The last big piece of Apple’s 2012 holiday strategy may be introduced very soon. On Monday,Fortune reported that Apple is planning to send out invitations to an iPad mini-focused event next Wednesday, Oct. 10. Apple typically sends invitations to its events a week in advance, which means the unveiling of Apple’s first foray into smaller tablets could come Oct. 17.
Fortune reports that the source for this information is a “major Apple investor.” The timing sounds about right: Apple prefers Wednesdays for events. And a mid-October announcement — and the ensuing press coverage — would naturally set the stage for holiday sales.
Apple hasn’t confirmed the existence of a smaller iPad product, of course, but pictures of components said to belong to a 7.85-inch iPad have been leaking out for a few months.
The company held an event in mid-September to announced the iPhone 5, more details on iOS 6, and a slew of new iPods. Apple did not include a new iPad in that presentation. It’s possible Apple didn’t want the smaller iPad to get lost in the shuffle of announcements and prefers to hold a separate event to emphasize the device’s importance. This holiday, competition is going to be fierce for shoppers looking to pick up a 7-ish inch tablet, with Google, Amazon and Microsoft competing for their attention and dollars in the next few months.
bottom line:
If the iPad Mini does come out soon, and does sell for between $190.00 and $299.00, and does all that the other iPads do/uses al the apps, it will be a great bargain, and huge seller. If it turns out to be an overpriced, under-powered, castrated iPad, which can't use all the apps, it will be an anemic seller. If I am going to have Kindle Fire power & capability-just a consumer toy-I may as well go with the Kindle Fire reliability, and price...by getting a Kindle Fire. If I can't have iPad power/capability, why pay iPad prices, or risk iPad mistakes (such as the recent Maps flap)? The iPad, and iPad2, were great Production tools as well as great Consumption toys. A 'Consumption Only' iPad won't get my money. What attracts me-and most others-to the iPad is the Production capability...the power to: word process, photo edit, movie edit, desktop publish, etc. An iPad which can't do that will be of no use to us.
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