Apple doesn't need an iPad mini: debunking rumors

As soon as Apple released a new iPad, rumors began to spread about a new, new iPad. They say it will be quite small. Why its release will not take place, read below.  

The Chinese portal NetEase claims that Apple will launch a mini version of the iPad – whose size will be 7 inches – in the third quarter of this year, wanting to exclude any possibility of competition from Windows 8 tablets. Moreover, by the time sales start, 6 million devices will be ready for sale. The price for the novelty will be from $ 249 to $ 299.

Everything that comes from behind the Great Wall of China is usually divided by two, if not eight. Moreover, this time the “news” to us on App2Top seems crazy from beginning to end.

A competitor to himself

Now there is still no information about exactly how many new iPads Apple has sold in the first month of sales. However, it is well known that the results of the first 4 days of sales amounted to a record 3 million devices. 

Favorable reviews from buyers and critics hint that a failure in sales is hardly to be expected.

Such problems as heating, yellowness of the screen, weak Wi-Fi and poor 4G, as it turned out, are, for the most part, of a private nature. People don’t line up wanting to get their money back. Yes, you can complain about the quality of the device (it is far from perfect), but the same thing happened with the iPhone 4S.

So the question is: why, without waiting for next year, release a competitor for sale immediately to two of its successful devices (iPad 2 in the 16 GB version continues to be released and, most importantly, the gadget is in demand because of the relatively low price)?

Fragmentation

In addition, the release of the new device will entail additional fragmentation, in which few people are interested now. Developers are an extra hassle, the user has to wait a long time for applications to appear for the native screen, Apple itself is chaos within its own market.

However, if the resolution of the new device is 1024 by 768, then this problem will lose relevance. 

Lack of competitors

And the statement about possible competition from Microsoft, or rather tablets on its new OS, looks really strange.

On smartphones, its OS has not been able to break out into the leaders. Why should something change with the arrival of Windows on the tablet market? Moreover, Microsoft’s main partner, Nokia, is no longer the same as it was a couple of years ago.

Recently it became known that after 14 years of leadership in the mobile phone market, Nokia has lost the palm to Samsung (we are no longer talking about the smartphone market, where the Finns were traditionally weak).   

Moreover, Nokia’s management has already announced that it expects losses based on the results of both the I and II quarters. After that, Moody’s lowered the value of the company’s shares to a fifteen-year low, and also cut its rating. 

This is not to mention the fact that the sales figures of Nokia devices on Windows Phone are catastrophically low, despite the huge marketing costs.

In general, it is not entirely clear who will promote tablets on Windows 8, who, after the poor results of Windows Phone 7 and the failed policy with Nokia, will put everything on this OS. No, of course, the main vendors will release a device on this platform, but whether they will promote these solutions themselves, as they promote Android gadgets, is a big question.  

So should Apple be afraid of competition from Microsoft in such a situation?

Unlikely.

The only competitor is the Kindle Fire, or rather, its next version. But again – it is this segment that the discounted iPad 2 is aimed at. And there is no need to release any other product (especially distracting attention from the release of the iPhone 5), duplicating its functions. 

Another piece of news

By the way, since we’re talking about Apple tablets. This week, the official release of the new iPad will take place in eleven more countries. Unfortunately, Russia is not on the list. But now you can buy the latest Apple gadget while in the following countries: Brunei, Croatia, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Malaysia, Panama, Saint Martin, Uruguay and Venezuela. Yes, and next Friday, it will be available in Colombia, Estonia, India, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, South Africa and Thailand.