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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. The figure indicates that Apple believes demand for the product will be strong, despite stiff competition in the market. Apple hasn't responded to requests for comment on the smaller tablet dubbed by the industry as the iPad mini. 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. 'It makes sense for market leader Apple to extend its dominance in tablets with a smaller tablet,'said Capital Securities analyst Diana Wu. Although Apple is still the biggest tablet maker in the world, its share of the market has been slipping following the launch of Android-based products. According to market research firm iSuppli, Apple's share of the worldwide tablet market was 69.6% in the second quarter, down from nearly 84% in 2010. The second-largest player was Samsung Electronics with 9.2% of the market in the second quarter. Analysts say the challenge for Apple will be to price the smaller tablet attractively in order for it to succeed. Amazon's 7-inch Kindle Fire HD sells for $199 and Google 's 7-inch Nexus 7 sells for $199. 'iPad mini will be a big hit if Apple prices it below $300,' said RBS analyst Wanli Wang. Lorraine Luk 2012年10月08日16:34
有关小尺寸iPad的传闻越炒越热
苹 果公司(Apple Inc.)尚未正式宣布将发布更小尺寸平板电脑的计划，但有关这款设备的传闻正不断增多。 dapd 这个数字意味着，苹果认为尽管市场竞争残酷，但消费者对这款产品的需求仍将会十分强劲。 苹果没有回复有关这款更小尺寸平板电脑的置评请求。这款设备目前被业界称为Ipad mini。 《华尔街日报》本月早些时候报道说，亚洲的零部件供应商已经开始生产尺寸更小的7.85英寸平板电脑。苹果没有证实这款新设备何时面市，但是《华尔街日报》的姊妹出版物AllThingsD上个月报道说，苹果计划在本月晚些时候发布尺寸更小的平板电脑。 分析人士说，三星电子(Samsung Electronics)5.3英寸的Galaxy Note以及亚马逊(Amazon)7英寸的Kindle Fire都有强劲的需求，这显示人们需要尺寸更小的平板电脑。苹果目前仅提供一种尺寸（9.7英寸）的iPad产品。 群益证券股份有限公司(Capital Securities)分析师吴廖荃(Diana Wu)说，市场领军者苹果想要通过推出尺寸更小的平板设备来扩大在平板电脑领域的领先优势，这合情合理。 尽管苹果仍然是世界上最大的平板电脑制造商，但在搭载安卓操作系统的产品上市之后，苹果的市场份额一直在下滑。 市场研究公司iSuppli称，今年第二季度，苹果在全球平板领域的市场份额是69.6%，相比之下，2010年的这一数字大约为84%。全球第二大平板设备生产商三星第二季度的市场份额是9.2%。 分析人士说，苹果面临的挑战将是为尺寸更小的平板电脑设定一个更吸引人的价格。亚马逊7英寸Kindle Fire HD的价格是199美元，谷歌7英寸Nexus7的价格是199美元。 RBS的分析师王万里（音）说，如果苹果把iPad mini的价格定在300美元以下，它将会大受欢迎。 Lorraine Luk （本文版权归道琼斯公司所有，未经许可不得翻译或转载。） |
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