Apple hasn't officially confirmed plans to launch a smaller tablet, but the buzz is already building.
Some component suppliers to Apple in Asia say they have received orders to make more than 10 million units of the smaller tablets in the fourth quarter. That is roughly double the order that were placed for Amazon's Kindle Fire tablets in the same quarter, these suppliers say.
The figure indicates that Apple believes demand for the product will be strong, despite stiff competition in the market.
Apple hasn't responded to requests for comment on the smaller tablet dubbed by the industry as the iPad mini.
The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month that Asian component suppliers have already started producing the smaller 7.85-inch tablet. Apple hasn't confirmed when the new device will be available, but AllThingsD, a sister publication of The Wall Street Journal, reported last month that Apple plans to unveil the smaller tablet later this month.
Analysts say strong consumer demand for Samsung Electronics ' 5.3-inch Galaxy Note and Amazon's 7-inch Kindle Fire shows that there is demand for a smaller tablet. Apple currently offers only one size the 9.7-inch iPads.
'It makes sense for market leader Apple to extend its dominance in tablets with a smaller tablet,'said Capital Securities analyst Diana Wu.
Although Apple is still the biggest tablet maker in the world, its share of the market has been slipping following the launch of Android-based products.
According to market research firm iSuppli, Apple's share of the worldwide tablet market was 69.6% in the second quarter, down from nearly 84% in 2010. The second-largest player was Samsung Electronics with 9.2% of the market in the second quarter.
Analysts say the challenge for Apple will be to price the smaller tablet attractively in order for it to succeed. Amazon's 7-inch Kindle Fire HD sells for $199 and Google 's 7-inch Nexus 7 sells for $199.
'iPad mini will be a big hit if Apple prices it below $300,' said RBS analyst Wanli Wang.
Lorraine Luk
2012年10月08日16:34
有關小尺寸iPad的傳聞越炒越熱
蘋
果公司(Apple Inc.)尚未正式宣布將發(fā)布更小尺寸平板電腦的計劃，但有關這款設備的傳聞正不斷增多。
蘋果在亞洲的一些零部件供應商說，它們已經(jīng)收到了訂單，將在第四季度生產(chǎn)超過1,000萬部更小尺寸的平板電腦。這些供應商說，這大約是亞馬遜Kindle Fire平板電腦當季度訂單規(guī)模的兩倍。
這個數(shù)字意味著，蘋果認為盡管市場競爭殘酷，但消費者對這款產(chǎn)品的需求仍將會十分強勁。
蘋果沒有回復有關這款更小尺寸平板電腦的置評請求。這款設備目前被業(yè)界稱為Ipad mini。
《華爾街日報》本月早些時候報道說，亞洲的零部件供應商已經(jīng)開始生產(chǎn)尺寸更小的7.85英寸平板電腦。蘋果沒有證實這款新設備何時面市，但是《華爾街日報》的姊妹出版物AllThingsD上個月報道說，蘋果計劃在本月晚些時候發(fā)布尺寸更小的平板電腦。
分析人士說，三星電子(Samsung Electronics)5.3英寸的Galaxy Note以及亞馬遜(Amazon)7英寸的Kindle Fire都有強勁的需求，這顯示人們需要尺寸更小的平板電腦。蘋果目前僅提供一種尺寸（9.7英寸）的iPad產(chǎn)品。
群益證券股份有限公司(Capital Securities)分析師吳廖荃(Diana Wu)說，市場領軍者蘋果想要通過推出尺寸更小的平板設備來擴大在平板電腦領域的領先優(yōu)勢，這合情合理。
盡管蘋果仍然是世界上最大的平板電腦制造商，但在搭載安卓操作系統(tǒng)的產(chǎn)品上市之后，蘋果的市場份額一直在下滑。
市場研究公司iSuppli稱，今年第二季度，蘋果在全球平板領域的市場份額是69.6%，相比之下，2010年的這一數(shù)字大約為84%。全球第二大平板設備生產(chǎn)商三星第二季度的市場份額是9.2%。
分析人士說，蘋果面臨的挑戰(zhàn)將是為尺寸更小的平板電腦設定一個更吸引人的價格。亞馬遜7英寸Kindle Fire HD的價格是199美元，谷歌7英寸Nexus7的價格是199美元。
RBS的分析師王萬里（音）說，如果蘋果把iPad mini的價格定在300美元以下，它將會大受歡迎。
Lorraine Luk（本文版權歸道瓊斯公司所有，未經(jīng)許可不得翻譯或轉載。）
