Apple rumored to launch with 6M of sub-$300 'iPad mini' this year

Posted:
in iPad edited January 2014


A new report out of China claims Apple is gearing up to build 6 million units of a new, smaller iPad to launch in the third quarter of 2012.



The new device will be priced at either $249 or $299, according to Chinese net portal NetEase, as translated by Kotaku. The device is said to be intended to "counter attack" upcoming tablets running Windows 8.



In addition to Foxconn, which is Apple's regular device assembler, Pegatron is also said to be in the supply chain for the anticipated smaller iPad. Together, they will reportedly assemble a planned 6 million units for launch.



One report earlier this month from writer John Gruber claimed that Apple is "noodling with" ideas and prototypes for a new, smaller 7.85-inch iPad. However, he added that it is not clear if the device will ever see the light of day.



If the so-called "iPad mini" is priced as low as $249, it would be positioned to compete with the Amazon Kindle Fire, which has taken control of the low end of the tablet market since it launched for $199 late last year.



The new, smaller iPad reportedly has a 7.85-inch screen with a resolution of 1,024 by 768. That would allow the device to run applications written for the first-generation iPad and iPad 2 natively, without a need for developers to rewrite them to work at a new resolution. The height of such a device would be roughly the same width as the current iPad.











Reports of an "iPad mini" have persisted since the original iPad launched in April 2010. Reports out of Apple's supply chain in the Far East have been the chief source of claims about a 7-inch iPad.



Speculation on an iPad with a smaller form factor picked up steam in February when The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple officials have been showing off designs for a smaller tablet that has a similar screen resolution as the iPad 2. The report did caution, though, that Apple could be simply testing new designs and might not actually release the device.



[ View article on AppleInsider ]

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 129
    zindakozindako Posts: 468member
    I don't see this happening.
  • Reply 2 of 129
    kerrybkerryb Posts: 270member
    I don't see this happening either but Apple is one unpredictable company sometimes. The iPad line may follow the iPod route with smaller less expensive models however the iPods had a feature shrink along with a price and size decrease. Would a smaller iPad be aimed at Kindle users, gamer playing? If Apple were to ship a small iPad it may not get the iPad moniker to keep the confusion down.
  • Reply 3 of 129
    shaun, ukshaun, uk Posts: 1,050member
    Why is everyone always so negative.



    I think this will happen and it will be the star of the show at this year?s iPod media event.
  • Reply 4 of 129
    The market will be much smaller, nowhere near the 55M - 60M that the iPad currently has annually. Or it will cannibalize the hugely successful current version (which still has no competition), with lower margins.



    It will compete for the cheap-o market segment.



    Not worth it for Apple, since it needs BIG wins at its current scale.
  • Reply 5 of 129
    If they keep the price under $300, I think I'd be interested in one of these as a companion device of my new iPad.



    Since we have iPhones and the iPad, the iPod Touch doesn't make sense for us. However, we could find uses for a smaller iPad-like device. The smaller form-factor would be nice, actually, and it would be more convenient to tote along than the iPad.
  • Reply 6 of 129
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Shaun, UK View Post


    Why is everyone always so negative.



    I think this will happen and it will be the star of the show at this year?s iPod media event.



    Yeah it will be a revamped iPod touch with a bigger screen.
  • Reply 7 of 129
    Quote:

    Apple rumored to launch with 6M of sub-$300 'iPad mini' this year



    Highly unlikely as there isn't much of a market for a 7" or 'mini" tablet and I don't see Apple wasting resources to create the market.
  • Reply 8 of 129
    rot'napplerot'napple Posts: 1,839member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Rogifan View Post


    Yeah it will be a revamped iPod touch with a bigger screen.



    After all, wasn't that the definition given to the iPad when it was first released!

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  • Reply 9 of 129
    maccherrymaccherry Posts: 924member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Rogifan View Post


    Yeah it will be a revamped iPod touch with a bigger screen.



    Bingo!!!!!!!
  • Reply 10 of 129
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post


    The market will be much smaller, nowhere near the 55M - 60M that the iPad currently has annually. Or it will cannibalize the hugely successful current version (which still has no competition), with lower margins.



    It will compete for the cheap-o market segment.



    Not worth it for Apple, since it needs BIG wins at its current scale.



    I could see them increasing the screen on the iPod Touch. But I have yet to see any compelling data that suggests the current iPad is loosing sales to smaller size devices. I'll bet the reduced price iPad 2 is selling more than the competition.
  • Reply 11 of 129
    jj.yuanjj.yuan Posts: 213member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by maccherry View Post


    Bingo!!!!!!!



    I hope Apple will call it the new iPod Touch, instead of iPad mini. Can we call it iTouch?
  • Reply 12 of 129
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Shaun, UK View Post


    Why is everyone always so negative.



    I think this will happen and it will be the star of the show at this year’s iPod media event.



    1) Being pragmatic and rational isn't being negative. The comments you say are negative is just your negative spin. If you have a hypothesis in which the market and component cost allows for smaller and cheaper iPad please spell it out. At this point I certainly haven't heard a viable scenario.



    2) Look at the price of the iPod Touch with the far inferior display to the iPhone and missing many components in the iPad... now tell us how will fit been that and the $399 iPad so that it makes sense.



    3) Check out this recent article about Sony. While Apple needs to grow their line they should not try to appeal everyone to the point of diluting their brand. Structure is very, very important for success.



    4) If it's an iPod media event why is it called an iPad mini? Now I've said many times on this board that I could see a larger iPod Touch in the 5" to 7" range. My reasoning is that the iPod Touch does use inferior and less components than the iPhone or iPad which makes it more inline with the Kindle Fire. This would allow Apple to keep the iPad brand from weakening while propping up the iPod brand and being able to stay which in a target price point of $300 to $350.
  • Reply 13 of 129
    lokijulokiju Posts: 6member
    I'd buy one without a doubt.



    In fact I have a Kindle Fire BECAUSE I don't have a Apple option that's in the 7" screen site realm.



    I tried using a Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus for a bit and returned it. Retail price is $400, got it on sale for $300 and it's just so underwhelming for the money.



    At least with the Kindle Fire it was only $169.99 shipped so I don't feel like I'm wasting money on an inferior product since there simply just isn't an Apple option.



    Any yes I do have an iPad 2 but my wife has taken it over and I don't like the 10" screen size for my main usage, which is ebooks and internet.
  • Reply 14 of 129
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Shaun, UK View Post


    Why is everyone always so negative.



    I think this will happen and it will be the star of the show at this year’s iPod media event.



    Exactly:



    1) 7" fits into pockets; always there.



    2) Should have phone capabilities (why all iPads don't have that is beyond me).



    3) Should appear as a disk in the Mac Finder; free space to be usable as a thumb drive.



    As far as I'm concerned, it could cost a lot more as long as it's pocket size.
  • Reply 15 of 129
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    If this is real, it's more properly described as an 8", rather than a 7" tablet. But the square inch size of the screen will be much more than that of other 7 or 7.7" designs, which are all 16:9 rather than Apple's 4:3.
  • Reply 16 of 129
    nemacxnemacx Posts: 18member
    See this happening only as the new iPod Touch, meaning the old form factor iPod Touch will be replaced by it, which I would warmly welcome ;-), the new iPad is a bit to heavy for gaming, but great for work.
  • Reply 17 of 129
    I just tried a Kindle Fire (and sent it back to Amazon). Ignoring what I felt was the obvious inferiority of the hardware, OS and user interface, I really found the 7" Fire to be too small. But there are scores of people that do like the smaller size, so Apple would be foolish to ignore the market.
  • Reply 18 of 129
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by kcartesius View Post


    Exactly:



    1) 7" fits into pockets; always there.



    2) Should have phone capabilities (why all iPads don't have that is beyond me).



    3) Should appear as a disk in the Mac Finder; free space to be usable as a thumb drive.



    As far as I'm concerned, it could cost a lot more as long as it's pocket size.



    Even 7" models don't easily fit into most pockets, including jacket pockets.



    It's not a phone, so that's why it doesn't have phone capabilities. That would make it a much more expensive device, and would also require it passing more certifications.



    Most people don't care whether it's used as a disk or not. The reasons for not doing that are at least as valid as the reasons for doing it. At any rate, it hasn't hurt sales any.
  • Reply 19 of 129
    lokijulokiju Posts: 6member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by melgross View Post


    Even 7" models don't easily fit into most pockets, including jacket pockets.



    It's not a phone, so that's why it doesn't have phone capabilities. That would make it a much more expensive device, and would also require it passing more certifications.



    Most people don't care whether it's used as a disk or not. The reasons for not doing that are at least as valid as the reasons for doing it. At any rate, it hasn't hurt sales any.



    I carry my Kindle Fire in my back pocket of my Dockers dress pants all the time.
  • Reply 20 of 129
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by lokiju View Post


    I carry my Kindle Fire in my back pocket of my Dockers dress pants all the time.



    It must be quite some hardware if you can sit on it too!
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