No, if Apple wants to crush the competition, low balling the price to give a perception the product is cheap is not the way to go. Creating a product so awesome that folks want it even though its priced higher than everyone else, that is Apple's game. And they tend to play it rather well
agreed. The AppStore and ITMS make this "yes, this is $50-100 more than the competition, but it's better to start with,and look what you can do with it after you buy it."
For anyone but the most tech savvy, Kindles and Androids, don't have that 'after market' appeal.
$199 is a great price point, but I feel you'll see that the 'next' turn of the crank (when the iPad Mini RD comes out, pushing this rendering down $50-75).
Long game. Apple is in a position to look beyond this next 10Q, and it uses that to strategic advantage.
Let's face it... the new Surface was rumored to be a low price yet the reality is Microsoft and Apple want to make money and know people will buy.
Therefore I doubt you'll see a 199 or even 250 iPad. 299 up is most likely. 350 up very likely. Much less and they'll destroy the market on $500 tablets, which is where the best margins are.
But will this be the first time we see a device (the iPod touch) that we pay a higher price...for smaller?
Not even close. MBA v MBP. Notebooks v Desktops. iPhone v iPad. iPod Mini v. iPod (Classic). All the former have increased costs over the latter because of shrinking component costs.
Now this rumoured iPad mini is different because we're not seeing rumours of 2048x768 326 PPI 7.85" display we're seeing a resolution that is only slightly higher than the iPod Touch that was just released using last year's iPad resolution and a PPI n use since 2007. That translates into cost savings, not increased costs because of bleeding edge tech shrinkage.
I agree. especially for the schools looking at iPads at the 1-5th grades. The lack of a camera/vid and siri is no loss, and memory isn't an issue. WiFi only (load them up with assignments at school.
The Mini to me is targeted to
- Kindle readers who want a 'bit more'
- Children hogging 'Mom's iPad 3
- pre-Teens
The Touch is the 'on the go' teen or young adult who can have 'feature phone' (phone plus text, maybe facebook), and a laptop back in the dorm/home.
As an Older adult, the touch hasn't been my or most of my observable peers' sweet spot. an iPod Shuffle/Nano at the gym, iPhone for 90% of my moble, an iPad for around the house consumption, and a Mac Mini/iMac for the desk.
Before we have managed to fully and completely categorize and pigeonhole the iPad we are trying to define the true identity of the not yet release iPad Mini? Oh NOOOooooo.....
put an Apple on it, the fan boys will come a runnin...
Good thing most of these 'fan boy's are 'first time buyers.'
Personally, I think the 'average joe' (never seen a line of Ruby, PERL, java, ObjC) prefers the apple product line, most are either priced out, or invested in other technology and the value in switching is not great enough for the (mental, monetary) cost of switching.
Driving the iPad entry price down makes that barrier to entry much lower.
That won't stop most folks. There was an iTouch keyboard for like 3 years before the iPod Touch was released and they still call it an iTouch.
I think people will identify it as the iPad Mini but refer to their device as their iPad. Just like the iPod Mini was referred to by its owners as their iPod. The iPod and the iPod Touch were so different that the iTouch made sense. iPod Touch was just too cumbersome, but iMini is just too .... ugly. Yech! People will refer to their iPad mini's as their iPad's.
agreed. The AppStore and ITMS make this "yes, this is $50-100 more than the competition, but it's better to start with,and look what you can do with it after you buy it."
If they can manage to clean up the iTunes stores (media and books) hat will be even more so true.
By clean up I mean things like pricing, release timetables, quality of media, metadata. That last one is a major one in my book. There are things linked as similar items that have nothing to do with each other, name links don't actually pull up everything by a person, or pulls up stuff from several folks as if they are the same etc. so you have the soundtrack to some 1940s musical movie connected to a TV show. Or when Genius recommends the movie 'Little Nikita' and you ponder what other River Phoenix movies are available so you click his name and freaking Stand By Me, which is in the store and has his name listed, doesn't come up. Or you search for the author of several kids how to draw books and also get erotic fiction by a different author with the same name. Not good.
I think the artist meant for the back-facing unit to be a bit farther but the shadow from the front makes it look too close, making it seem like the rear unit is shorter. I look at product photography/renderings all day and notice these things too. But, again, it's an unofficial rendering and most people don't give a shit.
I understand that it is conceptual. But I am assuming that, based on the quality, it was done by someone who is pretty good at his craft. It's a shame that it is "rendered" less effective by the distorted perspective.
If they can manage to clean up the iTunes stores (media and books) hat will be even more so true.
By clean up I mean things like pricing, release timetables, quality of media, metadata. That last one is a major one in my book. There are things linked as similar items that have nothing to do with each other, name links don't actually pull up everything by a person, or pulls up stuff from several folks as if they are the same etc. so you have the soundtrack to some 1940s musical movie connected to a TV show. Or when Genius recommends the movie 'Little Nikita' and you ponder what other River Phoenix movies are available so you click his name and freaking Stand By Me, which is in the store and has his name listed, doesn't come up. Or you search for the author of several kids how to draw books and also get erotic fiction by a different author with the same name. Not good.
ITunes the OSX app is getting a major release at the end of the month. My guess is the front end needs to be cleaned up before the metadata works.
Apple has always made the ITMS a 'break even' tool, because no one save amazon has a reasonable (meaning someone will buy a non-apple devices because if it) competitor. Me thinks this will change as 'content' becomes more of a contributor to the bottom line (which in the long game is when the device wars run out, which in this case, I think is in about 5 years, after the TV/Cable war is fought).
Reasonably well for the tablet market or reasonably well for an Andriod-based tablet?
Reasonably well for both, but particularly well for a Nexus-branded product. Google has never sold many units of Nexus phones. They are closer to a reference model than a mass product. But, Nexus 7 is being sold at outlets where the Nexus phones (with exception of Galaxy Nexus?) were not distributed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX
I'm guessing a $249-$299 based unit iPad Air/Mini/iBook with 16GB storage, 1024x768 IPS in-cell display with essentially the SoC of the new iPod Touch would outsell it by a large margin and hurt its future sales.
That's my guess too. Frankly, I am wishing this not just for Apple, but for the tech economy as a whole. Google, Microsoft and Intel are all dragging the market down in a spiral. I would hope that even a Fandroid wants Apple to report an uplifting Q3 (or Q4 for them?) and sell boatloads of iPadAirs. The economy needs this.
Yes... because all of that other "overpriced" stuff that Apple makes is selling so poorly...
Your sarcasm is stupid.
Google is about to start a war of ecosystems with the tablet priced at $99.
There is a huge untapped market of those who do not belong to any of the camp yet (teens, college students, older folks, etc)
Do you realize that once someone joins whatever ecosystem most likely will get locked and stay for very long time?
IMO apple must provide a very low priced entry (perhaps with nearly zero margin) for these people, so once they are locked they will be willing to upgrade to more premium products.
To stay relevant in this war Apple should not repeat mistakes of the pc vs Mac era.
I sure hope so. Anything above 250 will be a hard sell to the folks in the budget tablet market. If Apple really wanted to kill their competition, they'd take a hit on this first iteration and price it at $200. I know they won't but if they did they'd kill all their competitors in one stroke.
Agreed.... At $200 I will buy one and I have an iPad 3rd gen.
Reasonably well for both, but particularly well for a Nexus-branded product. Google has never sold many units of Nexus phones. They are closer to a reference model than a mass product. But, Nexus 7 is being sold at outlets where the Nexus phones (with exception of Galaxy Nexus?) were not distributed.
That's my guess too. Frankly, I am wishing this not just for Apple, but for the tech economy as a whole. Google, Microsoft and Intel are all dragging the market down in a spiral. I would hope that even a Fandroid wants Apple to report an uplifting Q3 (or Q4 for them?) and sell boatloads of iPadAirs. The economy needs this.
Yeah the tech market really needs some good numbers from Apple next week. IBM, Intel, Goolgle, Microsoft, AMD all had bad quarters. Google is down 10% over the last two days. Both MS and Apple are down over 2% today.
Before we have managed to fully and completely categorize and pigeonhole the iPad we are trying to define the true identity of the not yet release iPad Mini? Oh NOOOooooo.....
Identity... no. Niche, yes. After 2 + years, the iPad _IS_ a category in the computing continuum. This is just a niche in that category. sort of like is a laptop the same as a desktop vs a workstation vs a server in the old PC days.
It's more along the lines of, 'who will buy this?' and we truly need to get out of the naval gazing that most of us techs do ("I will/won't buy this, because it will/won't meet _MY_ needs... therefore it's a monumental Success/Failure").
As a Stockholder, I tend to see, 'how does a particular function/price point improve Apple ' as more important than "would I buy it at this price?"
Google is about to start a war of ecosystems with the tablet priced at $99.
There is a huge untapped market of those who do not belong to any of the camp yet (teens, college students, older folks, etc)
Do you realize that once someone joins whatever ecosystem most likely will get locked and stay for very long time?
IMO apple must provide a very low priced entry (perhaps with nearly zero margin) for these people, so once they are locked they will be willing to upgrade to more premium products.
To stay relevant in this war Apple should not repeat mistakes of the pc vs Mac era.
About to start? Hahahaha
PC vs Mac era? You really need to read up a bit.
I'll help you out a bit... if a company is selling everything that they can make to the point where they have a backlog of orders, even though they have really high margins, why would they lower those margins and then have to make even more product that is already low in supply at high margins.
Comments
Quote:
Originally Posted by charlituna
No, if Apple wants to crush the competition, low balling the price to give a perception the product is cheap is not the way to go. Creating a product so awesome that folks want it even though its priced higher than everyone else, that is Apple's game. And they tend to play it rather well
agreed. The AppStore and ITMS make this "yes, this is $50-100 more than the competition, but it's better to start with,and look what you can do with it after you buy it."
For anyone but the most tech savvy, Kindles and Androids, don't have that 'after market' appeal.
$199 is a great price point, but I feel you'll see that the 'next' turn of the crank (when the iPad Mini RD comes out, pushing this rendering down $50-75).
Long game. Apple is in a position to look beyond this next 10Q, and it uses that to strategic advantage.
Therefore I doubt you'll see a 199 or even 250 iPad. 299 up is most likely. 350 up very likely. Much less and they'll destroy the market on $500 tablets, which is where the best margins are.
Not even close. MBA v MBP. Notebooks v Desktops. iPhone v iPad. iPod Mini v. iPod (Classic). All the former have increased costs over the latter because of shrinking component costs.
Now this rumoured iPad mini is different because we're not seeing rumours of 2048x768 326 PPI 7.85" display we're seeing a resolution that is only slightly higher than the iPod Touch that was just released using last year's iPad resolution and a PPI n use since 2007. That translates into cost savings, not increased costs because of bleeding edge tech shrinkage.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheOtherGeoff
I agree. especially for the schools looking at iPads at the 1-5th grades. The lack of a camera/vid and siri is no loss, and memory isn't an issue. WiFi only (load them up with assignments at school.
The Mini to me is targeted to
- Kindle readers who want a 'bit more'
- Children hogging 'Mom's iPad 3
- pre-Teens
The Touch is the 'on the go' teen or young adult who can have 'feature phone' (phone plus text, maybe facebook), and a laptop back in the dorm/home.
As an Older adult, the touch hasn't been my or most of my observable peers' sweet spot. an iPod Shuffle/Nano at the gym, iPhone for 90% of my moble, an iPad for around the house consumption, and a Mac Mini/iMac for the desk.
Before we have managed to fully and completely categorize and pigeonhole the iPad we are trying to define the true identity of the not yet release iPad Mini? Oh NOOOooooo.....
Quote:
Originally Posted by protaginets
put an Apple on it, the fan boys will come a runnin...
Good thing most of these 'fan boy's are 'first time buyers.'
Personally, I think the 'average joe' (never seen a line of Ruby, PERL, java, ObjC) prefers the apple product line, most are either priced out, or invested in other technology and the value in switching is not great enough for the (mental, monetary) cost of switching.
Driving the iPad entry price down makes that barrier to entry much lower.
That won't stop most folks. There was an iTouch keyboard for like 3 years before the iPod Touch was released and they still call it an iTouch.
Quote:
Originally Posted by charlituna
That won't stop most folks. There was an iTouch keyboard for like 3 years before the iPod Touch was released and they still call it an iTouch.
I think people will identify it as the iPad Mini but refer to their device as their iPad. Just like the iPod Mini was referred to by its owners as their iPod. The iPod and the iPod Touch were so different that the iTouch made sense. iPod Touch was just too cumbersome, but iMini is just too .... ugly. Yech! People will refer to their iPad mini's as their iPad's.
If they can manage to clean up the iTunes stores (media and books) hat will be even more so true.
By clean up I mean things like pricing, release timetables, quality of media, metadata. That last one is a major one in my book. There are things linked as similar items that have nothing to do with each other, name links don't actually pull up everything by a person, or pulls up stuff from several folks as if they are the same etc. so you have the soundtrack to some 1940s musical movie connected to a TV show. Or when Genius recommends the movie 'Little Nikita' and you ponder what other River Phoenix movies are available so you click his name and freaking Stand By Me, which is in the store and has his name listed, doesn't come up. Or you search for the author of several kids how to draw books and also get erotic fiction by a different author with the same name. Not good.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bigmike
It's an unofficial rendering.
I think the artist meant for the back-facing unit to be a bit farther but the shadow from the front makes it look too close, making it seem like the rear unit is shorter. I look at product photography/renderings all day and notice these things too. But, again, it's an unofficial rendering and most people don't give a shit.
I understand that it is conceptual. But I am assuming that, based on the quality, it was done by someone who is pretty good at his craft. It's a shame that it is "rendered" less effective by the distorted perspective.
Of course, it will be tiered...
Good Model WiFi... $249
Good Model WiFi RAM 3G... $300
Better Model WiFi RAM 4G... $350
Best Model WiFi RAM 4G Retina... $400
Quote:
Originally Posted by charlituna
If they can manage to clean up the iTunes stores (media and books) hat will be even more so true.
By clean up I mean things like pricing, release timetables, quality of media, metadata. That last one is a major one in my book. There are things linked as similar items that have nothing to do with each other, name links don't actually pull up everything by a person, or pulls up stuff from several folks as if they are the same etc. so you have the soundtrack to some 1940s musical movie connected to a TV show. Or when Genius recommends the movie 'Little Nikita' and you ponder what other River Phoenix movies are available so you click his name and freaking Stand By Me, which is in the store and has his name listed, doesn't come up. Or you search for the author of several kids how to draw books and also get erotic fiction by a different author with the same name. Not good.
ITunes the OSX app is getting a major release at the end of the month. My guess is the front end needs to be cleaned up before the metadata works.
Apple has always made the ITMS a 'break even' tool, because no one save amazon has a reasonable (meaning someone will buy a non-apple devices because if it) competitor. Me thinks this will change as 'content' becomes more of a contributor to the bottom line (which in the long game is when the device wars run out, which in this case, I think is in about 5 years, after the TV/Cable war is fought).
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX
Reasonably well for the tablet market or reasonably well for an Andriod-based tablet?
Reasonably well for both, but particularly well for a Nexus-branded product. Google has never sold many units of Nexus phones. They are closer to a reference model than a mass product. But, Nexus 7 is being sold at outlets where the Nexus phones (with exception of Galaxy Nexus?) were not distributed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX
I'm guessing a $249-$299 based unit iPad Air/Mini/iBook with 16GB storage, 1024x768 IPS in-cell display with essentially the SoC of the new iPod Touch would outsell it by a large margin and hurt its future sales.
That's my guess too. Frankly, I am wishing this not just for Apple, but for the tech economy as a whole. Google, Microsoft and Intel are all dragging the market down in a spiral. I would hope that even a Fandroid wants Apple to report an uplifting Q3 (or Q4 for them?) and sell boatloads of iPadAirs. The economy needs this.
Your sarcasm is stupid.
Google is about to start a war of ecosystems with the tablet priced at $99.
There is a huge untapped market of those who do not belong to any of the camp yet (teens, college students, older folks, etc)
Do you realize that once someone joins whatever ecosystem most likely will get locked and stay for very long time?
IMO apple must provide a very low priced entry (perhaps with nearly zero margin) for these people, so once they are locked they will be willing to upgrade to more premium products.
To stay relevant in this war Apple should not repeat mistakes of the pc vs Mac era.
Quote:
Originally Posted by paxman
Before we have managed to fully and completely categorize and pigeonhole the iPad we are trying to define the true identity of the not yet release iPad Mini? Oh NOOOooooo.....
Identity... no. Niche, yes. After 2 + years, the iPad _IS_ a category in the computing continuum. This is just a niche in that category. sort of like is a laptop the same as a desktop vs a workstation vs a server in the old PC days.
It's more along the lines of, 'who will buy this?' and we truly need to get out of the naval gazing that most of us techs do ("I will/won't buy this, because it will/won't meet _MY_ needs... therefore it's a monumental Success/Failure").
As a Stockholder, I tend to see, 'how does a particular function/price point improve Apple ' as more important than "would I buy it at this price?"
Quote:
Originally Posted by jason98
Your sarcasm is stupid.
Google is about to start a war of ecosystems with the tablet priced at $99.
There is a huge untapped market of those who do not belong to any of the camp yet (teens, college students, older folks, etc)
Do you realize that once someone joins whatever ecosystem most likely will get locked and stay for very long time?
IMO apple must provide a very low priced entry (perhaps with nearly zero margin) for these people, so once they are locked they will be willing to upgrade to more premium products.
To stay relevant in this war Apple should not repeat mistakes of the pc vs Mac era.
About to start? Hahahaha
PC vs Mac era? You really need to read up a bit.
I'll help you out a bit... if a company is selling everything that they can make to the point where they have a backlog of orders, even though they have really high margins, why would they lower those margins and then have to make even more product that is already low in supply at high margins.
I was hoping for a price of $199 on the 8 GB model. But 8 GB might not be practical.
Presently, Apple charges $100 for a double storage bump.
What if Apple priced a16 GB low-end iPad mini at $279?
Then, priced the 32 GB model at $349... and the 64 GB model at $449?
In other words, 16 GB of storage upgrade cost $70 and 32 GB of storage costs $100.
At first it seems a little messy… But as I think about it, it could be appealing to both Apple and the customer.
Edit: They could carry this over into the iPad 3 product line and even offer 128 GB option (64 GB additional storage) for a $149 price differential.