No iPad mini to Counterattack the Windows 8 Army, Says Apple Specialist

A report stemming from a Chinese portal is dishing out new rumors about Apple releasing a smaller tablet in the third quarter of 2012 to “counterattack the Windows 8 army.” One person who is knowledgeable regarding Apple’s strategy says this is not likely to happen.

eWeek spoke with Michael Oh, the president of a company that specializes in Apple products called TechSuperpowers. Mr. Oh said he believes Apple is not going there.

First and foremost, he said, “the space in that sub-$300 tablet sector is really crowded, or it will be very soon.”

Second, Mr. Oh doesn’t see Apple dividing up their product lines - at least not with the iPod touch still selling.

“They look at specific use cases—like the iPod shuffle, for people who like to go running or are on the go, or the iPod touch, which is their premium model for people who want to download applications,” he said.

“With the tablet line, it’s difficult for me to differentiate between different tablets other than size. If they do it, there would have to be something very unique about it to differentiate it from the larger iPad,” he said.

Oh agrees that “It is possible that Apple may look at it from a standpoint of ‘let's corner the market’ and put the nail in the coffin of Android or Microsoft. Apple sells on value, not necessarily on price. I don’t think it’s compatible with their current business model. But they could change significantly if they wanted to.”

And he also admits that if Apple did roll out a smaller iPad, he would have no choice but to buy it.

“Oh yeah, of course, I’d buy one,” he said. “Part of the perks of my job is having one of everything. But it would have to be really thin and very sexy.”

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