Apple to launch 'iPad Mini' - and cheaper machine could be on shelves this autumn

Apple is to launch a smaller, cheaper version of its iPad tablet this autumn, according to sources within the Far Eastern factories that supply the technology giant. The new machine will be less than 8 inches across the diagonal - considerably smaller than the current 9.7-inch model.

It will also be cheaper, to compete with rivals such as Google's £159 Nexus 7. The unnamed sources in Apple's supply chain said that the launch is 'very near'.

Rumours were reported by Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal, quoting several unnamed sources within Apple's supply chain. Earlier reports by Far Eastern technology blogs had also hinted that a launch was imminent.

The late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was vehemently against a smaller iPad, but analysts have long predicted that a machine would appear in the second half of this year. Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu predicts that the move would be a devastating blow for Android competors.

'It would be the competitors’ worst nightmare,' Wu said. 'The ball is in Apple’s court.' The iPad Mini would show that Apple is prepared to break away from former chief exec Steve Jobs' deeply-held mantras.

The Apple leader, who passed away last October, publicly derided the smaller tablet model, in particular the seven-inch form-factor, which is becoming a standard for a smaller tablet. In a 2010 earnings call, he said: 'One naturally thinks that a seven-inch screen would offer 70 percent of the benefits of a ten-inch screen.

'Unfortunately, this is far from the truth. … The reason we won't make a seven-inch tablet isn’t because we don’t want to hit a lower price point, it’s because we think the screen is too small to express the software.'

The move is seen as a direct response to the launch of smaller, cheaper Android tablets such as Google's Nexus 7, a 7-inch tablet which is priced at £159.

The Nexus packs a high-definition screen, the latest 'quad-core' processor, runs the latest version of Android, and has a battery life which can handle nine hours of continuous video playback. The firm hopes the tablet will take on Apple’s iPad.

It's part of a new generation of iPad rivals, including Microsoft’s Surface tablet which was revealed last week, and current Android tablets including Amazon’s Fire.

Two versions will be available, one with 8GB of storage for $199 and a second with 16GB for $249. By comparison, Apple's new iPad, which has a larger 9.7 inch screen, costs $399 for a 16GB version

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2169079/Apple-launch-iPad-Mini--cheaper-machine-shelves-autumn.html#ixzz1zkroafx
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