Smaller queue of fans as iPad mini goes on sale
Source: Agencies |
November 3, 2012, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
APPLE fans lined up in several Asian cities to get their hands on the iPad mini yesterday, but the device, priced above rival gadgets from Google and Amazon.com, attracted smaller crowds than at the company's previous global rollouts.
Apple Inc's global gadget rollouts are typically high-energy affairs drawing droves of buyers who stand in line for hours. But a proliferation of comparable rival devices may have sapped some interest.
About 50 people waited for the Apple store in Sydney to open, where in the past the line had stretched for several blocks when the firm debuted new iPhones.
At the head of yesterday's line was Patrick Li, who had been waiting since 4:30am. Li was keen to buy the new 7.9-inch model.
"It's light, easy to handle, and I'll use it to read books. It's better than the original iPad," Li said.
There were queues of 100 or more outside Apple stores in Tokyo and Seoul when the device went on sale, but when the company's flagship Hong Kong store opened staff appeared to outnumber those waiting in line.
The iPad mini marks Apple's first foray into the smaller-tablet segment, and the latest salvo in a global mobile-device war that has engulfed combatants from Internet search leader Google Inc to Amazon.com Inc and Microsoft Corp.
Microsoft's 10-inch Surface tablet, powered by the just-launched Windows 8 software, went on sale in October, while Google and Amazon now dominate sales of smaller, 7-inch multimedia tablets.
Unveiled last week, the iPad mini has won mostly positive reviews, with criticism centering on a screen considered inferior to rivals' and a lofty price tag. The new tablet essentially replicates most of the features of its full-sized sibling, but in a smaller package.
At US$329 for a Wi-Fi only model, the iPad mini is a little costlier than predicted but some analysts see that as Apple's attempt to retain premium positioning.
Some investors fear the gadget will lure buyers away from Apple's US$499 flagship 9.7-inch iPad, while proving ineffective in fighting the threat of Amazon's US$199 Kindle Fire and Google's Nexus 7.
Apple Inc's global gadget rollouts are typically high-energy affairs drawing droves of buyers who stand in line for hours. But a proliferation of comparable rival devices may have sapped some interest.
About 50 people waited for the Apple store in Sydney to open, where in the past the line had stretched for several blocks when the firm debuted new iPhones.
At the head of yesterday's line was Patrick Li, who had been waiting since 4:30am. Li was keen to buy the new 7.9-inch model.
"It's light, easy to handle, and I'll use it to read books. It's better than the original iPad," Li said.
There were queues of 100 or more outside Apple stores in Tokyo and Seoul when the device went on sale, but when the company's flagship Hong Kong store opened staff appeared to outnumber those waiting in line.
The iPad mini marks Apple's first foray into the smaller-tablet segment, and the latest salvo in a global mobile-device war that has engulfed combatants from Internet search leader Google Inc to Amazon.com Inc and Microsoft Corp.
Microsoft's 10-inch Surface tablet, powered by the just-launched Windows 8 software, went on sale in October, while Google and Amazon now dominate sales of smaller, 7-inch multimedia tablets.
Unveiled last week, the iPad mini has won mostly positive reviews, with criticism centering on a screen considered inferior to rivals' and a lofty price tag. The new tablet essentially replicates most of the features of its full-sized sibling, but in a smaller package.
At US$329 for a Wi-Fi only model, the iPad mini is a little costlier than predicted but some analysts see that as Apple's attempt to retain premium positioning.
Some investors fear the gadget will lure buyers away from Apple's US$499 flagship 9.7-inch iPad, while proving ineffective in fighting the threat of Amazon's US$199 Kindle Fire and Google's Nexus 7.
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