Dick Uliano, wtop.com
WASHINGTON – With the holiday shopping season around the corner, Apple has scheduled a media event in San Jose, Calif. Tuesday (1 p.m. EDT) and it’s widely expected to unveil a small version of its popular iPad.
Ever since Amazon and Barnes and Noble touched off a small tablet war with their Kindle Fire and Nook many have wondered when Apple would enter the fray.
“They are certainly responding to the pressures presented by Amazon with the Kindle, Barnes and Noble with the Nook and, of course, Google with their Nexus line of tablets,” says Ken Colburn of The Data Doctors.
What would a mini version of the world’s most popular tablet, the iPad, look like?
“Instead of it being almost 10 inches it will be almost 8 inches. It’s going to be smaller,” Colburn says, adding it will be capable of doing everything an iPad can do.
But while the Kindle Fire is priced for the budget-conscious at $200 and the Nook retails at about $249, Colburn says the iPad mini will be a premium device.
“Everybody’s speculating about $329 and up.”
Apple has diehard fans and the most apps, which Colburn predicts will likely make the iPad mini very competitive against the other small tablets.
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