According to a report from Mac blog iMore, unnamed sources said that Apple is going to release the “iPad Mini”, sporting a 7-inch screen in October, at an ultra-low price point somewhere between $200-$250, to put the device in direct competition with Amazon’s Kindle Fire.
The latest report is the latest in a long line of rumours regarding a smaller version of the popular iPad, which has revived and dominated the tablet market since its first incarnation. A recent survey from Pricegrabber suggests that though Apple has shown no official interest in building a 7-inch iPad (Steve Jobs was famously dismissive of the idea), consumers are quite interested in buying one.
Slightly more than half (52 percent) of the survey respondents said they would consider purchasing an iPad Mini for approximately $250 to $300, likely making the rumoured lower price point even more enticing. Indeed, 64 percent of those surveyed said a price point lower than that on the new iPad or iPad 2 would be a top consideration, followed by those who wanted a smaller, more portable size (54 percent).
