The iPad mini news continue to gain steam ahead of a rumoured event schedule for 17th October. The Wall Street Journal is now reporting that according to their sources in Asia, Apple placed an order for 10 million units of iPad Mini for the fourth quarter. Amazon is said to have ordered 5 million Kindle Fire tablets in the same quarter. This huge order will enable Apple to meet the demands expected for such a low price tablet in the Holiday quarter.
According to the reported, “sources have suggested the new mini-tablet will include a 7.85-inch LCD screen, whereas the new iPad boasts a screen of 9.7 inches. It is expected that the rumored “iPad mini” will have a lower resolution than the Retina display hosted by the iPad 3.”
The launched of this 7.85 inch and lower price tablet should help Apple remain dominant in tablet space. Recent survey has shown that Apple is steadily losing marketshare to cheaper tablets from vendors using the Android operating system.
This fact was highlighted in the report, which stated:
According to market research firm iSuppli, Apple’s share of the worldwide tablet market was 69.6% in the second quarter, down from nearly 84% in 2010. The second-largest player was Samsung Electronics with 9.2% of the market in the second quarter.
Analysts say the challenge for Apple will be to price the smaller tablet attractively in order for it to succeed. Amazon’s 7-inch Kindle Fire HD sells for $199 and Google GOOG -0.05%’s 7-inch Nexus 7 sells for $199.
“iPad mini will be a big hit if Apple prices it below $300,” said RBS analyst Wanli Wang.
If previous rumours are to be believe, invitation should be going out tomorrow.
Source: Wall Street Journal
