I think people are looking at the value of the mini all wrong

[mjaco002]

I kind of agree

I kind of agree with you that iPad Mini is priced at the correct level. The way I look at it, had Apple released an iPad Mini at $249 which I suspect would have been a 8GB tablet, most people would be frustrated by the little space that it would have.

If normal convention goes the 16GB iPad Mini would have been priced at $349. So if I look at that then getting a 16GB iPad Mini at $329 would be a bargain.

Others would say that the 8GB would have been perfect for them but after couple of weeks they would have gotten frustrated and most would have opted for the 16GB price point.

 

[ixodes]

Yup, they could update it as soon as 7.9" 2048x1536 panels are feasible. After seeing the updates, we know they won't necessarily stick to a 12 month schedule.

I think the pricing surprised us a bit, but I bet a big reason for it is to keep a decent margin if in 2013 they update the mini with the A6X and retina display, and keep the original A5 1024x768 mini at a cheaper price like 229-249.

I agree.

The current price reflects Apples greed...

And is a huge gift to Google.

Had Apple priced it at $279...

They would have made a very strong profit per unit.

By volume, they would have made even more than at the current price, since more customers would buy them.

They would have crushed Google & others.

But they'd have also severely damaged their ego.

Apple's culture dictates they maintain an air of superiority above all else.

At the current starting price, there's no question, we are paying a hefty premium for nothing more than the Apple brand.

Apple knows exactly what they can milk us for.

 

[aka777]

Or if you own an iPhone5 that means you can do what I do: Buy the top of the line iPad3 (or, next month, the iPad4) but without any 4G-LTE, then use the iPhone as a wireless hotspot so you can get 4G LTE on the iPad wherever you go and save a truckload of cash while you're at it.

However, it's a lot more messing around when using wireless data like that.

Whereas, with cellular data, is there once I turn the screen on.

----------

I agree.

The current price reflects Apples greed...

.....

At the current starting price, there's no question, we are paying a hefty premium for nothing more than the Apple brand.

Apple knows exactly what they can milk us for.

Which will continue to be the case until other manufacturers produce something as good or better. I don't want to hear the excuses and BS from the fandroids. For the things I do, like web browsing, side by side, the ipad 3 versus any android tablet is better.

Same deal with the Nexus 7 versus the mini. I need cellular data for it. Oh wait, google is yet to offer this product. Which is surprising , considering they have a release schedule that typically puts the ipad 3 > 4 schedule to shame. Too bad their software release on various gadgets is so staggered, it's ridiculous.

Last but not least, the quality of the GUI matters, this is something the tech-heads at Google fail to grasp. In addition, Google is not a customer oriented organization like apple.

The biggest disappointment here is Microsoft, as they have just stalled in tablets and phones. What the hell happened to this organization? Evidently Hubris.

 

[profets]

A big reason for the price is that there is no way it could be cheaper than an ipod touch...and they start at $299. I think the poor pricing of the touch caused this slightly higher price for the mini. $199 or at most $249 would be better for the touch, and then so on.

That's true as well. It does feel like they wanted to separate it just a bit from the iPod touch.. Which has a weird pricing structure itself.

 

[MacManTexas56]

I agree.

The current price reflects Apples greed...

And is a huge gift to Google.

Had Apple priced it at $279...

They would have made a very strong profit per unit.

By volume, they would have made even more than at the current price, since more customers would buy them.

They would have crushed Google & others.

But they'd have also severely damaged their ego.

Apple's culture dictates they maintain an air of superiority above all else.

At the current starting price, there's no question, we are paying a hefty premium for nothing more than the Apple brand.

Apple knows exactly what they can milk us for.

why is this still shocking?

Apple is more expensive. They don't need to compete with another company on price. They sell themselves. If someone is so concerned with price Apple isn't going to be the company they look at. They will order a cheap device from Google or Amazon. They will be those people that wish they would have just spent a little more and gotten an Apple product.

 

[ixodes]

why is this still shocking?

Apple is more expensive. They don't need to compete with another company on price. They sell themselves. If someone is so concerned with price Apple isn't going to be the company they look at. They will order a cheap device from Google or Amazon. They will be those people that wish they would have just spent a little more and gotten an Apple product.

Never said it was shocking, quite the contrary, Apple is expected to be heavy handed when it comes to pricing.

A lesser expensive device does not equate to "cheap", only in your eyes.

The Nexus 7 table I have is an excellent device.

And I am _not_ advocating for Google, nor am I justifying my purchase. I am a tech enthusiast that will buy an iPad Mini the moment they are released, just as I do competing devices.

I buy regardless, because I enjoy the experience each platform provides. I happen to enjoy Android as much as I enjoy iOS. They are different and that is to be celebrated.


Yet let's step back and read this excerpt, a perspective from someone else:



"Yesterday, the world was treated to a classic example of what might be described as "customer lock-in."

Apple launched a new iPad Mini tablet and priced it at $329.

For those who aren't obsessed with gadgets, the iPad Mini tablet is pretty much the same as Amazon's Kindle Fire HD tablet and Google's Nexus 7 tablet, which are both priced at $199.

In other words, Apple is charging $130 more for its small tablet than Amazon and Google are charging for theirs."



http://www.businessinsider.com/the-ipad-mini-is-too-expensive-2012-10#ixzz2ALZbvUGV

 

[MacManTexas56]

Never said it was shocking, quite the contrary, Apple is expected to be heavy handed when it comes to pricing.

A lesser expensive device does not equate to "cheap", only in your eyes.

The Nexus 7 table I have is an excellent device.

And I am _not_ advocating for Google, nor am I justifying my purchase. I am a tech enthusiast that will buy an iPad Mini the moment they are released, just as I do competing devices.

I buy regardless, because I enjoy the experience each platform provides. I happen to enjoy Android as much as I enjoy iOS. They are different and that is to be celebrated.


Yet let's step back and read this excerpt, a perspective from someone else:



"Yesterday, the world was treated to a classic example of what might be described as "customer lock-in."

Apple launched a new iPad Mini tablet and priced it at $329.

For those who aren't obsessed with gadgets, the iPad Mini tablet is pretty much the same as Amazon's Kindle Fire HD tablet and Google's Nexus 7 tablet, which are both priced at $199.

In other words, Apple is charging $130 more for its small tablet than Amazon and Google are charging for theirs."



http://www.businessinsider.com/the-ipad-mini-is-too-expensive-2012-10#ixzz2ALZbvUGV

amazon's isn't even a fully functional tablet either. The Nexus 7 is a nicely built device, I had one for a little bit. I even had a galaxy nexus....google customer service absolutely sucks though.

I have yet to see a nexus 7 out and about, seen several kindle fire's....but all i see are iPad's man. If people are on a small budget, of course they aren't going to buy an apple product. Same goes with computers. But you get what you pay for.