Retailer leaks iPad Mini price list starting at £200

Apple's new iPad Mini will sell for £200, if screenshots on a German site are to be believed. Mobilegeek.de is showing images of an inventory spreadsheet from the German gadget store Media Markt, which shows various models of iPad Minis listed alongside their prices. The cheapest iPad Mini, an 8GB Wi-Fi-only device, is listed …

[g e]

So, despite rest-of-world being utterly wrong

They still copied made a Google Nexus

#AppleNexus

[Steve Todd]

Re: So, despite rest-of-world being utterly wrong

How long has it taken for 7 inch pads to shift in any kind of volume compared to the 10" models? I'd have said that Apple got their approach spot on. Sell the expensive, large model first and then expand into the smaller, cheaper range if there turns out to be significant interest.

If correct, the 7.85" screent that has been mooted is still significantly larger than the Nexus 7 et al as it's 4:3 ratio (about 40% more screen area), while still having a ready supply of software that will work with it.

[eSeM]

Re: So, despite rest-of-world being utterly wrong

The 'Mini' iPad will not be 4:3 ..... that would defeat the purpose of a small tablet.

7.85" is about the maximum size that a 16:9 tablet can be and still be able to fit in a suit or jacket pocket.

[Steve Todd]

Re: So, despite rest-of-world being utterly wrong

"The 'Mini' iPad will not be 4:3 ..... "

Want to bet? If its not 4:3 then the existing stock of iPad software won't work with it, and you introduce fragmentation. 4:3 would make the tablet a little wider but not damage it's portability much.

[Martin]

Want to bet?

OK.

I bet you a virtual beer that the iPad mini is 16 x 9. It'll be following the shape of the new iPhone 5.

[eSeM]

Re: So, despite rest-of-world being utterly wrong

"Want to bet? If its not 4:3 then the existing stock of iPad software won't work with it, and you introduce fragmentation. 4:3"

I'll bet you another virtual pint of beer. None of the leaked photos of iPad mini case show a 4:3 ratio.

And yes, it will cause a problem as the current crop of iPad specific apps will not run on it.

4:3 is so 19th century.

[GettinSadda]

Re: So, despite rest-of-world being utterly wrong

I'd bet a virtual beer that it will be 768 x 1366 giving 16:9, with the same pixel width as the iPad2 so iPad apps will display with 171 pixel wide black bars top and bottom (or left/right in landscape) with new apps able to fill the whole screen. This is what the iPhone 5 does.

First thing next month I plan to buy myself a tablet. If we have an iPad Mini by then (at no more than about £200) then I will buy one of those - else I will go for a Nexus 7.

[ThomH]

Re: So, despite rest-of-world being utterly wrong (@GettinSada)

Aspect ratios aside, I'll bet the new device won't run existing apps but physically smaller.

My logic is that the result would be a user experience train wreck, Apple has put significant effort into how layouts resize under iOS 6 (struts and springs are gone; you now specify arbitrary constraints) and it would be very uncharacteristic not to arm twist the developer base into adopting the latest technologies.

[Anonymous Coward]

4:3 vs. 16:9

"The 'Mini' iPad will not be 4:3 ..... "

Want to bet? If its not 4:3 then the existing stock of iPad software won't work with it, and you introduce fragmentation. 4:3 would make the tablet a little wider but not damage it's portability much.

----

You mean like how all the existing iPhone software doesn't work with the 5 since it changed to 16:9? Probably 70% of my apps have been updated in the past month for this already, including all the ones I use regularly. Apple could use the same 1136x640 resolution the iPhone 5 uses - not Retina, but this is a lower end device. In a year the high DPI screens will be cheaper and the Mini 2 can get Retina which would be 2272x1280 - with a 7.85" screen versus the iPhone 5's 4", it would be very slightly higher DPI than the 5, basically right in the 300+ dpi ballpark of what Apple considers "Retina" for a hand held device.

If the leaked photos are correct it doesn't look its 16:9, but who can tell what's photoshop and what's real these days? The "narrower for the coat pocket" idea has some merit, but the width difference between 16:9 and 4:3 isn't that great....guess it depends on the width of the average coat pocket. You get more square inches of screen at 4:3, but 16:9 being smaller can also be lighter making it better to use as an e-book reader. There's pluses and minuses no matter which ratio they pick, but I don't think compatibility with existing iPad software is much of an issue. Knowing it will almost certainly sell well, developers will be more than happy to do a point revision of their software to support a new screen resolution and/or ratio.

[Mark .]

Re: So, despite rest-of-world being utterly wrong

Apple get vast amount of media coverage for their ipad - they got this even before it was announced, let alone released. Vast amounts of free hype and advertising, from every news organisation, not to mention every other advert now going "Get this in your ipad" (are ipad users complete idiots or something, that they have to be told they can view a website on it? You don't have companies saying you can view it on a PC or Android phone).

Meanwhile the only other tablets to have got a bare mention at all has been the Kindle Fire (not available in most markets until recently) and Nexus 7 (only recently released), and even then, the coverage has been puny compared to the astroturfing for Apple. Most people don't even know there are "tablets" such as the Samsung Galaxys, just "ipads".

Then there's the distribution - every shop, even those that don't normally sell tech products, fell over each other to sell ipads for Apple, whilst until recently, it's been hard to find other tablets if you wanted them. Even those that do sell other tablets list the category as "Ipads & tablets" (again, are Apple users complete idiots that they don't know to look for ipads in the tablet section? It's just yet more free advertising for Apple).

Yet when Apple sell more, you conclude it's because of they got the size right?!

But then, if that's true, why would they release this vaporware "Mini"?

And do you agree they got the size wrong on iphones, since larger phones are way more popular?

"if there turns out to be significant interest."

So their approach is to follow what Google do - sounds like you agree with the OP.

[Steve Todd]

@Mark . - Sour grapes much?

Apple only sell their kit because of advertising? Other companies can't advertise themselves? "Get this on your iPad" generally means that they've written an app that does additional things than just showing web pages and video. Android doesn't have an app? I wonder why that might be?

People don't know other pads exist? Samsung went out and advertised their Galaxy Pad range like mad. Third party stores have shelves full of Android devices, normally right next to the iPad stand. Shopping channels plug Android devices like crazy, with easy payment terms even. People STILL keep buying the Apple version because the OS works far better for a given spec of hardware, even if you do have JB on your Android device. ICS is just poor in comparison. That and the third party software library is vastly larger.

Once again, if you can sell a larger, more expensive version first and then add a smaller, cheaper model to your range later then you'd be a fool not to. Companies are out to make money. Trying that the other way around would make them less money. Why would they want to do that?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: So, despite rest-of-world being utterly wrong

That's rich - so Apple basically (re)invent the tablet - certainly as we know it today and not they get accused of copying because they choose to make a smaller screen version.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: So, despite rest-of-world being utterly wrong

So, is it much different from its predecessors, the Archos and Galaxy Tab? :P

[Mark .]

Re: So, despite rest-of-world being utterly wrong

They didn't invent or reinvent tablets - or as we called them for years, media players, smartphones and PDAs. They just made one a bit bigger. So if making it bigger makes it a whole new thing, the same should apply for 7" vs 10". So if you expect others to credit Apple for a 10" device, then Apple and its fans should be thanking other companies for the 7" and 8" devices.

Plus it was presumably a joke comment against Apple's claims that Samsung copied.

[Anonymous Coward]

KNOWING

That it will just work I will buy them for both sets of grandparents. Fool proof for the elderly, cheap to buy for schools, it will sell by the millions and destroy any competition in the tablet market.

Sadly it may stifle innovation.

[elaar]

Re: KNOWING

I didn't know the elderly like to play angrybirds and frequently check their facebook :/

[The First Dave]

Re: So, despite rest-of-world being utterly wrong

The size is pretty similar to the Newton, so Apple have about twenty years of prior art...

[Anonymous Coward]

How many times do we have to tell you...

It's an iPod Touch Maxi, NOT an iPad mini.

(FFS!)

[Anonymous Coward]

I'll believe it when I see it. You do realise that Apple like to put the competition off the scent with these little product rumours?

[Richard 81]

Off the scent?

Who is going to base their strategic decisions on what Apple is doing now, when all they're doing is play catch-up?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Off the scent?

Catch up - really - their iPad is the one everyone else is trying to imitate. I guess the fact others brought out smaller tablets was to try and differentiate themselves or more likely to be cheaper. If you are going to try and complete with the iPad you have to be a lot less expensive to get the budget buyers but they are also the ones unlikely to spend much on music, apps etc.

I've yet to see a 10" tablet that 'bests' the new iPad (iPad 3) and if they do hit that price point there is little reason for the typical buyer to choose a cheaper option as the cheaper option is barely cheaper, is not an Apple and does not have the same OS or support. End of. Sure if you are one of the 'Kill Apple - Must Have Android' crowd you would never buy but you are also the tiny minority.

[mrh2]

Re: Off the scent?

I LOVE my iPad but I've also had a sneak play with the NOOK HD and it's VERY impressive and will cost a lot less than the iPad when it goes on sale later this month.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Off the scent?

"differentiate themselves or more likely to be cheaper. If you are going to try and complete with the iPad you have to be a lot less expensive to get the budget buyers"

the budget buyers is only one market..... but tablets that are superior in technology at a slightly lower price just get scoffed at by the appletards without even looking at them and dismiss them as "wannabes", have a place in the market that they deserve and have carved out for themselves, fitting in where apple cant compete.

"I've yet to see a 10" tablet that 'bests' the new iPad (iPad 3)"

Samsung Galaxy TAB2.. Samsung Galaxy note 10.1.... you know the ones apple are trying to litigate of the shelves....

Just because apple were successful in originally making a market for tablet computers does not mean they own the market. even if that market took years of development work. Don’t forget, they took advantage of the research and failure of those that went before !!

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Off the scent?

"Samsung Galaxy TAB2.. Samsung Galaxy note 10.1"

Kies and Windows only mass storage mode, yeh!

[John Robson]

Re: Off the scent?

IMHO the Transformer series bests the new iPad - has been out for a good while longer as well.

[Mark .]

Re: Off the scent?

Okay I'll bite, what does an ipad do that no other device does?

Plus it's laughable to suggest that if things are equal, Apple should win by default. Minority? Android is the more popular OS.

[Toothpick]

Re: Off the scent?

Popular does not mean better. Windows is popular but a lot of people on here would consider Linux or OSX better.

"what does an ipad do that no other device does?"

I can plug my IPad into a docking station and use it in music production. It has Animoog and Korg software synths on it that are available via MIDI.

Please correct me if I am wrong, but I am unaware of any other tablet that has this flexibility.

[Ian Watkinson]

At £159 the google nexus is a steal. At £50 less than a "proper" ipad, for thr 7" version, why one would anyone bother?

[Steve Todd]

That would be £40 rather than £50 cheaper, and the magic word is

Software. There still isn't much that has been tablet optimised for the Nexus.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: That would be £40 rather than £50 cheaper, and the magic word is

£159 for a Nexus or £199 for an iPad - bye bye Nexus. Basically if you are a geek and tinker you may get the Nexus - if you want a tablet just to use you will buy the iPad. Simples.

[FartingHippo]

Re: That would be £40 rather than £50 cheaper, and the magic word is

@AC

It's rather disheartening that you're probably right. Still the success of the Galaxy S2/S3 gives me hope...

[ukgnome]

Re: That would be £40 rather than £50 cheaper, and the magic word is

I am going to ditch Google and say hello Apple after my appalling attempt to get a nexus - wrong consignment number, no tracking, still waiting for refund.

I mean, the customer services for Apple can't be any worse can they?

[Piro]

Re: That would be £40 rather than £50 cheaper, and the magic word is

I'm nerdy, I appreciate tinkering, so a microSD-less tablet is hopeless.

I bought a 10.1" tablet from a little known Chinese brand and it is absolutely excellent. IPS screen, 10 point touch, front facing stereo speakers, HDMI, USB host, microSD.. You can keep your nexus and your iPad at any price.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: That would be £40 rather than £50 cheaper, and the magic word is

Until it goes wrong or you find out the lithium battery was not as good quality as it should have been then good luck sucker.

[4.1.3_U1]

Re: That would be £40 rather than £50 cheaper, and the magic word is

Yeah but who cares?

I just bought some (more than one, exact number not needed) 7" ICS/512Mb/4Gb/A13 based tablets for under $60 each (delivered). Who cares if one packs up, I've got a spare.

[Steve Todd]

@4.1.3_U1

There's a saying that goes “There is nothing in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and he who considers price only is that man's lawful prey.”

I guess you are that man's lawful prey if you think that your £40 special will match even a decent spec Android machine.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: That would be £40 rather than £50 cheaper, and the magic word is

"Until it goes wrong or you find out the lithium battery was not as good quality as it should have been then good luck sucker."

and what about what apple stuff goes wrong? just because they will replace it and brush the faults under the carpet and make like nothing was wrong....

apple have just as many failures as any other product that comes out of foxconn..

[Mark .]

Re: That would be £40 rather than £50 cheaper, and the magic word is

Ainol?

I was looking at their Android 4 7" tablets and am tempted to get one - excellent specs, great reviews from the few places that cover them, with microSD, and cheaper than even a Nexus, let alone Apple's overpriced rubbish. It's sad how they get hardly any mention, whilst the media give hype and free advertising to the same old stuff (usually Apple).

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: That would be £40 rather than £50 cheaper, and the magic word is

@Steve Todd: "Software. There still isn't much that has been tablet optimised for the Nexus."

Huh ? Really ? Are you sure we're living on the same planet ?

[Steve Todd]

@Gob Smacked

I don't know what planet you are on, but the Nexus 7 sat in front of me is claiming only 30,000 Tablet optimised apps in the Play store, and many of those seem to be duplicates. The iPad currently runs to about 10x that number.

[Ian Watkinson]

Re: That would be £40 rather than £50 cheaper, and the magic word is

Yes Really.

How's Iplayer work on your Nexus on your planet?

How about Flash?

[Mark .]

Re: That would be £40 rather than £50 cheaper, and the magic word is

Since there is no difference between tablets and phones, all Android software is "tablet" optimised. It's only on Apple IOS that every software has to be specifically written for each device.

And if you make that argument, are you admitting that there's hardly any software for the iphone 5 (since all the existing stuff is optimised for a tiny 3.5" screen)? And there'll be even less for any new "mini" islate, sorry, ipad?

[Steve Todd]

@Mark . - Tablet optimised has to do

with screen resolution. Many Android phone apps will run on tablets, but look terrible with huge, unused sections of the screen. In the same way you can run iPhone apps on an iPad, but they look naff.

[ThomH]

Surely the question is: if the alleged iPad Mini is £199 then who's going to bother with an iPod Touch? The Nano and the Shuffle are already there for jogging, living in the glove compartment, etc.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: ThomH - who is going to bother with an iPod touch?

They aren't the same product.

If you want something to carry around with you to listen to music on the go and strap to your arm when working out, a 7.85" iPad is NOT going to be what you choose, even if it sold for half what the iPod touch does.

Likewise, if you want something you will use mostly as a tablet, clearly the nearly 4x bigger screen on the little iPad is a no brainer even if the iPod touch was priced lower.

[Andrew Lobban]

Pricing

Given the new iPod Touch starts at £249 in the UK and the iPad at £399 its difficult to see how an iPad mini would slot into the existing line-up and still be a competitive choice. Assuming it does exist then I cant see how it could sell for any less than £300 as a starting price, which frankly is too expensive to make sense. Maybe the iPod touch is on its way out at it'll be priced as an alternative to that. Hard to see it fitting in though.

[Sklar]

Re: Pricing

8gb 4th Gen iTouch €209

8gb iPad mini €249

32gb 5th Gen iTouch €319

32gb iPad mini €449

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Pricing

"Given the new iPod Touch starts at £249 in the UK..."

Jesus H. Christ, you guys really do get taken for a ride... that's around $400US, and they (the gen4 touch) start at $175 at Best Buy!

[Badvok]

Re: Pricing

"Jesus H. Christ, you guys really do get taken for a ride...", yes but not by as much as you think. Unlike in the USA, all prices quoted in the UK have to include all sales taxes. UK sales tax is currently 20%.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Pricing

"UK sales tax is currently 20%"

You make it sound like it wont be forever. Dream on...

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Pricing

"You make it sound like it wont be forever. Dream on..."

Oh, I'm sure it won't, based on current trends, I expect it will drop to around 18% and then rise to 22%.

[4.1.3_U1]

Re: Pricing

'"You make it sound like it wont be forever. Dream on..."

Oh, I'm sure it won't, based on current trends, I expect it will drop to around 18% and then rise to 22%.'

25% elsewhere in the EU is not unheard of (Sweden currently, IIRC).

[Michael Thibault]

Re: Pricing

Tithing, FFS, was limited to 14%. What kind of deal have you done!? And with whom, or what?

[Anonymous Coward]

8GB? Unlikely.

The smallest model of the new iPod touch has 32 GB of flash, so I'd say it's unlikely that they would produce something with only 8GB. I suspect this is made up.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: 8GB? Unlikely.

It's made up in Shenzen, right? ;)

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: 8GB? Unlikely.

What's your point? Not some anti-China claptrap or let's start another slave labour thread.

Wonder where your Samsung / Nokia / other was made... probably in the same factory.

[Big_Ted]

PMSL......

£200 for an iPad Mini ????

No chance, at that price its so much cheaper than the "new" ipad that a lorge number will go for it as the second/third one in the house as well as the only tablet they have.

Imagine it, £329 for one that's only real difference for you average punter is that its a bit bigger and more than 50% more expensive.......

Apple are too smart to do that, more likely is a £259 price to match the price of a refurb ipad2 from their store.....

[Jeffrey Jefferson]

iPad Mini?

Surely that's just an iPod touch then?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: iPad Mini?

No it's not, and don't call be Shirley.

Sorry :-(

[Efros]

All these iPads

I wonder if Apple'll ever issue iPads with wings, or those clever ones that stick to the inside of your knickers... wait a minute, guess I got the wrong forum.

[NightFox]

Re: All these iPads

2010 just called, they said you can keep their joke as it wasn't particularly funny back then either.

[Mark .]

Re: All these iPads

Last time I looked, Apple were still using this joke brand name in 2012. Though I can understand the confusion - there was so much hype and vaporware, islate, ipad etc, and now the same over the "mini", it's hard to remember which is the real products, and which are vaporware.

[NightFox]

Re: All these iPads

I think you're confusing vaporware with rumours. Considering Apple is a company that makes such a big issue of not announcing products until it's got millions of them stockpiled ready to launch within a couple of weeks of the announcement, I think you mean the wild speculation that frenzied fanbois come up with whenever a blurry photo appears from one of Apple's component suppliers. I certainly can't think of any devices that Apple have announced that have failed to materialise.

[toadwarrior]

£40 more isn't bad at all for something that is guaranteed to work. The nexus has had so many complaints about stuff falling apart and the screen losing touch ability on areas that even if they fixed those issues, I'd really be hessitant to buy one. Especially given my experience with an android phone too.

[Aramando]

Don't believe the (negative) hype!

I did have to send back my first Nexus 7 due to a loose screen (I bought it quite early on, by the way), but the replacement is bulletproof, feels really nice in the hand, and works like a charm. I *love* it, it's easily the best £160 I've spent.

If the iPad Mini is £160 (for 8GB) I'd be annoyed I didn't get one of those instead, but even if it's £200 (which will never happen!) I'll remain very happy with my purchase.

[bluest.one]

>£40 more isn't bad at all for something that is guaranteed to work. The nexus has had so many complaints about stuff falling apart...

Nothing Apple makes has manufacturing defects. Is that your point?

Please stay on hold, someone from the internet will be along shortly to list all the ways you are wrong. Refuting your fanoboyism is important to us.

[Keep Refrigerated]

Just so happens...

I'm in the market for a new smaller tablet. A couple of years ago I was warming up to Apple and would have been ready to try out a small form factor iPad. Not now, not after all their vindictive patent malarky. I'm looking at a Galaxy Tab 2 7", would have gone for a Nexus 7 but discovered no SD slot. Still if the rumours about a 32gb Nexus turn out to be true then GoogleAsus will shut up and take my money.

Apple: too little innovation, too much litigation, too late.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Just so happens...

"Not now, not after all their vindictive patent malarky."

If you're going to rule out companies based on moral business practices, Samsung are hardly pure little angels themselves, you know...

[Anonymous Coward]

Apple: too little innovation, too much litigation, too late.

The lack of original comment is ironic.

[fiatlux]

A 8GB Cellular Mini iPad would be a nice, affordable compromise between the iPad 3G/4G and the iPhone.

I loved the BlackBerry PlayBook form factor but the lack of cellular connectivity defeated a bit the purpose of the small size. There is now a PlayBook 4G but its battery life and wireless sensitivity do not seem great. If I had not an iPad 3G already, I'd be very tempted by this new model.

[Green Nigel]

Apples & Pears

The lack of sd slot on any tablet, is a deal breaker for me, why do I not want to use the cloud or even a local one to stream ect? No thanks, forced on to their retail outlets or forever shuffling, squashing in files to & from, is just a clunky time wasting solution, especialy if you want to do anything away from an internet connection. This becomes even more cronic & unworkable with just the 8g (4g usable) to play with.

Is this why the 32g Nexus is set now to release & replace the 16g, (rumoured for the same price of £200? & the 16g to replace the pointless 8g!)

An 8g iPad mini @ £200, (£250 more likely + £20 for the Lightning adaptor), would be just a browser/reader at best, I can't see Apple releasing such a castrated beast.

[Mike Brown]

This is obvious.....

They will drop the iPad 2, and possibly cut the price of the new iPad to the old iPad 2 price. Then the name of the new iPad makes sence; you have the iPad and the mini iPad. That also makes sure that the price points arent too far away from each other, that they canabilise each others sales.