According to Barclays, the rumoured iPad mini will be shipping before Christmas.
The bank’s analyst is expecting Pegatron, a Taiwanese factory, to manufacture and ship as much as 3 million iPad minis, Focus Taiwan reports. The smaller versions of the iPad are expected to ship in Q4 2012 (October to December).
Before the iPhone 5 was launched, rumours claimed the iPad mini would be launched alongside the new iPhone. However, since this didn’t happen, rumours of the device are still circulating in the internet.
Word on the street is 10 million units of the iPad mini will be made before the end of the year. This doesn’t sound like too many devices, if we’re basing it on how well the new iPad sold in the first three days it went on sale (3 million).
The iPad mini is rumoured to be a 7-inch entry-level tablet set to compete against 7-inch Android tablets such as the Google Nexus 7 and the Amazon Kindle Fire. Since it’s rumoured to be significantly cheaper compared to the bigger iPad coupled with Apple’s marketing, we could see a large demand for the iPad mini. So, 10 million doesn’t seem like enough mini tablet to satisfy demand.
The iPad mini is rumoured to be officially unveiled by Apple at a special event this October. However, knowing the Cupertino firm, launch plans will only be revealed around a week before the actual event. So, stay tuned.
Is Apple planning to launch a smaller iPad? Although Apple has not confirmed the existence of the iPad mini, it does make sense for the iPhone-maker to compete in the smaller tablet market. The Amazon Kindle Fire and the Google Nexus 7 have proven to be best-sellers, which are eating away on the iPad’s market share.
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