Apple Planning 10.5" iPad Pro in 2017, 'Revolutionary' OLED iPad as Soon as 2018

[wwooden]

I know how many are saying the iphone Plus makes the iPad mini obsolete...but I still think the mini is the perfect iPad size. As big as the iPhone Plus is...the mini just makes web surfing and content creation that much easier. It's also more portable than either the 9.7" iPad pro or the 12.9" iPad pro. I can fit the mini in my cargo pants pocket. I'm grandfathered in on the original Att unlimited data plan for the iPad. After the original iPad, I just kept buying new iPad minis. It's the perfect size, at least for me. I hope Apple keeps it in the lineup. If not, I wonder if I can put my iPad mini micro sim in a new iPhone 7 plus? Hmmm?

I'm in the same situation. I have an iPhone 6 Plus and an iPad Mini and love both. I obviously use the iPhone when out of the house, but I grab the iPad mini when home. I had an iPad 9.7" for years, I have found the iPad mini to be the perfect size for everyday use. It's perfect for ebook reading, browsing internet, watching Netflix, traveling, games. I hope they don't discontinue it.

 

[UltimaKilo]

A 2nd gen 10nm chip would surely allow the iPad to have power that can rival a laptop. For that reason there's a good chance Apple starts to merge the MacBook and iPad in 2018/2019. By that time the MBP could be approaching Macbook level of thinness.

 

[Appleaker]

I think 10.5" is the perfect spot for those who want more space but can't step up to the 12.9".
I see it as the equivalent to a 13" in a lineup of 12",13", and 15" notebooks.

However I hope they don't reduce the bezels further, otherwise it will be yet another example of form over function. Steve Jobs kept the equally sized bezels on all sides because it was comfortable to hold without touching/blocking the screen, regardless of palm rejection I feel like that solution is better.

 

[cardfan]

Really? I haven't touched my MBP since I bought an iPad Mini with a Clamcase, and now I use an iPad Pro 9.7" with smart keyboard.

Of course I'm just a Network Security Engineer by day and College student by night. I do everything (all my assignments) on my iPad. So far I've used Pages, Numbers, Keynote, Evernote (replacing with Notes), Ulysses, Pixelmator, Graphics, Photos, and Concepts. It's nice to have them on the laptop (Concepts isn't available yet), but I have learned to do my work on my iPad. The Apple Pencil is useful too.

It's where I play games now. I have a Steel Series controller I use. So really, why are people using Laptops still in an era of a device that can do the same work (as an i5 from 2013) for 1/3 the power consumption, 1/4 the weight, and 1/2 the size, and you get to add LTE?

Just depends on what I'm doing. For work, a laptop is needed, no work arounds can avoid that. For home, same thing. Need too much storage, tracking investments, file system, work on side, etc. An ipad IS nice to have to compliment things, let kids use and that sort of thing.

For a vacation? Ipad all the way as primary.

But for this stuff, I don't really need a 1k+ ipad for all this. I wouldn't pay more than 500 for it. Luckily with verizon subsiding it, education discount, and discover's apple pay deal over the holidays, I didn't have to for the 12" pro. Although I did have to spend another 200 or so for the pencil and smart kb.

Bottom line, i like ipads for what I use them for. But people are kinda nuts if they pay full price for them.

 

[satchmo]

I use my iPad all the time. At work I am stuck with a desktop workstation. When we have meetings, I use my iPad with a bluetooth keyboard to type notes constantly. I use iPad at home to read news, easier to read larger text than on a iPhone. I also use the iPad to stream videos while reading the news. My spouse does the same activities with her iPad.

Yes, I don't think you'll find disagreement that an iPad with keyboard is convenient for jotting notes.

But there's a huge segment that need a real OS with a filing system and robust pro apps for work.

 

[Applelad]

"radical changes in form factor"

So we can expect square corners I guess!!

 

[Rava]

I don't get the assumption that the 6+ is sufficient as a mini replacement as that assumes everyone with an iphone will want the bigger phone. The 6+ may be a decent mini replace for those who have the bigger phone, but many of us do not want a phone that big. The mini is a great size in combination with a 6 or 5se, and the 6s is still a strong performer for Apple.

 

[MacBH928]

Apple's product line is so segmented they might as well make a customized order option, choosing storage, RAM, screen size, color and let them build it for you. it will be like the 90's Dell.

 

[saturn88]

A 2nd gen 10nm chip would surely allow the iPad to have power that can rival a laptop. For that reason, there's a good chance Apple starts to merge the MacBook and iPad in 2018/2019. By that time the MBP could be approaching Macbook level of thinness.

Unless you can run OSX and its applications on iPad, iPad can't compete with Mac in terms of productivity, even if it has that hardware power. Mobile apps are just not there...

 

[dannyyankou]

This just seems stupid. A 0.8 inch difference doesn't make sense.

They should do 9.7", 11.3", and 12.9"

 

[gim]

When I compare the 6 plus with an iPad Air 2 the difference in the size of the video is only about 10% due to the aspect ratio. A 10" iPad may be slightly larger but I think the difference is not that noticeable when you are watching videos.

Sorry, but that's just not true.
iPhone Plus models are 16:9, meaning 16:9 videos can use the full 5.5 inches, true.
I just measured a 16:9 video on my iPad Air, and the diagonal is 22.5 cm or 8.85 inches.
That's a 61% difference.

 

[chleuasme]

If true that a new 10.5" iPP is coming, no reason to assume this will be a 4:3 screen again.

Easy math, this likely would be a 264 ppi 3:2 screen, at 1536x2304 (that's a slightly wider iPad 9.7" in landscape, same height). That's almost like two iPad mini 7.9" screens jointed together (in physical measures, not pixel-wise ofc), just as the iPP 12.9" screen is almost like two 9.7" iPad jointed screens, so but this time we have an exact 3:4 + 3:4 = 3:2.

3:2 would probably still be very manageable at this size for a handled tablet, and now that iOS allows side-by-side apps, the 130 points gained in width in landscape would be very welcome for a device aimed at pro tasks, and allow to create a wider keyboard.

For the fun of it, it's always better with a picture:

This would make much more sense to me for a 10.5" hypothesis than switching to the larger 4:3 iPad resolution at 326 ppi, as some others proposed; iOS has now evolved, and adaptive UIs is the way to support multiple resolutions, orientations, and modulation of sizes.

 

[iphone07]

discontinue the iPad mini and we have a cool and simple lineup :
iPad (9.7")
iPad Pro (10.5" and 12.9"),
Just like the MacBook lineup if (when) they will discontinue the Air
MacBook (12")
MacBook Pro (13.3" and 15.4")

 

[Zarniwoop]

2018 models (assumption):

• iPad Classic (or SE)
• iPad Classic mini
• iPad Pro 10 (similar size as iPad 4, but thinner, lighter and 10.5" display)
• iPad Pro 12

Classic series comes with older hardware, less storage, no pencil support and maybe WIFI only. Cheaper than Pro.
Pro series comes with latest hardware and LTE/3G, pencil and keyboard support. Expensive.

So nothing really changes, just names and one screen size.

 

[Mr. Donahue]

iPad Mini 5! Please make it a reality.

 

[saturn88]

discontinue the iPad mini and we have a cool and simple lineup :
iPad (9.7")
iPad Pro (10.5" and 12.9"),
Just like the MacBook lineup if (when) they will discontinue the Air
MacBook (12")
MacBook Pro (13.3" and 15.4")

I would not call it "cool and simple". It seems confusing. Also, there is a big gap between 5.5" iPhone and 9.7" iPad.

Simple to me would be 5", 6", 8", 10", 12".
Or even simpler: 5", 6", 9", 12".

And they can achieve 6" iPhone without increasing the physical size if they remove bezel completely.

 

[DevNull0]

A 2nd gen 10nm chip would surely allow the iPad to have power that can rival a laptop.

Looking at raw computing power has very, very little to do with what you can do with a computer. Tiny screen, crappy keyboard choices, no mouse or trackpad, no usable file system, no ports, no peripherals, no real multitasking, no resizable windows, no mass storage. No, an iPad does not come close to rivalling a laptop.

And reflecting that, there are no meaningful apps for the iPad beyond basic content consumptions.

You can't even save an attachment from an email, edit it, and email to to somebody else without jumping through a bunch of hoops and using third party apps. That's a great computer there.

 

[Lone Deranger]

I hate oled, want to stick to lcd, every oled I've ever owned has had image retention and degrades so fast, reminds me of plasma. An lcd will last 15 years, oled 3.... I compared my gs6 to a brand new one in store and the screen looked so faded.

Planned obsolesce. Gotta keep you spending even if you don't want to.

 

[chleuasme]

discontinue the iPad mini and we have a cool and simple lineup :
iPad (9.7")
iPad Pro (10.5" and 12.9")

I'd rather eventually see them discontinue the 9.7" model, and only have an 8" one-handable non-Pro iPad, polarizing iPad customers between a small basic slate tablet and two larger more capable detachable tablets.

 

[rudychidiac]

I upgraded to a 9.7" iPad Pro and couldn't be happier with it.

I need a big iPad for drawing

 

[Appleaker]

A 2nd gen 10nm chip would surely allow the iPad to have power that can rival a laptop. For that reason there's a good chance Apple starts to merge the MacBook and iPad in 2018/2019. By that time the MBP could be approaching Macbook level of thinness.

The new MacBook Pro will not be that far from the new MacBook in terms of thickness. And since the redesign schedule for MacBook Pros seems to be around 4 years, I don't think there will be a redesign then.

The A10 will likely perform around the same as an A9X, so I'm more excited for the A10X. If they did move, it would mean compatibility and optimisation issues with applications so it would be a slow process. I hope the rumored 2-in-1 is similar to a Surface Book, but done the right way.

 

[augustya]

Of the three iPad's that come out in 2017 I wonder if the 9.7" iPad will ever have the 4GB of RAM in it ? Only then makes it sense to have the entire line up with three iPads.

 

[ahostmadsen]

For a 10.5" iPad, you would have to subscribe to Office 365 to use the office programs. Perhaps Apple colluded with Microsoft?

 

[CrystalQuest76]

When Jobs returned from the dark years, he is credited with reducing the number of different products that were sold with the Apple logo. (He also outsourced all the manufacturing to China.) By reducing products, Apple had easier time managing inventory and customers had an easier time deciding on the products they wanted and severely reduced buyer's remorse.

 

[gnipgnop]

Looking at raw computing power has very, very little to do with what you can do with a computer. Tiny screen, crappy keyboard choices, no mouse or trackpad, no usable file system, no ports, no peripherals, no real multitasking, no resizable windows, no mass storage. No, an iPad does not come close to rivalling a laptop.

And reflecting that, there are no meaningful apps for the iPad beyond basic content consumptions.

Sounds like you haven't looked at what's available for the iPad in quite some time. Mass storage with built-in WiFi is one example.