Apple iPad Mini: 3 Ways Amazon, Barnes & Noble Can Avoid The Death Knell

For about a year, Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble were almost completely alone in the 7-inch tablet market. It was nice while it lasted.

The past few months have seen Google and Microsoft unveil their tablet offerings -- the Google's 7-inch Nexus 7, and Microsoft's 10.6-inch Surface, respectively -- and it looks like Apple is about ready to expand its tablet line, too.

Confirming rumors that surfaced in January, Rene Ritchie, the deeply connected editor-in-chief at iMore, reported on July 30 that Apple plans to unveil the iPad Mini along with the company's next-generation iPhone, unofficially dubbed the iPhone 5, at a Sept. 12 media event.

"The iPad mini will be announced at the same September 12 event, as will the new iPod nano," Ritchie said. "We haven't heard a release date for the iPad mini yet, but it could be the same as the iPhone 5."

After Ritchie's initial report, The Verge, The Loop, Reuters, Bloomberg, the New York Times, and CNN all confirmed the iPad mini's unveiling date.

So if Apple releases its first iPad mini next month, what can Amazon and Barnes & Noble do to keep the Cupertino colossus at bay, as well as the other new competitors in the 7-inch tablet game? Even though the companies are not the traditional tech companies like Apple, Google, and Microsoft, Barnes & Noble and Amazon can both find ways to stay alive in this market, even though it's quickly becoming overcrowded.

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