Barnes & Noble slashed the price-tags of each and every one of its tablet PC devices this weekend, which included $50 being knocked off the cost of the 16GB version of the Nook tablet.
While some have suggested that the reductions in price are something of a delayed response to the challenge posed by the already unstoppable Google Nexus 7, others are adamant that all signs are pointing to an imminent launch of an iPad Mini for a superbly reasonable price tag.
A Sign of Things to Come?
On Sunday, the price of the Nook color was reduced to $149 from $16, the 8GB version of the Nook Tablet fell from $199 to $179 and the 16GB version is now priced at $199 from its previous $249.
The reductions come hot on the heels of the launch of the Google Nexus 7, which last month took the industry by storm with its high-end spec sheet and astonishing $199 price for the 8GB version. Samsung has also thrown down its own mini-tab gauntlet in the form of the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 for $249, while the Amazon Kindle Fire may be down but is certainly not out at $199.
So, what does all this tell us about the fabled iPad Mini? Most likely that we can expect a very similar price tag, should the project ever come to fruition.
Very few tablets regardless of size and specifications have ever been able to hold a candle to Apple’s iPad in terms of prowess, functionality and overall user experience. Needless to say, this rings especially true in the case of the smaller tablets carrying significantly inferior hardware. However, the Google Nexus 7 has delivered a concrete message that it is perfectly possible to offer incredible hardware and functionality for a superbly low price, which in turn has further fuelled rumors that Apple intends to do the same in the very near future.
A First for Apple
Historically, Apple has ever had to make even the slightest effort when it comes to competing with its rivals, though in this instance the Cupertino giant will be entering a market, rather than creating one of its own.
As such, it is largely safe to expect an iPad Mini priced similarly or perhaps identically to the above mentioned examples – assuming of course that the project is not the work of fiction as so many continue to argue.
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