Apple suppliers say iPhone 5 demand still strong, iPad mini cannibalizing 9.7" iPad

13»

Comments

  • Reply 41 of 60


    iPad mini sales are cannibalizing iPad sales because 


    a) iPad mini is brand new.


    b) The quiet refresh of the regular iPad was awkward.


     


    I think they need to go back to a one year cycle with iPad, give it it's due roll out, and go back to naming it iPad 3, iPad 3S, iPad 4, etc. If they want people to feel compelled to keep buying new models, they need to make it more clear that the new models are actually major releases. Hell, the newest version is called iPad, and it sells next to iPad 2. It's confusing. Marketing seriously clunked up.

  • Reply 42 of 60
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    My thought has been that they could have priced the mini cheaper, yes. But..I feel they priced in the cost of the retina beforehand. It took them two iterations before they got retina on the iPad Maxi (I had to) where it was still able to keep their margins. No price increase from non-retina to retina. I see that same thing happening for the mini. Yes they could have done retina now but at what cost..plus the reasoning that the mini needed to run current iPad apps with no problems out of the gate. I'm with JeffDM that the retina mini won't be until 2014 but I'm thinking spring instead of fall. People will be itching for it.

    And I should add that I love my mini. Easy, light..screen doesn't bother me and I have a 5. My original iPad (I know..long tooth) doesn't really get used anymore.

    I believe it was this size that Apple wanted to do all along. I think it was easier for them to come out with the iPad Maxi first and then shrink it (smaller, lighter, lower cost) instead of the upsell they would have needed by coming out with a 7.9" first and enlarging it to 9.7" (bigger but heavier and more costly).
    Yeah the price point makes sense now. Not too impactful if it is cannibalizing the iPad. Won't need to increase price when retina version comes out. Also if this gets people to buy an iPad who otherwise wouldn't have and thus increases overall sales of iPad that's a plus for Apple even if the margins are lower.

    But rest assured if revenues are lower and margins are compressed because of mini the stock will tank, even though all these "analysts" thought the mini was overpriced when it came out. :rolleyes:
  • Reply 43 of 60
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    The people that couldn't see a reason for the iPad Mini need to have their heads examined. As to cannibalization I don't think that is much of an issue as economic uncertainty, next year will hit a lot of people much harder than they might have considered at election time. The real question isn't how much iPad 4 sales have declined it is rather a question of total iPad sales. If the total number of iPads shipped decline that is a problem but I suspect that it will actually be a net increase.
    rogifan wrote: »
    Perhaps Apple underestimated iPad mini demand? I'm actually surprised at how well the product has been received. I fully expected the iHaters to whine about no retina, A5 chip, etc. but in almost every review I've read th design, form factor battery life and ecosystem out weighted lack of retina. In fact David Pogue at the NY Times said if he was stranded on an island and could only have one gadget with him it would be the mini.
    The only thing that is keeping me from updating either my iPad or iPhone is the flash allocation in the machines. Especially with iPad more flash at a given price point is a very important requirement. As for those columnist why bother with the corruption of the printing industry? I mean seriously how can you really trust the opinions of these guys or even bother to quote them?
    If Apple can find a way to get retina into this form factor with the same great battery life other tablets will be in a world of hurt. Especially if the 5th gen iPad gets thinner and lighter. Game over.

    Retina isn't the only thing of importance here.
  • Reply 44 of 60

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Mazda 3s View Post



    I'm sorry, but where is the source link for this story? AI quotes all this information, but doesn't provide a source to where they got it from.


    Originally Posted by JeffDM View Post





    I think those notes are provided as part of a subscription service. I hope the more investment oriented forum members can clarify that more.

     


    Investment firms provide research to their customers as a sort of perk, with the understanding that if you like the research you will reciprocate by trading with them, and they get the commission. If you keep doing business with them, they keep giving you access to the research, and the best customers can talk directly to the analysts. I think they also provide research (or highlights in the form of a press release) to the media sometimes, for publicity purposes, but it's not generally available to the public for free.

  • Reply 45 of 60
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    So the iPhone cannibalized the iPod The iPad cannibalized the Mac. The iPad mini cannibalized the iPad. I just hope Apple doesn't get [URL=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuru_(disease)]Kuru[/URL].
  • Reply 46 of 60
    Why is cannibalization a problem, when it comes from another product of yours?

    It is ALWAYS BETTER to cannibalize yourself first, before a competitor does it!
  • Reply 47 of 60
    paxman wrote: »
    I wonder if the 13" MBP cannibalizes sales of the 15" MBP? 

    If so, should there only be one MBP? Personally I think it was inevitable and instead of looking at cannibalization we need to look at overall tablet sales.

    I also think Apple suspected this was going to happen and priced the mini accordingly.

    Exactly.

    Apple has 2 sizes of Macbook Air... 2 sizes of Macbook Pro... 2 sizes of Retina Macbook Pro... 2 sizes of iMac.

    Having 2 sizes of iPad seems par for the course.

    Since Apple makes a profit on ALL of the aforementioned products... it really doesn't matter which one you buy.
  • Reply 48 of 60
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by DaHarder View Post



    "He also added that demand for the iPad mini remains strong, suggesting consumer preferences are simply shifting to the smaller form factor"...

    A device that's primarily hand-held, providing near-identical functionality to a larger/heavier/more costly one is doing well in a smaller/lighter/cheaper package... You Don't Say?


     


    I prefer the larger iPad. I've used both.

  • Reply 49 of 60


    Originally Posted by Michael Scrip View Post

    Since Apple makes a profit on ALL of the aforementioned products... it really doesn't matter which one you buy.


     


    The profit margin on each matters to Apple. Or should, at least.

  • Reply 50 of 60
    The profit margin on each matters to Apple. Or should, at least.

    True.. and that goes back to the comment I was replying to. He said "Apple suspected this was going to happen and priced the mini accordingly"

    Apple knows what they want to make on each unit... and sets the price.

    But yeah... how much they make depends on which model someone buys.

    Apple might make $150 on the iPad 4... but only $100 on the iPad Mini.

    But ZERO dollars if they buy a competitor's tablet.

    In that case... it's better to get someone into the iPad Mini instead of no Apple tablet at all.
  • Reply 51 of 60
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    True.. and that goes back to the comment I was replying to. He said "Apple suspected this was going to happen and priced the mini accordingly"
    Apple knows what they want to make on each unit... and sets the price.
    But yeah... how much they make depends on which model someone buys.
    Apple might make $150 on the iPad 4... but only $100 on the iPad Mini.
    But ZERO dollars if they buy a competitor's tablet.
    In that case... it's better to get someone into the iPad Mini instead of no Apple tablet at all.

    I like this comment much better than your previous one as it acknowledges that no sale, or a lost sale to a competitor, could also affect the bottom line in the short and long term.
  • Reply 52 of 60
    If it is stealing share from the iPad iPad, i suspect two reasons. The Mini is a great size for me and many others, and the drawbacks many mention don't bother me at all.

    But I also see the next iPad in the Mini. If it looks like that (so thin and light for its size, but larger screen) I am buying one. Thus I suspect many others are waiting as well. The weight will drop and it will be a pleasure to hold and use.
  • Reply 53 of 60
    solipsismx wrote: »
    I like this comment much better than your previous one as it acknowledges that no sale, or a lost sale to a competitor, could also affect the bottom line in the short and long term.

    Thanks!
  • Reply 54 of 60
    alexnalexn Posts: 119member
    rogifan wrote: »
    rayz wrote: »
    The reason is very simple: Apple doesn't design products for cheapskate tech nerds who hang around in web forums wailing about how they'll jump to Android if the next iPhone doesn't have a sixty-inch screen, a fifty-year battery life, runs OSX, fits in a matchbox, and costs $29.99

    Apple designs products for busy people with... er... lives.
    what you said. :smokey:

    +1
  • Reply 55 of 60
    alexnalexn Posts: 119member
    Apple is damned if it does and damned if it doesn't. I've stopped taking any notice whatsoever of what these so-called "analysts" spew forth. Viewing entrails would probably be more accurate. "...a bunch of mindless jerks...", to quote the late Douglas Adams. Or a bunch of paid shills.

    I liked the iPad Mini, but when it came time to actually get one, I went with the 4th Gen iPad with LTE/GPS instead. As I use the iPad (and its iPad1 predecessor) largely for web browsing (at the moment), I found the Mini, great though it is, to be a bit constraining. That's my own preference, and I haven't regretted my choice. If someone upped and gave me a Mini I wouldn't say no, though ;).

    The new iPad is super cool, in my opinion.

    (Hmmm...As an aside, I just caught the auto-corruptor "correcting" "its" (wrongly inserting an apostrophe). What _ing illiterate programmed the so-called "auto-corrector"? No wonder people have trouble with apostrophes.)
  • Reply 56 of 60
    nhtnht Posts: 4,522member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    The profit margin on each matters to Apple. Or should, at least.



     


    Both profit margin and absolute profit matters to Apple.  Hence the lack of an xMac and the way the mini is carefully positioned against the iMac.  Apple wants both high margins and high ASPs.


     


    Of course the profit on the iPad mini regardless of which way you look at it is far greater for Apple than on the Nexus 7.

  • Reply 57 of 60


    This was easy to see coming.  Apple effed up big time by gimping the iPad Mini's display, if it had been retina, then a higher price would have been justified and cannibalization of the larger iPad wouldn't have been an issue.  

  • Reply 58 of 60

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by wizard69 View Post





    The only thing that is keeping me from updating either my iPad or iPhone is the flash allocation in the machines. Especially with iPad more flash at a given price point is a very important requirement. 


     


    Flash allocation is of minor importance given the robust iCloud integration.  A lack of a retina display affects usability far more, and places the iPad Mini below much of the competition.  It's selling based on the iPad brand and name, but handle one next to an Android tablet with higher resolution, and the mini is pretty mediocre.

  • Reply 59 of 60


    Originally Posted by Junkyard Dawg View Post

    This was easy to see coming.  Apple effed up big time by gimping the iPad Mini's display, if it had been retina, then a higher price would have been justified and cannibalization of the larger iPad wouldn't have been an issue.  


     


    Except nothing here is correct.

  • Reply 60 of 60
    nhtnht Posts: 4,522member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Junkyard Dawg View Post


    This was easy to see coming.  Apple effed up big time by gimping the iPad Mini's display, if it had been retina, then a higher price would have been justified and cannibalization of the larger iPad wouldn't have been an issue.  



     


    Folks would have paid for a more expensive iPad Mini Retina but a more expensive, heavier and bulkier iPad Mini?  Not so much I think.


     


    I doubt Apple made the decision based on price but performance...in this case critical performance metrics included size and weight.

Sign In or Register to comment.