Apple may spend $200 to make each iPad Mini, says analyst

Apple may spend $200 to make each iPad Mini, says analyst
The price of the iPad Mini to consumers remains a mystery, but one analyst believes that Apple spends around $200 apiece to make the entry-level model.In a note to investors picked up by AppleInsider, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo estimated that the BOM (bill of materials) and manufacturing costs come to about $195 for the 16GB Wi-Fi model.The priciest single part is the screen at $56.50. The logic board costs a fair amount -- $54 for the Wi-Fi version and $80 for the 4G LTE model, AppleInsider noted.Of course, Kuo's component list is based on rough estimates and not any actual teardown of the device, so it may be off the mark. But assuming it's close to the actual cost, then Apple is unlikely to enjoy the same profit margins it grabs on other devices, especially the iPhone.CNET's live coverage of Apple's event tomorrow. Tune in at 9 a.m. PT.The cost of the iPad Mini to consumers is still not pinned down. The latest reports peg a price tag of $330 for the entry-level model. Prior reports have pointed to a price as low as $249, an estimate shared by J.P. Morgan analyst Mark Moskowitz.Even assuming the higher price point, Apple would see profit margins somewhere between 35 percent and 58 percent on the new tablet, Kuo said. The current iPad brings in a profit margin of 37 percent to 51 percent, noted AppleInsider. The iPhone 5 kicks in margins of 68 percent to 72 percent.Of course, carrier subsidies help Apple take home a huge profit margin on the iPhone. With devices like the iPad and iPod, Apple has no such subsidy, so its profit margins are naturally lower.Much of this is just speculation right now. We should learn the consumer price for the iPad Mini once tomorrow's launch event gets off the ground. And upcoming teardowns of the new tablet will likely reveal the actual cost to Apple.CNET will cover Apple's event tomorrow in a live blog.(Via AppleInsider)

Apple CEO Cook: 'We have great things we are working on'

Apple on Friday officially brought its iPhone to China Mobile's 763 million subscribers. But don't go thinking that good news for Apple had CEO Tim Cook giddy enough to let slip any details of the company's plans.During an event launching the iPhone on China Mobile, Cook was asked whether Apple might launch an iPhone with a bigger screen or offer flexible displays in future models. All Cook would say, in essence, is that customers can expect some nice updates in the future."We never talk about future things," Cook said, according to Bloomberg, which was in attendance at the event. "We have great things we are working on but we want to keep them secret. That way you will be so much happier when you see it."Apple is expected to unveil a new iPhone this year, along with updates to its iPad line. There's also hope in the marketplace that Apple will show off its long-awaited iWatch and possibly, the television Steve Jobs hinted at before his death.Until then, however, Apple can bask in the launch of its iPhone on China Mobile, the world's largest carrier, after long years of negotiations.