'iPad mini' expected to be released on Nov. 2
Apple is expected to keep its usual release schedule and put the 7.85-inch iPad into the hands of consumers less than two weeks after it is announced.
Attributing an unnamed source, TechCrunch reported on Friday that the so-called "iPad mini" will be available in stores and to early online buyers on Nov. 2. That's just over a week after the product is expected to be announced.
Apple has employed similar release schedules with other recent products, including the iPhone 5 and third-generation iPad introduced this year.
The iPad mini introduction is interesting because it is technically a new product from Apple, and the company usually gives itself a longer lead time between the announcement and eventual release of a new product. However, the iPad mini is expected to have a 1,024-by-768-pixel display that is the same resolution as the iPad 2, meaning developers would not need to rewrite their applications for them to work on the anticipated smaller tablet.
Pushing the iPad mini into stores on Nov. 2 also gives Apple full opportunity to take advantage of the lucrative holiday shopping season. The rumored launch would give the company some time to ramp up supply ahead of "Black Friday," one of the biggest shopping days of the year.
The Nov. 2 date is already so well accepted that Wall Street analysts have been using it to calculate their sales projections since invitations for Apple's Oct. 23 event went out earlier this week.
Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray said in a note to investors on Wednesday that a presumed Nov. 2 launch of the iPad mini would set Apple up to sell at least 5 million units in the December quarter. Others, such as Rob Cihra of Evercore Partners, are more bullish, as he sees Apple selling 7 million units during the three-month frame.
Apple's own internal projected sales may be even higher. According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple placed orders for more than 10 million iPad minis to be delivered in the fourth quarter of calendar 2012.
Attributing an unnamed source, TechCrunch reported on Friday that the so-called "iPad mini" will be available in stores and to early online buyers on Nov. 2. That's just over a week after the product is expected to be announced.
Apple has employed similar release schedules with other recent products, including the iPhone 5 and third-generation iPad introduced this year.
The iPad mini introduction is interesting because it is technically a new product from Apple, and the company usually gives itself a longer lead time between the announcement and eventual release of a new product. However, the iPad mini is expected to have a 1,024-by-768-pixel display that is the same resolution as the iPad 2, meaning developers would not need to rewrite their applications for them to work on the anticipated smaller tablet.
Pushing the iPad mini into stores on Nov. 2 also gives Apple full opportunity to take advantage of the lucrative holiday shopping season. The rumored launch would give the company some time to ramp up supply ahead of "Black Friday," one of the biggest shopping days of the year.
The Nov. 2 date is already so well accepted that Wall Street analysts have been using it to calculate their sales projections since invitations for Apple's Oct. 23 event went out earlier this week.
Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray said in a note to investors on Wednesday that a presumed Nov. 2 launch of the iPad mini would set Apple up to sell at least 5 million units in the December quarter. Others, such as Rob Cihra of Evercore Partners, are more bullish, as he sees Apple selling 7 million units during the three-month frame.
Apple's own internal projected sales may be even higher. According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple placed orders for more than 10 million iPad minis to be delivered in the fourth quarter of calendar 2012.
Comments
Originally Posted by AdonisSMU
I talked with my guys at Google and they stopped me from buying a Nexxus 7 because they have a newer tablet coming down the pipeline very soon…
And that's the difference between Apple and Google. The former will sell you an iPad 3 during the iPad 4's keynote. The latter will tell you not to buy what they have for sale.
Personally I'm expecting these in colors similar to the Touch, Apple's most visual way of standing out from the rest of the smaller tablets.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gatorguy
Personally I'm expecting these in colors similar to the Touch, Apple's most visual way of standing out from the rest of the smaller tablets.
Color me in for an orange one!
Originally Posted by charlituna
…if it is coming out in Nov we'd have seen a leak already since Apple would have filed weeks ago to have time to approve or adjust to get approval.
I imagine the FCC has sped up. iPhones are announced only weeks before release.
Quote:
Originally Posted by charlituna
What about the FCC? Wasn't half the reason why they announced the iPad three months before release because they had to get FCC approval on the device since it uses wireless tech. And that is public info so it would have leaked out. If this is a 'new product' wouldn't it have to have the same approval and thus if it is coming out in Nov we'd have seen a leak already since Apple would have filed weeks ago to have time to approve or adjust to get approval.
Did you see such early info from the FCC for the iPhone 5? No. You won't see it for a smaller iPad either until it's announced.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
Originally Posted by charlituna
…if it is coming out in Nov we'd have seen a leak already since Apple would have filed weeks ago to have time to approve or adjust to get approval.
I imagine the FCC has sped up. iPhones are announced only weeks before release.
The FCC regulations allow for sealed documents. I trust it was approved a long time ago.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mstone
The FCC regulations allow for sealed documents. I trust it was approved a long time ago.
There's also several recent design patents granted to Apple, but under temporary seal for now at their request.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gatorguy
Personally I'm expecting these in colors similar to the Touch, Apple's most visual way of standing out from the rest of the smaller tablets.
I think this is really unlikely and would be somewhat unprecedented for Apple. I only want white in any case.
What worries me more is that Gruber is doubling down on 'iPad Air" as the name. Gawd I hope not.
Despite his so-called "Internet fame," his predictions are wrong about half of the time by my count so there is hope that he isn't actually better than us mere mortals, irrespective of the adulation.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AdonisSMU
Google hasn't made it widely known that they have a new Nexxus 7 coming out just six months after the last one came out. I only found out because I told my guys at Google I was planning to buy a Nexxus 7 next week...and they said you might want to wait on that.
They are just bumping up the base memory is all. Hardly a complete redesign or anything worthy of being called a "new product."
The bad part about the Nexus 7 anyway is the software and that isn't changing at all.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazoobee
They are just bumping up the base memory is all. Hardly a complete redesign or anything worthy of being called a "new product."
The bad part about the Nexus 7 anyway is the software and that isn't changing at all.
So basically it's a price change.
Here's food for thought.
Is it possible that some of these smaller tablets might be absolutely free to consumers within just a couple of years, underwritten by content providers? Perhaps the predictions of the Knight-Ridder tablet designers are now ready to come to fruition: Newspapers and/or publishers giving away the hardware in exchange for longer-term subscriptions to their publications. IMHO, it's a reasonable expectation. It's not that expensive to build basic 7" touchscreen wi-fi tablets now, even with cameras. $37 builds? Believe it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazoobee
They are just bumping up the base memory is all. Hardly a complete redesign or anything worthy of being called a "new product."
The bad part about the Nexus 7 anyway is the software and that isn't changing at all.
What's bad about the software? How is it lacking in features compared to iOS for instance? I don't necessarily expect an answer and it would probably derail the thread anyway. I was just curious if you had any actual complaints about the software.
Here's where the unimaginative and generic "because It's Android" comes in
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazoobee
I think this is really unlikely and would be somewhat unprecedented for Apple. I only want white in any case.
What worries me more is that Gruber is doubling down on 'iPad Air" as the name. Gawd I hope not.
Despite his so-called "Internet fame," his predictions are wrong about half of the time by my count so there is hope that he isn't actually better than us mere mortals, irrespective of the adulation.
It would make sense with Apple's "more" comment and multi-hued invite. "More" colors. As far as unprecedented, Apple's advertising focus in the new Touch commercials is just that.
Originally Posted by Gatorguy
It would make sense with Apple's "more" comment and multi-hued invite. "More" colors.
Available in black.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
Available in black.
It's obvious to you too, isn't it TS? More colors is the thing that makes the most sense, and the easiest way for Apple's mini to stand out. I suspect there's a lot of casual buyers who might pay a $50 or more premium simply because it was "pretty" or came in their favorite color...
and within 6 months color options will be common for most smaller tablets.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gatorguy
What's bad about the software? How is it lacking in features compared to iOS for instance? I don't necessarily expect an answer and it would probably derail the thread anyway. I was just curious if you had any actual complaints about the software.
Here's where the unimaginative and generic "because It's Android" comes in
You answered yourself with the overly clever tiny white text. :-)
Seriously though, just because it's a cliche, doesn't make it untrue. I use my iPad for a lot of things, I don't just watch movies on it on the bus, I do actual work with it. Android running on the Nexus 7 (just for starters), lacks a decent keyboard as well as any serious productive apps like Pages, Garage Band, good drawing apps etc.
If you just want to check Twitter and look up crap on Google you're fine, but you need an iPad and iOS to get any real work done.