"Apple hasn’t officially confirmed plans to launch a smaller tablet, but the buzz is already building. Some component suppliers to Apple in Asia say they have received orders to make more than 10 million units of the smaller tablets in the fourth quarter. That is roughly double the order that were placed for Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablets in the same quarter, these suppliers say."
So reports the Digits blog of The Wall Street Journal. [Note: The WSJ is behind a firewall and may charge you to read its story.]
The article continues, "The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month that Asian component suppliers have already started producing the smaller 7.85-inch tablet. Apple hasn’t confirmed when the new device will be available, but AllThingsD, a sister publication of The Wall Street Journal, reported last month that Apple plans to unveil the smaller tablet later this month. Analysts say strong consumer demand for Samsung Electronics 5.3-inch Galaxy Note and Amazon’s 7-inch Kindle Fire shows that there is demand for a smaller tablet. Apple currently offers only one size –the 9.7-inch iPads."
“…they have received orders to make more than 10 million units of the smaller tablets in the fourth quarter. That is roughly double the order that were placed for Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablets in the same quarter…”
Yes, but of course the Kindle Fire became a big seller AFTER the initial order, meaning that although Apple’s initial order may be larger, there’s no guarantee (and Apple knows this) that it will sell as well as the Kindle Fire did/has. Part of it was cost – the Kindle Fire is about $300 cheaper than the iPad – so it’s easier for gift-giving and personal purchasing. If the iPad Mini doesn’t come in close in price to the Kindle Fire (and the new Kindle Fire HD) then regardless of the market hype you’ll hear, the iPad Mini won’t be competitive with the sales numbers from Kindle Fire.