Apple is planning to launch an assault against the burgeoning Android tablet market by releasing an 'iPad Mini' - at a loss-making price of around £150, according to new claims.
The bargain-basement priced tablet will even feature the same 'Retina' display featured on its big brother, bringing the same 3.1million pixels to a smaller 7-8" display.
Sources told Apple fansite iMore that the aggressively-priced tablet will launch in October this year, with Apple potentially selling the sub-$250 tablet at a loss in order to leave no room for competition.
With Apple sitting on cash reserves of $100bn, the tech giant should at least be able to stomach such a move financially.
iMore reported: 'Today's claim says that Apple is going to step-up the pressure on Android tablet manufacturers with an iPad mini that will sell for a surprisingly low $200-250.
'That's a bit hard to accept in the light of the other major claim this rumor makes, that the iPad mini will keep the full-sized iPad's 2048x1536 resolution.
'If this is true, Apple might have to take a serious cut to its margins, if not sell the mini at a loss. Considering the kind of cash Apple has on hand, though, it might be willing to take the hit just to help kill-off competition from Android tablets.'
If the iPad sells for $250 in the States, that would translate to £150 in the UK, although whether Apple would respect currency rates is up for debate.
With the screen as a premium feature, it is likely sacrifices will be made in other parts of the tablet, such as reduced storage space of, for instance, 8GB for your apps, videos and music.
This will likely cause issues for users as that amount of space will be used up quickly, marking this out as very much a budget tablet.
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