GRACE NOTES

For years, TV manufacturers have been striving to make the biggest and best TV displays. Every year in Las Vegas, the Consumer Electronics Show has been a competition to see who could show off the most ridiculously humongous TV screen. Homes had to be redesigned just to fit these behemoths through the doors and around corners.  It was probably a bit over the top, but now, big TVs seem so very last decade.

It seems that everything is changing, once again. While you've been aching for the next biggest thing in TV, the paradigm's shifted, and all your neighbors are downsizing. More and more people are doing their TV viewing on their iPads. A recent study by Viacom stated that tablet owners are doing 15% of their TV viewing on iPads - more than they're viewing shows on their computer monitors. Viacom has realized that they need to be as sophisticated as their viewers, and cater to the iPad market. As providers realize that viewers are streaming to tablets, it will become easier with more options, which will most likely increase those numbers.

Manufacturers are taking notice too. Nyne, a new company (founded by some Samsung and NetGear vets) focusing on iPad and iPhone integration, has launched a line of iPad accessories that firmly focus the attention on iPad viewing. The NH-3500 dock looks exactly like a big-screen TV stand that's been miniaturized, complete with 2.0 playback. Looks like your big-ass home theater is passé.

As if that's not bad enough, the rumor mills are churning up (again) that a 7.85-inch iPad is on the way to market. (Pray it's not called a mini-Pad.) Perhaps the oh-so popular iPad is just too big, which is ironic since it was developed because the iPhone was just too small. The rumors speculate that current iPad apps won't need to be reconfigured to run on the smaller screen. If an iPhone is just too small, and an iPad is way too big, perhaps, Goldilocks, this new smaller iPad will be just right.

The question is: will you toss your big screen and set up your home theater around your iPad?  If so, let me know when you'll be hauling that brand new big screen TV out to the curb.