Macrumors is reporting that the people at Apple could be making an affordable iPad. The report states this is planned for an October launch. The iPad will be 7 inches and will have the retina display at a modest price of between $200-250.
The report’s source from Macrumors claims that the 7-inch iPad will be “identical in every way” to the current iPad with the exception being the display size, and this will include a Retina display. That would give the smaller iPad a pixel density roughly identical to that of the iPhone 4S.
It remains unclear how Apple would be able to meet a $200-$250 price point for the smaller iPad given the apparent specs, although the device will reportedly come with only 8 GB of storage. Still Apple’s current iPod touch starts at $199 and this smaller iPad will undoubtedly carry significantly higher component costs.
My thoughts on this is Apple is evolving with competition as any good business should. Anyone who buys a Kindle Fire most likely will not own an iPad. So why not try to get this market and crush the competition with the weight iPad has in the brand name alone if I told you that you could own a 7 inch iPad with the features of the bigger one or own a Kindle Fire what would you say? Me personally as much as this pains me to say, I would take the smaller iPad. As far as the cost associated with making the smaller iPad at what most would say could be a significant loss, I am sure they will make it up on the app end as Amazon has and who knows Apple has always been known for allegedly using cheap labor to make this things could they find some even cheaper? Allegedly of course.