Why A $300 iPad Mini May Be Coming Soon

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Rumors of an iPad Mini are spreading like mono at a sixth grade party thanks to a reportfrom Chinese site NetEase. According to the report, the 7.85” version of the iPad will shiparound the third quarter of this year. Beyond the screen size, not much is known about thespecs, but we’re guessing that it will probably look a lot like an iPad 2 on theinside, since the quad-core graphics of the third-gen iPad are only needed to drive itsretina screen. Since Apple’s probably not going to make the iPad Mini aone-bajillion-pixels-per-inch device to show up competitors, call a firm bet that thiswon’t have the 2048x1536 resolution of its big brother. The current 10”offering is reportedly getting a name change to the Apple maxiPad -- in our dreams.While I’m pretty on the fence about this rumor, the one that seemscredible-ish is the reported price tag of $249 to $299 -- it’s not so dirt cheapthat it’s un-Apple. But then, a Chinese site claiming to know about the price tagseems suspect. A claim about physical proportions makes sense since it’smanufactured in China, but it’s doubtful Apple tells anyone other than Californiatop brass those pricetag numbers. Nevertheless, no doubt Cupertino realizes itneeds to compete with low-margin tablets like the Kindle Fire. If that's the case, expectthe market to be flooded with more $200 tablets this year. Seeing as I just sold my usedfirst-gen iPad for more than it costs to get a new Kindle Fire, I’d sayApple’s on to something here. Consumers want iPads, but in this economy, many canonly afford a Kindle Fire and an Apple sticker. Continue Reading

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