Apple may not have a 7-inch version of the iPad available, but a newly unearthed piece of evidence in shows the company's top brass was into the idea.
Apple's current-sized iPad.
(Credit: Apple)SAN JOSE, Calif.--One of the highlights in Apple and Samsung's date in court today was the release of an internal e-mail with top Apple executives discussing interest in a smaller version of the iPad.
This made up just a very small part of a cross-examination of Scott Forstall, Apple's head of iOS software at Apple, but it was enough to get the attention of just about everyone here.
At the heart of it is proof that some of the top executives at Apple were pursuing an alternate, smaller tablet -- something controversial given late Apple co-fonder Steve Jobs' acerbic, on the record comments about smaller tablets following the release of the company's first iPad. Jobs was known to flip flop on major ideas, and misdirect about potential business avenues, though his comments about smaller tablets suggested the company would never go that direction.
That's not the case in the below e-mail between Eddy Cue, head of Apple's Internet software and services and top execs:
(Credit: Samsung) Not to be ignored is the point Samsung was trying to make with the e-mail, which is that Apple keeps tabs on the products of other companies. In this case, it's that the smaller tablets of others might not be as bad a thing as Jobs once suggested. With Apple accusing Samsung of "slavishly" copying the iPhone and iPad, Samsung is using this exhibit as proof Apple takes a cue from competitors as well.
The two companies are back in court Monday morning with more testimony from Apple's side on the schedule.
