zephyrnoid
macrumors 6502
And which will be a pricey hand-me-down for your Tweens in 6 months when the iPad Micro is announced 🙂 Rave On!
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All iPads Apple's expensive iPad Mini mistake
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And which will be a pricey hand-me-down for your Tweens in 6 months when the iPad Micro is announced 🙂 Rave On!
zephyrnoid
macrumors 6502
Management Shake Up Due To iPad Mini
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. 😀
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. 😀
ipad mini
The only thing that I wasn't happy about is the fact they didn't install a $10.00 stand alone GPS in it. That would have sold the mini to alot more people. I will get mine on friday, and when they install a GPS I will give this one to the wife. We both have Nexus 7's so we have a GPS when we need one. The ultimate piece of tech gear will do it all.
The only thing that I wasn't happy about is the fact they didn't install a $10.00 stand alone GPS in it. That would have sold the mini to alot more people. I will get mine on friday, and when they install a GPS I will give this one to the wife. We both have Nexus 7's so we have a GPS when we need one. The ultimate piece of tech gear will do it all.
zephyrnoid
macrumors 6502
Absolutely! The Mini smacks of 'beta' subsidizing what should be the finished product. I will stop short of advising people not to buy it 😀 but I wiil definitely NOT buy it. Please do sell me your Nexus7 if you want, I'll be collecting them soon 🙂 as I wait for the Nexus7 refresh this November.
BaldiMac
macrumors G3
I'm sure that they replaced the software guy and the retail guy because of the iPad Mini. Wait, how does that make sense?
You think that extra half inch of width is a significant factor?
I'd say a 35% larger screen and 275,000 apps designed for tablet use adds significant value over the half inch difference in width.
Again, a half inch wider while reducing thickness and weight.
Close? 65% of the price.
Not a chance.
We'll see! 🙂
WilliamLondon
macrumors 68000
Really? You think that at the levels they've already sold, it is a failure and they're going to release a smaller 7" tablet in the spring, really?
I think you're misunderstanding product and pricing strategy - I think Apple got it fairly right, not completely wrong. Based on the pre-orders selling out and delays in orders occurring, it's not a failure at all, it's quite a success. Personally, I know several people getting one, as well as myself, I think you are completely wrong, and I think the facts support me in this.
There will be no new version of the iPad or a new iPad mini in the spring. There will be a gen 2 in a year, and hopefully (!!) that version will come with a higher resolution screen than the one it is being launched with this year for its gen 1. I'll probably upgrade to the gen 2 at that time, and in the meantime I'll have enjoyed the product for a full year, and so will millions upon millions of others, Mr. Vociferous<smile>.
Have PM'ed a link over to you - branch out and extrapolate from their - The Register mentions Carphone Warehouse non-figures, this reports a little better and issued prior to the launch of the 32G N7 and Google Shop in Europe - a case of Apple finally has competition me thinks!
d123
macrumors 68020
Has Apple added standalone GPS to any wifi only iPad? I'm sure it's always been on the cellular models.
Why should anyone expect the Mini to be different? And how does something that has been since the iPad 1 be considered "beta"?😕
Surely anyone who finds GPS a necessity would just order the Mini wifi + cellular?
http://www.apple.com/uk/ipad-mini/specs/
Wifi and cellular specs
Googles initial sales estimate for the N7 was 4 million units globally, IDC now expect that to reach in excess of 12 million by year end - this research and figures computation was undertaken prior to the launch of the 32G N7 and 3G N7.
Extrapolating on these figures, Mr. Cook claimed in Apple's event last week that the iPad had sold more than 100 million since its launch in March 2010, thats 100 million units in 30 months, or more than 3.3 million units per month since launch, hence the N7 has been selling at least 2 million units per month since its launch and is not available in as many countries as the iPad - this changes with the opening of the Google Shop in several European countries this November.
Now sir, if you were a financial analyst giving advice to investors, its important to cover all facts and major points of interest - one underestimated fact is that the Google store is not global, unlike Apple, another is it does not have its own sales outlets.
A case in point, in Hong Kong there are hardly any N7 due to the fact Google do not sell it here - Asus sell it via a limited number of sales outlets and its cost is the same as in the UK - which is strange given its manufactured in China and we have no GST in Hong Kong - by the way the cheapest place on earth for Apple products is Hong Kong.
Basically, you are a typical Apple Fanbois, oblivious to facts and changing consumer trends, new entrants and increased consumer interest - Apple's sales figures by the way have not been received warmly by the financial community and their analysts are paid large amounts to understand these issues - I should know as i knock around with a few of them.
Anyway, enough of this nonsense I've got real work to perform - all of it on Apple products by the way.
d123
macrumors 68020
BaldiMac
macrumors G3
PM? It would be nice to support your public comments publicly.
None of your made up numbers surpass actual iPad sales numbers.
None of this BS supports your claim that the Nexus 7 is the "fastest selling tablet device in the Uk since its launch."
If I were a financial analyst, I would probably cover the fact that Google does not make any money selling a Nexus 7.
goinskiing
macrumors 6502a
I think you're pretty off the mark here, but that's your opinion and this is mine. 🙂
If you could be arsed to go and do some research and leave the Apple Fanbois BS out of the equation one will learn that Apple price gouges extensively, anywhere between 30%-50% mark-ups on products - its not as if they are poor with US$100 billion stashed in overseas accounts - as such, Google are doing us a favour by heavily discounting its Nexus hardware - this in a time of recession.
Further, and I say this as someone with major concerns about unemployment in the West, it irks me that Apple, Google et.al get third world nations to assemble their goods, personally I'd prefer they were manufactured in the USA, UK, Ireland or Mainland Europe, particularly given the fact that the cost of labour, any cost of labour in the manufacturing process is in the range of 8-15% of the overall cost of the product - I won't mention tax avoidance and all that.
Thank's for pointing out mistakes in my hastily typed blog posts - these are blog posts I believe, that is live and not works of literature.
Now, Apple is a business in a Capitalist world and I'm anti-capitalist, further, I became entwined with Apple - it was Apple Computer at the time - due to the fact it was seen a David against the WinTel Goliath - that fact is it is now Apple that is the Goliath and the principles that made it appeal to me as a business are long gone.
Now, you may wish to live in a monolithic state and have businesses that are effectively cartels, but I do not.
Competition is good, both iOS and Android are crap when compared to a desk top operating system and technological progress will mean sooner or later the devices we hold in our hands will be more powerful than today's workstations - an easy feat given the lack lustre revamp of the Mac Pro this year - that said, I do not have a love affair with Apple or think Steve Job's is God - its a bloody business and I'm critical of business full stop - so do yourself a favour and get a life, also please comment on the slagging off I give the Google 10, you cannot have it both ways and I like to be unbiased, that does not mean one is not critical and I'm highly critical of Apple presently - hence my support financially for Google's N7 - my first ever Android device - oh, and I've never owned a PC, every computer I've ever owned has been Apple, including those operating my business.
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BaldiMac
macrumors G3
Sooo... because I pointed out that you were wrong, I'm "a Apple fanbois". Hmm.
Otherwise, nice rant! 😀
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WilliamLondon
macrumors 68000
Ah, the "you're an Apple fanboi" old chestnut. It's a cheap argument made by both lazy people and those without any substance to their position.
Everyone has criticized Apple for charging $100 for 16GB of extra storage (16GB > 32GB). Now while Google charges $50 for that on the N7, they charge $100 for that same upgrade on the N10. How are they helping everyone during a recession again?
Google subsidizes its tablets with ad revenue, Apple does not. Its unrealistic to expect Apple can match Google's prices.
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Don't kid yourself, Google is doing itself a favor. It's a latecomer and has to sell at cost to get in the game. As a business owner yourself you do understand that if somebody opens up shop across from you and sells at cost to pull business away from you, you can't simply respond by matching that ridiculous price because you'll both go out of business eventually. All the more so when the business owner isn't even in the same line of business, just trying to get a piece of the customer base.
WilliamLondon
macrumors 68000
Is that how you see it? I think that's a complete misunderstanding of their business model.
They're selling it to us at cost in order to get as many out there in the hands of consumers. Once in the hands of consumers, Google profits in two ways: 1) Google Play for the content to run on these devices, 2) selling details of these users private details to others so they can create more specific advertisements to show them. Google is not philanthropic with their devices.
I'm an anti-capitalist too, but I find Google to be one of the most heinous companies in existence today - in the past it was Micro$haft, but they are largely irrelevant in today's tech world. Apple is not perfect, don't assume that's what I'm saying for a moment, but I find Google to be utterly unethical and I detest their whole business model and on principle I stay away from Google as far as tech-humanly possible.
zephyrnoid
macrumors 6502
Well, based on a brief survey of colleagues in the media that have reviewed the ipad mini, there does seem to be some consensus at least.
• Since we take the term 'Mini' literally it should be possible to stow, where other similarly sized tablets can be stowed already. More than this, once we get into serious covers, that extra .60" does in fact make a difference as it compounds the total operational width. As I stated a couple of months ago, the Nexus7 fits into 7 out the 8 jackets I wear frequently including the most important one of all, my suite jacket. The suite jacket is the quintessential businessman's finishing touch, it's near cousins, the sports blazers may have larger pockets. Not to have to hand hold the tablet while making one's way to a meeting or a presentation is PRICELESS.
• No value added from Retina especially when simultaneously released with an ipad replacement that does sport Retina has left lost of people scratching their heads. (personally, I prefer more on-board storage memory and small physical size to screen res.) You see. One has to wonder what the Mini WITH Retina would have been priced at ?? ( if such a panel exists)
• More apps do not necessarily mean better functionality, usability or value. No more in fact than more 'features' make for better software. Most people utilize about 10% of the functionality of their computers. So really. Have you ever met anyone that's used more than a couple of dozen apps on a regular basis?
I may be wrong about an iPad 'Micro' in the Spring, but I and a whole bunch of respected journalists do not doubt Apple will sell lots of Minis, just not to the target market that wants it to be pocket friendly. They will be sold as iPad Replacements or Alternatives, which is different 🙂
In my personal experience, Apple has a habit of sometimes beating a dead 'Mini' horse to a pulp. Witness the Apple Mini! When will they give it up?😀
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this is from Apple F4q (Sept quarter) conference call last week. Still think it is greed? Ipad 2 and Ipad 3 make 23 to 32% gross margin (translate to about 10-12% profit after marketing expensive, development expensive and advertising, and tax). Low end Ipad mini will at best has high teen gross margin and most like has 5-10% profit. Ipad mini line will make money if a lot of customer buy the high end model. But the low end model is barely profitable. Iphone 5 is the high margin product with 50+% gross margin and the envy of the industry... Call that one greedy instead...
http://www.morningstar.com/earnings/earnings-call-transcript.aspx?t=AAPL
The iPhone 5, iPad Mini, iMac, MacBook Pro 13-inch, iPod Touch and iPod Nano have completely new form factors with great new features and we've never before introduced so many new form factors at once. All of these products have higher cost than their predecessors and therefore lower gross margins as they are at the height of the cost curve. This has been the case with new products in the past, so nothing new. The difference this time is the sheer number of new products we are introducing in a very short period of time. Additionally, we lowered the price of the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 delivering incredible value to our customers. We head into this holiday quarter with the strongest iPhone lineup that we have ever had with the iPhone 4 starting at free in the subsidized markets. We also added the iPad Mini to our iPad line up. The iPad Mini has the full iPad experience and we priced it aggressively at $329, delivering incredible value to our customers. Its gross margin is significantly below the corporate average. So, in summary, we expect our gross margin to decline by about 400 basis points
heh heh, don't take yourself too seriously. We are all amateur here. Why use the average Ipad sales for the last 33 months for your comparision? Apple sold 14m Ipad 2 + Ipad 3 last Q and 17m Ipad 2 + Ipad 3 in 2Q12. And what will be the sales number in 4Q12 (this q)? looks like around 24-25M according to IDC 60% market share projection at a 8m unit a month rate of Ipad 2+Ipad 3+Ipad mini.
Question: Why wouldn't Google/ASUS expand their manufacturing capability and build more Nexus 7 and sell it to the rest of the world? Apple has resellers all over the world, why not Google? If you can solve this riddle, I think you will understand why Apple don't price the Ipad mini any lower.
http://www.zdnet.com/tablets-to-hit-117-1-million-units-in-2012-165-9-million-in-2013-7000004495/
A strong fourth quarter for the tablet market will translate into 117.1 million units for 2012, according to IDC. That projection was raised from IDC's previous forecast of 107.4 million.
IDC expects Windows tablets---Windows 7 slates today, Windows RT and Windows 8 tablets---to grow from 1 percent of the market in 2011 to 4 percent in 2012. By 2016, Windows tablets will have 11 percent of the market.
iOS tablets will have market share of 60 percent in 2012, but slip to 11 percent in 2016.
Android tablets will have market share 35.3 percent of the market in 2012 and fall to 30.5 percent by 2016.
Tablet strength is likely to come at the expense of e-readers. IDC lowered its e-reader forecast to 23.6 million units in 2012, down from 27.7 million units in 2011.
Wait, if you are anti-capitalist, how do you post on this forum? Where do you get your computer/laptop/tablet? How do you access internet? do you work for a capitalist company, own a capitalist company or you are getting your money from government program? If you are truly anti-capitalist, you should be living in a jungle somewhere, hunting your own food and building you own shelter. 😎)
BaldiMac
macrumors G3
That's a lot of words to ignore the fact that the iPad mini would still fit into a suit pocket.
I have no idea what your point is here. The "value added" over the competition is the larger screen in a similar form factor. Thinner. Lighter. The Apple ecosystem. And the 275,000 apps optimized for tablet use.
That's just FUD. You speak in generalities, when all you have to do is look at the real life difference in Android apps on a tablet and iPad apps to see the obvious benefits of the iPad apps.
Again, you are willfully ignoring that the difference between the Nexus 7, which you call pocket friendly, and the iPad mini is a half inch. Unless the Nexus 7 is perfectly snug now, it's still going to fit. And the iPad mini is thinner, lighter and has a 35% bigger screen. These are reasonable trade offs for a half inch in width!
http://www.loopinsight.com/2012/10/31/ipad-mini-fits-in-your-back-pocket/
😕 What's an Apple Mini?
