“We expect the iPad mini to be the best selling electronic product for the yearend holiday season. Consumers will be glad to pick up an attractively priced Apple branded tablet and Apple will further dominate the tablets market,” he said.
Ahead of the launch analysts had warned the starting price of $329 might seem steep to budget-minded shoppers who can buy Google Nexus or Amazon Kindle tablets for $199.
“Devotion to Apple products has been compared to a religion,” said an analyst from the US-based firm Gartner.
“But, I don’t think Apple will be as dominant in the seven-inch tablet space because they let the Kindle Fire and the Nexus get a foothold in the market at a considerably lower price.”
In Seoul there was a 200-strong queue, some of whom had camped out overnight, with one man telling AFP that Apple was a better buy for his 4-year-old daughter.
“I prefer iPad to Android devices because it has more content for children like my daughter,” he said in reference to a rival smartphone operating system developed by Google.
Die-hard fans also noted there was less buzz this time around.
“It’s not surprising people wait for hours to be the first to get new Apple devices, but now the hype doesn’t seem to be as big as before,” said Kim Tae-Min.
Mark Ranson, associate analyst at the global technology research firm Ovum, said the iPad mini marked something of a departure because it was an instance of Apple following the crowd, rather than setting the pace.
“This reactive nature of the iPad mini launch was largely the cause of the more muted public response,” he said before adding that increasing competition was squeezing Apple.
“Samsung’s continued growth, Google’s further push into the device market with its Nexus line of products and the strong performance of Amazon’s Kindle Fire, are all conspiring to bridge the gap between Apple and its competitors,” he noted.
Apple’s senior vice president for marketing Phil Schiller helped unveil the iPad mini last week, insisting that it was an entirely new design and not “just a shrunken down iPad”.
Like later versions of the original iPad, the new Apple tablet features rear- and front-facing cameras, and also has stereo speakers.
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