迷你iPad传闻再起，不给其他品牌任何机会

业界先前曾经谣传苹果公司(Apple Inc.)将推出一款迷你版 iPad (iPad mini)平板电脑，但后来我们看到的是新的 iPad ──与原先的 iPad 同样的尺寸大小，但具有更佳的显示屏幕。 而今，新一波的 iPad mini 上市传闻又开始浮上台面，重新燃起市场对于苹果策略的预测。它将与微软(Microsoft)的 Surface 平板电脑、谷歌(Google)的 Nexus 、亚马逊(Amazon)的 Kindle Fire 或三星(Samsung)的 Galaxy 系列产品展开直接竞争吗？苹果公司想用更广泛的平板产品系列来挽回已被其它产品拉拢的苹果粉丝吗？或者，该公司试图在新一代 iPad (iPad 4？)推出时达到一个不会让新买家望之却步的价格点？ 答案就在于屏幕，如同本身是一款迷你版 iPad 一样，它带来了太多的预测与炒作。

林志颖微博秀iPad mini被网友质疑是山寨货rDVesmc

各大不同媒体报导分别指称LG Display、友达光电(AU Optronic)或夏普(Sharp)等公司正在制造这种迷你尺寸的显示器。值得注意的是，其中独缺三星公司──“视网膜”(Retina)显示器的最大制造商。事实上，LG和夏普所能生产的 Retina 显示器数量有限。 我们都知道LG和友达主要着重于液晶显示器(LCD)屏幕的制造，而且也可算是LCD市场价格的主导厂商。先前一直挣扎求生的夏普公司，日前收到来自富士康电子公司(Foxconn Electronics)的庞大资金挹注后，夏普现在很可能也具有成本竞争力：但富士康是一家垂直整合的公司，这意味着其制造部门总能从其组件业务中取到较佳的价格。我怀疑夏普会有什么不同？ 围绕着 iPad mini 打转的各种预测主要在于其价格点，可能出现冲击其竞争对手的数字──换言之，比500美元还更低得多。如果友达、LG或夏普(或三家厂商)都在制造这种 Retina 屏幕(这是在任何平板电脑、智能手机或移动设备上最昂贵的单一组件)，并能取得低于 iPad 的价格。LCD仍是一项很棒的技术，而且只有在屏幕尺寸变得越小时，才能表现得更好──尺寸更小，显示器更优质，价格也更负担得起。 编译：Susan Hong 本文授权编译自EBN Online，版权所有，谢绝转载 本文下一页：参考英文原文：Interpreting the 'Mini-iPad' Buzz，by Barbara Jorgensen, EBN Community Editor

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{pagination} Interpreting the 'Mini-iPad' Buzz Barbara Jorgensen The last time Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) was rumored to be releasing a mini-iPad, we got the "new iPad" (aka iPad 3). (See: Behind Apple's Alleged Move to Small Screens.) Net result: same size, better display. A new spate of mini-iPad reports is surfacing, fueling speculation behind Apple's strategy. Is it competing with Microsoft's Surface, Google's Nexus, Amazon's Kindle Fire, or Samsung's Galaxy smartphones? Is Apple providing a broader tablet array for its already-converted iFans? Or is trying to reach a price point that won't discourage new buyers when the next "new" iPad (iPad 4?) renders the last "new" iPad (iPad 3) obsolete? The answer is in the screen, which has as much speculation behind it as the mini-iPad itself. Various media reports have LG Display, AU Optronics, or Sharp manufacturing the mini's display. Notably absent is Samsung, which is the largest manufacturer of the Retina display, featured in the iPad 3. (LG and Sharp manufacture limited quantities of the Retina.) Here's what we know about LG Display and AU: they focus primarily on LCD screens and tend to be price leaders in the LCD screen market. Sharp, which has been struggling, recently received a large cash infusion from Foxconn Electronics, which also manufactures Apple's smartphones and iPads. Sharp is also likely to be cost competitive: Foxconn is a vertically integrated company, which means its manufacturing arm gets preferred pricing from its component businesses. I doubt that Sharp will be any different. Most of the speculation around the mini-iPad is a price point that will cause its competitors apoplexy (in other words, less than $500 -- much less). If AU, LG, or Sharp (or all three) are making the screens -- the single most expensive component on any tablet, smartphone, or mobile device -- look for a mini priced below the iPad. LCD is still a great technology and only gets better as screens get smaller. Net result: smaller size, decent display. Also more affordable.