iPad Mini won't disrupt the 7in tablet market

A lot has been written about the iPad Mini and the comments range from the price, which many people have found disappointingly high, to the way it will disrupt the 7in tablet market and kill off all competitors. My opinions are opposite to these. It is not expensive and it will not disrupt the 7in market.

The reason it will not disrupt the 7in market is that the iPad Mini is not in the same category as the Google Nexus 7 or Amazon Kindle Fire HD. Those two products will continue to appeal to budget conscious buyers who want a great tablet without it costing them an arm and a leg. Both competitors are available for £159 (UK prices) whereas the iPad Mini is £269. That's a huge difference to someone on a budget and it is a whole different market.

At first sight the iPad Mini might look expensive compared to other 7in tablets, but it's not a 7in tablet. It has an 8in screen (near enough). As Apple pointed out in the presentation, it is bigger than other tablets like the Google Nexus 7. (Apple, this does not make it better, just different. Is the Microsoft Surface better than the iPad because it has a 10.7in screen instead of your 9.7in screen? And why did you delete all the cool widgets off the Nexus 7's screen to make it look boring? A cheap trick.)

In addition to having an 8in screen the iPad Mini also has a 5 megapixel camera. It's a different tablet in a different market to Amazon and Google's and the price is fair. It's not cheap, but it's not expensive either.

So who will buy the iPad Mini? Loyal Apple supporters will queue up on launch day to buy it of course, but looking beyond the obvious fans, I think it will appeal to people that want an iPad, but were put off by the price. There's now a new iPad that is slightly smaller, but a whole lot more affordable.

My next iPad will be an iPad Mini. I am going to wait for a second generation model though. Judging by the current iPad release schedule I should only have to wait six months!