Phil Schiller Defends iPad Mini Pricing Decision

[KindredMAC]

This should have started off at $299 for wifi and $429 for LTE.

Apple has used a certain pricing structure and should stick to it to keep it clean.

I would have been mush more likely to buy this for my parents at $299 than $329 from a subconscious stand point.

But this Apple... They always get their way by being stubborn.

 

[foxcub6]

Phil Schiller can make all the comments he wants, but it's still too expensive for me and I won't be buying one. I already have an iPad 3 (thanks for making it obsolete so quickly, Apple!), and I would've added an iPad mini to the household if it was priced fairly at $249 (at most). But at $329, it emphasizes to me that it's a gadget that I absolutely do not need.

Yes iam in agreement with you I have a iPad 1 which is also obsolete , may have thought about a iPad mini at a reasonable price but no way £269 uk pounds I have given Apple a barrel of cash over the years I pad iPod touch iMac mac book pro iPhone 3 gs and now a 4s Apple TV AirPort Extreme airport express a lot of cash , iam very happy with my purchases but indie my iPad wont run the latest software I won't give the money for a replacement until it breaks , Another thing that really ps me of is the so called Apple Us dollers to uk GB poun ds exchange rate bad very poor

 

[mitso]

Apple simply have a monopoly in the tablet market and they know that. Since they operate with their shareholders in mind why wouldn't they maximise profit.

I was disappointed with the price as it's a definitely money grab but they've priced it at a point where it won't seriously upset TOO many people. And the few people it does.. eh no big loss. Although if the majority of potential consumers boycott the iPad mini then sure Apple will have to improve their pricing but going from history that's unlikely and hence the monopoly.

 

[joseph2166]

No need to keep repeating these Apple talking points. Web surfing area changing depending on orientation is the new Apple BS. Screen area does not change when you flip the tablet! While there are some cases (web sites designed for 800 pixel width) where this might apply to some extent, it is not universally true and, of course, on some Android tablets (Samsung) one can keep more than one application on the screen at the same time.

Well usable area does change if the UI changes in certain ways. A bar that is always 40 pixels high will be stretched wider in landscape, therefore taking up more space on the screen than the thinner portrait version. The iPhone's toolbars are often shorter in landscape to reduce this phenomenon.

Agree its not a hardware issue though - I'm sure there Android browsers out there with minimal UI.

 

[charlituna]

It will have to. It's a consumer electronics market after all. Everybody has to compete on price if they want to be a volume seller. What worked for Apple in small volumes (fanatical following) is not going to work on masses.

And yet Apple isn't competing on pricing and has sold tens and hundreds of millions of their products. I'd say that they are doing just fine

 

[frviana]

I for one think its a rip off, $249 to $299 TOPS. Thanks to the overpriced, in sufficient hardware, especially resolution it made my buying the Kindle Fire HD that much easier.

Even though Apple has a better App Store and eco system the competition is catching up specially after Apple's mistake with Maps, ditching Youtube app and others...

I sold recently my iPad 2 with the hopes to go for an iPad mini... I'm no Apple fanboy but do own my share of Apple products including all my computers (laptop, mac-mini, AppleTv).

I used to have an iPhone but changed to an Android and am very happy with it...

After Apple launched the iPad Mini it was a bit of disappointment for me with no Retina screen and no GPS... now when I compare with a cheaper Android Nexus 7, I am debating if I its worth to spend the extra money.

Apple used to build products that there were no questions in people's mind but now when I see myself questioning if I should go Apple I see many others doing the same and this will indeed decrease the gap with the competition and lower Apple's marketshare which without a doubt will influence Apple's stock price.

 

[Want300]

agreed. It is already out-dated with the technology inside as well.

This... I did not expect from you...

Outdated how? In all respects, it is better than the iPad 2. It has Siri, it has more PPI than the iPad 2. Most of the smaller tablets seem to be "weaker" versions of their larger versions.

I do not care if this sounds like a Fan Boy comment, but I think it was smart to give it the same resolution as the iPad 2. This prevents fragmentation, and it will extend the time that apps continue to support the iPad 2 resolution. Not sure if that would happen, but still. And look at how long it has taken the majority of apps to support the iPhone 5. I still have plenty that don't, which is annoying.

I am no expert, but it seemed that there was a general consensus that they probably could not use the same resolution used for the iPad (3rd and 4th Gen) on the iPad Mini if it came with a retina display.

I suppose they could have added the A6, but I assume they chose the A5 due to cost and to keep it weaker than the full size iPad

 

[akatsuki]

Thinking about it, this is the perfect device to stick into your car dash.

Otherwise it is too expensive.

Sure, it will sell well, but it starts to destroy the value proposition people have of Apple products. (and yes, I generally think that Apple products are worth more than Android products).

 

[WestonHarvey1]

If they went 720 resolution, they could letterbox apps with no changes, and many apps would be easy to update (especially things like web, photo, books, etc). It's hard to buy that higher resolution is either too difficult or too expensive when cheaper products have retina.

Let's not forget, they're still selling the 4th gen ipod touch with 326ppi and 16 gigs of storage for $199.

Well, they didn't want to do that. Why create yet another aspect ratio for developers? There's already three. We'll be back to two when the previous generation iPhones and touches finally go off into the sunset.

If Apple ever feels the iPad needs to be 16:9, they'll transition the mini and the standard iPad at the same time.

 

[samcraig]

Smoke and mirrors. His comment is useless. He's justifying the price saying "The most affordable product we've made so far was $399 and people were choosing that over those devices"

Yes - they were choosing a LARGE iPad at that price.

Now there's competition - significant competition in the SMALLER tablet size marketplace.

Of course they will still sell well. But that doesn't mean his rationale makes any sense.

 

[Che Castro]

I'm going to buy one

That's I know

 

[gnasher729]

Is new iPod Touch selling like hot cakes?

It's the best selling device in a category that is slowly dying. And Apple still sells 70% of all portable music players. So what more do you want?

Nope. 32GB are rolling out for the price.

According to the people complaining here about the iPad 4 upgrade, that should kill the Nexus stone dead. Everyone who bought one with 16 GB will return it to the store, demand a new one for free, sue Google, and never buy another Nexus ever again.

 

[i.mac]

Apple is charging a premium price for a product stuffed with old technology.

Seriously, a dumb move by Apple. I agree that they shouldn't sell at cost (like Amazon and Google), but Apple had a unique opportunity to effectively close the door on its competitors and it chose not to.

Ignorance.

 

[joseph2166]

I would have been mush more likely to buy this for my parents at $299 than $329 from a subconscious stand point.

There is of course an understandable draw to $299 in that it sounds a lot less, but for you personally the very fact that you've come onto a forum discussing the price in that amount of detail means that you, at any rate, are far beyond the 'subconscious' point.

 

[whatever]

Nexus 7 - higher ppi, NFC, more RAM, quadcore, GPS, $100 less expensive...

But it doesn't run iOS.

 

[chrisbru]

Please, let the adults talk. That 'bloody' Nexus is running the most impressive phone os in the market right. That cheap plastic is getting rave reviews from everyone using it. At least, try one for yourself instead of blindly saying idiotic things.

Most impressive phone OS in the market? Sounds very subjective to me. Not to mention that you basically conceded that all Android tablets are just blown up smart phones, and not optimized tablet experiences like the iPad.

I'm not discounting Android (it does some things very well, and is a viable competitor to iOS) or the Nexus (I haven't tried one out)... But, in general, Android tablets are nowhere near the same league as iPad as far as overall user experience.

Google Search
Google Translate
Google Earth
Google Maps
Google+
Google+ Messenger
Gogle Talk
Google Voice
GMail
Google Drive (includes Google Docs: spreadsheets, presentations etc.)
Google Chrome
Google Finance
Google Currents
Google Wallet
Google Goggles
Google Reader
Google TV Remote
Google Shopper
My Tracks
StreetView
FieldTrip

Nearly all of these are available on iOS, btw.

 

[bmturney]

Be patient...

Apple will hit that lower price point... when they come out with the next gen of the iPad mini... when the next gen comes out, they will prob start selling the 1st gen at $249... they just have to be careful in their pricing model to not to cannibalize their other products (i.e. the iPod Touch)... I'm sure their margins are much better on the Touch than on the iPad Mini.. so they don't want to loose too many of those sales...

 

[lilo777]

Well usable area does change if the UI changes in certain ways. A bar that is always 40 pixels high will be stretched wider in landscape, therefore taking up more space on the screen than the thinner portrait version. The iPhone's toolbars are often shorter in landscape to reduce this phenomenon.

Agree its not a hardware issue though - I'm sure there Android browsers out there with minimal UI.

There are. Dolphin Browser has full screen mode (no URL/tool bar)

 

[Want300]

SO many comments, SO fast, I cannot read them all

 

[charlituna]

if you buy an iPad mini or iPad 4th gen. in 6 or 7 months there will be another new device thats "revolutionary"

Or not. Because like when they 'delayed' the iphone 4s to the fall they could be moving the iPads to the fall. So there won't be something in 6 or 7 months.

As for the general notion of 'there's something better coming' thats just the nature of the game in tech. The moment you buy something there's something else already in the works.

 

[joseph2166]

Well, they didn't want to do that. Why create yet another aspect ratio for developers? There's already three. We'll be back to two when the previous generation iPhones and touches finally go off into the sunset.

If Apple ever feels the iPad needs to be 16:9, they'll transition the mini and the standard iPad at the same time.

As a developer myself, can I echo that. One of the draws of iOS for developers has always been that its relatively un-fragmented. If we introduce yet another screen ratio that could only be calculated to annoy us!

 

[milo]

Are you all the same people that complained about the original iPad?

For the record, I'm not one of those people. It's a different situation, the iPad shipped at a time when there was no genuine competition. And when it was announced, the pricing was lower than anyone expected.

Many people are missing the point. Usability is much more important than specs alone for a smaller tablet.

1. The iPad mini weighs 10.88 oz vs. 13.9 oz and 11.1 oz for the Kindle Fire HD and B&N Nook HD.

You do realize that's a difference of .22 ounces, right? Less than two percent lighter.

 

[Tech198]

good luck with price change on the mini....

I think the boat is slipping for people...

"Its either Apple, or the highway"

Apple do want they want.... if people don't like it, they don't care.

Having said that, price could have been a bit cheaper though .

 

[Tinmania]

With every new product, everyone LOVES to tell Apple just how wrong they are.

Then Apple sells a zillion units, customers love their new product, and we all retreat and wait for the NEXT new product so we can tell them how wrong they are again, they sell a zillion units, people love their new product, and the cycle continues.

You think Apple is the first and last company to be on a roll? Twenty-five years ago I could have said similar about Sony. But rarely does it continue ad infinitum.

Eventually it gets to the point where sales are based more on inertia than innovation. I think Apple is approaching that point. I hope they can hit a home run before that happens. (I have been rather disappointed beginning with the 4S.)



Michael

 

[charlituna]

I think you are in the minority of buyers if you would buy a 5 year old a $200 electronic device.

Yeah, most folks wouldn't want Junior to have tech envy and would get him a $500 device. And then claim he's really responsible and careful so they don't need that $99 protection plan in case he drops it etc.

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I'm still a little baffled. I mean it's essentially a 7.9" iPad2...so why can't the iPad2 run Siri but the iPad Mini can?

different microphones.