  We obtain the optimal scheme for estimating unknown qubit mixed states when
an arbitrary number N of identically prepared copies is available. We discuss
the case of states in the whole Bloch sphere as well as the restricted
situation where these states are known to lie on the equatorial plane. For the
former case we obtain that the optimal measurement does not depend on the prior
probability distribution provided it is isotropic. Although the
equatorial-plane case does not have this property for arbitrary N, we give a
prior-independent scheme which becomes optimal in the asymptotic limit of large
N. We compute the maximum mean fidelity in this asymptotic regime for the two
cases. We show that within the pointwise estimation approach these limits can
be obtained in a rather easy and rapid way. This derivation is based on
heuristic arguments that are made rigorous by using van Trees inequalities. The
interrelation between the estimation of the purity and the direction of the
state is also discussed. In the general case we show that they correspond to
independent estimations whereas for the equatorial-plane states this is only
true asymptotically.
