10.5-Inch and 12.9-Inch iPads May Not Ship Until May or June

[plexdk]

iPad is dead

No. I know plenty of people using it.. People are just not upgrading every year - it has moved into the same upgrade cycle as the computer.. if it works for 3-4 years, why upgrade?

That also means, that the sales won't spike as they have done earlier. Pretty simple.

 

[malexandria]

If true, that will be really, really disappointing.

why? it's a month "delay" assuming it's even announced in March. big deal.

 

[azentropy]

Really bad planning then since it seems the 12.9" is in such short supply now. Of course it hasn't been a big seller anyway.

Interested to see what the 10.5" will be like. Maybe I'm in the minority, but I really like having a home button and of course physical touchid. I've found "software" based home buttons to be a pain.

 

[Nomond]

Hello new here, was wondering when is the event when this will be announced? Trying to get my hands on a iPad Pro 9.7 128GB wifi and looking forward to the discounts

 

[Jnesbitt82]

Good ole digitimes. The same ones who said the release wouldn't happen until the second half of the year now are saying the first half but in he second quarter. Well, I guess when you through enough guesses around, one of them is bound to be right eventually.

Except when digitimes predicted the release of a full size Apple TV a few years ago..... yeah, they weren't even close on that one.

 

[kazmac]

Not unheard of with Apple. I suppose folks who want these should factor in at least 2-4 week wait beyond that.

 

[unibility]

If iPad is dead, then computing is dead and we'll all be doing something else. iPad is without doubt the future of computing and Macs and Windows PC's as we know them will cease to exist soon.[/QUOTE]

Perhaps slower growth in the personal computer market that's all.

 

[rippley5150]

Hopefully my 1st gen. iPad mini can last until the new release lol. I fail to see why they can't be released shortly after they are announced

 

[JeffyTheQuik]

If true, that will be really, really disappointing.

I think this is one of those "under promise, over deliver" things.

The rumors are out there for a March event, and then the rumor mill has a May/June delivery, so if they get one in April, it's a "miracle!"

The same thing for the Watch. I ordered mine on the date that it was supposed to come out in the stores, and got a June 30 delivery date (it was late June, not sure of the date), and when it showed up on 6/1, I was ecstatic.

Even if the 10.5 is not ready it's good for Apple to announce it along with the other refreshed iPads. Otherwise people might buy a refreshed iPad and then only two months later a fancy 10.5 comes out - they'd feel pretty annoyed.

I hope that's not the case... I've been saving for the 10.5" one, as it will fit in my kneeboard when flying, and I'll be using it for flight training this spring. Of course, I'll be using paper charts first, but then move to iPad for flying, and paper as a backup.

I do think that if all 3 are announced, and the 10.5" will be 2 months later, they will be in stores, and all the people that will be in a lather are the MacRumors people* and the fanboys*. That's not an insult, but I do think that the general public will be willing to wait, as for most people, it's a neat thing to get one, but not an "I gotta have it, NOW!" things.

For the Watch, I don't really remember the 6 week wait for it, just the 2 years of having it and enjoying it.

*Yep, I'm one of each...

 

[tzm41]

Basically Apple will take everything that currently makes iPad Pro the world's most powerful super computer, and they will make all of it better.

Never imagined the word super computer being used on iPad. It could not even run MATLAB or Cassandra.

 

[LordQ]

Hopefully my 1st gen. iPad mini can last until the new release lol. I fail to see why they can't be released shortly after they are announced

Remember the iPad 2? "So when are we gonna ship it, April? May? June? No, on March 11th, that's a week from this Friday!" - Steve Jobs

 

[Delorean2006]

Tim seriously focus on your products and stop playing Apple's version of celebrity big brother winner.

It's not s Mac Pro.....you are announcing and launching 2-3 months later....it's an iPad....your bread and butter. Stop making political statements and make some business statements to your times to get their act together and hit delivery timelines .

Couldn't have said it better, I wanted a new Mac Pro, but settled for a high spec'd iMac due to not wanting a computer from 2013...basically. I am tired of the political BS and wish Tim would honestly go back to and solely focus on making Apple the power house it once was.

 

[psac]

Mini Pro please. Promise to buy immediately if offered.

And no, I don't want a Plus phone, and it's not the same. I don't want a full-sized iPad either, my wife has one of those. The mini is perfect for me for travelling and other general uses. I bring it back and forth to work every day, which I wouldn't do with any full-sized model.

 

[9081094]

iPad is dead

As a key strategy the iPad is to Apple it is surely questionable why it takes that long for an overhaul. Especially now Microsoft and Chromebooks get traction. I miss focus from Apple for at least the last 4 years besides products always stuck in the pipeline. To be honest I'm really surprised they don't decline faster. Name one product category they are ahead or better then their competition these days... I can't think of one, you? How times change

 

[satchmo]

New screen, new A10X, hopefully at least the double-pinned Lightning port from the 12",

Although Lightning seems like it'll remain the standard on all iOS devices, I kind of wish they'd go USB-C across their entire product line.

 

[78Bandit]

Apple is getting too fragmented. You'll likely have six models of the iPhone (8, 7S, 7S+, 7, 7+, and SE) and five models of the iPad (12.9 Pro, 10.5 Pro, 9.7 Pro, 9.7 Air, and 7.9 Mini) all in multiple memory sizes and colors.

Apple has lost its way. Under Steve the mantra was "It Just Works". You didn't have a flagship device, you had the current model that was the most advanced and an older model or two kept around. Steve's philosophy was function, simplicity, beauty, and quality. He made one device for each category that was the best overall user experience he could create.

Tim Cook's supply side origins are showing. He is implementing incremental, not innovative, improvements and slapping a "Pro" moniker on it to justify a substantial base price increase. I don't think that is something Steve would have tolerated. As Steve Jobs said back in 1995 "What ruined Apple was not growth … They got very greedy … Instead of following the original trajectory of the original vision, which was to make the thing an appliance and get this out there to as many people as possible … they went for profits."

Tim has got only a couple more years before Apple's ability to ride on its reputation is no longer viable. Apple needs to come up with the next transformative idea in the near future or face a race to commoditization of its products as competitors rapidly catch up.

 

[indychris]

Basically Apple will take everything that currently makes iPad Pro the world's most powerful super computer, and they will make all of it better.

Just think, if Hillary would have simply had one of those super-computing iPads, she could have instantly identified all those technology pirates and put a permanent stop to all those pesky Russian e-mail hacks!

 

[9081094]

Apple is getting too fragmented. You'll likely have six models of the iPhone (8, 7S, 7S+, 7, 7+, and SE) and five models of the iPad (12.9 Pro, 10.5 Pro, 9.7 Pro, 9.7 Air, and 7.9 Mini) all in multiple memory sizes and colors.

Apple has lost its way. Under Steve the mantra was "It Just Works". You didn't have a flagship device, you had the current model that was the most advanced and an older model or two kept around. Steve's philosophy was function, simplicity, beauty, and quality. He made one device for each category that was the best overall user experience he could create.

Tim Cook's supply side origins are showing. He is implementing incremental, not innovative, improvements and slapping a "Pro" moniker on it to justify a substantial base price increase. I don't think that is something Steve would have tolerated. As Steve Jobs said back in 1995 "What ruined Apple was not growth … They got very greedy … Instead of following the original trajectory of the original vision, which was to make the thing an appliance and get this out there to as many people as possible … they went for profits."

Tim has got only a couple more years before Apple's ability to ride on its reputation is no longer viable. Apple needs to come up with the next transformative idea in the near future or face a race to commoditization of its products as competitors rapidly catch up.

Competition is ahead already and MWC 27 februari will prove it. 5 years ago Apple was ahead of them in most catagories. Between that time and now, competition jumped ahead. You can still say the A10 is faster, but what does faster mean in real world? We are talking about seconds here and no-one will notice in everyday use.

Apple is alienating it's loyal core and is getting greedy by selling 4 years old technology for exact the same price.

Many of us don't mind paying more when you're getting the best. Today you are able to get better for half the price. That's the reason Apple is doing that bad in China. You pay a premium price, you expect a premium product (that was Apple a few years ago).

 

[BvizioN]

Agreed. I plan on upgrading my Air 2. Even if it means a little bit longer to release, I'm fine with waiting. I'm looking forward seeing what they have to bring in March.

Cant see a March event happening. Maybe they will announce them on WWDC and release a week later.

 

[malexandria]

Couldn't have said it better, I wanted a new Mac Pro, but settled for a high spec'd iMac due to not wanting a computer from 2013...basically. I am tired of the political BS and wish Tim would honestly go back to and solely focus on making Apple the power house it once was.

He can do both and it isn't like he's the one actually BUILDING the stuff and it's his job as CEO of a Company like Apple to speak out against vile policies in general and policies that directly impact his company.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

During Apple's latest earning call, CEO Tim Cook said that the company underestimated iPad demand in the past quarter and had an issue with one of its suppliers.

Seems to be an odd recurring theme seeing as TC's rep in is previous Apple position was he was the world's preeminent supply chain manager. Cook has blamed suppliers and underestimates so much during his CEO tenture he probably just made a recording of it and presses "play" when asked about supply contraints. Maybe if he wasn't so busying trying to solve the world's problems (not his job) he'd have more time to get a better handle on demand and supplier competence.

If they are not going to release the next iPad until June then Apple might as well just wait until September or Oct. so they will appear more "fresh" for the buying season.

 

[stevemiller]

iPad is without doubt the future of computing and Macs and Windows PC's as we know them will cease to exist soon.

Lets make a deal: I won't tell you what your only future of computing will be, and you don't tell me mine.

P.S. I have a Mac and an iPad, and I use them for different things.

 

[rtr1985]

So January, 2018, in store availability

 

[manu chao]

Apple is getting too fragmented. You'll likely have six models of the iPhone (8, 7S, 7S+, 7, 7+, and SE)

Taking the iPhone 8 out of the equation for a moment, do you suggest Apple should not offer three differently-sized phones? And do you suggest to only sell flagship models at every size? Apple has sold the previous generation iPhone in parallel ever since the second generation, the 3G, iPhone appeared.

and five models of the iPad (12.9 Pro, 10.5 Pro, 9.7 Pro, 9.7 Air, and 7.9 Mini) all in multiple memory sizes and colors.

Apple has sold four different iPad models ever since the second version of the iPad Mini came around (ie, once it had an older model to sell alongside the current one). Again, do you suggest that Apple should not offer three differently-sized iPads and not sell older generations at a lower price?

If there is anything one might object to, it is updating two 'lines' of products at the same physical size (iPhone 8 and 7s, as well as iPad 9.7" Pro/Air 2 and 10.5" Pro) instead of using the previous generation as the lower-prized version.

 

[jmgregory1]

I use my several year old iPad Air (1st gen) daily and the only thing I wish it was, was faster loading web pages (when using multiple tabs). But as others have noted, this has not been enough of an "issue" for me to upgrade. I can still do my work when not traveling with my laptop, which is about the most I ask of it.