When the original iPad was announced back in 2010, hundreds of the industry’s leading analysts immediately picked up on the new tablet’s potential for success with a younger audience. While clearly not the primary market of the $500 iPad, there was little disputing the way in which the revolutionary gadget would quickly become legendary in the eyes of children and youngsters the world over.
It didn’t take long for millions of children spanning several continents to get their hands on either their own iPad or that of their parents, with numerous toy stores and online companies starting to list the tablet alongside their usual, child-friendly ranges. As the range of apps grew, so did the overall reverence of the iPad for a younger market – the same continuing to this very day.
In fact, a report recently published by the Wall Street Journal suggests that iPads, iPhone and similar devices are now within ready-reach of at least 50% of all kids across the US.
Walk into any of Apple’s official stores or the thousands of third-party Apple retailers and you can guarantee an excited mass of children poking and playing with the iPads on display. This is of course something that plays right into the hands of the Cupertino giant and converts to millions of sales every year – sales expected to go through the roof should the fabled iPad Mini project ever come to fruition.
According to market experts, a new-generation of affordable mini tablets is about to take the torch from Apple’s iPad and revolutionize the kids’ toy market like never before.
Of course, the biggest draw of all when it comes to these smaller tablets is the affordable price tag. While a $500 iPad feels like a serious investment that must be approached with care, a $200 Google Nexus 7 can almost be bought on a whim by modern standards. What’s more, the Nexus 7 looks, feels and performs like a device costing twice that amount.
Rumor has it that the Nexus 7 is to be joined by the iPad Mini later this year with a similarly low price tag, which in turn means that all hell is about to break loose in a new and hugely exciting market.
You can pretty much bet your bottom dollar that 2012 will close with a flurry of new mini-tab launches and announcements from dozens of developers looking to secure their own segment of the hugely lucrative market for youngsters. And who could blame them, when considering that way in which smaller tabs offer four massive three massive advantages over their larger cousins:
- Affordable – Despite costing considerably less than a high-end Smartphone, tabs the likes of the Nexus 7 are contract free and therefore represent no ongoing costs.
- Portable – Nine or ten inch tablets might be alright for you to handle, but seven inches will always strike a chord with smaller arms and hands.
- Expendable – If/when the little darlings decide to throw a mini-tab down the stairs, the $200 loss is considerably easier to bear than $500+.
Long story short – smaller tablets are soon to take pride of place next to current Lego and Barbie displays across thousands of toy and game retailers the world over…period.
