Now that Apple is rumored to be working on an iPad mini that would only be 7.85 inches big, Steve Jobs' old quote about why a small iPad would suck is being brought up.
Specifically, he said:
Apple has done extensive user testing on user interfaces over many years, and we really understand this stuff. There are clear limits of how close you can physically place elements on a touchscreen before users cannot reliably tap, flick or pinch them. This is one of the key reasons we think the 10-inch screen size is the minimum size required to create great tablet apps.
The reason people will bring this up is because they want to say, "See! Apple is losing its way with out Steve Jobs! The company is totally screwed."
But here's something you have to remember about Steve Jobs: the guy was not exactly honest all the time, especially when it came to Apple products.
He routinely said one thing, then did another.
So, if he said he hated a smaller iPad, he could have been dissembling. Or he could have felt that way in the moment and then changed his mind down the road.
Don't forget, this a man who said in October 2008, "We don’t know how to make a $500 computer that’s not a piece of junk, and our DNA will not let us ship that." Then a year and a half later he revealed the iPad, a $500 computer.
