A 6-inch iPad mini? Only a Matter of Time...

This is what I'm talking about! So many Apple pundits had complaints and negative words to say about the iPad mini before it was released, and now that this tablet-that-should-never-be has hit the market, it is one of the best selling devices in the industry. So mark my words when I say the iPad mini isn't the end of the line for new and different iDevice form factors.

This should really go without saying and yet, when I suggest that Apple will need to continue to create new iDevice size options to keep up with the competitive nature of the game (see HERE for my previous post on the topic), the backlash and nay saying can be intense. However, to remain relevant I feel Apple must continue to do as they have done and diversify their line to remain a top player in a world where the lines between tablet, phone and even PC continue to blur more and more with each passing year.

 

That's why I'm bringing up Huawei’s latest device, the Ascend Mate, which is expected to be officially unveiled at CES in January 2013. But before then, the above video has surfaced, of Huawei’s Richard Yu showing off the smartphone. Now that's more like it I say.

I have an iPad mini, I love my iPad mini and I use it all the time. That said I applaud Huawei, for creating a device that Apple will eventually create one similar, but better, and hopefully before too long. While my iPad mini is an awesome device, if it were just an inch or so smaller, and with Retina display, it would totally kick my iPhone to the curb, and apparently I am not the only one who thinks this would be a great idea.

So here’s to the competition, the likes of Huawei’s Ascend Mate and Samsung’s Galaxy Note II. These relative behemoth smartphones or relatively diminutive tablets are precursors to an Apple device of around the same size. These devices, while they might draw criticism and even bewilderment now, will only serve to push apple to eventually invent their own version of the "phablet" (aka, phone/tablet hybrid) and that, that will be a wonderful day in my book.

So mark my words, it may take a few more years of planetary and technological evolution, but I'd speculate that a high end Apple iPad/iPhone-like iDevice in the 6 inch range is a given, and a welcome one at that. It will just be a matter of time...