iPad Mini Thoughts
Of course, everything is alive with news of the new iPad Mini. Also my initial prediction was wrong... well half wrong at least as I expected a refresh to the iPad with the new adapter instead of an iPad Mini. I still think A) Apple made a bad move, and B) this is a sign of a serious shift at Apple and an admission of a weakening position.
Despite what people are saying and how much people really want an iPad Mini... that doesn't make this a smart move. I want to buy a brand new Ferrari for $1, if Ferrari did that everyone would be enthused and the company would be out of business the next day. Apple's move isn't near as drastic but there are some similarities (I'm stretching the analogy a lot). I was theorizing the other day that the only way an iPad Mini would be viable is if they also updating the full sized iPad. This is because I didn't think that they would be able to produce a smaller, cheaper tablet that was more profitable. The fact that upgraded the iPad as well as much as proves that point. If the new iPad Mini were more profitable they would be daft to try and draw people back to the buying the full sized iPad. But if the iPad Mini were less profitable they would need to release a new iPad to try and make sure there isn't a mass flocking to the newer, cheaper device.
Starting to see why this is a desperation move? Without the iPad Mini and iPad 4, iPad 3's would still fly off the shelf at an alarming rate this holiday. And the longer the product is on the market at its original SRP the more profitable it becomes. This is important because it means the iPad 4 is almost guaranteed to be LESS profitable than the iPad 3 is currently.
And look at the specs of the iPad Mini... it is basically a small iPad 2, same resolution and processor. I think this is the first time I've seen a new Apple product which is released with hardware that is already 2 generations old. This is a good testament to just how much Apple had to sacrifice to make its margins on this device.
I just don't see how this move can be seen as anything but an act of fear. Note the timing as well... the same week as Windows 8 release with pre-orders for iPad Mini's starting on the exact same date. This was completely intentional. They don't want to give Windows 8 even a single day on the shelves without an equally new Apple product to vie for your money.
Apple is legitimately afraid that people will try Windows 8 tablets. And with good cause... iPads and Windows 8 tablets (not Windows RT) are 2 very different things. Windows 8 is "full" OS whereas iOS is a consumer, consumption focused OS. I mean nothing against iOS, but when it comes to having a tablet that can do everything I need one for... iOS will never meet the bill. A well designed Windows 8 tablet could, whether Microsoft or their OEM's can deliver a proper experience for once is another question, but some of the new tablets look promising. Apple knows that if it doesn't crush Windows 8 now, however small the chance may be, it would have a chance for things to end up like they were in the days of Windows XP.
Other things of note. iMac's not shipping until December I saw someone reporting... that is WAY outside Apple's typical release pattern. When something is unveiled, it is typically available immediately or at most within week or two. This leads me to believe that had it not been for Windows 8 Apple probably wouldn't have announced these products until next year some time. Microsoft blundered by giving up too much information on Windows 8 too soon. Apple has had plenty of time to accelerate a lot of its product lines to be refreshed on time as you can see with the iPad 4 and iPad Mini.
Despite what people are saying and how much people really want an iPad Mini... that doesn't make this a smart move. I want to buy a brand new Ferrari for $1, if Ferrari did that everyone would be enthused and the company would be out of business the next day. Apple's move isn't near as drastic but there are some similarities (I'm stretching the analogy a lot). I was theorizing the other day that the only way an iPad Mini would be viable is if they also updating the full sized iPad. This is because I didn't think that they would be able to produce a smaller, cheaper tablet that was more profitable. The fact that upgraded the iPad as well as much as proves that point. If the new iPad Mini were more profitable they would be daft to try and draw people back to the buying the full sized iPad. But if the iPad Mini were less profitable they would need to release a new iPad to try and make sure there isn't a mass flocking to the newer, cheaper device.
Starting to see why this is a desperation move? Without the iPad Mini and iPad 4, iPad 3's would still fly off the shelf at an alarming rate this holiday. And the longer the product is on the market at its original SRP the more profitable it becomes. This is important because it means the iPad 4 is almost guaranteed to be LESS profitable than the iPad 3 is currently.
And look at the specs of the iPad Mini... it is basically a small iPad 2, same resolution and processor. I think this is the first time I've seen a new Apple product which is released with hardware that is already 2 generations old. This is a good testament to just how much Apple had to sacrifice to make its margins on this device.
I just don't see how this move can be seen as anything but an act of fear. Note the timing as well... the same week as Windows 8 release with pre-orders for iPad Mini's starting on the exact same date. This was completely intentional. They don't want to give Windows 8 even a single day on the shelves without an equally new Apple product to vie for your money.
Apple is legitimately afraid that people will try Windows 8 tablets. And with good cause... iPads and Windows 8 tablets (not Windows RT) are 2 very different things. Windows 8 is "full" OS whereas iOS is a consumer, consumption focused OS. I mean nothing against iOS, but when it comes to having a tablet that can do everything I need one for... iOS will never meet the bill. A well designed Windows 8 tablet could, whether Microsoft or their OEM's can deliver a proper experience for once is another question, but some of the new tablets look promising. Apple knows that if it doesn't crush Windows 8 now, however small the chance may be, it would have a chance for things to end up like they were in the days of Windows XP.
Other things of note. iMac's not shipping until December I saw someone reporting... that is WAY outside Apple's typical release pattern. When something is unveiled, it is typically available immediately or at most within week or two. This leads me to believe that had it not been for Windows 8 Apple probably wouldn't have announced these products until next year some time. Microsoft blundered by giving up too much information on Windows 8 too soon. Apple has had plenty of time to accelerate a lot of its product lines to be refreshed on time as you can see with the iPad 4 and iPad Mini.
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