“We have been conducting tiers of research trying to gauge consumer sentiment around tablets and in particular of late, the iPad Mini,” Ben Bajarin writes for TechPinions.
“One thing I found interesting was that nearly everyone we spoke to who expressed interest in the iPad Mini, simply assumed the next version would include a Retina display,” Bajarin writes. “More interestingly this did not seem to be a deterrent to their intended purchase this holiday season. When I dug into why there was no interest to wait, the overwhelming consensus was that over time their intention was not just to own one but to own many. Ideally one for every person in the house. So the logic goes, when the new one comes out the older gets handed down. This used to be the logic for notebooks.”
Bajarin writes, “Price was certainly a driving factor for the interest of the iPad Mini over the iPad. But to many the price premium did not seem to be a deterrent. One of my key takeaways is that the perception with the iPad and the iPad Mini, relative to tablets, is that even though you pay more, you get more. This in terms of hardware and software quality as well as ecosystem and perhaps more importantly the experience. The vast majority we interviewed had not owned a tablet yet and were on all parts of the economic scale. Those in the lower income brackets were also intending to research a few other tablets in the 7″ form factor. The leading three were the Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD and Nook HD. Even with that bit of feedback over 60% said they were still leaning toward the Mini.”
Much more in the full article – recommended – here.
MacDailyNews Take: It’s all over but the shouting.
Related articles:
VentureBeat reviews Apple’s iPad mini: The best iPad ever and the best tablet on the market – November 16, 2012
InfoWorld reviews Apple’s iPad mini: Far superior; outclasses Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD, Google Nexus 7, Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 – November 6, 2012
Thurrott reviews Apple iPod touch and iPad mini: ‘demonstrably better than the competition; incredibly desirable tech devices’ – November 6, 2012
Ars Technica reviews Apple’s iPad mini: You’ll find yourself reaching for it over a full-sized iPad with Retina display – November 6, 2012
24 hours with Apple’s iPad mini: This is the real iPad – November 6, 2012
Why I just dumped my iPad 3 for iPad mini – November 5, 2012
DisplayMate: Apple’s iPad mini offers ‘just a very capable display’ – November 5, 2012
Apple’s iPad mini and ultra-mobile computing – November 5, 2012
Demand for Apple’s new iPad mini is huge – November 5, 2012
The Register reviews Apple’s iPad mini: ‘The tablet even Apple anti-fans won’t be able to leave alone’ – November 5, 2012
Apple sells three million iPads in three days; double previous first weekend sales – November 5, 2012
The Independent reviews Apple’s iPad mini: High-end gadget is worth the price – October 31, 2012
CNET reviews Apple’s iPad mini: The new standard for little-tablet design – October 31, 2012
NYT’s Pogue reviews Apple’s iPad mini: ‘All the iPad goodness in a more manageable size; it’s awesome’ – October 31, 2012
USA Today’s Baig reviews Apple’s iPad mini: ‘A splendid choice; terrific for reading, watching movies and playing games’ – October 31, 2012
Mossberg reviews Apple’s iPad mini: ‘An impressive feat; the perfect solution’ – October 31, 2012
I can see multiple minis in my life.. Once they come in more colors.
Nothing to be afraid of but Apple do. They first said 7 inch tablet will be DOA but now they copy others…….
@Apple
you may or may not be an idiot, but, your comments are idiotic.
Really? That is your post – back to playing dungeons and dragons for you..
“but now they copy others…….”
That is HYSTERICAL, “Apple”! Absolutely riotous! WHO COPIED WHOM? Where do you suppose the other “mini” tablets came from in the first place? Tell me, oh sage of the internet, which company marketed a tablet to the consumer market BEFORE the iPad? Come on now, give it a try. (Chirp, chirp, chirp.) No one? Really? Then, once again, where do you suppose the “also-rans” got the idea to market a smaller (read that: cheaper, less capable, poorly designed and built) tablet device?
From Apple, that’s who! The iPad Mini is but a smaller iteration of the ORIGINAL iPAD! Get it! Are you capable of getting it?
Didn’t think so. Back to your pacifier in Mom’s basement, Troll.
The point is that Apple did not want to make a smaller iPad, and now they are. They are copying the idea to reduce size, which had been around just as people started… copying the iPad.
Apple did not want to make a smaller iPad in 2010, when the available technology in 2010 would have made it a sucky product, as proven by the competition.
In 2012, Apple can release a smaller iPad that is essentially the same as an iPad 2, showing the exact same screen content, running the exact same apps, but with less than HALF the weight and a $70 discount. That’s progress, and Apple is all about making progress.
It’s not a tablet. It’s an iPad. It’s also 8″
Actually the 7.9 inch iPad Mini is an 8 inch tablet in the same way as the 9.7 inch iPad is a 10 inch tablet.
Most 7 inch tablets have the dual problem of a widescreen aspect ratio and a smaller surface area in comparison to the iPad Mini. This makes the smaller tabs good only for streaming video and little else in landscape mode and over balanced in portrait mode.
Not that having a dedicated video streaming would be a horrible thing if there was an unlimited cellular data plan to go with it.
Spoken like a true Fandroid doofus. Listening to them Google invented everything and Apple cowers and copies from Google. The master(bator)s of history rewriting.
Actually, Steve Jobs was doing his job as CEO of Apple and the world’s best “sales guy” when he made the comment about existing 7-inch tablets competing against Apple’s 10-inch iPad.
NOTE: He was comparing the 10-inch iPad design to the THEN competing 7-inch (narrow screen) designs, NOT to a FUTURE iPad design with an 8-inch that has the exact same screen resolution as the original iPad.
In my opinion, it’s entirely possible that he actually wanted the original iPad to be this new size and weight (of iPad mini), with a 10-hour battery, and price under $500. Or maybe he wanted a 10-inch tablet, but with a higher resolution (maybe 1280×960) screen. But, due to technical limitations in 2010, the best design “compromise” possible was an iPad with a 9.7-inch 1024×768 screen, and a higher (but acceptable) weight and thickness. Obviously, Steve Jobs “sold it” (at that time) as the ideal tablet design, and smaller tablets were inferior (because they WERE). He was doing his job. Did you expect him to say (?), “Hey, this first iPad is pretty good, but wait two or three years and you’ll see something REALLY great…” NO, of course not. 🙂
The latest 2012 improvements allow the customer to choose between significantly better screen and performance, or equal performance (as previous iPad 2) at less than HALF the weight and lower price tag. Those are great options. A lot of people will choose the first option and a lot of people will choose the second option. But either way, with will choose an iPad.
Exactly, this is a strategy, Apple was not ready or did not see a reason to release 7″ iPad back then, this isn’t the first time Jobs said thing like that
Apple’s 8″ iPad is a smaller copy of Apple’s 10″ iPad.
If you can’t see that you are even more stupid than your post suggests.
At first glance you might think that the 7″ ‘roid tablets and the 8″ iPad were simliar in screen size.
Just like a 37″ HDTV and a 42″ this actual screen size difference is considerable (same 14% difference between an iPad mini and the generic ‘roid tablets)
However it is actually even a greater difference because the ‘roid tablets use a more oblique aspect screen it’s narrow screen only has about 21 square inches of surface as apposed to the ipad mini’s nearly 30″ (nearly 50% larger)
So “apple” even you can see that the two are not really equivalent the 7″ roid tablets continue to disappoint users while the iPad mini continues to delight.
Don’t worry I am sure the ‘roid manufacturers will be able to rip off the new iPad mini’s design (though no doubt a low quality plastic copy) in a few years.
‘Till then you can either suffer on or get an iPad Mini.
Your choice.
We are passing our iPads down to grandkids ….. We pass two at a time down ….. So we have passed four down so far as we have not got the iPad generation 4 as we are waiting to upgrade our iPhones to five but have to wait …. So when we upgrade we will pass down generation 3 and buy generation 4 …… And all our grandkids will have an iPad …. But not our kids and their others so we will continue to pass down …….
We are doing the same with our notebooks ….. Just passed down our 13″ macbookpro as we got the new 15″ ….. On my 11″ Air – I am waiting on retina display so nothing getting passed down this generation …..
Same with iMacs from my work but we won’t get the new iMacs until at least next summer when they hit the refurb store, as we always buy refurb in our business ……
So back to the original topic as to why folks buy first generation …. I agree!
It will be a very Merry Christmas for Apple stockholders….
I like the mini but am ok for the moment with my iPad 1g, only because I am planning a lot of Mac purchases next year.
The guys that I know who bought the mini, like it more than their iPads, one of them used to work in Apple retail and thinks the form factor is perfect.
There will be a mini for me but only after my Mac purchases, I still need a truck for gaming and iTunes media!
TechPinions has thoughtful articles. But it bothers me that (1) Ben Bajarin looks like Doogie Howser, and (2) Tim Bajarin looks like Hercule Poirot.
Billy Bob analyst for Film is Right has reported that the IPad mini and iPad will be around in their current form factor and size well into the year 2070. Billy reports seeing many the two Apple tablets being used in a hospital scene in the Gary Sinese movie “Imposter”. He has raised his forecast for Apple stock to $56,000 per share by the year 2070. Billy has also been able to see the future for various other products such as Audi (car used in I Robot) and many others with great success. Billy’s recommendation is a strong buy. Ignore him at your peril.
One more thing of interest…. The movie was released before the original iPad….Billy attributes this mystical iPad precognition to current popularity sending back mental signals in time to the movies producers…, wow… Spooky huh?
Ballmer’s been puking for weeks.
A lot of people, especially the so-called “experts,” seem to forget that the original iPad was Apple’s answer to netbooks, not other tablets. There were no other competing tablets (I’m not counting those stylus-based “convertible” dinosaurs); iPad essentially created this new “tablet market” AFTER it was released.
The iPad was Apple’s sub-$500 “MacBook” that steadily destroyed the low end of the PC market. And that is STILL going on now, in a big way. So the “fear” about iPad mini is also coming from the Apple’s Windows PC competition, NOT just the tablet competition. iPad is killing the competition on TWO fronts.
I hope, under Tim Cook — as opposed to the Jobs’ you-with-like-what-we-give-you pomposity, and the mini iPad being dead on arrival with sandpapered fingers — I hope Cook’s Apple gives customers more choices. In particular, the glossy vs anti-glare choice. No one denies that glossy colors do pop, but many people need matte screens. And not just external screens.
What the screens need is an anti-reflective coating, like spectacles have, not a Matt finish. An MAR coating, (Multilayer Anti-Reflective), which I have on my varifocal lenses, would make a huge difference to usability. A matt finish would be bloody awful.
Great idea about the matte screen, IMHO.
Of course they will be passed down and families will have multiple iPads. As a matter of fact, if they don’t get passed down or traded in, they will be repurposed. We have 2 and when we get the next one whenever that is, the one replaced will be mounted in the garage or next to the bed or possibly in the kitchen.