If you emptied out the contents of the HuffPost Style editors' bags, you'd find a mess of heavy Apple products: a Macbook, iPhone, iPod and iPad. So you can imagine our delight to hear the latest rumors that the company is considering lightening our load by making one of our beloved devices a little smaller.
As the tablet market race heats up, sources told the New York Times that Apple plans on releasing a new iPad with a 7.85 inch screen -- a significant size drop from the 9.5 inch screen of the iPad II. Even though Apple declined to comment, the re-imagined device, dubbed the "iPad mini" by bloggers, is expected to become a reality in the next year.
It seems that this change is geared specifically towards women, since the new size is too big for men's pants pockets and just the right size to throw into a woman's purse, Leslie Grandy, a former Apple manager, points out. The redesign is likely to lure new female customers who couldn't imagine lugging an extra pound and a half in their purses during their already laborious commutes.
While Apple still dominates the tablet world, we suspect this will help to cement their lead (and leave us more room in our bags for lipstick options and dry shampoo).
We're currently debating the relevance of the "iPad mini" here in the office. One of our Style editors is thrilled at the prospect of a smaller tablet (The ability to carry and read multiple fashion mags on the subway? Yes please!), while another seems to think that, as the device gets smaller and smaller, she can't see how it differs from her iPhone. So what do you think of the possibility of a more compact, purse-friendly iPad?
See what's inside HuffPost Style editors' handbags and see why we're looking forward to a lighter load.
