19 October, 2011
By Adnan
As if the false rumours about iCloud iPhone weren’t enough, today a new wave of rumours started pouring in. Given the fact that Apple has already released their iPhone 4S, we had an idea that the rumours coming in now would concern the next generation iPad. Turns out we were right as reportedly, Apple has started receiving samples of an iPad Mini that has a 7.85″ inch and will allegedly be released in mid-2012.
United News Daily of Taiwan reports that samples are being received by Apple of an iPad Mini that has a 7.85″ screen. The displays for this iPad Mini are being manufactured by LG Electronics and AU Optronics. The display is said to retain the 1024×768 resolution of original iPad however due to the fact that the screen real estate will be less than the original iPad, it would mean that all of the apps and services would have be made specifically for it in order to avoid any usability issues. The report also claims that Apple is thinking of launching iPad Mini by mid-2012.
Regarding Apple, our research is pointing to the unveiling of a lower priced iPad in the first few months of 2012 that is aimed at expanding the company’s market potential by tapping into a more price sensitive consumer segment. Essentially, this “iPad mini” will also fend off the recently announced Amazon Kindle Fire that addresses the low-end tablet market with a $199 price tag but could lead to bigger tablet ambitions from the online retailer in the future. The “mini” refers to a reduced price point of this iPad and not necessarily the size of the device. We believe this lower priced iPad could be priced in the mid-to-high-$200 range.
It is possible that Apple is thinking to release iPad Mini primarily because there has been a major change in the top spot. The new CEO of Apple is Tim Cook and Apple Co-founder Steve Jobs has passed away. We know of Steve Jobs’ hate against 7″ tablets and he made it quite clear that under his leadership Apple will never release a 7″ tablet. If Apple is indeed going ahead with a mid-range iPad project, it would mean that this project is being pushed for by Tim Cook who believes Apple needs to capture market share that it is keeping itself out of in the mid-range tablet market.
