I really believe that the Management shake-up at Apple is directly related to some errors regarding the Mini, one of which I vociferously predicted.
My position on the Mini was and still is....
It should be NO larger than the Nexus 7's outer dimensions
Its Price will be irrelevant if it is the same size as the Nexus 7 and adds value.
By making the Mini larger and focusing on an insignificant metric (thickness), Apple misread the user requirement of choice
STOWABILITY.
Then by pricing the Mini close to the same price as the 'New ipad', Apple isolated a customer base that just upgraded this Spring!
By not including one or more of a list of 'Must Have's' (Micro SD slot, Retina Display etc.) Apple positioned the Mini as the
de-volution ipad of 2012.
Whomsoever was in charge of these key decisions, deserved to be shown the door.
Apple will recover with a bone-afide 7" contender, prolly in Spring 2013.
In the meantime, Google and others will eat Apple's dust in this critical category.
I hate to sound so vociferous, but I also hate twiddling my fingers while waiting for tech companies to get it right.