Will the iPad Mini Succeed? Can it Possibly Fail?

All three iPads have been runaway successes in the market, playing a big part in making Apple the richest company in the world. So if Apple decides to launch a smaller version of the device, how can it possibly fail?

"iPad Mini," it must be repeated, is a name used by the press for a product the company has not even acknowledged. We don't know what it will be named--we don't even really know that it exists. But it seems likely that it does; Apple rumors like this are usually pretty reliable in the big picture, if not in all the details. The leaked image above, for instance, is clearly not just a shrunken iPad 3, as it has the new Lightning connector.

The rumors have also provided some technical detail about the size of the device and the resolution of the screen. That, and the completely open question of the price Apple charges, create some considerable uncertainty about it. This isn't 2010 when Apple launched the iPad into a market vacuum. Consumers have many credible choices in 7-inch tablets, principally Amazon's Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD. Microsoft and its OEMs are about to launch a wave of Windows 8 tablets and hybrid tablet/notebook devices.

What will it all mean? Will the iPad Mini be a winner? We asked our writers to give their best guess.

• Dino Londis: Any Apple Magic Left For iPad Mini?
• George Ou: How The iPad Went From Monopoly To Minority Within A Year.
• Chris Spera: The iPad Mini Success Depends on Apple-Controlled Issues.
• Serdar Yegulalp: Why the iPad Mini Will Succeed, Even If It Really Shouldn't.

But don't let them have the last word. What do you think? Join in the discussion below.