Published on July 31st, 2012 | by markdwayne

Will the entry of smaller tablets affect the demand of regular tabs?

Hmm, that’s a tough one to answer. There’s a lot of speculation involved.

Firstly, as of now there is just a rumor that Apple is coming out with an iPad mini, and supposedly in 7.85 inches, as opposed to its 9.7” size. It appears that the company has not yet decided whether they should go ahead with the project or not, but they are considering it.

Secondly the Google Nexus and Kindle Fire have been around for some time but don’t seem to have impacted the market anywhere close to what Apple’s iPad has. So in a sense, it will be more of an Apple impact rather than a small tablet or ‘phablet’ (as some people are calling it) impact.

If and when the iPad Mini is launched, I don’t really see too much competition here from other small tablets; it will be more like an extension of Apple’s domination in this tech zone.

The Apple advantage:

The would-be iPad mini, at 7,85 inches, would be 40% larger than its nearest competitors, Nexus and Kindle Fire. That factor itself will create a niche for the Apple tablet.
The touch targets will definitely become smaller but will still be manageable.
Developers are likely to find it easier to scale iPad apps down rather than scale up iPhone apps.
The size means that the resolution will work out to 1024×768 panel at 163ppi, the same that iPhones had, before the Retina display models started making their appearance. Apple, with its vast amounts of custom built panels will be able to cut down manufacturing costs. Most likely, the panels are being cut out of flats being manufactured for iPhones.
Over the last decade Apple has been successful in using relationships with manufacturers and suppliers to their advantage. Not only do they use the best processes and materials, they also do it at the lowest cost. Needless to say, this will automatically translate into higher profits.
Thanks to the hundreds of exclusive Apple Stores, every mini sold from there will fetch them that little extra profit.
The huge popularity of the iPad and iPhone will surely have a ripple effect and extend to the Mini as well.
The smaller size will make it more convenient to carry around and easier to carry in one hand while still giving a decent sized display for watching videos and reading.

Apple is light years ahead of the competition in making movies, music and other content available to mobile users; in this particular segment, it’s the most trusted and sought after. So anything they launch is definitely going to hog all the attention; not to mention the shelf-space at stores.

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