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Apple Reportedly Looking to Launch ‘iPad Mini’ Priced at $249-$299 in Q3

Marbles1 said:
Not useful for me, but if it occupies a pricing sweet spot, then it should pick up a good few buyers, especially the 'Dad I want an Ipad' legion of kids.
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Yeah i thought of kids xmas pressie when reading about this.

At the moment I have twin 3yr old boys who can't get enough from my new iPad, always wantig a go.. would love to splash out and buy them one each...but I think giving really young kids an expensive gift like an iPad is really excessive... but a dinky mini iPad at a lower price might not be that bad... Then again, if Apple do a price slash of the iPod touch, that'll probably be even better.
 
This would be perfect for me.

I have to have a full-scale Mac for my work. I have really enjoyed how light, portable and dependable my 13" Air has been. On the other end of the spectrum, I've had and enjoyed an iPhone since June 29, 2007. While I have really, really wanted an iPad, I haven't been able to justify actually needing one. A $250 price price-point, and a size substantially smaller than my Air, would fit that price and size gap between my Air and iPhone nicely. I really, really hope this rumor is true.
 
While this sounds good, I think it's a mistake.

Apple has chuckled about Android fragmentation and observed the mess that Google, et al, are in, and now they want to dirty their water by introducing something else that will fragment their market? Why?
 
macduke said:
Honestly, I wouldn't mind a 12" iPad Pro with quad-core processor, 2GB ram, 128GB of storage, 802.11ac WIFI, and pressure sensitivity for creating artwork. But will it happen? I can dream.

I'm going to give my idea to DigiTimes and tell them I'm an analyst. Expect a post in about 45 minutes.
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I struggle to see myself using a tablet that large. Sure, pressure sensitivity would be cool and I'd love a larger storage size but 12" is BIG. I've seen people, apparently in all seriousness, asking for a 15" iPad! I'm sure there comes a point when it just isn't a mobile device anymore. It may well be portable as it doesn't need to be plugged in or use an external display or input method, but not really mobile.

A mobile device in this sense is different from a portable device. A laptop is portable but you can't easily use it while sitting on a cramped train or walking down the road. A mobile device, on the other hand, I feel should be something you can pull out of a bag and use in almost any reasonable circumstances.

I accept that this is not a universally accepted distinction so I'd be curious to know what everyone else thinks.
 
I could be interested, depending on what tradeoffs there would be other than screen size and resolution. My ideal scenario (and it may not happen until 2nd or 3rd gen) is a replacement for both my iPhone and iPad. I would rather carry around one device. But not if I have to sacrifice LTE connectivity, GPS, or a decent camera.
 
PinkyMacGodess said:
While this sounds good, I think it's a mistake.

Apple has chuckled about Android fragmentation and observed the mess that Google, et al, are in, and now they want to dirty their water by introducing something else that will fragment their market? Why?
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This isn't fragmentation in the sense that we talk about Android fragmentation. This is introducing another product into a line. It would still run iOS5.

The introduction of the iPod mini wasn't fragmentation; it was just the introduction of another, smaller product into the iPod family.

I know of two people in my office who'd like a smaller iPad. They are both women who want something more handbag-sized. They both say the current iPad is too big for them to consider. Seems perfectly reasonable to me.
 
JamerTheProgram said:
Wouldn't that be a little disrespectful to Steve Jobs?
He said he didn't like 7 inch tablets... (Didnt he? Or am I imagining it? :s)
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Let me explain this: 1. Steve Jobs saying that he didn't like something, or Apple would never do something, always has meant that Apple wouldn't do this until they did. "An iPod will never play videos". "We will never make a phone". "Apple will never create a tablet computer". 2. Times are changing, so even without (1), the fact that Steve Jobs didn't like something means it was a bad idea at that time, which doesn't mean it's a bad idea today. That's why people including me are rating you down.

On the other hand, a 7 inch tablet is still a bad idea. That's why Apple won't do it, not because Steve Jobs once said he didn't like it.
 
A cheaper price point would probably cannibalize the 10in. iPad's sales. I see no market or reason for this product other than a defensive move against rivals. And I honestly can't think of Apple ever releasing a product strictly as a defensive move. Hell - they don't even acknowledge rivals in their advertising.

I have doubts that this product will ever be released.
 
gnasher729 said:
Let me explain this: 1. Steve Jobs saying that he didn't like something, or Apple would never do something, always has meant that Apple wouldn't do this until they did. "An iPod will never play videos". "We will never make a phone". "Apple will never create a tablet computer". 2. Times are changing, so even without (1), the fact that Steve Jobs didn't like something means it was a bad idea at that time, which doesn't mean it's a bad idea today. That's why people including me are rating you down.

On the other hand, a 7 inch tablet is still a bad idea. That's why Apple won't do it, not because Steve Jobs once said he didn't like it.
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Also worth baring in mind that Steve was never the only person who's opinion mattered. He was open to peruasion on some issues, the App Store being perhaps the most notable example.

Steve didn't like the 7 inch tablets but then he once said that the only reason to have a tablet computer was to be able to read emails on the toilet! It may well be that it wasn't him who championed the tablet format initially. It's possible he had already had his mind changed on the issue of 7 inch tablets before he died. We probably will never know.
 
Too big to be a iphone. Too small to be a ipad. It's an iPhad! Doh!

Of course if Apple makes it, it will sell...but personally the current size ipad is perfect for me. I will nab me a new iphone 5 if it comes with a 4" screen tho. :)
 
I must say the evidence looks like it may happen. I don't know about $249 pricing though. I guess it would have to be stripped down heavily (non retina, 8GB, 512 RAM, no cameras, etc.) so that people still think $499-$829 is a good price to pay with this $249 version available.

This would go against more than just Steve Jobs. For the first time, Apple would be making a product without a good user experience by design.
 
JamerTheProgram said:
Wouldn't that be a little disrespectful to Steve Jobs?
He said he didn't like 7 inch tablets... (Didnt he? Or am I imagining it? :s)
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Who cares, the guy's dead.

Let the new CEO run Apple the way he deems fit, not the way Steve would have run it. :)

Besides, it's apple. Build it, and they will buy it. :D
 
I think this could really work well for Apple.

Releasing a 7" iPad for $249 would completely mop the floor with anything Google or Amazon did. The Kindle Fire is nice for $200, but in terms of software responsiveness it is on par with iPad 1. I think the Mini iPad would essentially have iPad 2 hardware in a smaller form factor.

The main pros for this new iPad would be:
- Smaller (slightly more portable, women could carry it in pocketbooks, might fit in mens coat pockets)
- Cheaper (this is the biggest point. It would introduce a ton of people into Apple's ecosystem)
- Lighter (Better for tasks like reading and such.)

The primary drawback would be the smaller on screen keyboard which would be much less useful in landscape, although thumb typing should be faster. But I assume they would also include a mic to push Siri into more peoples hands when they update it in iOS 6.

And to those speaking of fragmentation, it has already been covered in an article. Apple could keep this tablet at 1024x768, which would make the screen 163PPI, or that same as non-retina iPhones. Which means that touchscreen buttons would be sized like they are on the iPhone (in terms of physical size, they are all the same pixel size).

iPad apps would look exactly the same, only slightly smaller. iPhone apps would display the same as they do on the current iPad.
 
This actually appeals to me. I think I'll get one just because and see how it goes. The cost is trivial and the value is immediate and obvious. More portable than an iPad. I am always amused by folks recording the President's speeches with an iPad. Product placement? Don't they know it's on C-SPAN?

Rocketman
 
SwiftLives said:
A cheaper price point would probably cannibalize the 10in. iPad's sales. I see no market or reason for this product other than a defensive move against rivals. And I honestly can't think of Apple ever releasing a product strictly as a defensive move. Hell - they don't even acknowledge rivals in their advertising.

I have doubts that this product will ever be released.
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If they spec it properly, it might not cannibalize their 10inch sales much at all. For example, it could come with just 8 gigs of memory.
 
My question is... what happens to the iPod Touch?

It can't continue this ludicrous $199 price, not for an intro. A $249 or even $299 iPad Mini will just eat that alive. I could see an iPad Mini for $249, with most all cameras stripped down along with all hardware, being a good grab, but it's nothing to sing about.

All this tech will slide down the price range as the iPad becomes closer to a laptop/iMac in capability. The iPad is destined to become the iMac of 2020, for most all people that use computers. I expect a larger divide between low-end Macs and Pros, if they continue doing Pro computers much longer. There will always be room and need for Mac Pros, but the market will get slimmer and slimmer since 99% of people won't need anything like a Pro by next decade.
 
A cheap iPad to compete with Kindle and lock more people into the iTunes/iOS store ecosystem?

Only thing that makes sense! :cool:
 
Abazigal said:
Who cares, the guy's dead.

Let the new CEO run Apple the way he deems fit, not the way Steve would have run it. :)

Besides, it's apple. Build it, and they will buy it. :D
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I agree. If Apple is going to be run in a way whereby they try and second-guess what Steve Jobbs would have done, it can only end in tears.

He's gone and there's a new team in charge who need to have the freedom to use what they've learnt at their time at Apple to keep the company moving forward.
 
Based on the math presented, this seems like a likely size.

I guess I'm not in the market for a compromise device. But I can imagine this might fit the bill for people on a budget, or for people who don't have an iPhone but crave portability?

I'm sure this is driven by price point more than anything. Apple's BOD probably asked the team to figure out how to hit $249 with an iPad.
 
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