????蘋果（Apple）——憑借市場領先的設備和驚人的市值——可能看起來統治著科技行業。但在迷你平板電腦這一類別，蘋果并不是領跑者。外界盛傳蘋果將推出一款比iPad小的平板電腦，但至今仍然只是傳聞。蘋果公司的iPad大敗所有競爭產品，蘋果何必涉足這一類別？因為迷你平板電腦大有市場。比如，亞馬遜（Amazon）造型簡樸、售價200美元的Kindle Fire就在上一個圣誕購物季熱賣。

????不過，真正顯示出該子市場潛力的是谷歌（Google）的Nexus 7。分析人士和評論者稱這款產品有望成為Kindle終結者。直到最近為止，谷歌一直都只是在為三星（Samsung）、華碩（Asus）、宏達電（HTC）以及亞馬遜等公司的手機和平板電腦開發移動操作系統。現在，通過直通消費者模式，谷歌希望憑借自家媒體商店Google Play，在內容消費市場分得一杯羹。問題在于，Nexus 7能否打敗Kindle Fire，并與蘋果可能在未來數月推出的產品一爭高下？

????Apple -- with its maket-leading gadgets and astounding market cap -- may appear to rule tech. But there is one category in which it is not setting the pace: mini-tablets. Rumors of a tablet smaller than the iPad abound, but so far nada. Why would Apple even delve into the category when the iPad trounces every other tablet out there? There's a market for a smaller form factor. Amazon's spartan, $200 Kindle Fire sold well last holiday shopping season for instance.

????Google's Nexus 7 really shows the potential of the segment, however. Analysts and reviewers have characterized it as the product to put out the Kindle's flame. Until recently, Google has been developing its mobile operating system for phones and tablets used by Samsung, Asus, HTC, Amazon and many others. With a direct-to-consumers model, Google wants a piece of the content consumption market via its own media store, Google Play. Question is, can the Nexus 7 eclipse the Kindle Fire and compete with whatever Apple may unveil in the coming months?