Rumors of an Apple iPad mini won’t quit! According to a Taiwan newspaper, Apple’s display suppliers are in the works of taking a certification exam.
They also reported that LG Display and AU Optronics are preparing their display panel lines and samples for the exams. If everything goes according to plan, Apple may split the production of six million iPad mini screens. It’s rumored that they will release a thin iPad mini at the end of the year.
Even though the iPad is one of Apple’s hottest selling items, there’s still some tough competition from the tablet computer market. Amazon’s Kindle Fire and Barnes & Noble’s Nook are two popular tablets that run on iOS’s biggest competitor Android. Amazon and B&N offer many of the same applications, movies, songs, and books that you can find on iTunes, but the real draw here is the price. Apple iPads start at $499 whereas the Kindle Fire and Nook Tablets retail for $199. Why should people pay for high price item when they can get a similar item for much less? This is why Apple may debut a mini version of their best selling tablet that starts at $200.
So far there has been no confirmation that Apple will release the iPad Mini. It may or may not happen. I think an iPad mini is kind a ridiculous idea that might backfire in the long run. Why would someone want to spend $499 on a tablet computer when you can purchase an identical but miniature version of it for significantly less? If Apple decides to create the iPad mini with limited features but that would be just as bad. Perhaps they could just shrink down the size of the regular iPads and charge a lower price but I doubt that would happen. I think it would just be a better move if they just stick with the traditional size.
