The theme of miniature was one that carried throughout Apple’s release of its newest product, the iPad mini.

Not only is the iPad mini smaller than the iPad, but there was less hype as well.

But the iPad mini release may not have been meant as an innovation, said Bob Kucharavy, professor of practice in public relations. Apple may have created the product to satisfy loyal customers clamoring for an Apple version of Kindle’s Fire and Google’s Nexus 10, he said.

“It’s a PR move to satisfy your current customers and give them something, and hope that they’ll hold on until you come out with a new and improved product,” he said.

Kucharavy said he’s sure Apple has thoroughly analyzed the situation and wouldn’t have released the smaller iPad if it wasn’t profitable.

“If you feel that your base is going away, you would give your customer base something, knowing that it might not be exactly the fit, but you in the pipeline are going to be able to come out with something better and get them to trade up,” he said.

Jeff Rubin, associate professor of practice in the School of Information Studies, said the only major difference between the iPad and the iPad mini is the smaller screen, which he said seems to have more disadvantages than advantages.

“Personally, I think it’s odd for those who have an iPad to go to the mini,” he said.

A positive aspect of the iPad mini is that a user can operate it with one hand, Rubin said, but there aren’t many other noticeable benefits. In moving to a smaller version, the tablet loses its retina display, one of its best features, without saving much money or decreasing the weight of the device.

Rubin got an iPad even though he already had an iPhone because he thought the iPhone screen was too small to work on, so he wanted a bigger device.

“For people who have been used to the iPad and the larger screen display than a tablet environment, I feel like I’m downsizing. Why would I want to do that?” Rubin said.

The iPad mini might not make much sense for those who already have iPads, but Rubin said it might for those who don’t own a tablet. He said the product has gotten good feedback in online reviews and he has heard the same from friends.

“For people who haven’t gotten into the tablet market, for people who are still on their phones and their laptops as their two main devices, the iPad mini is going to be a great device for them,” he said.

Students at Syracuse University, like Stephen Timirchand, weren’t very excited about the iPad mini.

“It’s weird. The iPad is just really a bigger iPod touch and now (the iPad mini) is like a medium iPod touch,” said the sophomore biology major. “It seems really redundant. I don’t know why anyone would buy it.”

Daisy Gan, a freshman undeclared major in the College of Arts and Sciences, said she thought the release of an iPad mini seemed unnecessary. She also said she especially doesn’t want one because she already has an iPod touch, which essentially has the same function.

“I guess it’s a good idea for some people,” Gan said. “Just they could have come out with something more interesting or different.”

Published on November 12, 2012 at 10:20 pm

Contact Andrew: amfeld01@syr.edu