The new iPad mini
Apple’s SVP of marketing Phil Schiller has defended the US$329 price tag on the iPad mini, which is more expensive than the US$199 that Google and Amazon are charging for their 7-inch devices.
Apple unveiled the iPad mini on Tuesday. The device at 7.9-inches provides a third more reading space than either the Google Nexus 7 or the Amazon Fire and is lighter and thinner.
The new iPad mini, which works with all existing iPad apps, is 53pc lighter and and 23pc thinner than the new iPad launched in March. It weighs just 0.68Ibs and is as light as a pad of paper.
The new iPad mini comes with an Apple A5 dual-core chip, a 780p HD FaceTime camera at the front and a 5-megapixel iSight camera at the back capable of capturing video in 1080p high definition. Capable of 10 hours of battery life, the new device can run the 275,000 apps developed for the iPad.
Responding to a question posted by Reuters as to whether consumers are willing to pay the US$130 difference compared to competing products, Schiller said: “The iPad is far and away the most successful product in its category. The most affordable product we’ve made so far was US$399 and people were choosing that over those devices,” Schiller said.
“And now you can get a device that’s even more affordable at US$329 in this great new form, and I think a lot of customers are going to be very excited about that,” Schiller said.
Wi-Fi only versions of the new iPad mini will be available for pre-order this Friday and will ship and retail from 2 November, starting at €339 for the Wi-Fi only version with 16GB, €439 for the 32GB model and €539 for the 64GB model.
The iPad mini with Wi-Fi and cellular will start shipping a few weeks after the Wi-Fi models, starting at €469 for the 16GB model, €569 for the 32GB model and €669 for the 64GB model.
