There’s a new iPad mini rumor going around the internet today, and this one doesn’t come out of Digitimes. Today’s rumor is brought to us by iMore, which actually has a solid track record for spot-on rumors.
iMore reports that Apple is in fact working on a 7″ iPad which will feature the same 2,048 by 1,536 Retina display found in the 10 inch variant. The iPad mini (name obviously TBD) should start hitting store shelves in October, for the surprisingly low price of $200-250, according to the report, though we expect the price will actually be closer to $299 due to Apple’s staunch position on high-quality parts.
There is obviously a huge market potential out there in the 7″ screen size market; many folks feel a 10″ slate is simply too big for most things people actually use a tablet for. Over 50% of the 2,600 people asked in a recent PriceGrabber survey had indicated they would strongly consider purchasing an iPad mini should such a device exist.
The iPad’s current main competitor is Amazon’s Kindle Fire, a 7″ pseudo-Android slate that single-handedly propelled Android to a meaningful second platform in the tablet space. A 7″ iPad, especially at the expected $200-300 price point, would steal a lot of the thunder away from the Kindle Fire as customers eye a more robust slate. Given the choice, we expect a majority of potential customers would choose a $200-300 7″ iPad over the Kindle Fire, unless said customers are already tied into Amazon’s deep ecosystem.
Should iMore‘s rumor pan out, it looks like we have a lot to look forward to come October, with a new iPhone and perhaps an iPad mini landing in Apple stores that month. Who out there wants to see Apple release a 7″ iPad mini tablet? Would you purchase one over the 10″ variety or an Android or Windows 8 model?
[via iMore]