Apple lowers iPad mini sales expectations to 8mn for Q4 2012

Apple seems to have lowered its sales expectations for the iPad Mini. According to GSMArena, the company expects to ship approximately 8 million units of the tablet in the last quarter of 2012, as opposed to the originally projected 10-12 million.

While these numbers may suggest otherwise, this is no indication of any lack of interest towards Apple’s smaller tablet. The dropped expectations are due to an insufficient supply of touch panels that has been slowing down the production of the tablet. Shipments are projected to go up to 13 million units in the first quarter of 2013.

Not shipping as many as originally expected

The Apple iPad mini was launched in India early this month and is available at authorised Apple resellers for a starting price of Rs 21,900.

The 16GB iPad mini Wi-Fi only version is available for Rs 21,900, while the 32GB and 64GB versions cost Rs 27,900 and Rs 33,900, respectively. The iPad mini Wi-Fi + cellular version costs Rs 29,900 for the 16GB version, and the 32GB version is priced at Rs 35,900. The high-end 64GB iPad mini Wi-Fi + cellular version sells for Rs 41,900.

With the iPad mini starting at Rs 21,900 (16GB), it can compete directly with the Nexus 7 and the Galaxy Tab 2 (310), both of which are priced slightly below Rs 20,000.

The iPad mini has an aluminium and glass design 7.2mm thick, and weighs only 308g. This 7.9-inch tablet features a front-facing FaceTime HD camera and a 5-megapixel iSight camera at the back, which allows for recording full 1080p HD video. The iSight camera includes video image stabilisation and both cameras feature backside illumination, which Apple claims will allow users to capture great pictures in low light. The iPad mini also allows easy sharing of photos with friends and family using iCloud’s Shared Photo Streams.

While the tablet is doing well, the Cupertino-based company is speculated to be working on the next generation for the iPad Mini. According to an earlier report, the company will be focusing on cramming in a higher resolution for the tablet’s screen.

As of now, details are a bit sketchy about Apple’s plans with respect to enhancing the resolution of the iPad mini and whether or not it will use Apple’s Retina Display technology. However, market observers said that this feature is highly likely as Apple uses Retina Displays on its iPhone and 9.7-inch iPad models.

If Apple does enhance the resolution of the iPad mini, the next generation device will boast a resolution of 2058 x 1536 with a pixel density of 326ppi.

The report also mentions that Apple will restructure the lighting from two LED light bars to one in order to decrease the device's overall weight.

The launch date for the tablet is as of now is yet unknown and we have to wait and see if Apple sticks to the first quarter to launch its next generation iPads or waits till the third quarter to unveil its popular tablets.