Apple Inc is expected to make its biggest product move on tuesday since debucting the ipad two years ago, launching a smaller, ceaper tablet into a market staked out by Amazon . com Inc and Google Inc. Apple hopes to beat back their charge onto its home turf of consumer electronics , hile safegaurd its lead in the larger 10-inch tablets space that even deep - pocketed rivals like SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS have found thoug to penetrate . Amazon's Kindle and Google's Nexux 7 have grabed a chunk of lower end of tablet market and provoked demand for a pocket -sized slate exists , helping force Apple int a space it has avoided and at times derided , analysts say.
A smaller tablet would mark the first device to be Apple's compact portfoliounder cheif executive Tim Cook, who took over co-founder steve jobs just before his death . "Apple sensed early that they had real winner with the ipad and has proven to be correct " said Lars Albright co founder of mobile advetising startup sessionM and former apple ad executive.
The chief rival is Amazon , which proved a 7-inch tablet ataround $200 has consumer appeal. The kindle fire , released on last year for $199 was one of the hottest - selling holiday gadgets . it pressured Amazons margin but gave them potentially millions .
Apple now have just one 9.7-inch ipad , starting at $499. The previos version, or ipad 2 is available for $399. Apple has sold out over 84 million ipads so far , with decice accounding 26 percent of apple's fiscal third quater revenue.
