A Smaller iPad to Launch in October?
Rumors continue that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) will launch a mini-iPad. AllThingsD reported:
Only after the next-generation iPhone is out the door and on sale will Apple announce the smaller iPad it's been working on. That device, which is expected to have a display of less than eight inches, will be uncrated at a second special event, which sources said is currently scheduled for October.
The conventional wisdom is that a smaller iPad will allow Apple to attack a portion of the market that is somewhere between its iPhone and full-sized iPad. Apple must think that middle spot has huge potential. But Apple will take a huge risk with a smaller iPad. This is that consumers may elect to buy it over the traditional iPad, which would cannibalize sales of the current product.
Apple already has had a related problem with the launch of the iPhone 5. People who want the new phone have stopped purchasing the iPhone 4S, which has undermined Apple's smartphone sales temporarily. Apple has been immune from damage to it sales due to the number of products it has in the market. That may not continue as that number multiplies.
Douglas A. McIntyre
Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Consumer Electronics, Rumors Tagged: AAPL
