I think people that say there isn't really a market for an iPad Mini are just full of it. In fact I'd venture to say many are just waiting for Apple to roll one out vs getting an Nexus or Samsung 7" tablet.
Nonetheless with that said I think many are going to be disappointed in either the price range and/or the specs of the device. However, like most things Apple they will sell anyway.
Well, I was a firm believer that Apple would not use an A5 in the iPhone 5, many argued or stated on here it would be but I was adamant and look what happened! They surprised everyone by designing their own chip which just as, it not more powerful then any other next gen chip.
So I would not state the specs will be poor, after all they have made a name with the 'retina' tag and to release a non retina iPad would be daft especially considering the res of the iPad 3's screen being so high.
The mythical iPad mini will have a Retina screen with I would guess an A6 or an A5X but perhaps with a tri core GPU of lower spec. No rear camera and no cellular data option.
I would also argue that only Apple fans that religiously follow the tech blogs are gong to be waiting for an iPad Mini rather then any other device that is launched or announced.
I have a Nexus 7 right now and I've enjoyed it. I do have an iPad too, so I've been able to do a lot of comparisons in terms of Android 4.1 and iOS6. I can honestly say I prefer iOS6, but the Nexus 7 is a great little device and I've used the fire out it (no pun intended). LOL
Great that you have tried the dark side! I think they are both as capable but for me one iOS device (iPhone 5) is enough.
My biggest concern about an iPad Mini is that in order for Apple to reach a low end price point they are going to spec it very low including a non retina display. Given the higher quality display on the Nexus and newer tablets that Samsung and Amazon has put out. It's going to be a hard choice for folks to decide, but I think those that are looking for better specs will go elsewhere and those tied to the Apple ecosystem will still get the iPad Mini regardless of the low end specs.
And we hit the sticking point, pricing and market placement. Apple is not going to launch an iPad with lower specs and pricing then the new iPod Touch. People would think it's gone mad! And the new Touch pretty much guaranteed any new iPad Mini will NOT be cheap.
This is the glaring fact many are ignoring, the new Touch, what spec is it? what price is it? And yet people STILL refuse to accept the fact any iPad Mini will NOT be lower priced or speced, Apple is not going to spend all that time and money on the new Touch development only to ruin it's sales with a better product for less.
So therefore Apple has to price a Mini iPad from between $299 and $499, and then it has to persuade people they really need a 7.85" sized tablet even though it's only a bit smaller then the normal iPad and bigger then all the other 7" devices.
This is why I think Apple are going to go the opposite direction and go upmarket with the iPad. I think they will copy the ModBook and make a touchscreen full mac tablet range to take on the Windows 8 Pro tablets. I really do think Apple are going to struggle to place an iPad Mini at the right price and right spec for it to sell well enough.
