It's easy to think that given the dizzying success of the iPhone and iPad, that Apple could draw its logo on a napkin and sell millions. But when dealing with fickle consumers, there are no guarantees.
A survey carried out by deal aggregation website TechBargains suggests that interest in an iPad mini -- a device that so far exists only in the mind of pundits and fanboys -- could be weaker than Apple is traditionally used to.
Of the 1,332 respondents, only 18 percent planned to purchase the iPad mini, while 50 percent said they were not interested in the iPad mini, and the remaining 32 percent were undecided.
In a similar survey, results of which were published last month, 45 percent of those who participated said that they planned to buy an iPhone 5. This suggests much stronger interest in the iPhone 5 than the iPad mini.
Of those who said they planned to buy an iPad mini, 14 percent said they would wait in line the day it is released to get one, and a further 20 percent said they would buy it online as soon as it was available. The remaining 66 percent who said they were interested but didn't have an idea as to when they would pull the trigger on the purchase.
Those who already own an iPad are most likely to buy an iPad mini, but even those already in the ecosystem aren't overly enthusiastic, with only 27 percent expressing an interest in a cut-down iPad. Those least likely to buy an iPad mini were Kindle Fire owners and those who do not yet own a tablet, with 16 percent in each category showing interest in an iPad mini.
As to what people expect from the iPad mini, it seems many are setting themselves up for crushing disappointment. More than three-quarters want to see a USB port and a memory card slot. If the iPad mini does ever make an appearance, the chances of either of these features being present are practically zero.
When it comes to price, about one in four think it will cost $299, while almost one in five believe it will cost $399, which is what a 16GB Wi-Fi iPad 2 currently retails for.
"Given Apple's recent success it would be easy to assume that all new Apple products will be wildly popular. Our survey results indicate that theory is no longer the case," said Yung Trang, president and editor-in-chief of TechBargains.
"According to our survey respondents, the so called iPad Mini will not be highly coveted because consumers are questioning the necessity of a smaller iPad, especially if they own an iPad or an iPhone".
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