iPad Mini Launch Attracting Shorter Lines on Launch Day

fpsBeaTt said:

I disagree; I had the pleasure of holding one today. It's an incredible design. If it had a Retina display, it would in all likelihood supplant my use for a full sized iPad.

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Keyword "if" but it doesn't. The mini is a "mee too" device because so many others are doing smaller tablets...better.

I know that the design and build is so great, but it is technology. I personally do not buy this stuff to put it in a frame or try to sell it in 20 years as a collectors piece. I buy it to use it.

I have a plastic, large bezel Kindle, made by that inferior company Amazon (sarcasm) and I love it. Apple, IMO, needs to get back to really innovating. The iPhone was an innovation. Guess we will see what J.Ive comes up with next.

Paying a premium for a device that has lackluster specs, that will only be around for a year tops, seems silly to me.

I say all this because I have been a loyal Apple fan for over 15 years. But, I recently switched to an Android Galaxy S3 phone from the iphone and I love that too. The Android store is way bigger than Apple fans like to admit. I can honestly say there is not 1 app that I had on my iphone that I did not get on my S3...that I NEEDED.

Sure the Apple app ecosystem has more apps, but I don't need a "fart" app or $999 diamond app. I;m looking for these devices to actually make my life easier (cough: iTunes...terrible)

I plan on geting that plastic Google Nexus 10, cause there is a device with some specs...and a beautiful screen.

OK, let the flaming begin....

The mini is crippled for marketing reasons, and not much of a value.

Apple has "jumped the shark" with their obvious crippling of their new products, especially the new iMac as well as this new mini tablet.

Aluminum213 said:

How is anyone surprised? It's a shrunken old iPad 2 with a low res screen being sold at $329

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That's true. For a nice little cheaper iPad it's way too expensive.

ScottishDuck said:

When you shaft iPad 3 owners don't expect them to return for another round so quickly.

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How exactly are iPad 3 owners being shafted? Is there some law that says you have to wait at least a year before updating a product? Are there features that the iPad 4 has that the iPad 3 doesn't? The design is the same except for the lightning connector. The software is the same. What can the iPad 4 do that the iPad 3 can't.

I can't say it's surprising; at the current price point most people that could afford a mini would likely have sprung for a full-size iPad by now.

It's also not as clearly a "must have" product; I'm sure it's a nice tablet, but people considering it are going to be hovering between sticking with an iPhone/iPod Touch for the extra portability (since they actually fit in a pocket) or the added utility of the larger iPad. The iPad Mini fits in a kind of narrow niché in the middle and I doubt even Apple expect it to sell in huge quantities, though I expect it'll be more than enough to justify it.

The more interesting thing to consider is the future; specifically, what does it mean for the low-end full-size iPad model? It's possible the mini may replace become the low-end model in future.

iPad mini is not a mainstream gadget for Apple fans. It's just a bait to catch some fandroids.

Aluminum213 said:

How is anyone surprised? It's a shrunken old iPad 2 with a low res screen being sold at $329

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Amazing how something supposedly so crap has gotten good reviews. Are all the early reviewers just fanboys drinking the kool aid?

iPad mini has mini lines. Hey oh

leon44 said:

Hardly surprising given it's not really a flagship product, it's like queueing for the new iPod touch

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DrRadon said:

Well, what do you expect, if you put out a new revision/different moddle twice a year lines will get smaller. Had they waited till April this would be crazy. But i think it´s better like this, you can actualy just get up and buy a new iPad if you feel like it.

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ScottishDuck said:

When you shaft iPad 3 owners don't expect them to return for another round so quickly.

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Aluminum213 said:

How is anyone surprised? It's a shrunken old iPad 2 with a low res screen being sold at $329

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Pretty much sums it up...

The mini isn't a fanboy device, on paper at least. We have full size iPads and up-to-date iPhones.

My wife pre-ordered one, which won't arrive until 20th November (Ireland <sigh>) but she'd never stand in line for one. Given the reactions from the reviewers and from the women around me* I suspect Apple are going to sell an awful lot of these over the next few months.

* I've heard a good number of not very geeky women say they had to have a Mini, but no men. Go figure.

Rogifan said:

Amazing how something supposedly so crap has gotten good reviews. Are all the early reviewers just fanboys drinking the kool aid?

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I think so. It seems Apple can do no wrong. All they need to do is put a logo on it and everyone seems to be in a rush to get it. They were very smart to get into a younger audience with a "cool" factor. I think this has in turned pushed an older market into their products as well.

I seem to remember that many younger people had iPhones before those 50+ got them.

AAPL to tank further. Apple are doomed /s

I immediately went to Apple Store here in Sydney. I really want to see it in person before buying. Light, nice to hold and really beautiful. But I am already a retina fan. The pixelation bumped me off and left the store empty handed.

Hope the next gen will be retina already. It will be perfect for me.

This thread is funny, just because the lines are less than say an iPhone launch people are already making the assumption that it's not selling very well....very amusing.

i had no intention of buying one until i stopped by a store in southern seoul. though the display bothered me, i was pretty impressed with the weight and feel of it and was firmly convinced that my wife would love one. but alas, they were sold out of the white ones so i ended up passing on it after all.

Has anyone bitched about how it doesn't fit in your pocket? Remember those weird iPad critics that claimed it would flop because it wasn't portable via back pocket? It was strange.

The iPad Mini is just a step in the marketing scheme of Apple, not a primary product. However, Apple is screwing up bad this year by pricing the iPT so high. There is a giant gap between shuffle and nano, nano and touch, and then everything is close in price; close enough to destroy the iPod Touch market and heavily limit the success of the iPad mini.

iPad launches are always lower key affairs. I recall lines were short and supplies were plenty even for the 3rd generation launch in March, which still managed to top expectations.

I'm guessing that Apple isn't expecting a "blowout" weekend as 3rd generation owners aren't likely to buy the 4th generation right away (or may wait for the 5th generation that presumably will get a more substantial redesign), and because iPad mini is reportedly in tight supply like the iPhone 5. The 4th generation iPad was released to have an up-to-date product for the holiday season. Apple knew full well several months ago that the Surface was coming, and that Google and Amazon were likely to release updated products. They gave the iPad a spec boost to keep it current, and released the mini to expand the market somewhat.

Aluminum213 said:

How is anyone surprised? It's a shrunken old iPad 2 with a low res screen being sold at $329

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The product is awesome, posting from it now, but I think it is logical it will not sell like iPhones! It is like to see long lines for new iPod nano or touch

Colman said:

My wife pre-ordered one, which won't arrive until 20th November (Ireland <sigh>) but she'd never stand in line for one. Given the reactions from the reviewers and from the women around me* I suspect Apple are going to sell an awful lot of these over the next few months.

* I've heard a good number of not very geeky women say they had to have a Mini, but no men. Go figure.

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The lighter weight and smaller size are appealing. I know a lot of women who have the larger iPad who like it except for the weight. When it gets a Retina Display (I'm guessing in 1-1.5 years) it may become the better selling iPad.

Isn't it actually iPad Mini + iPad 4 launch? So, it is in fact a flagship launch that goes not-so-noticed.

jazzkids said:

Keyword "if" but it doesn't. The mini is a "mee too" device because so many others are doing smaller tablets...better.

...

I plan on geting that plastic Google Nexus 10, cause there is a device with some specs...and a beautiful screen.

OK, let the flaming begin....

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The Nexus 10 is as much of a "me too" device than the iPad mini.

My guess is that the iPad mini gets a Retina Display in 1 or 1.5 years once yields improve. Right now Apple needs as much capacity for smaller, high resolution displays as it can get for the iPhone (the iPod Touch is a much lower volume device and so they can afford to offer it).

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bse3 said:

Isn't it actually iPad Mini + iPad 4 launch? So, it is in fact a flagship launch that goes not-so-noticed.

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iPad 4 is a much more low key launch, though. It's a spec-bumped iPad (no major redesign, etc) occurring mid-cycle. Plus, iPad lines are never very long. The importance for Apple is the holiday season, and not launch day sales.

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ScottishDuck said:

When you shaft iPad 3 owners don't expect them to return for another round so quickly.

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How so? What about 16GB Nexus 7 owners who saw Google drop the price by a third just 3 months after it was released?

most people is waiting for the wifi+cell model i think.

already have an ipad 2, i would buy a new ipad 4 before the mini at this point. if it was $199 i'd buy it as a second ipad but not $329

no surprise i have no interest in the ipad mini
dont see it as a product that has a purpose if you already have a ipad already

Lincoln Road Apple Store in Miami.
I am here for a black 32GB iPad mini and a white 16GB mini.
As far as I hear, they have no iPhone 5's left an there are only like 50 people ahead of me...