The World is an Apple
In today’s world where tablet PC’s, smartphones and laptops continue to reign over the international market, IT companies are falling over themselves to produce a device that will give them an edge over their competitors in this fierce battle. Yet, despite all the mudslinging and the pandemonium, Apple, Inc., seemed impervious. Many critics predicted that the death of Apple genius Steve Jobs will seal the coffin for the company but Apple has proven that it has the capacity and the resources necessary to remain on top of the game. An irrefutable proof of this is the unbelievably high profit margins that Apple continues to garner despite all of the competition—the iPad alone netted an estimated 37% profit margin—an amazing feat considering the volatility and instability of the global market. Apple’s creative designs, youth-oriented advertising, powerful specifications and extremely useful apps continue to make its gadgets the most sought after items today.
Small, smaller, smallest!
However, the recent release of Amazon’s Kindle Fire and Microsoft’s Surface marks another chapter in the fierce battle for supremacy in the production of tablet devices. Because of this, rumor mills continue to spin stories regarding a new device that Apple is supposedly developing to keep the competition in the dust. This device called the iPad Mini, is nothing more than a miniature version of the best-selling device, the iPad and will supposedly feature a 7” screen. Analysts and experts claim that Apple will market the iPad Mini at a slightly cheaper price than the iPad, probably at around $250-$300—substantially lower than the prices of most Apple products. Rumor mongers claim that the implementation of cheaper prices is a clear proof of Apple’s effort to repel other competitors, namely Samsung, Amazon and Microsoft, who are all dedicated to producing their own mini tablet devices at slightly lower rates than Apple.
The Nitty-Gritty
Surprisingly, the rumor mills have been quiet on the possible specifications and features of the iPad Mini, although there are claims that it will sport the same resolution as the iPad, as well as a dual-core 1GHz CPU, and an iOS 5 operating system. As for the design, it will probably be molded after Apple’s trademark unibody design, although there are some hints that Apple may provide greater color choices for the iPad Mini, apart from its’ traditional white. The release date of this device is said to coincide with the release date of another highly controversial Apple product, the iPhone 5, which is said to be released sometime around late September or early October of this year.
However, it must be said that Apple is famous for being unpredictable, so the exact release date, specs and overall features of the rumored iPad Mini still remains clouded in mystery.
