The iPad mini is going to be a hit. It’s perfectly small, light and affordable which means that people should be flocking to the Apple Store to buy it. But today, lines at the Apple Store have been reported to be a lot shorter than other product launches.
Reuters reports that Apple Stores across the globe are seeing a much smaller turnout for the iPad mini than expected. A store in Amsterdam looked like it was just a regular day with no lines two hours after the iPad mini went on sale. Only 50 people lined up in Sydney when there were is usually a line stretching for several blocks for iPhone launches. Ditto in Tokyo and Seoul.
If you’ve been stuck at work all day, worrying that there might not be any iPad minis available at the Apple Store once you get off, you can rest a little more easy that Apple Stores will probably still have units in stock later today. While the iPad mini will probably become a popular product, some analysts think it will take time to catch on.
Gene Munster, an analyst with Piper Jaffray, told Reuters that they expect Apple to sell between 1 million and 1.5 million iPad minis in the first weekend, which is a lot fewer than the number of iPad 3 units sold in March.
“The reason we expect fewer iPad minis compared to the 3rd Gen is because of the lack of the wireless option and newness of the smaller form factor for consumers,” Munster said in a note to clients. “We believe that over time that will change.”
Source: Reuters
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