iPad mini new photos emerge amid demand doubts
The rumored upcoming iPad mini is being widely discussed at the moment with speculation of a release in the next few weeks. We’ve been bringing readers all the latest developments on the smaller iPad for some time and today we have details of some new photos appearing to show a prototype. Also we recently told of the huge demand that was likely for an iPad mini but latest news seems to cast doubts on how much demand there will actually be.
Yesterday it emerged that the new iPad mini may be WiFi-only and we’ve also shown some previous renders of the tablet. The new photos of a scaled-down iPad were posted on Twitter and Instagram by someone named Sonny Dickson who happens to be a 9to5Mac researcher, and one of the photos shows the new smaller Lightning dock connector that recently appeared for the first time on the iPhone 5. All of the new photos only reveal the back of the device but nevertheless plenty of people seem pretty excited that this is an accurate representation of an iPad mini prototype.
The new photos were brought to our attention by NYDailyNews, which also points out that although some analysts feel an iPad mini would be a serious threat to competitors, others think that the device won’t appeal to Apple consumers. We recently discussed how demand for the iPad mini would be huge and how Apple has reportedly ordered more than 10 million units but a new report on PC Mag is rather more skeptical about the predicted demand following a survey from TechBargains.
Photo: Sonny Dickson via Instagram
Only 18% of the 1,330 August survey respondents said that they were preparing to purchase the iPad mini when it launches against 45% who were planning to buy the iPhone 5 (not released at the time of the survey). Before the new iPad launch earlier this year the amount of people planning to purchase it was 48%, casting doubts on the amount of demand there will really be for the smaller iPad. Although many of us these days expect virtually any new Apple product to be an overwhelming success it seems that’s not so cut-and-dried.
President and editor-in-chief of TechBargains, Yung Trang, also revealed that 50% of respondents said they had no iPad mini interest while 32% said they had not decided. It seems that the majority of those who weren’t interested in the iPad mini felt they didn’t need a smaller tablet, particularly if they were already iPad or iPhone owners. Of the 18% aiming to purchase the iPad mini, 14% said that they intend to join the usual lines at stores on launch day so although demand may not be as high as anticipated, it’s likely to at least look as though there’s plenty of desire for it.
Hopefully we won’t have to wait too much longer until we have further news on the iPad mini but in the meantime we’d like to hear from readers about your own thoughts on it. Are you interested in purchasing one as soon as they become available? If not, is this because you already have an iPad or maybe you prefer a smaller tablet from one of Apple’s rivals? Send your comments to let us know.
Comments
10 thoughts on “iPad mini new photos emerge amid demand doubts”
I have an iPad but would be interested in the mini. Mainly as smallere to carry about, and as a book reader . IPad has 3G but if the mini is wifi only I see no problem. Would use iPhone as personal hot spot
cheap ipad sounds good to me
I like my iPad nice and big
I’m a broke college student but I want the ipad mini I believe if it comes out I will have the money saved for one by Christmas time!!!!
love the idea of a mini, and i’ll definitely be putting my pre-order in. i just hope theres good memory options and the pricing is competitive to the amazon and google 7″ tabs however I’m a little concerned about that because the iPod touch at 16gb is £249.99 so i don’t see apple doing it any less.
I have an iPad and an iPhone, that will do me, not planning on the mini.
I currently own an iPhone and iPad. But as a mother of 2 children who are constantly arguing over who’s playing on the iPad I am eagerly awaiting news on when the iPad Mini is going to be available. For us the ipad Mini, if priced well, will be an ideal christmas gift for our daughters. Aged 12 and 5 they both love the ipad apps, theres something for each of them, but i would never consider buying a £500 ipad for a 5 year old. If these come out costing £200 then I will be preordering them 1 each and will look forward to a VERY quiet christmas day. I’ve already purchased a load of games, which they play on my iPad. So I will be able to sync them with my iTunes and away they go :)). If I got them an android I’d have to buy everything again.
As a working college student, I’m in the market for a smaller tablet, but one that isn’t too expensive ($300 and below) . I’m anxiously awaiting not just what Apple will do with the Mini, but the upcoming Microsoft Surface and Google’s response. As an Apple fanboy, I’d love to just drop my $$$ on the Mini, but I’m just trying to see if Apple will give us a strong, competitive product in the iPad Mini worthy of all this hype it’s getting or if Apple will rest on it’s brand and give us a decontented, yet non-exactly affordable iPad Lite.
Never if its wifi only . I don’t mind paying more if its 4G
Using a Nexus 7, great tablet. Never buy an Apple product again.