The iPad Mini is not receiving the response in China that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) had hoped. It was reported that the the official iPad Mini launch in China was generally uneventful. As Michael Kan for IDG News first reported, the lines were “nearly nonexistent”.
It’s apparent that Chinas consumers have minimal interest in the smaller Apple tablet. Some of the consumers who were looking to purchase the iPad Mini were turned down because they weren’t aware they had to make reservations prior to the purchase.
Hopefully next week’s iPhone 5 launch will deliver the crowds Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is looking for.
It’s interesting that the iPad Mini launch didn’t fare so well on the first day. Perhaps it will take awhile before that market picks up interest in smaller tablet computers, or maybe that customer base simply doesn’t feel the need to purchase a smaller version of a tablet they already had.
The good news is that I doubt the lack of turnout for the iPad Mini signifies bad things for Apple. As I mentioned previously, this may have been due to the new reservation system that was set up. If that’s the case, then maybe Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) needs to remind people about the new system on their website.
Hopefully, the iPhone 5 launch next week will kick off with long lines.
The primary reason Apple switched to a reservation system is to prevent violence from erupting during their launch. Last January, a small riot occurred over the iPhone 4S and police had to intervene.
The iPad Mini was anticipated to be a hot selling gadget this year and so far it’s delivering that promise. By early 2013, we should have the number of sales Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) made with the iPad Mini and how it compares with the sales of the iPad 4 and previous generations of iPads.
