comment about competing on price may (or may not) have merit. I don't know much about commodity electronics components pricing, but given the incredible success of the iPad so far, I think if a competitor could bring a 10" tablet to market at a better price than the iPad, they would have done it already. Apple has a lot of buying power, and despite their reputation for being expensive, they're able to bring products to market for a price that many companies simply can't.

In general, with Steve Jobs, he's usually telling the truth as he sees it. The term "RDF" didn't come from nowhere, however. He's a natural showman and he presents things in the best light he can, but when you boil it down to the basics, what he says is usually what he actually believes.

Jeff LaMarche in response to Cyber-Duck 1 year ago