Prior to the release of the iPad mini, many were skeptical that Apple could launch such a device – after all with it being a cheaper alternative to the normal-sized iPad, many logically assumed that it would cannibalize the sales of the iPad. However in a recent survey of 1,000 consumers based in the US, perhaps the fear of cannibalization might have been a little overrated after all. According to the survey, 47% of the customers that bought the iPad mini were new to Apple, perhaps seeing the smaller form factor and cheaper price tag a good reason to purchase an Apple product. What this means is that since these consumers wouldn’t have necessarily purchased an iPad to begin with, it couldn’t really be considered as cannibalization.
Forrester analyst Sarah Rotman Epps who spoke to Wired went as far as saying that even though it could cut into some iPad sales, Apple would rather have that than lose market share. At the moment the iPad still commands a sizeable chunk of market share, but with cheaper alternatives like the Google Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 and Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD, Apple will probably need to fight harder if they hope to maintain it.