Apple rolls out iPad mini; lofty price tag keeps crowd away

Mini queues: Unveiled last week,the iPad mini At 329 for a Wi-Fi only model

The launch of Apple iPad mini attracted smaller crowds from Sydney to New York than have been typical for previous Apple product debuts,events marked by people lining up for hours or even days.

A proliferation of comparable rival devices may have sapped some interest for the device,which is priced above rival gadgets from Google and Amazon.com.

A few hundred people were in line at Apples Fifth Avenue flagship store in New York at about 8 am. In Amsterdam two hours after the Apple store opened,it looked like a typical day at the store with no lines outside the door. About 50 people waited for the Apple store in Sydney,Australia,to open,where in the past the line had stretched for several blocks when the company debuted new iPhones. There were queues of 100 or more outside Apple stores in Tokyo and Seoul when the device went on sale,but when the companys flagship Hong Kong store opened staff appeared to outnumber those waiting in line.

Unveiled last week,the iPad mini marks Apples first foray into the smaller-tablet segment and has won mostly positive reviews,with criticism centering on a lofty price tag. At 329 for a Wi-Fi only model,the iPad mini is a little costlier than predicted.

Apple iPhone 5 makes India debut

New Delhi: Apples latest iPhone thinner,lighter and with a 4-inch screen went on sale in India on Friday with a starting price of Rs 45,500.

The iPhone 5,which Apple Inc CEO Tim Cook said was the fastest-selling phone in history,sports a 4-inch retina display and is 20 percent lighter than the iPhone 4S. The 16 GB model of the new iPhone will sell for Rs 45,500,with the 32 GB version priced at Rs 52,500 and the 64 GB model available for Rs 59,500.

The iPhone 5 is being launched in India more than a month after hitting store shelves in the United States.

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Despite the phones premium pricing compared to other high-end smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S III and HTC One X,dealers in New Delhi said they were fielding more queries for this iPhone than for previous versions. Two Apple resellers in New Delhi said all their existing stocks had been sold out in advance bookings.