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gentleman00

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 8, 2007
415
122
It's all business I understand, Apple's gotta have its 40% hardware margins to make the street happy.

Actually, it's to keep investors happy. We buy upgrades of the iPads every year to keep the investors happy.
 
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Kadin

macrumors 6502a
Jun 16, 2009
597
2
I have to admit myself, I didn't expect a bump in price to the Mini at all. If they can continuously bump the specs and design of the full size iPad and keep the new ones at the same price as the previous model(s), why not the Mini? I imagine the margin is simply much larger on the full size but either way, I was a tad unhappy to see the $399 price.

With that said, it just made my decision that much easier to look at getting the Air instead.
 

JeffMorse

macrumors regular
May 12, 2010
226
20
I was bummed out about the no touch ID thing, but have to admit the mini retina looks pretty darn good. Shaving .9 pounds off the current ipad is impressive as hell. I eagerly await the Pro version if there is one.
 

MacManTexas56

macrumors 68020
Apr 4, 2005
2,496
384
With Americans still recovering from the economic recession, and many still unemployed, one might expect Apple to keep the price point of iPad Minis at $329 or lower. But profits and greed still dictate over innovation. Very few will buy an Apple Mini for $399. Eventually, Apple will be forced to lower the price of the Mini, especially in this market with so many alternatives to the iPad. And, yes, this is from someone who owns an phone, ipad, imac, and macbook air. :rolleyes:

if you're out of a job or having major money issues why should you be buying an iPad in the first place??
 

lcseds

macrumors 65816
Jun 20, 2006
1,197
1,074
NC, USA
It's not just retina that increased the price. Instead of releasing it with a gen or two old processor, they gave it some nuts in the cpu and gpu department. So yeah, another few bucks gets way more than the previous mini.
 

crzdcolombian

macrumors 6502a
Nov 16, 2010
806
160
I was bummed out about the no touch ID thing, but have to admit the mini retina looks pretty darn good. Shaving .9 pounds off the current ipad is impressive as hell. I eagerly await the Pro version if there is one.

No touch id, $399 price tag makes me unimpressed. I will wait till the next version.
 

gentleman00

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 8, 2007
415
122
if you're out of a job or having major money issues why should you be buying an iPad in the first place??

I have job. I can buy the new iPad mini. The point is why should anyone buy the new iPad Mini at $399 when they can buy the the older version for $299 or the iPad Air for $499. The price point does not make any sense. :rolleyes:
 

sleepyking

macrumors 6502
Oct 5, 2012
468
63
No touch id, $399 price tag makes me unimpressed. I will wait till the next version.

If the lack of touch ID is due to supply constraints then they should've delayed it till December. Why promote the feature one month ago, then make no mention of it today. We all know they will include it next year for probably the same price. And that's when everyone who bites this year will not have future proofed their device for when touch ID gains more usability other than unlocking and app purchasing.

A little surprised of Apple's caliber not to have planned this months ago in order to offer touch ID across all the top of the line iOS products.
 

meistervu

macrumors 65816
Jul 24, 2008
1,027
27
I have job. I can buy the new iPad mini. The point is why should anyone buy the new iPad Mini at $399 when they can buy the the older version for $299 or the iPad Air for $499. The price point does not make any sense. :rolleyes:

why should "anyone"?

I would suspect that at least one person in this world prefer the
smaller size, higher resolution, or faster processor of the new iPad Mini.
 

Nee412

macrumors 6502
Jun 25, 2010
281
8
Sunny England!
So people expected Apple to release an iPad Mini with retina display and the same internals as the full sized iPad for the same price as last years iPad Mini, which had lesser internals and no retina display. Really?!

Apple hasn't done anything wrong. They've done a lot right. Now the Mini has the same specs as its full sized counterpart for $100/£80 less. The only difference between the Air and the Mini is the screen size.

To me that seems like a massive step in the right direction. Now when picking an iPad you can pick the screen size that suits your personal needs without compromising on specs.
 

Mak47

macrumors 6502a
Mar 27, 2011
751
32
Harrisburg, PA
By all logic a retina iPad mini was really supposed to be another generation away. All expectations pointed to an A6 chip and a non-retina display being the most likely move for this generation. With that, I'm sure the price point could have stayed consistent and would still have sold millions of units.

Instead of going the safe and easy route ( and likely more profit margin friendly) Apple responded to their customers' desire for a better display and gave them one. They also skipped a processor generation to do it, which in turn put the mini on par with the full size model in terms of performance. These components all cost money, which affects the price.

Would you prefer the $329 price point or a better product? Both is not an option unless you live in a fantasy land where money grows on trees and everyone is entitled to whatever they want for free.
 

DisplacedMic

macrumors 65816
May 1, 2009
1,411
1
With Americans still recovering from the economic recession, and many still unemployed, one might expect Apple to keep the price point of iPad Minis at $329 or lower. But profits and greed still dictate over innovation. Very few will buy an Apple Mini for $399. Eventually, Apple will be forced to lower the price of the Mini, especially in this market with so many alternatives to the iPad. And, yes, this is from someone who owns an phone, ipad, imac, and macbook air. :rolleyes:

this is nonsense. by and large the unemployed shouldn't be buying an iPad at $399 or $329.

profits and greed still dictate over innovation? what does that even mean. if you don't value a new ipad at $399, don't buy one.

----------

By all logic a retina iPad mini was really supposed to be another generation away. All expectations pointed to an A6 chip and a non-retina display being the most likely move for this generation. With that, I'm sure the price point could have stayed consistent and would still have sold millions of units.

Instead of going the safe and easy route ( and likely more profit margin friendly) Apple responded to their customers' desire for a better display and gave them one. They also skipped a processor generation to do it, which in turn put the mini on par with the full size model in terms of performance. These components all cost money, which affects the price.

Would you prefer the $329 price point or a better product? Both is not an option unless you live in a fantasy land where money grows on trees and everyone is entitled to whatever they want for free.

very well said.

Triple Constraint - Speed, Quality, Price, at best you can have 2 out of the three. Got to have the best right now? you're going to pay.
 

divergirl

macrumors regular
Oct 30, 2012
118
24
I was actually pleasantly surprised about this. In fact, I wouldn't have been completely surprised if the Mini became more expensive than the regular iPad. I mean, doesn't squeezing the exact same specs into a smaller device make the device more costly to manufacture? I always figured that's why the iPhone is $650.

In fact, why would people complain about how the Mini is more expensive now, and yet not say a word against the iPhone which is a much smaller device yet costs $650? If smaller screen size should entitle a lower price, why be upset about the Mini but okay with the iPhone?
 

crzdcolombian

macrumors 6502a
Nov 16, 2010
806
160
I was actually pleasantly surprised about this. In fact, I wouldn't have been completely surprised if the Mini became more expensive than the regular iPad. I mean, doesn't squeezing the exact same specs into a smaller device make the device more costly to manufacture? I always figured that's why the iPhone is $650.

In fact, why would people complain about how the Mini is more expensive now, and yet not say a word against the iPhone which is a much smaller device yet costs $650? If smaller screen size should entitle a lower price, why be upset about the Mini but okay with the iPhone?

I only bought the original iPhone. All my other iPhones have been free. Sell each one for $100+ what I pay for it on craigslist :) as I do the 2 year upgrade
 

Bitmin1991

macrumors member
Aug 25, 2013
32
0
I am not complaining. Just stating the obvious. Buyers will either gravitate towards the Mini at $299 or the iPad Air at $499.


Well it sure sounds like your complaining..... LOL. Complaining then claiming your not complaining is a troll call card. Ooops, I fed the troll.

----------

If the lack of touch ID is due to supply constraints then they should've delayed it till December. Why promote the feature one month ago, then make no mention of it today.

Why promote the feature one month ago? Umm, because it was a new feature for the new iPhone 5S?
 

gentleman00

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 8, 2007
415
122
As I said, I own a number of Apple products, but that does not mean I have to agree with their marketing strategy. A recent article illustrates my point.



http://www.businessinsider.com/apples-ipad-sales-weaker-than-expected-2013-7

"The larger problem, arguably, is that Apple is trying to maintain premium pricing in a market in which competitors are increasingly selling high-quality iPad alternatives for significantly lower prices."
 

taedouni

macrumors 65816
Jun 7, 2011
1,117
29
California
The price is great IMO. You get the same specs as an iPad Air but with just a smaller screen (7.9"). You do realize that it's harder for Apple to make an iPad mini with the same specs as the iPad Air right?

Apple is giving consumers a choice. The new iPad mini isn't a cheap tablet. It's a premium quality tablet that receives top notch support from Apple. The original iPad mini felt too cheap IMO due to the fact that it was running an A5 chip (which was already almost 2 years old) and a non retina screen with little ram compared to the iPhone 5. Now the iPad mini is up to par with other apple products.

Smaller screen size isn't suppose to correlate to cheaper price. In Apple's mind, it's all about pricing. This is suppose to compete with the Nexus 7. This is a 7.9" tablet that has a PPI of 326 (same as the iPhone). Spec wise, this tablet destroys the Nexus 7.
 

joshdammit

Suspended
Mar 6, 2013
321
57
With Americans still recovering from the economic recession, and many still unemployed, one might expect -

People to not go out buying frivolous electronics?

Apple to keep the price point of iPad Minis at $329 or lower. But profits and greed still dictate over innovation. Very few will buy an Apple Mini for $399.

I might. I wanted a Mini as of lately, and was thinking of selling my 3. I would've decided against it if the new Mini had old hardware in it, like the first Mini.

Now I can spend $100 less, get a Mini with a retina display and up to date hardware.

Eventually, Apple will be forced to lower the price of the Mini, especially in this market with so many alternatives to the iPad. And, yes, this is from someone who owns an phone, ipad, imac, and macbook air. :rolleyes:

Not gonna happen. Sorry, but you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, no matter how many Apple products you've asked your parents to buy for you.

As I said, I own a number of Apple products, but that does not mean I have to agree with their marketing strategy. A recent article illustrates my point.



http://www.businessinsider.com/apples-ipad-sales-weaker-than-expected-2013-7

"The larger problem, arguably, is that Apple is trying to maintain premium pricing in a market in which competitors are increasingly selling high-quality iPad alternatives for significantly lower prices."

Steve Ballmer also said the iPhone is gonna flop because nobody wants to use a touchscreen to write an email. My point here is, there are people in the industry who look down on Apple's products and end up with egg on their face. There are even more analysts like this.

More often than not, they end up wrong. There are plenty more people like me who want a smaller iPad without sacrificing on power or screen quality.
 

DVK916

macrumors regular
Jan 5, 2006
148
0
I am not complaining. Just stating the obvious. Buyers will either gravitate towards the Mini at $299 or the iPad Air at $499.

This makes zero sense, a $399 Retina Mini is too expensive but an exact same spec Ipad Air for 499 isn't too expensive. Massive logic fail.

----------

As I said, I own a number of Apple products, but that does not mean I have to agree with their marketing strategy. A recent article illustrates my point.



http://www.businessinsider.com/apples-ipad-sales-weaker-than-expected-2013-7

"The larger problem, arguably, is that Apple is trying to maintain premium pricing in a market in which competitors are increasingly selling high-quality iPad alternatives for significantly lower prices."

None of the competitors come close to the Ipad in terms of specs.
 

dlondon

macrumors 6502
Sep 6, 2013
410
326
No touch id, $399 price tag makes me unimpressed. I will wait till the next version.

Fully agree with you re TouchID. Unfortunately, I sold my iPad so will now have to decide between the iPad Mini 2 without TouchID or the iPad Air without TouchID. What's the betting that Apple release a minor update in 6 months...?

If the lack of touch ID is due to supply constraints then they should've delayed it till December. Why promote the feature one month ago, then make no mention of it today. We all know they will include it next year for probably the same price. And that's when everyone who bites this year will not have future proofed their device for when touch ID gains more usability other than unlocking and app purchasing.

A little surprised of Apple's caliber not to have planned this months ago in order to offer touch ID across all the top of the line iOS products.

I was surprised and disappointed re TouchID and agree that they could delay until December but I suspect that is all about having products on sale before the holiday period.
 

jimmirehman

macrumors 6502a
Sep 14, 2012
505
352
I think one needs to remember that the iPad Mini had iPad 2 specs when the iPad 4 was the top dog, so iPad Mini was already hindered right out of the box. the NEW iPad mini is not hindered by old specs. It matches the iPad Air which really lets people focus on which screen size they want without having to worry about sacrificing power. If you ask me, if will sell better than the first iPad Mini did. Could it be a lower price? Of course, who can sit here and say they don't want a lower price on anything!?!? But is it an appropriate price? Yeah i think it is.
 

Jman13

macrumors 68000
Aug 7, 2011
1,570
277
Columbus, OH
People are forgetting that it's not just a retina display - it's two full generations of processor advancement. A5 to A7. Three if you consider the full size iPad went A5->A5X->A6X->A7.

The new mini literally has EVERYTHING the iPad Air has, but in a smaller package. It's priced just fine. It's twice as fast as the iPad 4 that was just replaced.

Now the iPad 2 at $399 is just laughable. That should be $199 by now.
 
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