The part of this rumor I don't buy is the price. That Apple would release an iPad mini to slay the competition makes plenty of sense and there have been a few reports of its existence in Apple labs.
While I've always been of the opinion that a smaller iPad would be a killer product, I don't see it being priced less than $299. For what reason do they have to cannibalize their existing sales? Fear of the Amazon Kindle Fire? Not to mention, what would the margins be on a $199 tablet that has a retina display, along with all the specs of the 9.7-inch model?
i totally agree with you on the price. There is no reason for Apple not to charge $299 for the 7". Do you want to sell 30 million at $200 or 25 million at $300 in the first year! It's a no brainer!
