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November 05, 2012

Does Apple's iPad Mini Sell for 'Max' Price?

By Ed Silverstein, TMCnet Contributor

Is the price of a device equal to the sum of its parts? Not in the case of the iPad Mini.

A recent report from IHS (News - Alert) says that the new Apple device costs $141 more than its components, which add up to $188 in materials, according to Gizmodo. It sells for at least $329.



“Reports like this only reinforce the notion that the iPad Mini is heftily overpriced given its competitors,” Gizmodo said. “At least now it’s clear that there are better bargains to be had elsewhere.”


Image via Shutterstock

The expected price for the Mini was $250 to $300, news reports said. The Kindle Fire sells for at least $159. Barnes & Noble Inc.'s Nook HD and Google's (News - Alert) Nexus 7 both sell for at least $199.

Also, Amazon loses money on every Kindle Fire HD it sells, Gizmodo adds.

But in its defense, the iPad Mini has a larger display than other seven-inch media tablets.

“However, the Mini display falls short of other comparable 7.x-in tablets in terms of its display resolution,” according to a recent IHS iSuppli statement.

Its competitors include: the Google Nexus 7, the Amazon Kindle Fire HD and the Barnes & Noble Nook HD, Vinita Jakhanwal, director for Small & Medium Displays at IHS, said in the statement.

“It differs by sticking with the 4:3 aspect ratio used in other iPads, rather than the wider aspect ratio of 16:10 employed by competitors—a dimension that can be better suited for displaying high-definition video content in the landscape mode,” the statement added.

Also, the Mini has better apps and is easier to use than Google's Nexus, Avi Greengart, an analyst with Current Analysis (News - Alert), said in a recent statement.

"This really is not in the same category as some of the other 7-inch tablets," he added in the statement carried by TMCnet. "And that's before you consider that it has a premium design -- it's made of metal that's extremely lightweight."

The Mini weighs 0.68 pounds, making it the lightest among its rival seven-inch tablets. The iPad Mini is 0.28-inches thick, thinner than rival devices. Also, the Mini’s display is 1,024 by 768 pixels, with a resolution of 163 pixels per inch.




Edited by Brooke Neuman
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