業(yè)界先前曾經(jīng)謠傳蘋果公司(Apple Inc.)將推出一款迷你版 iPad (iPad mini)平板電腦，但后來我們看到的是新的 iPad ──與原先的 iPad 同樣的尺寸大小，但具有更佳的顯示屏幕。 而今，新一波的 iPad mini 上市傳聞又開始浮上臺面，重新燃起市場對于蘋果策略的預(yù)測。它將與微軟(Microsoft)的 Surface 平板電腦、谷歌(Google)的 Nexus 、亞馬遜(Amazon)的 Kindle Fire 或三星(Samsung)的 Galaxy 系列產(chǎn)品展開直接競爭嗎？蘋果公司想用更廣泛的平板產(chǎn)品系列來挽回已被其它產(chǎn)品拉攏的蘋果粉絲嗎？或者，該公司試圖在新一代 iPad (iPad 4？)推出時達(dá)到一個不會讓新買家望之卻步的價格點？ 答案就在于屏幕，如同本身是一款迷你版 iPad 一樣，它帶來了太多的預(yù)測與炒作。

林志穎微博秀iPad mini被網(wǎng)友質(zhì)疑是山寨貨0CQesmc

各大不同媒體報導(dǎo)分別指稱LG Display、友達(dá)光電(AU Optronic)或夏普(Sharp)等公司正在制造這種迷你尺寸的顯示器。值得注意的是，其中獨缺三星公司──“視網(wǎng)膜”(Retina)顯示器的最大制造商。事實上，LG和夏普所能生產(chǎn)的 Retina 顯示器數(shù)量有限。 我們都知道LG和友達(dá)主要著重于液晶顯示器(LCD)屏幕的制造，而且也可算是LCD市場價格的主導(dǎo)廠商。先前一直掙扎求生的夏普公司，日前收到來自富士康電子公司(Foxconn Electronics)的龐大資金挹注后，夏普現(xiàn)在很可能也具有成本競爭力：但富士康是一家垂直整合的公司，這意味著其制造部門總能從其組件業(yè)務(wù)中取到較佳的價格。我懷疑夏普會有什么不同？ 圍繞著 iPad mini 打轉(zhuǎn)的各種預(yù)測主要在于其價格點，可能出現(xiàn)沖擊其競爭對手的數(shù)字──換言之，比500美元還更低得多。如果友達(dá)、LG或夏普(或三家廠商)都在制造這種 Retina 屏幕(這是在任何平板電腦、智能手機或移動設(shè)備上最昂貴的單一組件)，并能取得低于 iPad 的價格。LCD仍是一項很棒的技術(shù)，而且只有在屏幕尺寸變得越小時，才能表現(xiàn)得更好──尺寸更小，顯示器更優(yōu)質(zhì)，價格也更負(fù)擔(dān)得起。 編譯：Susan Hong 本文授權(quán)編譯自EBN Online，版權(quán)所有，謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載 本文下一頁：參考英文原文：Interpreting the 'Mini-iPad' Buzz，by Barbara Jorgensen, EBN Community Editor

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{pagination} Interpreting the 'Mini-iPad' Buzz Barbara Jorgensen The last time Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) was rumored to be releasing a mini-iPad, we got the "new iPad" (aka iPad 3). (See: Behind Apple's Alleged Move to Small Screens.) Net result: same size, better display. A new spate of mini-iPad reports is surfacing, fueling speculation behind Apple's strategy. Is it competing with Microsoft's Surface, Google's Nexus, Amazon's Kindle Fire, or Samsung's Galaxy smartphones? Is Apple providing a broader tablet array for its already-converted iFans? Or is trying to reach a price point that won't discourage new buyers when the next "new" iPad (iPad 4?) renders the last "new" iPad (iPad 3) obsolete? The answer is in the screen, which has as much speculation behind it as the mini-iPad itself. Various media reports have LG Display, AU Optronics, or Sharp manufacturing the mini's display. Notably absent is Samsung, which is the largest manufacturer of the Retina display, featured in the iPad 3. (LG and Sharp manufacture limited quantities of the Retina.) Here's what we know about LG Display and AU: they focus primarily on LCD screens and tend to be price leaders in the LCD screen market. Sharp, which has been struggling, recently received a large cash infusion from Foxconn Electronics, which also manufactures Apple's smartphones and iPads. Sharp is also likely to be cost competitive: Foxconn is a vertically integrated company, which means its manufacturing arm gets preferred pricing from its component businesses. I doubt that Sharp will be any different. Most of the speculation around the mini-iPad is a price point that will cause its competitors apoplexy (in other words, less than $500 -- much less). If AU, LG, or Sharp (or all three) are making the screens -- the single most expensive component on any tablet, smartphone, or mobile device -- look for a mini priced below the iPad. LCD is still a great technology and only gets better as screens get smaller. Net result: smaller size, decent display. Also more affordable.