Some of you guys might want to read the whole story. It explicitly says that "mini" doesn't necessarily mean smaller, just cheaper.
All you have to do is look at the iPhone lineup to see how they could arrive at cheaper -- keep the iPad 2 around after the iPad3 comes out, but at a lower price and only an 8 or 16 GB version.
Something else to keep in mind -- Apple has an obvious way to subsidize hardware if they want to go that route -- they can require a two-year iCloud "contract".
Bottom line is that there are a lot of ways for Apple to offer a cheaper iPad while preserving margins and without selling a 7" device.
You're right. I'd say priced at $299, no 3G, which will include a hefty profit margin. (The iPod Touch will have moved to a new, perhaps closer to 4", form factor by then, so it'll address a different segment).
I like the idea of a less expensive iPad but it's likely more then a year away before we will see apple move down to a lower price point, just after all their competition realizes that they can't compete with them upstairs, but have to head for the basement just like kindle line up dose, "lead follow or get out of the way" right? Amazon did what any good follower has to do, and because of that they will have success.
Do these Apple analysts ever stop and actually do some analysis?
There would be no point in releasing a new tablet just to hit a lower price point. It would have the same size as the regular ipad so how would you differentiate it from the regular ipad? Apple would have another ipad product to spend resources to design, build, test, and support. I think it is stupid to fracture the ipad line this way.
As others have stated, it makes more sense to continue manufacturing the ipad 2 and to sell it at a reduced price.
Steve jobs would never ever make an inferior product to respond to a competitor's cheaper product.
Stop wasting your bytes! Visited this topic many time over. First, Amazon Fire is not competing with iPad! Neither Amazon nor Apple is interested! Blogs like this create false expectation! Have we already forgotten iPhone 5?
Some of you guys might want to read the whole story. It explicitly says that "mini" doesn't necessarily mean smaller, just cheaper.
All you have to do is look at the iPhone lineup to see how they could arrive at cheaper -- keep the iPad 2 around after the iPad3 comes out, but at a lower price and only an 8 or 16 GB version.
Something else to keep in mind -- Apple has an obvious way to subsidize hardware if they want to go that route -- they can require a two-year iCloud "contract".
Bottom line is that there are a lot of ways for Apple to offer a cheaper iPad while preserving margins and without selling a 7" device.
Good points.
Tim Cook has proven that he can compete on price, and we know that the iPad has a generous enough profit margin that Apple could drop the price if they wanted to and still make money.
I don't think that it's a question of "IF" Apple will drop the prices on the iPads to compete with Android and Win 8 tablets, but a question of "HOW SOON"?
Not really. They could go with a 5" Touch with an edge to edge screen and just dump the retina display though. 5" is still pocketable with a edge to edge screen.
They could also do a biodegradeable plastic case... j/k
Popular misconception to the contrary, Apple is a very pragmatic company, and Steve Jobs was a very pragmatic leader (god how that past tense pains me... so unfair). The mistake people have made is to confuse focus/clarity/decisiveness with idealism.
Look at what happened with the iPhone. Apple started selling it unsubsidized for a high upfront price. That plan did not work. Apple changed tactics and succumbed to the subsidy model for the iPhone. Nobody ever talks about this, but it happened. Apple's history -- and Jobs' history -- is full of examples of pragmatic decisions like that.
While I'm skeptical that the Amazon Fire will do very well, some very smart people disagree (Gruber, for example). If Amazon shows that a subsidized hardware model works well in the tablet market, then Apple will adopt that model, and using iCloud is the most obvious way to do it.
indeed, if you want to tag the tough as an ipad mini it needs a bigger screen...
The term wasn't being used by Apple marketing, though. It was used by anonymous drones overheard by someone visiting component suppliers in China. There's no reason one of them couldn't get it into his head to call an iPod Touch (or something of that size) an "iPad mini". People make up things like that all the time, thinking they're being clever.
Comments
Some of you guys might want to read the whole story. It explicitly says that "mini" doesn't necessarily mean smaller, just cheaper.
All you have to do is look at the iPhone lineup to see how they could arrive at cheaper -- keep the iPad 2 around after the iPad3 comes out, but at a lower price and only an 8 or 16 GB version.
Something else to keep in mind -- Apple has an obvious way to subsidize hardware if they want to go that route -- they can require a two-year iCloud "contract".
Bottom line is that there are a lot of ways for Apple to offer a cheaper iPad while preserving margins and without selling a 7" device.
You're right. I'd say priced at $299, no 3G, which will include a hefty profit margin. (The iPod Touch will have moved to a new, perhaps closer to 4", form factor by then, so it'll address a different segment).
Cheap iPad
"lead follow or get out of the way"
Thats a good quote, I may have to put it on a shirt.
There would be no point in releasing a new tablet just to hit a lower price point. It would have the same size as the regular ipad so how would you differentiate it from the regular ipad? Apple would have another ipad product to spend resources to design, build, test, and support. I think it is stupid to fracture the ipad line this way.
As others have stated, it makes more sense to continue manufacturing the ipad 2 and to sell it at a reduced price.
Steve jobs would never ever make an inferior product to respond to a competitor's cheaper product.
Remeber WWSJD = What Would Steve Jobs Do
?ipad S and a iPad 3?
iPad S. S for "small".
Actually, you gave me an idea there... Put Siri on an iPod Nano, add cellphone network support, and you have the perfect iPhone Mini.
Some of you guys might want to read the whole story. It explicitly says that "mini" doesn't necessarily mean smaller, just cheaper.
All you have to do is look at the iPhone lineup to see how they could arrive at cheaper -- keep the iPad 2 around after the iPad3 comes out, but at a lower price and only an 8 or 16 GB version.
Something else to keep in mind -- Apple has an obvious way to subsidize hardware if they want to go that route -- they can require a two-year iCloud "contract".
Bottom line is that there are a lot of ways for Apple to offer a cheaper iPad while preserving margins and without selling a 7" device.
Good points.
Tim Cook has proven that he can compete on price, and we know that the iPad has a generous enough profit margin that Apple could drop the price if they wanted to and still make money.
I don't think that it's a question of "IF" Apple will drop the prices on the iPads to compete with Android and Win 8 tablets, but a question of "HOW SOON"?
When the #!@% are people gonna realize that these so-called "pundits" KNOW NOTHING!!!
Literally nothing ....
In fact, it's gotten so desperate now, they are "predicting": APPLE TO RELEASE iPAD 3 SOMETIME IN 2012,
just so they can have something Apple-centric to write.
I can "predict" a eagle's gonna fly outta my kiester -- doesn't mean it's gonna happen, FFS ....
There absolutely will NOT be a 7" "iPad mini".
Especially after the harrangue Steve went on about 'em during the 4Q10 conference call.
This "News Item" is a non-entity.
iPad mini = iPod Touch.
Not really. They could go with a 5" Touch with an edge to edge screen and just dump the retina display though. 5" is still pocketable with a edge to edge screen.
They could also do a biodegradeable plastic case... j/k
No way will this ever happen.
Never say never.
Popular misconception to the contrary, Apple is a very pragmatic company, and Steve Jobs was a very pragmatic leader (god how that past tense pains me... so unfair). The mistake people have made is to confuse focus/clarity/decisiveness with idealism.
Look at what happened with the iPhone. Apple started selling it unsubsidized for a high upfront price. That plan did not work. Apple changed tactics and succumbed to the subsidy model for the iPhone. Nobody ever talks about this, but it happened. Apple's history -- and Jobs' history -- is full of examples of pragmatic decisions like that.
While I'm skeptical that the Amazon Fire will do very well, some very smart people disagree (Gruber, for example). If Amazon shows that a subsidized hardware model works well in the tablet market, then Apple will adopt that model, and using iCloud is the most obvious way to do it.
indeed, if you want to tag the tough as an ipad mini it needs a bigger screen...
The term wasn't being used by Apple marketing, though. It was used by anonymous drones overheard by someone visiting component suppliers in China. There's no reason one of them couldn't get it into his head to call an iPod Touch (or something of that size) an "iPad mini". People make up things like that all the time, thinking they're being clever.