The Late Steve Jobs dismissed the idea of a smaller iPad. But rumors seem to be circulating of a small format device. The Wall Street Journal indicates this in a recent report:
There is one option that people don't seem to have considered. The timing of these rumors could point to a potential launch later in the year. That would fit with the iPod refresh cycle. What if Apple is considering a Maxi iPod Touch. Basically a media consumption device that expands the iPodTouch line.
While I am on the subject of Media Consumption I wish Apple would expand iBooks to allow reading on laptops. How about a cloud based iBooks service that allows us to use a web browser to read iBooks. That would further strengthen the iCloud ties. It could be an extension of the work Apple has done with iWork in the cloud.
My contention is that there is a category of books - text books and programming manuals where being able to read the content on a computer has advantages such as when you want to cut and paste code samples or content to use in something you are working with. If Apple expands the availability of iBooks across all screens they would eliminate one of the advantages of Kindle.
