Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. HOMEPAGE

Apple Could Sell 4 Million To 6 Million iPad Minis This Year

A smaller, cheaper iPad is probably coming out by the end of the year.

Advertisement

So, how will it do on the market?

Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster thinks Apple can sell between 4 million and 6 million smaller iPads in the fourth quarter this year.

Tablets running Google's Android tablet have taken advantage of the smaller form factor and price point as a way to differentiate from the iPad. But when Apple enters the space, it's going to hit Android hard, Munster says.

ipad mini 7 inch
Federico Ciccarese, Ciccarese Design

Here's some of what we should expect when it launches — likely at Apple's next phone event, Munster says,

Advertisement
  • The iPad Mini will force Android tablets to compete on software. Apple has a big advantage here thanks to the iPhone operating system, Munster says.
  • The iPad Mini will probably cost $299. The iPad 2 costs $399, while the iPod Touch costs $199, so the new tablet will probably fall somewhere around that price point, he said.
  • The iPad Mini could decimate Android tablet sales. It could take 30 percent of total Android tablet sales in the December quarter.

Here's the money quote from the note:

We had previously expected a smaller iPad in March 2013, but believe the Street generally expected the device this year. We now believe AAPL could sell 4-6 million of the smaller devices in the December quarter, which would be about 20% of total iPad sales in the quarter. Strategically, we believe the launch of a smaller screen, cheaper iPad eliminates the two biggest unique features for Android tablet makers: size and price. Longer term, we remain confident that Apple will maintain a majority, and potentially increasing, share in the tablet space. We reiterate our Overweight rating.

iPad
Advertisement
Close icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification.

Jump to

  1. Main content
  2. Search
  3. Account