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Predict the price for the 7.85" Ipad Mini

Predict the price for the 7.85" Ipad Mini

  • $199

    Votes: 13 8.1%

  • $249

    Votes: 45 28.0%

  • $299

    Votes: 90 55.9%

  • $349

    Votes: 13 8.1%
  • Total voters
    161
There's a lot of speculation that the price could be as low as $249 or even $199, but I don't buy it. It reminds me of the speculation prior to the iPhone 4s debut that Apple would also release a low price redesigned iPhone 4 for the prepaid market. Didn't happen. Instead, they kept the old hardware and dropped the price $100.

I think the same will happen here. The iPad mini will essentially recycle the old hardware (same dpi screen, old processor, old graphics) and… be $100 cheaper. $299 16GB.
 
Another thing about the comparison with the iPhone… Apple can accept lower margins on the iPhone 3GS* because it is a vastly inferior product compared to their more profitable 4 and 4S. I can't think of any reason—other than price—why someone would choose to buy a 3GS versus a newer model. Thus, they offer a low-margin 3GS knowing that—rather than canabilizing their premium products—it entices a customer who wouldn't have otherwise purchased an iPhone.

But an iPad mini would for many be more attractive than the full-size iPad. There absolutely will be many who would have bought the iPad 2 or even the retina iPad who instead will opt for the iPad mini. If the mini doesn't have sufficient margins—and at $199 it simply can't—then Apple will have created a new product line guaranteed to lower their gross margins, and Apple does not do that.

When they come out with the 7.85 iPad mini, I don't think it will look like the line-up of old iPhones and iPads. i.e. with one capacity to entice those with less means. My guess is it will be a full-fledged lineup with three capacities, options for 3G/LTE, and maybe even colors beyond black and white.

* I guess it's an assumption that the 3GS is lower margin than the 4 and 4S, but it pretty much has to be true. The 3GS lists for $200 less than the 4S and it *can't* be that much cheaper to make.
 
I doubt we'll see an iPad at $199 when that's the entry price of an iPod Touch. While Apple may introduce a smaller iPad to combat the growing number of 7" Android tablets, I don't think they will feel the need to compete with them on price. Why, because it's an iPad.

My guess is nothing lower than $299 for a base unit, and wouldn't be surprised if it was $349.
 
My guess is that it will be 16GB at $299. It fits nicely between the $399 iPad 2 and the $199 iPod touch.
 
lord patton said:
There's a lot of speculation that the price could be as low as $249 or even $199, but I don't buy it. It reminds me of the speculation prior to the iPhone 4s debut that Apple would also release a low price redesigned iPhone 4 for the prepaid market. Didn't happen. Instead, they kept the old hardware and dropped the price $100.

I think the same will happen here. The iPad mini will essentially recycle the old hardware (same dpi screen, old processor, old graphics) and… be $100 cheaper. $299 16GB.
Click to expand...

Methinks Apple might introduce the base 8GB model and price it at $250, kind of like they done with iPod Touch. It will help attract more customers and put a serious damper on competition like Nexus7 and the next Kindle Fire.
 
lord patton said:
Another thing about the comparison with the iPhone… Apple can accept lower margins on the iPhone 3GS* because it is a vastly inferior product compared to their more profitable 4 and 4S. I can't think of any reason—other than price—why someone would choose to buy a 3GS versus a newer model. Thus, they offer a low-margin 3GS knowing that—rather than canabilizing their premium products—it entices a customer who wouldn't have otherwise purchased an iPhone.

But an iPad mini would for many be more attractive than the full-size iPad. There absolutely will be many who would have bought the iPad 2 or even the retina iPad who instead will opt for the iPad mini. If the mini doesn't have sufficient margins—and at $199 it simply can't—then Apple will have created a new product line guaranteed to lower their gross margins, and Apple does not do that.

When they come out with the 7.85 iPad mini, I don't think it will look like the line-up of old iPhones and iPads. i.e. with one capacity to entice those with less means. My guess is it will be a full-fledged lineup with three capacities, options for 3G/LTE, and maybe even colors beyond black and white.

* I guess it's an assumption that the 3GS is lower margin than the 4 and 4S, but it pretty much has to be true. The 3GS lists for $200 less than the 4S and it *can't* be that much cheaper to make.
Click to expand...

A vendor-subsidized phone is a bad comparison. Apple is getting over $200 from the cellular company from the get-go.
 
If a smaller iPad will enable me to stop carrying a purse then I dont care what price they charge me.

(BTW. My prediction is actually high. I feel the iPad Mini will simply replace the iPad2 in the lineup so it will initially start at $399 and next Spring the iPad 4 will drop in price causing the iPad Mini to start at $299)
 
If Apple wants to COMPLETELY DOMINATE the Tablet market then $249 is an ideal price point (with 16GB of RAM).

I believe it will have minimum impact on the big iPad sales.

The chief target is much bigger >7" tablet market, that is about 2/3 of all Android sales.

Still, Apple tends to sell for $x99, so likely $299
 
I think it'll be $299 for the base unit assuming it to be 16GB. If they made an 8GB one then perhaps they'd price that at $199 to compete with the other 7" tablets out there. My money is on $299 assuming the rumors to be true.
 
So price in UK would be arround the same as the nexus 7 ? £159 for 8gb and 199 for 16gb.
 
azentropy said:
Hoping it is $50 less, but probably:
8gb - $299, 16gb $349.
Click to expand...

I think you have the initial price point correct, but, I just don't see them reverting back to 8gb for storage.

I see it like this:

16gb - $299
16gb with LTE - $369
32gb - $399
32gb with LTE - $469
64gb - $499
64gb with LTE - $569
 
I don't think it's going to be as high as $299 for the low end model.

Max would be $249, but my bet is Apple will match the price of the 8gb Nexus 7 - $199.
 
Well, compare it to the iPod Touch models and price structure. Let's assume that this fall they update those as well (since they haven't for 2 years). Here's how I predict it.

iPod Touch 6th Gen 16 GB: $199
iPod Touch 6th Gen 32 GB: $299
iPad Mini 16 GB: $299
iPad Mini 32 GB: $399
iPad 3rd Gen 16 GB: $499
iPad 3rd Gen 32 GB: $599

Wouldn't those type of steps in device and storage seem to make sense then for all of those to fall in line? I just don't see Apple keeping with just 8 GB anymore for the base models.
 
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