Is Apple Thinking of Making a Cheaper iPad 3?

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[FONT=&quot]There’s been a lot of talk recently that Apple might be considering releasing a lower cost version of the iPhone in order to compete with the ‘cheaper’ end of the market, and now a report in Digitimes today via MacRumors talks about how it has heard from sources in Apple’s supply chain that Apple has chosen several Taiwan-based companies to supply iPad 3 parts. The companies in question (Novatek Microelectronics, Richtek Technology, Capella Microsystems and Integrated Memory Logic), will probably only be familiar names to industry experts, but as MacRumors points out, what is more significant about this story is the fact that Digitimes’ sources say that Apple has turned to sourcing integrated circuits from these Taiwan-based companies because it is “adjusting the cost structure for iPad tablets in order to compete with an array of tablet PCs to be launched by rivals in the second half of 2011.â€[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]As MacRumors notes, cheaper parts does not necessarily mean cheaper iPads, it could just mean that Apple wants to offer you more for your money, and can do this by saving money on parts, but there’s also the possibility that they are looking to undercut their rivals on price when it comes to launching the next iPad, and there is certainly a suggestion of this in the quote from Digitimes.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Source: Apple Lining Up iPad 3 Suppliers in Face of Increasing Number of Competitors - Mac Rumors[/FONT]

 

It will be a great news if Apple launches cheap ipad phones, as i want to buy one for my friend at his birthday. And it will be a great surprise for him.

 

It would be good to have a smaller version of the iPad

 

I don't think they should move in that direction. Cheap is not what Apple should go after. I dont want to see iPad in everyone's hand.

 

I hope everyone can afford one

 

The apple brand to mean means quality, i would rather pay there higher prices noing the build will be excellent, I would hate to see them release cheaper versions of there products, this would change apples image for the worse.

 

Getting the best value on parts just means they will be able to offer a better product at the same, or maybe slightly cheaper, price. I don't foresee any reduction in quality or major price drop - but look at what they have done with the Mac Book Air....

 

Cheap is good, but not at the expense of quality. The brand stands for quality and that should not be lowered for any cost.

 

I'm convinced that eventually there will be an iPad a the price a transistor radio.