This week, Apple finally unveiled the iPad Mini – a smaller version of the company’s iPad tablet that delivers a 7.9″ display and a pencil-thin frame.
But at a $329 entry price, some think the iPad mini’s price tag is too big to justify the purchase.
As a result, Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller is publicly defending the price of Apple’s new iPad mini, saying that the added cost should come with a product that is significantly better than the tablets that Amazon and Google offer.
“The iPad is far and away the most successful product in its category,” Schiller said. “The most affordable product we’ve made so far was $399 and people were choosing that over those other devices… And now you can get a device that’s even more affordable at $329 in this great new form, and I think a lot of customers are going to be very excited about that.”
The iPad mini, which will be available for preorder this Friday, comes just two days before Microsoft will release a tablet of its own called the Surface.
In addition to the Surface, Microsoft will release its new Windows 8 operating system, which is designed for touch screens like those on tablets and smartphones.
