Tablets seem to be the flavour of the season. Most companies have
already launched their offerings for the upcoming shopping season. All
eyes are now set on Apple and its proposed iPad mini, which the company
is
expected to announce on October 23.
Recently
the pricing details of Microsoft Surface tablet were leaked online
and revealed that 32GB version of the Surface RT without the Touch
Cover will go for $499, while the with cover version is for $599. This
revelation has also got the world talking about what should be the apt
pricing for an Apple iPad mini. Going by the leaks, the 8GB Wi-Fi only
variants of iPad mini might cost €249, while the 16GB Wi-Fi iPad mini
will cost €349.
To
get a better perspective, we quiz a few analysts in regards to what
according to them should be the price for Apple iPad mini and how
bullish they are about this new tablet.
According to John
Strand of Stand Consult, "I think Apple will price its iPad mini
somewhere between the iPhone and the iPad as I believe that Apple need
to increase the numbers of products and price points." Only logical.
This means that the new iPad mini that Apple might be outing will range
somewhere between $199 (which is the price for an iPhone 5 on contract)
and $500 (the price of WiFi only iPad).
While Stephen
Baker, Vice President of Industry Analysis for Consumer Technology is
more specific number as he states that the price of the Apple iPad mini
will start from $299.
Commenting on this, Richard Ptak,
Co-founder and Managing Partner at Ptak, Noel & Associates says,
"Apple will make a mistake if it tries to protect the iPod from
cannibalisation by over-pricing the iPad mini. The 'Job's Mystique'
convinced Apple aficionados that they were 'super cool' by paying big
bucks for an Apple product. With Jobs gone, it's only a question of
time before that mystique fades away. Everyone is expecting Cook to
price the mini so that it will be more expensive than the iPod - I think
it's quite possible the mini could come in at a lower price point, say
$199 and blow away the market.
Ptak feels that if iPad
mini is indeed at this price point, it would fly off-the-shelves. "It
wouldn't be hard to see eight or even 12 Million units sold in a year if
they come in at a low price point. Hell, even I might buy one then,"
jokes Ptak. On a serious note, he adds, "But if Apple iPad mini is
priced at $325 or higher, the first year sales will be about 2.5 million
to 5 million".
Baker of NPD refrained from giving any
specific sales number for the new iPad mini but said, "I believe the
mini will be a very strong seller in its segment".
Strand
of Stand Consult however, is not very convinced about the sales
potential of this tablet. As he puts it, "I believe that the majority of
the consumers will go for the "real stuff" and buy the iPhone and the
iPad. It will be interesting to see about it will cannibalise on the
iPhone and the iPad sale or whether it will expand the market and
Apple's market share".
There is no denying that there
are plenty of tablet options available in the market and Apple iPad mini
will have to face stiff competition from Google's Nexus 7 and Kindle
Fire, so do the analysts feel that Apple's new device will be able to
take the competition head on?
NPD's Baker does not feel
that Apple doesn't need to worry about the competition. "Don't think
Apple has to compete with the Kindle Fire or Google Nexus, I think they
have to compete with (iPad mini). Once Apple comes out with a
competitive product at a competitive price point those brands have to
change from offering a lower cost alternative to the iPad to showing
what they offer that is different from the iPad beyond just price, since
Apple has now taken most of their price advantage away," he elaborates.
Ptak
is not so convinced that Apple iPad mini will blow off the competition.
He says, "I think Apple will be competitive. However, I'm not at all
convinced it will blow away the competition, especially if they come in
at a much higher price than the Fire or Nexus - we'll have to see what
they finally deliver. The demand is for smaller, lighter, better
quality, more features - still this is a 'low-end' tablet - Apple will
have a (slightly) larger screen with less resolution - which argues
against a much higher price and Apple can't afford to 'handicap' a low
end product by cutting quality or reducing features."
Strand
too feels that Apple should prepare itself for tough competition, "The
tablet market will me more fragmented, as it is not the first mini
tablet to hit the shelves. It will probably compete with Samsung and
Kindles. I believe that Apple iPad mini will get tough competition.
Kindle users are extreme loyal to Amazon and so are the users of
Android."
We'll find out soon enough when Apple's iPad mini goes on sale. Are you looking forward to its release?