The latest rumors of a mini iPhone 5 and iPad mini may suggest that Apple is thinking to target the smaller markets. Both products would give Apple even more dominance as it will have its hands in both the ends of the tablet and phone market.
According to the China Times, an Apple iPhone Nano, or mini iPhone 5, may be in the works and will cost less than the upcoming iPhone 5. A translation of the Chinese article states that the new mini iPhone will be aimed to target smartphone users who wish to purchase an iPhone but at a lower price.
"Rumored Apple this year is expected to launch low-cost handsets, to seize the low-end smart phone market share," reads the translation.
The iPad Mini has also been rumored to tackle the tablet's lower end market, which currently belongs to Amazon's Kindle Fire. Lower end tablets have not yet threatened Apple but the company is tempted to tap into the market.
Technology wise, Apple may have the manufacturing ability to produce such devices. Apple already holds license to liquid metal technology and can utilize the material in producing a sturdy body shape for a phone or tablet. The use of in-cell touch technology can reduce the weight and thickness of each device.
According to Apple Insider, the touchscreen displays will have its sensors built into the LCD rather than layering it. This would produce a single layer and does away with the unnecessary touch sensor and adhesive layer. The glass and battery are also speculated to be thinner than its predecessors, which can further reduce weight and thickness.
As for the iPad mini, it may be sporting a 7.85 inch touchscreen display with HD resolutions of 1024x768 pixels. Reports from "The Korea Times" stated that Apple has ordered 7.86 inches Samsung screens. The new iPad mini screens would be half the size of the current iPad's 9.7 inch screen.
"What I do know is that they have one in the lab, a 7.85 inch iPad that runs at 1024 x 768. And it's just like the 9.7-inch iPad shrunk down a little bit. The apps wouldn't need to be redesigned or recompiled to work on it - it's just the iPad smaller," cited tech blogger John Gruber from Daring Fireball.
Apple's mini iPhone and iPad would be considered mobile device marvels. Though according to Managing Director of Equity Research at Global Equities Research, Trip Chowdhry, he believes profits are " nonexistent" in the saturated mini tablet market.
"iPad Mini is not going to cut it because if you create an iPad Mini - which would be a six- to eight-inch device - that market is [a] very congested space," said Chowdhry in an interview with Benzinga.
"To me, it makes sense to have two form factors on the iPhone. Even the current iPhone is considered to be very bulky. Why? To me, on average, a person in the Apple ecosystem also has an iPod and an iPad. If I have an iPad, I don't want to carry an iPhone at the current size - I want a phone at half the size," added Chowdhry.
With the iPhone 5 release date still unconfirmed, rumors are spreading that Apple is planning a "nano" version of its next-generation smartphone, due to be released most likely in June or September 2012.
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