Report: Taiwan Vendors Scared of Cheap iPad mini
According to a new report from Digitimes, vendors in Taiwan are version concern that Apple may reduce the price of the current iPad mini to US$229 or introduced a low cost version at this price. This will have a significant impact on the current tablet market, according to sources from tablet players.
If Apple sticks to the current pricing strategy, it’s very likely that this fear will be realized.
“Since the hardware development of tablets has almost reached maturity, other than upgrades in hardware specifications such as the processor, industrial design, camera module, panel and touchscreen module, there are not many new surprises tablets can offer to consumers,” Max Wang and Joseph Tsai report for Digitimes. “As a result, the US vendor’s pricing strategy has received more attention from its competitors than the new features it puts out in its latest products.”
“If Apple decides to keep its new iPad mini priced at around NT$10,500 (US$351) and drop its previous-generation model to around NT$8,500, it could significantly impact all the non-Apple tablet vendors and even change the tablet ecosystem,” the report explains.
