Apple plans to Launch a smaller, cheaper iPad by year-end to help maintain its dominance of the tablet market, two persons with knowledge of the plans said.
The new model will have a screen that is seven to eight inches diagonally, less than the current 9.7-inch version, said the sources who asked not to be identified. The product, which Apple may announce by October, will not have the high-definition (HD) screen featured on the iPad that was released in March, said one of the sources.
A smaller, less expensive iPad could undercover the ambitions of Google, Microsoft and Amazon.com to gain traction in the advancing tablet market
The new device will probably have a price closer to Google's Nexus 7 tablet and Amazon's Kindle Fire, both of which have 7-inch screens and cost $199. Earlier in the month, Microsoft announced a tablet called Surface Tablet that will have a similar screen size as the current iPad. Amazon's Kindle Fire was released last year.
The Surface comes in two models that are most likely to appeal to buyers who want to continue using Microsoft's Windows software.While Microsoft has not disclosed pricing or timing for either, the higher-end version will probably be pricier than the iPad and targeted more at an emerging class of laptop PCs called Ultrabooks, he said.
The latest iPad ranges in price from $499 to $829. Google's Nexus 7 could stack up well against Amazon's Kindle Fire, which went on sale in November.
The Nexus 7, manufactured by Asustek Computer, has a faster processor and better battery life than the Kindle Fire, as well as a front-facing camera. Still, competing with a lower-priced iPad will be more challenging, Wu said. Apple benefits from having more than 225,000 apps that have been tailored specifically for the current iPad.
It seems Apple is trying real hard to be back with its fame... Lets see what it come up with..
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