Apple iPad Mini: All the iPad at (nearly) half the cost

s the Apple iPad Mini the right tablet for business? Perhaps. It depends on whether you’re in the market for a tablet in general, or if you’re really only in the market for an iPad.

Many expected Apple to offer the iPad Mini at about half the cost of the $499 iPad. Instead,the iPad Mini is $329—or about 65 percent of the price of the larger iPad. It’s not $250, but at $329 the iPad Mini could still be a cost effective option for businesses.

If you’re already deploying, or considering deploying iPads to your users, then you’re probably already beyond the point of evaluating different mobile platforms, and determining whether alternative tablets will work for you. In that case, you should certainly stop and take a closer look at the iPad Mini.

There are cheaper 7-inch tablet options out there,
like the Google Nexus 7

Aside from a price that’s 35 percent less than the 16GB Wi-Fi third-generation iPad,the iPad Mini is almost 25 percent thinner, and more than 50 percent lighter than it’s larger sibling. Yet, it still has access to all 275,000 of the apps developed specifically for the iPad, and it still has Siri and FaceTime HD. Unless there’s a specific reason you’re mobile users must have the larger display, the iPad Mini still gives you all the features and capabilities you’re looking for in a smaller, less expensive package.

Of course, if you’re actually just interested in 7-inch tablets for your workforce and you aren’t committed to the iPad, there are other options out there. The Google Nexus 7 starts at $199, and costs only $249 for a 16GB model—rumor has it that it will soon be 32GB at that same price point. A 32GB Google Nexus 7 for $249 presents a very compelling argument against investing $329 for a 16GB iPad Mini.

The Google Nexus 7 also has a number of advantages over the iPad Mini in terms of features and functionality. It has GPS and turn-by-turn navigation (only available in the more expensive 4G models of the iPad Mini), a quad-core processor, and greater pixel density compared to the non-Retina display of the iPad Mini. Some 7-inch alternatives, like the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, also offer expandable storage through a microSD memory card slot.

The iPad Mini is the thinnest and lightest of the established 7-inch tablet rivals, though. It’s also one of the few 7-inch tablets with both front and rear facing cameras. If your mobile users need to be able to take and catalog photos from their tablet, a rear-facing camera is an important element.

The iPad Mini is the only device among the 7-inch tablets that even offers 4G cellular connectivity as an option—although you have to pay an additional $130 premium to get it. $459 is substantially more than $199 or $249, but if your users need GPS capabilities, or to be able to connect to sites and resources without access to a Wi-Fi network or without relying on a smartphone or portable hotspot device to provide the connectivity, the iPad Mini is the only viable option.

If your business has already embraced the iPhone and iPad, and has already invested in iOS apps to get the job done, the iPad Mini might be a perfect combination of price and capabilities for your tablet needs.

Source: pcworld.com

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Google expected to launch Samsung 10 tablet and LG Nexus 4 smartphone next week

Reports cite internal Google video as source

Google's product unveiling event next Monday will feature a 10-in. tablet running Android 4.2, possibly named the Samsung 10, and an LG Nexus 4 smartphone, according to reports.

The Next Web said it learned of the new tablet from an unnamed source who was familiar with an internal Google video describing new products and software to be launched at the Oct. 29 event in New York City.

Google had no comment early Monday, but last week sent out invitations for the event implying a variety of announcements will be made using the phrase, "The playground is open."

The report indicated the LG Nexus 4 smartphone will have a quad-core 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and a 4.7-in. display with 1280 x 768 resolution. It will also have a 2100 mAh battery, 2GB of RAM, 16 GB of internalstorage and an 8-megapixel rear camera. It will run the Android 4.2 mobile operating system, also called Jelly Bean, rather than the next-generation Key Lime Pie, the report said.

The reported 10-in. tablet, with the code-name Manta, would have a better resolution, at 300 pixels per inch, than the new iPad, which has 264 PPI. That puts the Samsung device at 2560 x 1600 pixels with a 16:10 aspect ratio.

Google's event comes at the end of a flurry of late October announcements, including an expected launch of an iPad mini tablet on Tuesday, followed by announcements from Samsung on Wednesday and Microsoft's Windows 8 unveiling with Surface RT tablets on Thursday.

Source: www.computerworld.com

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The iPad Mini invites are here!

Smaller Apple iPad tablet expected to be unveiled in San Jose

Apple on Tuesday extended invites teasing recipients that on Oct. 23 in San Jose "We've got a little more to show you," presumably the iPad mini with a 7.85-inch screen.

The event is slated to take place at 1pm EST.

The iPad Mini (sometimes called the iPad Air), with 1024×768 screen resolution similar to that of the iPad 2, would fit in a category with devices like the new 7-inch, $199 Amazon Kindle Fire HD and Google Nexus 7. The regular iPad's screen is 9.7 inches diagonally.

Apple Insider reports that Apple is plotting two dozen iPad configurations, with expectations that at $250 8GB model might be the standard, in either black or white.

The Wall Street Journal reported recently that Apple, according to supply chain sources, has directed component makers to cook up some 10 million iPad Mini tablets in the fourth quarter. Between the regular iPad and iPad Mini, Apple could sell nearly 30 million units this quarter,according to RBC Capital Markets analyst Amit Daryanani.

In addition to the iPad Mini, speculation is that Apple will unveil other products, such as a 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display.

Source: networkworld.com

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iPad mini tablet said to be Wi-Fi only

3G iPad mini not coming near term to help keep price down, report says

The widely expected smaller version of the Apple iPad tablet will have Wi-Fi but not cellular connectivity, according to unnamed sources in a news story about the so-called iPad mini. But it's not clear why that would be the case.

The new Apple device is said to have a 7.8-inch screen instead of the 9.7-inch screen in the current tablet model and will be marketed as a smaller, less expensive iPad, competing with Amazon's Kindle Fire and Google's Nexus 7 among others.

The claim about having only Wi-Fi connectivity was made in a story posted at the U.K.-basedThe Guardian, by Charles Author.

"Industry sources indicated to the Guardian that they do not expect to see 3G-capable versions of the iPad mini," according to Author. "That would allow Apple to produce it comparatively cheaply and to limit the top price of the product, while retaining mobile broadband connectivity for its pricier iPad line."

Yet it's not clear why Apple would refuse to offer buyers a cellular option for a smaller tablet, if they want it. Apple's pricing for the current iPads is very simple and clear: you get a choice of three Wi-Fi models, based on storage capacity, and you have the option of adding $130 to the price tag if you opt for cellular connectivity.

For example, the new iPad, with the standard 9.7-inch screen, starts at $499 for the 16GB Wi-Fi version; adding a LTE cellular modem increases the price by $130 to $629. The newest and just released iPod touch, which mimics many of the features found in the new iPhone 5, has a 4-inch screen and is only available with Wi-Fi, priced at $299 for the starting 32GB model.

With a 7.8-inch screen, the iPad mini would be nearly 3 inches larger than the iPod touch and 2 inches smaller than the full-sized iPad. Many pundits and analyst say Apple will have to price the mini at about $250 to compete with rivals like Amazon. Even assuming that they're right, having a $130 cellular option wouldn't prevent consumers from buying a less expensive Wi-Fi iPad mini.

Even Amazon offers cellular options on its tablets, complicating a somewhat confusing array of screen sizes, storage, and connectivity features. Currently there are three Kindle Fire models, two with 7-inch screens. One of those, the Kindle Fire, has only single-band Wi-Fi, and is priced at $159; the second, Kindle Fire HD, has a higher resolution and supports dual-band Wi-Fi (5GHz in addition to 2.4GHz) as does the iPhone 5, iPod touch and presumably the iPad mini. This model is priced at $199.

But the newest Kindle Fire model has a larger screen at 8.9 inches, high resolution displays, and dual-band Wi-Fi for $299; adding a LTE cellular modem boosts the price to $499. And the 6-inch Kindle Paperwhite e-reader tablet can be bought with a 3G modem for $179.

The Guardian's sources are at odds with at least one other rumor, from a Russian language Ukranian website, noted by 9to5Mac's Seth Weintraub earlier in October. 

"Ukrainianiphone.com reports to have obtained parts for the upcoming iPad mini," Weintraub wrote. "The parts, labeled in the gallery above, according to the Russian-language website, were from a source who visited the factory in Asia. Notables include the plastic spacer bars, which Apple has traditionally used for 3G and 4G radio equipment...."

Source : networkworld.com/

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iPad Mini's likely launch date means inventory will be everything, say analysts

Latest-ever new product launch could put Apple in a bind during the holidays if the usual shortages occur

Apple's rumored November launch of a smaller, less-expensive iPad will put the company in a tight spot -- tighter than usual -- if it's not able to build up and maintain adequate supplies through the holiday season, analysts said today.

Earlier this week, speculation resurfaced about an "iPad Mini," the tag given to a 7.85-in. tablet, when Fortune cited a source who claimed Apple would invite reporters, bloggers and analysts next week to an upcoming event.

That rumor was bolstered today by the Wall Street Journal today (paid subscription required), which reported that Apple's Asian suppliers had begun production last month.

Based on past practice, Apple would likely unveil an iPad Mini on Oct. 17 and start selling the tablet -- perhaps at prices as low as $250 -- on Nov. 2.

That date, if true, would be Apple's latest-ever in a calendar year for a new product launch. The company typically ends its introductions in October, and even then, has limited them to relatively minor refreshes of existing products.

On both Oct. 20, 2010, and Oct. 20, 2009 -- the current latest-ever record for a product debut -- Apple started selling revamped MacBook Air notebooks and iMac desktops, respectively. On Oct. 14, 2008, Apple revealed significant changes in its MacBook and MacBook Pro lines by introducing the first "unibody" designs for its laptop line. And last year's iPhone 4S started selling Oct. 14.

"The biggest question [for an iPad Mini introduction in November] would be how much out-of-stock problems there will be," said Steven Baker, a retail analyst with the NPD Group. "Assuming there's huge demand, which I think there will be, will they have enough stock to make it through Dec. 25? If they have just four days of inventory at launch, for example, retailers are not going to like that."

The retailers Baker was talking about would presumably include those that now sell the larger iPad, like Best Buy, Target and Wal-Mart.

Customers would also be upset if stocks aren't sufficient, and long shipping delays are slapped into place almost immediately. The problem: The short stretch between early November and the heart of holiday sales, which in the U.S. start on Black Friday, Nov. 23, and run through Christmas, Dec. 25.

The iPhone 5, for instance, which launched Sept. 21, was quickly backordered to three to four weeks, where it remains.

Those kinds of delays could spell problems for an iPad Mini launched so late in the year. Customers, hoping to buy one or more for themselves and as gifts, could read the shipping delays -- especially as Christmas draws near -- realize they have little chance of receiving a Mini before the holiday, and switch their purchase to one of the many 7-in. tablet alternatives, which this year includes Google's Nexus 7 and a revamped Kindle Fire from Amazon.

"The problem is adequate inventory, it always is with Apple," said Ezra Gottheil, an analyst with Technology Business Research. "If they can't meet what will probably be a very large demand, that's an issue. Frankly, they're not the only company with problems like these. Last year the Kindle Fire had the same problem."

Amazon's original Kindle Fire launched last year on Nov. 14, even later in the calendar than the iPad Mini's presumed Nov. 2 date. An estimated 5 million Kindle Fires were sold in the fourth quarter of 2011, but sales dropped off precipitously after the holidays, showing the need to strike when the holiday iron is hot.

"It's always better [to launch] sooner than later, because if there is a delay, you have time to recover," said Baker. "That's really a problem only for high-profile stuff, and more of an issue with people in the stores shelving and merchandising. The second [issue] is advertising. You want to make sure there's time to set that up. The later [a launch is] the less wiggle room there is."

Apple is unlike other computer and device makers, Baker admitted, because it has its own chain of retail stores, several hundred at this point in the U.S., Canada, China, Japan and several European countries.

At its own stores, of course, Apple has complete control of the process, and a late start to an iPad Mini wouldn't pose problems. But it still sells a good amount of tablets through its retail partners, who could be affected by a November launch.

"[Apple] gets a little more flexibility from retailers with iPads and iPhones because they have such a big share of those markets, and they drive traffic," acknowledged Baker, noting that it would be unlikely for a retailer to put up a fuss about an early November timetable.

And Apple's a special case for another reason, Baker argued: It limits the versions, or SKUs (stock-keeping units) to a minimum, unlike other OEMs, such as those expected to debut Windows 8- and Windows RT-powered tablet this year. Collectively, those hardware makers could present retailers scores of tablet SKUs. "Then the retailer has to reset a whole section," said Baker.

Apple has options, of course. It could alleviate potential shortages by limiting the 2012 roll-out to a few markets, say, the U.S. and Canada. However, that would be going against the grain: In the last two major launches -- the new iPad in March and last month's iPhone 5 -- Apple either implemented or plans to implement an accelerated roll-out to more countries, and to them faster.

In the end, there's a lot on the line, analysts say.

"A 'Mini will be pretty big..., huge," said Brian White, a financial analyst with Topeka Capital Markets, in a Monday interview. "Eventually, it will be bigger than the [traditional] iPad market."

Source: computerworld.com/

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