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Are you keeping up with the amount of iPad sizes? First, we had the classic 9.7 inch iPad launched in 2010, then the 7.9 inch iPad Mini in 2012, and then finally the 12.9 inch iPad Pro (complete with £99.00 Pencil. Who could forget the Pencil?) launched last year. Now, the company is set to muddy the definition of what an iPad is yet again with a 10.5 inch iPad next year, according to Taiwan-based supply chain makers.
A report from Digitimes has claimed that this new iPad will have more of a focus on education and enterprise sectors, as 10-inch and larger sized tablets dominate this market. It is believed that, for these sorts of applications, the existing 9.7 inch iPad may be too small and that the 12.9 inch iPad Pro (which starts life at £729) is too expensive. This will serve in addition to the 9.7 inch iPad, meaning there will be four different sizes of iPad available.
The sources said that shipments of the 10.5 inch iPad will reach two million units in the first quarter of 2017, and may reach 5-6 million in the year. They also claim that Apple will launch lower-priced versions of the 9.7 inch iPad to better compete with cheaper Android models.
This report is the second independent source to suggest Apple’s 10.5 inch iPad intentions. In August, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo made the same assertion, and earmarked the A10X processor for the tablet. The fact that multiple sources have said the same thing would suggest there is substance to this claim.
However, it is not believed that 2017 will see many radical changes to the iPad asides from the standard bolstered innards. Expect to see any ‘revolutionary’ changes – such as a switch to OLED displays – in 2018.
