Was Apple affected by the upcoming Amazon Kindle Fire Android tablet? So much so that there has bee some rumors circulating that a new iPad is in the offing to counter possible effects of the Kindle Fire to the tablet market? In case you haven’t heard about it, the Amazon Kindle Fire which is schedule for release some time in November is a very affordable Android tablet retailing only for $199. It will have full backings of the Amazon Kindle ecosystem as well as the Android ecosystem.

AppleInsider is reporting that analyst Brian White who is connected with Ticonderoga Securities and who has been touring China and Taiwan and meeting up with component suppliers – has heard rumblings about the so-called iPad mini. The said iPad is not necessarily going to take a smaller form factor but pertains mainly to the fact that the said iPad will be a low entry-level price.

Additionally, Mr. White said that the iPad Mini is scheduled to be release during the first few months of 2012. Price range for the iPad Mini will be somewhere in the mid-to-high-$200. Releasing the iPad Mini will allow Apple to fend off the Amazon Kindle Fire.

In a note to investors, White said that the release of iPad Mini will be followed up by the release of a more powerful iPad, which is of course the iPad 3. Release of the iPad 3 might be on Q2 2012.

If indeed Apple is planning on releasing the iPad Mini, one can’t help but wonder which features are going to be sacrificed to bring down the price of the current iPad. Releasing a smaller iPad is definitely not an option for Apple since the late Steve Jobs was not in favor of tablets with smaller screen size.

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