iPad Mini Coming In October?

Monday, July 02, 2012:  Google recently launched the 7-inch Google Nexus 7 to compete with the likes of Kindle Fire. Now, could Apple has stayed behind? The answer is NO. There are fresh reports that suggest the giant is developing a small sized iPad (most likely 7-inch) to enter the small size tablet segment. Further cementing the claims, an analyst with Pacific Crest, Andy Hargreaves, states that Apple will launch a 19.94-cm (7.85-inch) tablet by October this year and it is expected to come with a price tag of $299.


According to a CNET report, the analyst says: “We anticipate an entry-level 7.85-inch iPad with 8GB of NAND capacity to price at $299 with an initial gross margin of 31 per cent. We estimate Apple will sell 10.0 million 7.85-inch iPads in FQ1 (Dec. 2012) and 35.2 million in all of F2013. Based on estimated component order volume, we believe our iPad mini unit estimates are well within Apple's production capacity. We anticipate 25 per cent cannibalization of the larger 24.64-cm (9.7-inch) iPad (for every four 7.85-inch iPads added, we reduced our 9.7-inch iPad estimate by one), so our total F2013 iPad estimate increases to 91.6 million from 65.2 million.”

The report further states that prior to the unveiling of the Google Nexus 7, Tom Mainelli, IDC's research director of Mobile Connected Devices is of the impression that Apple could increase its dominance of the tablet market if they do launch an iPad mini. He said if Apple launches a sub-$300, 7-inch product into the market later this year as rumored, we expect the company's grip on this market to become even stronger.


Source: news.efytimes.com