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Aggressively my a**. Blind people will still buy it despite:

1) the fact it has lower resolution than my Note 1 and Note 2
2) the fact that it has lower resolution than Nexus 7 which Apple didn't point in their presentation during its launch. I bet next year when they release its Retina version, they'll surely point it out.
3) 512MB RAM on tablet that costs more than $300? Hello?! But then Apple users are used to old technology
4) Still no Wifi direct or Bluetooth transfer
5) still no mass storage mode

People will still buy it because they lack intelligence and common sense.

OK, I'll bite. I had a Nexus 7 for a few months, sold it recently to fund an iPad Mini.

1) Granted, although not that important to me personally.
2) I'm sure they will, fair point.
3) As long as it runs smoothly I couldn't care less about the memory.
4) Don't need BT myself (Email and Dropbox), not having WiFi direct doesn't deserve a 'still' just yet IMO
5) Again, not something I need

I'll buy it because:

1) Size is right for my requirements
2) I don't lose my investment in Apps for other iOS devices
3) It'll play nicely with my other Apple devices and can use Airplay etc..
4) The Apps in iOS are on the whole nicer .. Ebay is a great example. That must be frustrating for Android users (it frustrated me when I was using the Nexus
7) I suspect it'll be a high quality item and I like those - just as I'd choose to pay more for a Swiss watch or a German car - it's not all about the cheapest item that performs a general task.

M
 
Such a lie! In which reality distortion does cook live? The ipad mini is not even with a lot of imagination 'cheap'. 329 is the maximum you can squeeze out of a customer. Similar prblem like with the ipod touch: 299 dollar for a music player! Way, way too expensive. The touch price should start at 199 and the ipad mini 249. that would be 'agressively priced' to me.
 
I shrunken down iPad 2 to go w/ my 3rd Generation iPad( that's already outdated).... THAT'S WHAT I WANT!!












/sarcasm
 
exactly... The two biggest sellers right now are The Kindle Fire and The Nexus 7 and those companies are employing the "free lamps to sell Oil" tactic... or "free razors to sell the blades" approach. Google wants the Ad revenue and Amazon wants books/music/app sales. So if you think Apple is going to follow that money-losing scheme, you're nuts. For what you're getting, $329 is a fine place to start.

So? Don't you think apple makes money out of the app store and itunes store? They do! That also adds to the money they can generate with the product. However, apple is about making money, and they collected a huge, huge pile of oney so far. And guess where the money comes from: it's the customer who is willing to pay overpriced 299 instead of 199 for an ipod or 329 instead of 199 for an ipad mini. Apple is about squeezing the customer.
 
Like many others, I've always been happy to pay a premium for Apple products. But the difference is in the past you know with the premium you are getting the best of what Apple was offering at the time (not necessarily the best in the industry spec wise, but at least an advancement in their own product line). I'll still buy the iPad mini this time around, but the fact that even compared to their own products, it's significantly underpowered. When people can safely predict 2-3+ key features that will most likely be in next year's updated version, then you know the product is not the best they can offer.

They've gone from a company where people are curious about what innovative tech they'll bring in their future updates, to one where people are expecting basic features for NEXT year's product (e.g. A6, retina display). We don't even really need product leaks to predict what's coming next now. While the current iPad mini is likely usable and adequate in its current form, their new products no longer feel...as one certain person would put it, "magical". :apple:
You've never seen nor held it and you deem that it's only "usable and adequate"? That their new products no longer "feel magical"? Really? REALLY? I'm guessing the new Macbook Pro 15 and 13" laptops aren't "magical"? How about the new iMac? Not magical enough for you? Wow. I don't know what Apple needs to do to get those like you to feel all warm and tingling these days. For me, the new line up of their whole LINE is amazing. From the iPod Nano to the iPhone 5, the iPads, Desktops, Laptops ... everything. About the only thing I'm not impressed with is the Mac Pro and that's because it looks the same as it did for years. Everything else is pure cutting-edge awesome and good prices. Would I like the prices to be lower? Sure, but... they're premium products and I expect to pay more for a better product or service. You Get What You Pay For? An old adage that's still true.

-----

You're very hung up on retina... Did you stop and think that by putting a super high resolution display, their price would be higher? Suddenly, 1024 x 768 on a mere 7.9" screen is butt ugly? No. As the mini has higher ppi, this will look better than iPad 2 which was wonderful. Think about this, screen manufacturers have a very vested interest in selling this resolution even as Apple is migrating its whole line to much higher resolutions --- you can bet Apple is getting a discount because of this. I know this will mean nothing to you people because your sense of entitlement is crazy silly these days... But it's like a singer who starts the song off with the highest notes and the best runs they can sing. By the end of the song,there's nowhere to go. They need to start off at at a very pleasant place that shows ability but gives them room to truly impress at the end,... Apple can't start off with the absolute greatest tablet they can make right now... Where would they go next year? They have to plan out room to grow.


So? Don't you think apple makes money out of the app store and itunes store? They do! That also adds to the money they can generate with the product. However, apple is about making money, and they collected a huge, huge pile of oney so far. And guess where the money comes from: it's the customer who is willing to pay overpriced 299 instead of 199 for an ipod or 329 instead of 199 for an ipad mini. Apple is about squeezing the customer.
Your opinion... I bought the very first iPod for $399... I don't begrudge Apple one dollar. They earned it. If you don't like the price, then go buy something else or wait for either the price to come down or the specs to go up (most likely both),... You feel like Apple should make a paltry 30¢ on the dollar in the AppStore and be happy? Sorry ... That's nuts. It simply sounds like you we're jonesing for a sweet Mini for $249 and now you got priced out. I'm sorry. Save your money. It'll mean more to you when you finally get it. That, or buy a Kindle Fire and some of those great Apps they sell. Your choice.

You talk about over-priced products... It's 2012... Where's the MP3 player that's on equal footing with the iPod after 11 years? Oh there's not one. So apparently Apple can't charge more because they offer a premium product that's superior in almost every way? I guess you're pissed at Mercedes-Benz too? The logic here dumbfounds me.

Listen, the FIRE, I'm sure is good and getting better all the time. The Nexus 7 is probably a little better. They are fine, capable machines. Get one. More power to you. I think low cost tablets that help people in lower income families have to ability to compute is a great thing. I also think that companies, such as Apple, who put together a high-end product deserve to charge a little more for it. They're doing something right. People are very happy with them and they sold about 150Billion worth of stuff in 2012.

===========

Final thought ... back in 2006 when the PS3 came out, the top model was $600 bucks for a 60GB. I didn't complain or get on message boards and piss and moan about f-in' Sony. I just didn't buy the product. 6 years later and I'm about to get one... a 500GB super slim model that includes Assassin's Creed III for a mere $299. I spoke with my wallet. I kept it shut... finally Sony heard the message and created a super value for me. I was going to get the game anyway, so in a way, I'm buying the machine for $240. The moral of the story, is, sometimes getting the Cool New Toy from day one is not the smartest thing financially to do. Sometimes, it's simply better to wait.
 
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A bit surprised by the defensive tone.

A simple, "unlike our competitors, we don't make crap", should've been sufficient. ;)

He's bound to be defensive. Apples share price dropped about 3% immediately following the iPad mini announcement as market analysts considered the price to be too high to wipe out the competition like Apple have with the full size version.

Don't make the mistake of believing a financially minded CEO like Cook could give two s&'ts what people on macrumors think. He cares about the stock price, and the market's opinion, and that's about it.
 
exactly... The two biggest sellers right now are The Kindle Fire and The Nexus 7 and those companies are employing the "free lamps to sell Oil" tactic... or "free razors to sell the blades" approach. Google wants the Ad revenue and Amazon wants books/music/app sales. So if you think Apple is going to follow that money-losing scheme, you're nuts. For what you're getting, $329 is a fine place to start.

Yea Google is loosing money alright :rolleyes:

This video speaks for itself

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=iJtS8201qNc
 
Listen, the FIRE, I'm sure is good and getting better all the time. The Nexus 7 is probably a little better. They are fine, capable machines. Get one. More power to you. I think low cost tablets that help people in lower income families have to ability to compute is a great thing. I also think that companies, such as Apple, who put together a high-end product deserve to charge a little more for it. They're doing something right. People are very happy with them and they sold about 150Billion worth of stuff in 2012.

So what you're saying is rich people should own Apple products only? Such a political response you have. Don't run for any office please.

Buying a Kindle or Nexus 7 doesn't constitute a low income family. They each cater to the needs they are designed for, and not for what you say is low income families. And the Nexus 7 is much more powerful in the areas that count for the price that it is. It's value and quality put into one.
 
This seems priced right for where it fits in the model line-up, it's just the specs that leave something to be desired, and why people are complaining. It's a value thing, not a price thing. I agree with many that the second or third generation of the miniPad is going to be probably quite outstanding.

Still, I may consider getting this first gen, anyway. I'm certainly not preordering, though. I want to hold both the miniPad and the iPad in my hands, and decide after that.
 
I'm glad you found an answer to your problem. Things aren't always so simple. ;)

I make you right.

Still not happy about the refresh so soon, though :rolleyes:

Especially now that they are live for pre order!

Do you reckon you'll be able to get ahold of one in an Apple Store without much problem, on or shortly after the release date? Or do you reckon it will be another one of the usual situations where you can't find one for love nor money?

I'm thinking it won't be as bad as if it would have been the usual February timeframe as many of the "regular" upgraders will not be upgrading at this time?

What do you think?
 
"You've", as in Apple. Look, if they can include Retina in the iPod touch- they can surely do it in this device and still compete. It's a joke, and anyone defending this will probably defend Apple on every choice they make.

FYI I'm probably the LAST person to defend Apple on stuff, however to suggest that they could have kept the price the same with a retina display is just silly. If you genuinely think thats possible then you really have no clue.

The displays cost more to make, more to research, require bigger batteries, etc. Plus it would have likely been very hard to get it to run at the same resolution, which would have meant yet more resolution fragmentation on iOS.

Seriously, if you can logically prove that the retina display would have been a better, affordable option that wouldn't have significantly reduced battery life - be my guest.
 
FYI I'm probably the LAST person to defend Apple on stuff, however to suggest that they could have kept the price the same with a retina display is just silly. If you genuinely think thats possible then you really have no clue.

The displays cost more to make, more to research, require bigger batteries, etc. Plus it would have likely been very hard to get it to run at the same resolution, which would have meant yet more resolution fragmentation on iOS.

Seriously, if you can logically prove that the retina display would have been a better, affordable option that wouldn't have significantly reduced battery life - be my guest.

Even I am wondering about that at the moment, not even going to use the other tablets as an example sense everyone states they basically sell at cost. I could see them adding a better display next year, it is possible they could have done it this year yet it is Apple they they drag things out plus a better display will be cheaper next year.
 
The problem is that the only reason someone would buy this product over iPad 4 is price, but the price is not that much lower.

Who is the person who can afford the $329 for this but can't afford the extra $170 to get iPad 4?

No, some people actually wanted a smaller lighter iPad and for them price has nothing to do with it. Personally I have been waiting for this for a long time am eager to try the thing out when it hits the Apple store.

----------

How is a 7.9 inch screen 35% bigger than 7 in tablets. It's more like 12%

That is 35% more screen 'area', not 35% higher screen dimension. Bit like retina is twice the resolution but 4 times the pixels.
 
How is a 7.9 inch screen 35% bigger than 7 in tablets. It's more like 12%
The aspect ratio of the 7" tablets is 16:9
The aspect ratio the 8" iPad mini is 4:3
More specifically, the iPad mini's screen area is 30 in^2 while the Nexus 7's is 22 in^2, hence the iPad is ~36% larger. Because of the aspect ratio difference, movies will only be about ~13% larger on the iPad (from it being 6% wider), but old TV shows and most other things will make use of all the extra screen area.

The Nexus 7 also loses about 4%-7% (depending on orientation) of its screen area to the soft menu in most games and apps.
 
Even I am wondering about that at the moment, not even going to use the other tablets as an example sense everyone states they basically sell at cost. I could see them adding a better display next year, it is possible they could have done it this year yet it is Apple they they drag things out plus a better display will be cheaper next year.

The retina screen also requires more power and is heavier also requiring a larger heavier battery to get 10 hours usage. One of the main selling points of this in my opinion is how light it is over the full size iPad. When IGZO screens start rolling off the production line in sufficient quantity then we could easily see a retina version of the mini.
 
Tim Cook has never heard of aggressive pricing. And doesn't really need to either as it will probably sell well anyway.
 
You just shrunk the iPad

Sorry man -- this wasn't the engineering feat to end all. And most importantly, your consumers think you just shrunk the iPad. They don't care what you think is the great accomplishment.

That being said, they will sell tons. But their stock will take a hit for a while.
 
Next year this iPad mini will undoubtedly dubbed outdated as the new iPad mini comes with retina display(100%), A5@&£ chip or A6€$¥ chip and a better camera. ;)
 
So? Don't you think apple makes money out of the app store and itunes store? They do! That also adds to the money they can generate with the product. However, apple is about making money, and they collected a huge, huge pile of oney so far. And guess where the money comes from: it's the customer who is willing to pay overpriced 299 instead of 199 for an ipod or 329 instead of 199 for an ipad mini. Apple is about squeezing the customer.

Apple makes some money out of content provision but does not rely on it like Amazon or advertising revenue like Google, after all Amazon and Google are finding it challenging to turn a profit on these devices and use them as a loss leader at the moment. Also Apple devices are extremely well made and cannot be directly compared to the Amazon and Google offerings. If they have the money most people will tend to go for quality because in the long run it makes more sense. With sales figures and customer satisfaction ratings as high as Apple's they must be doing something right.
 
Such a lie! In which reality distortion does cook live? The ipad mini is not even with a lot of imagination 'cheap'. 329 is the maximum you can squeeze out of a customer. Similar prblem like with the ipod touch: 299 dollar for a music player! Way, way too expensive. The touch price should start at 199 and the ipad mini 249. that would be 'agressively priced' to me.

Fortunately for Apple stock holder and unfortunately for Apple consumer, you are not running Apple. Did you hear the earning conference call yesterday? Ipad mini is going to be the lowest profit margin of all Apple product in this Q. Google and Amazon are in the business to loss money for different reason. Amazon want to sell us the Amazon prime and book and movie and music. Google is trying to force their corporate partner (Samsung, HTC, ASUS) to produce tablet as close to cost as possible. They won't build too many of the Nexus since everyone they build, they will loss money when they include the design cost, marketing cost and distribution cost on top of the manufacturing cost. Consumer will make the final choice. If they think Ipad mini is too expensive, they won't buy it. But it looks like Ipad mini is off to a very hot start already according to the pre-order thead... So Apple management is not so stupid after all...
 
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