With Christmas around the corner, here’s an iPad sized for elves.
Apple released the small-sized version of its popular tablet device yesterday, drawing lines of fans at stores around the world, including its flagship location on Fifth Avenue.
The iPad Mini, which sells for $329 to $529 in various configurations, does everything a full-sized iPad does, but is only 7.9 inches measured diagonally. That’s about halfway between the size of a smart phone and a typical full-sized tablet.
“With the amount of stuff I carry around with me, I could use a smaller tablet,” said Sarah Gould, 27, of upper Manhattan, who was among those lined up at the Fifth Avenue store to scoop up one of the pads.
“Hopefully, this one will have a better battery life, since it’s smaller.”
The Mini has gotten mostly positive reviews, but has been knocked for its price tag, which is similar to a full-sized iPad. Lines to buy the device have not been as long as for other major Apple product launches.
Apple expects to sell between 1 million and 1.5 million Minis during the launch weekend, far fewer than the 3 million third-generation iPads that the company sold at its launch weekend in March.
Nevertheless, analysts think the mini will ultimately be a success as Apple battles rival pads, including Google’s Nexus 7 and a new tablet by Microsoft.
“While launch lines and initial weekend sales may not be as impressive as previous iPad launches, the iPad Mini will be a hit product for Apple and become a more significant part of the story over the next two to three quarters,” said Gene Munster, of Piper Jaffray investments.
At the Midtown store, the Minis did sell out.
One of those left disappointed was Hakan Yildiz, 29, a tourist from Turkey.
“Even if it’s sold out, I’d still like to see it,” she said. “I at least want to check it out and see if its worth the hype.”
Even though the pad seemed perfectly sized for him, 10-year-old Mikey Budney, of the Upper East Side, was unimpressed.
“It’s eight ounces lighter, but the screen is smaller, which makes it harder to read,” he said outside the store. “I guess I’m just gonna get an iPad 4; it’s not worth waiting for the Mini.”
Lisa Sieber, a 59-year-old tourist from Germany, said she has just become so addicted to Apple products that she couldn’t resist.
“I didn’t think I needed an iPad, but once you get your first Mac, you slide into the iPhone, and the next one, and it makes it easy to get more Apple products,” she said.
There were also lines for the new device in Australia and Asia.
“It’s so thin and light, and very cute — so cute!” said Ten Ebihara at the Apple store in Tokyo’s upscale Ginza district.