A new report said today that Apple has slashed iPad mini shipments for the second quarter of 2013, and the question everyone's asking is "why?"
Are less-than-expected iPad mini sales to blame?
Or is Apple simply re-allocating its resources and buckling down in preparation for the inevitable launch of the iPad mini 2?
And, according to a DigiTimes report, the first-gen iPad mini is suffering due to competition from 7-inch Android tablets like Google's Nexus 7.
Suffering sales
DigiTimes' "industry sources" claimed that Apple has cut iPad mini shipments to 10 million or 12 million units for Q2 2013. That's down as much as 20 percent from past months, said the report.
Apple isn't in the habit of releasing detailed sales data when it doesn't suit its needs, but that could indicate that the iPad mini isn't selling as well as the iPhone maker had hoped.
Apple's iPad mini launched last November to what was reported to be a lackluster response.
However, that initial response could have been down to numerous factors, and its impact on overall sales is unknowable.
Shortly after launch, Apple reported that 3 million iPad mini and iPad 4s had been sold, but its ambiguous and wishy-washy language (CEO Tim Cook: "We…practically sold out,") led us to believe that things may not have gone as nicely as Apple would have liked.
iPad mini 2 stirring it up
Another possibility is that Apple is simply winding down iPad mini shipments in preparation for the iPad mini 2.
Earlier this year one analyst predicted that the iPad mini successor would be released as early as March. Obviously that hasn't happened, but people are certainly expecting an iPad mini refresh soon.
In the meantime, check out TechRadar's iPad mini 2 release date, news and rumors hub for all the latest info on Cupertino's next tiny tablet.
