APPLE'S iPad mini, with its smaller screen and thinner design, is expected to fill a niche of Apple products but doesn't seem to excite Chinese consumers due to a lack of innovation and a higher price than its rivals.

苹果的迷你iPad，更小的屏幕和更薄的设计，有望填补苹果产品的小众市场，但由于缺乏创新以及比竞争对手更高的价格似乎并没有刺激到中国消费者。

Half the weight of the third-generation iPad, the new product is mostly in line with what was expected, with a 7.9-inch, or 20-centimeter, screen and slower processor as an entry-level product.

新产品是第三代iPad重量的一半，大体上符合预期，7.9英寸即20厘米的屏幕，作为入门级产品较慢的处理器。

The official prices, ranging from US$329 for the bottom-of-the-line 16G Wi-Fi model to US$659 for a 64G product with both Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity, are higher than expected. They are also more expensive than rival products such as Kindle Fire and Google's Nexus 7.

官方价格从16GWi-Fi机型的329美元到64G支持Wi-Fi和蜂窝连接的659美元，都高于预期。他们也比竞争对手的产品更昂贵，如烈火和谷歌的Nexus7。

The iPad mini will be launched in Hong Kong on November 2, while no debut date has been set for the Chinese mainland. But sellers on Taobao, the online marketplace, are already taking pre-orders by asking for a down payment between 1,800 yuan (US$295) and 5,000 yuan. Most of the products will be shipped from Hong Kong.

迷你iPad将在11月2日在香港推出，而登陆中国大陆的日期还没有确定。但卖家在淘宝这一网上市场上已经通过要求1800元（295美元）到5000元之间的降价采取预定。大部分产品将运往香港。

"Based on previous experience with Apple products, prices for the first batch of new models available on the mainland will be quite high," one of the sellers said.

“根据苹果产品以往的经验，第一批在大陆获得的新款机价格是相当高的，”一个卖家说。

Li Yanyan, a researcher with Analysys International, said she expected the gadget to lift Apple sales by appealing to lower-end users, after the market share of iPads dipped to 71.42 percent in the third quarter from 72.66 in the second. "Apple is still dominating the current high-end tablet market," said Li. "But Kindle and Android tablets are grasping a large share on the sizable lower-end market. The launch of mini may open up new profit sources for Apple."

李艳艳，一个国际观察的研究人员说，她预期这件小玩意是通过吸引低端用户来提升苹果销售份额，iPad的市场份额从第二季度的72.66%下降到了第三季度的71.42％。 “苹果仍然占据着目前的高端平板电脑市场，”李说。 “但Kindle和Android平板电脑正在抢夺相当大的低端市场份额。迷你的推出可能会为苹果开辟新的利润来源。”

But consumers do not seem to buy it. "Apple now seems to be more defensive rather than really splash out something new," said Jenny Mao, a tech-savvy white-collar worker in Shanghai. "While previous Apple products are innovative in functions, recent ones are mere changes in sizes and display. I'm not interested."

但消费者似乎并不买账。 “苹果现在似乎在防守，而不是真正创新一些东西，”珍妮.毛说，一个在上海技术熟练的白领。 “虽然以前的苹果产品在功能上创新，最近只是在大小和外观上做改变。我不感兴趣。”

Apple's late co-founder Steve Jobs had denounced a small-sized tablet, saying they will be "dead-on-arrival" as they lack the flexibility of phones and visual effect of large tablets.

苹果已故的联合创始人史蒂夫?乔布斯曾谴责过小型的平板电脑，说他们将“见光就死”，因为他们缺乏手机的灵活性和大平板电脑的视觉效果。

Apple yesterday also surprised the market by introducing a fourth-generation iPad, equipped with a faster processor and smaller connector than the third generation, to replace the older iPad and make it the "most short-lived Apple product" as dubbed by Internet users.

苹果公司昨天也通过推出第四代iPad令市场大吃一惊，比第三代配备了更快的处理器和更小的连接器，以取代旧的iPad，使其被互联网用户称为“最短命的苹果产品”。

The previous "new iPad" is no longer available on official Apple websites in markets such as the US and Hong Kong, and will be wiped off these markets once the latest model debut on November 2.

以前的“新iPad”在美国和香港市场的苹果官网上不再出现，一旦11月2日最新款上市他们将被下架。

Local Apple stores yesterday cut retail prices for the third-generation 16G Wi-Fi iPad by 300 yuan, but there is no date set for the latest iPad's debut on the mainland.

昨天当地的苹果专卖店将第三代16G的Wi-Fi iPad零售价降了300元，但最新iPad在大陆的首次亮相日期没有确定。

Reports said that some US Apple stores are offering replacement services for consumers who bought a third-generation iPad in the past 30 days.

有报道称，一些美国的苹果专卖店正为过去30天里买了第三代iPad的消费者提供更换服务。

A customer service official of Apple in Shanghai said yesterday that owners of the older iPad may consult their place of purchase for possibilities of replacement, but whether mainland stores have similar policies will only be decided after the local debut of the new device.

一位在上海的苹果官方客服昨天表示，旧iPad的拥有者可以咨询购买行为后更换的可能性，但大陆的专卖店是否有类似的政策要等新设备在当地发布后才能决定。