Low Touchscreen Yields Reportedly Contributing to iPad Mini Pricing

[doelcm82]

I'd much rather bring the person I love out 11 times than own another useless piece of consumer electronics.

So would I. I avoid buying things that I don't find useful as a general rule. But a useful piece of consumer electronics is quite another story.

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Well, almost anything is better than owning a useless piece of consumer electronics. The argument is about whether this piece of consumer electronics is useless.

You beat me to it. Plus one to you.

 

[Medic311]

Back in the day, the iMac saved Apple and the iPod sent them to the sky. It's just that by now, the iPod boost looks almost negligible compared to the success that followed it.

if you look at the history of their stock price and market cap, it was due to iOS

 

[euphlyusUNO]

Why? Look at how well Amazon's Kindle Fire sells and its hardly a profit. It's the content they sell that really makes them the money.

More iPads = more purchases via the appstore.

Yeah but the problem is....... Amazon operates at 2% (or less), Apple >25%. So they cant do the same thing!

 

[topmounter]

Just another numerology play from Apple.

Can't see the forests for the trees?

 

[Chrjy]

Bold assumption, my friend. And having an interest in new gadgets is still compatible with much higher priorities.

Apologies but I couldn't resist that one...you did leave yourself wide open...

 

[macs4nw]

Best guess: I think "2" hangs around only until either a) the Mini proves itself as the hotly demanded iPad < $499 or b) an overstocked situation on the "2" resolves itself through holiday sales. If Apple sees the market accept the Mini as THE choice < $499, "2" will be quietly dropped from the lineup. If Mini struggles, "2" hangs around to appeal to the "I won't pay $499" crowd until- maybe- Mini Take 2.

Sounds reasonable.

The "we like money" could also maybe possibly be a factor. And why shouldn't it?

I think it's amazing to be a company that cannot make enough of its product to sell to so many. It's rarely seen in any business.....

A predicament many companies would love to be in. Decidedly well deserved success! Nothing wrong with working tirelessly towards creating a great user experience. Too many not-well-thought-out products are impulsively brought to market. Wish more companies would aim higher.

Can't help but wonder if Apple would be better off slowly transitioning to controlling and/or owning more of their manufacturing.

Would be great, but it's a time consuming and expensive proposition. Probably not warranted at this time.

I wonder how good this screen will look now that it is laminated? We never got to see that yet at iPad/iPad 2 resolution. Plus at a smaller size it may look almost "as good as" retina.

Looking forward to seeing that myself. 163ppi vs 132ppi.

Well, in Amazon's defense, their costs could be lower than Apple, even if they sell content at the same or lower price points. Unfortunately, there is no evidence that this is actually the case. I think of Amazon as a non-profit. I use it for certain items almost exclusively and I love it, but I would avoid it as an investor.

Not bashing AMAZON here, but Non-profit? Jeff Bezos seems to be doing OK.

 

[lilo777]

LG's LCD is the world best. LG is also the #1 LCD supplier. They have most of IPS technologies. Samesung makes AMOLED but it has very serious defects; burn-in, low brightness, pentile, and color calibration issues.

If LG's LCDs are the best then why every rMBP buyer wants to get a laptop with Samsung panel? Is it a case of some perverted brand loyalty? Not to mention those great LG TVs that people try to avoid as a plague. LG indeed does not produce a lot of OLED displays but that's because they do not know how. They tried to steal OLED tech secrets from Samsung but were caught in the process:

"Samsung Mobile Display says the leak of its organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screen technology was allegedly planned at the corporate level of LG Display, following the arrest of 11 people involved.

In a Yonhap News Agency report Monday, an unnamed Samsung executive said the company leads the world's OLED screen market with 97 percent share. However, the technology leak will cause Samsung to lose "trillions of won", the official said."

 

[Chrjy]

Slightly off topic but there have been a few posts about Amazon in this thread.

I think Amazon are greatly innovative and have done a great job with a lot of their ideas. They were the first company to think of the affiliate program and although the affiliate structure is enough to pi** people off now it was still very clever in its day.

Also, if I remember rightly, they were also the first company to allow the ability for users to review the products they bought.

They've also done a bunch of other innovative stuff for the internet user that we now take for granted...I like Amazon...good job.

 

[rmwebs]

Great. Looking forward to screengate.

Surely this would be Screengate Mini, as we already have Screengate with the LG 15" Retina Display

 

[Plutonius]

All of a sudden android devices seem more appealing.

It's your money. Nobody is stopping you from buying what you want to buy .

 

[Chrjy]

They tried to steal OLED tech secrets from Samsung but were caught in the process

Not defending LG here or debating which screen is better but then Samsung should understand how Apple feel when they steal their ideas!

 

[brentsg]

I'm still puzzling over Apple's choice to discontinue the iPad 3 but keep the iPad 2 in production. I'm actually glad about the decision, since that leaves one Apple iDevice with the old-style dock connector. I'm sure that the iPad 2 is cheaper to produce, thus they can sell it for a slightly cheaper price. But if someone is prepared to spend $399 for an iPad, why wouldn't they pony up the extra $100 and get the newest model? It doesn't seem like a big enough difference in price.

A lot of the iPad 2 purchases are bulk, like schools and such. Then $100 is a large chunk of another unit.

 

[Ryth]

A lot of the iPad 2 purchases are bulk, like schools and such. Then $100 is a large chunk of another unit.

Correct, but it has to do more with actually the Federal and Local Governments and their requirements for 'specs' and 'testing'.

The Federal Gov has only approved the iPad 2 for it's use so that is why they can only purchase those models...same with a lot of local governments, hence why the schools can only buy the iPad 2.

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Out of the question for 6 months so apple as usual can make money from early up takers before bumping up the specs.

(I, personally have been on of those from time to time and usually the pleasure of getting my hands on a product first out weighted that there was a new one out before I knew it)

The real question is...Is Retina EVER going to come to the Mini?

Wouldn't that require a different programming size/graphics icons set, etc for the developers.

 

[firewood]

Why? Look at how well Amazon's Kindle Fire sells and its hardly a profit. It's the content they sell that really makes them the money.

More iPads = more purchases via the appstore.

App Store revenue is peanuts to Apple. Only $6.5B paid to developers in its entire life, and Apple grosses less than half of that. Compared to Apple's mobile device hardware revenues, it's slightly better than a rounding error.

It's not the free razor, but you get stuck buying expensive blades, business model. Apple has grown a lot bigger than Gillette.

 

[CWallace]

The real question is...Is Retina EVER going to come to the Mini?

Wouldn't that require a different programming size/graphics icons set, etc for the developers.

No, because an iPad Mini with Retina Display would have the same 2048-by-1536-pixel resolution as the iPad with Retina Display so everything is the same size, it's just twice as sharp (just as it is on the iPad with Retina Display).

 

[olowott]

The Brand Made it Freaking Expensive

if it was ****ing cheap, like the rest, it wont be

simples:

 

[ncaissie]

It has nothing to do with “Production Issues”. It’s Apple and everything they sell is over priced. Including their cables.

 

[Ryth]

No, because an iPad Mini with Retina Display would have the same 2048-by-1536-pixel resolution as the iPad with Retina Display so everything is the same size, it's just twice as sharp (just as it is on the iPad with Retina Display).

Are you saying 'NO' its not coming or 'NO' it doesn't require different programming/developer time/icons, etc.

 

[LordVic]

Not defending LG here or debating which screen is better but then Samsung should understand how Apple feel when they steal their ideas!

there's a big difference between seeing that a concept is popular and attempting to mimmick it (as samsung did), and outright theft of paperwork and technical instructions on reproducing an exact copy of technology.

the fact that LG is facing criminal charges should be the big indicator that LG was doing something that goes well beyond the standard conceptual borrowing.

 

[charlituna]

Ming-Chi Kuo nails it.

Or not.

Unless you work for Apple and were involved with the design and pricing you can't really state that this information is true.

Digitimes and their sources have fallen into the rarely correct category of late and this could be another example

 

[iEvolution]

This is just an excuse.

The same company has been selling the same capacities of their devices at the same price year after year.

Apple is simply doing it because they know they can get away with it.

 

[CWallace]

Are you saying 'NO' its not coming or 'NO' it doesn't require different programming/developer time/icons, etc.

It requires no changes to existing apps or the development environment.

As to when we will see it, probably with the next release cycle.

 

[charlituna]

This sounds a lot like the normal pre-release propaganda.

More like analysts CYA. They don't want to look dumb so when they are wrong they make up excuses.
They say there will be a real TV in fall 2012, now it is delayed
They say Apple is going to do a streaming TV service, talks stalked
Streaming radio, talks stalled
They say the price will be $250, they say whatever

And so on

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that money goes to pay for servers and 24x7 electricity and other bills. the app store is only $500 or so million PROFIT a year.

Yep. Especially when you remember all the free apps that still coat Apple to support

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As much as they have been wrong, before the iPad 3 was announced, they said that it would be an interim release, with the iPad 4th Generation coming that Fall. Everyone ridiculed them and called BS. Looks like they were right.

They were saying that every year.

As the saying goes, a broken clock is right twice a day

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Seems like everything has low yields these days.

If you call 10 million on 1 day low, I hate to see high

 

[Gasu E.]

But if someone is prepared to spend $399 for an iPad, why wouldn't they pony up the extra $100 and get the newest model?

Your answer is embedded in your question. What percentage of customers are willing to pay a 25% uptick for "newest"?

 

[dethmaShine]

Why? Look at how well Amazon's Kindle Fire sells and its hardly a profit. It's the content they sell that really makes them the money.

More iPads = more purchases via the appstore.

Amazon reports $13.81 billion in sales, but $28 million operating loss

http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/25/3554202/amazon-q3-2012-earnings