Shortly after it was reported that Apple is "likely" to unveil a 7.85-inch iPad at an as-yet-unannounced event on Oct. 23, a separate report claims the alleged product announcement will focus on the purported tablet's e-book capabilities.
According to "multiple sources," Apple's rumored "iPad mini" special event is expected to showcase the unannounced device's media support, especially in regard to iBooks, suggesting the company is planning on marketing the tablet as a content consumption vehicle, reports The Next Web.
Lead by Amazon's Kindle Fire, the small form factor tablet market has seen success by luring in a wide base of users with low-cost devices to push content sales. Pundits speculate that Apple will take a similar tack and offer the iPad mini at a price comparable to rival offerings like Google's Nexus 7, boosting margins by leveraging content sales from iTunes.
The sources' claims are in line with previous reports saying that Apple is attempting to keep the unit's retail price down by using a non-Retina display, as well as other relatively low-cost components.
Earlier this week it was reported that Apple had tasked its Asian suppliers to build over ten million iPad minis for the fourth quarter, signaling the company's confidence in high sales for the holiday shopping season.
It is rumored that Apple will unveil the iPad mini at an event on Oct. 23, with a product rollout expected to follow shortly after.
131 Comments
The new "iBook" instead of "iPad mini"?
Wasn't that the same focus they put on the original iPad?
Pundits. What do they know for sure?
C'mon Apple do this right and make the fire and nexus 7 look cheap (and not in a good way). If they start competing in a race to the bottom they dilute their brand. If Apple is going to compete on price I fear we'll get an inferior quality device so Apple can sell it cheap yet make decent margins on it.
[quote name="SpamSandwich" url="/t/153336/rumored-ipad-mini-event-to-focus-on-ibooks-report-says#post_2210403"]The new "iBook" instead of "iPad mini"?[/quote] I doubt it, but I would much prefer iBook over iPad mini as I've posted previously. [quote name="Gatorguy" url="/t/153336/rumored-ipad-mini-event-to-focus-on-ibooks-report-says#post_2210407"]Wasn't that the same focus they put on the original iPad? [/quote] Not really. It was included, as an App Store app, not as a default app, when they announced the iPad in 2010, and they didn't even have iBooks Author until January of this year.