One of the main arguments against Apple building a seven-inch iPad was that Steve Jobs didn't believe a tablet that size would provide an experience as enjoyable as the nearly 10-inch original. According to an email sent by Vice President Eddie Cue to Tim Cook in 2011, that wasn't entirely true.
In his email, which Samsung presented as evidence in its trial against Apple, Cue pleaded with Cook to make a seven-inch iPad to compete in the growing market for smaller tablets. He also said Jobs would be onboard with such a project.
"There will be a 7-inch market and we should do one. I expressed this to Steve several times since Thanksgiving and he seemed very receptive the last time," wrote Cue. "I found email, books, Facebook, and video very compelling on a 7-inch. Web browsing is definitely the weakest point, but still usable."
