Apple Said to Debut New iPad Pro Lineup, 128GB iPhone SE, and Red iPhone 7 and 7 Plus at March Event

[manu chao]

I save myself the task of researching the individual numbers, but each additional choice comes into the equation as multiplier!

Well, do you predict that Apple will offer three mid-size iPad models (up from two)? Otherwise, there will be no additional choices, just that the two price brackets of the mid-size iPad now come with different screen-to-total-footprint ratios.

October 2014 line-up:
- iPad mini 1: one capacity, WiFi & cellular models: 2 models
- iPad mini 2: two capacities, WiFi & cellular models: 4 models
- iPad mini 3: three capacities, WiFi & cellular models: 6 models
- iPad Air: two capacities, WiFi & cellular models: 4 models
- iPad Air 2: three capacities, WiFi & cellular models: 6 models
Total: 22 models

July 2015 line-up:
- iPad mini 2: two capacities, WiFi & cellular models: 4 models
- iPad mini 3: three capacities, WiFi & cellular models: 6 models
- iPad Air: two capacities, WiFi & cellular models: 4 models
- iPad Air 2: three capacities, WiFi & cellular models: 6 models
Total: 20 models

November 2015 line-up:
- iPad mini 2: two capacities, WiFi & cellular models: 4 models
- iPad mini 4: three capacities, WiFi & cellular models: 6 models
- iPad Air: two capacities, WiFi & cellular models: 4 models
- iPad Air 2: three capacities, WiFi & cellular models: 6 models
- iPad Pro 12.9": two capacities, WiFi & cellular models: 3 models (no 32 GB LTE model)
Total: 23 models

April 2016 line-up:
- iPad mini 2: two capacities, WiFi & cellular models: 4 models
- iPad mini 4: three capacities, WiFi & cellular models: 6 models
- iPad Air 2: two capacities, WiFi & cellular models: 4 models
- iPad Pro 9.7": three capacities, WiFi & cellular models: 6 models
- iPad Pro 12.9": three capacities, WiFi & cellular models: 5 models (no 32 GB LTE model)
Total: 25 models

October 2016 line-up:
- iPad mini 2: one capacity, WiFi & cellular models: 2 models
- iPad mini 4: two capacities, WiFi & cellular models: 4 models
- iPad Air 2: two capacities, WiFi & cellular models: 4 models
- iPad Pro 9.7": three capacities, WiFi & cellular models: 6 models
- iPad Pro 12.9": three capacities, WiFi & cellular models: 5 models (no 32 GB LTE model)
Total: 21 models

April 2017 line-up (prediction):
- iPad mini 4: one capacity, WiFi & cellular models: 2 models
- iPad Pro 7.9": two capacities, WiFi & cellular models: 4 models
- iPad Pro 9.7"/Air 2: two capacities, WiFi & cellular models: 4 models
- iPad Pro 10.5": three capacities, WiFi & cellular models: 6 models
- iPad Pro 12.9": three capacities, WiFi & cellular models: 5 models (no 32 GB LTE model)
Total: 21 models

Apple has played around a little bit with how many different capacities are available for each model, in particular with older models. But we have had between four or five line items (generation & size) for the last couple of years and between 20 and 25 different configurations (excluding colours).

 

[nutriousmitten]

I like the idea of Apple going bezel-less on the 10.5" iPad Pro....which would have the same physical size roughly as the mid range 9.7" iPad Pro. But I wonder why Apple wouldn't go bezel-less across the iPad Pro line up then? Seems odd to me. Why do it with only one? If they were only going to go bezel-less one model, It would almost make more sense to do it to the 12.9" model wouldn't it? To shrink its physical size down a bit. I dunno.

Also, if the 10.5" bezel-less iPad Pro will be roughly the same physical size as the 9.7" iPad Pro, why have both? Seems redundant to me.

Personally, I've been waiting for an iPad mini Pro. So I am happy that they might actually be announced finally. But I have a question. If Apple does release bezel-less iPads across the board, wouldn't the 9.7" bezel-less iPad technically replace the iPad mini? So many questions! Lol.

Guess we'll find out soon enough.

My guess is that the 10.5 screens may be tougher to source in high quantities (as high quantites as Ipads have) and/or the manufacturing process change/quality control. to have all lines convert to them at once. Plus, bezeless screen will be Apple's Beta testers for the next while, and figure out if the panels/glass/design need an update when maybe more models go bezeless in 2018.

Be interesting to see where each if priced and marketed. Will the 10.5 (and, will it have a home button or go buttonless?), if its not called a IPP (rather, and Air 3) be priced at the top over the 9.7 new IPP, even if it doesn't have the top end specs or Smart Connector or pencil support?

A bezeless Mini, with current IPP 9.7 specs, would probably be my perfect device. Screen would be about 8.6" in the current Mini footprint, but I'm guessing that won't happen for a year or two.

 

[Tycho24]

Well actually Ivory Black is a recognised and quite popular pigment for artists.
Made from charred bones, aka Bone Black.

Haha, touché.
Consider me suitably humbled.

 

[jonnyb098]

Have you ever considered that maybe you're in the minority for not wanting Apple to make Macs? It's pretty insane to want Apple to update their iPhones and iPads every year (and sometimes twice a year!) yet be ok with them for neglecting the Mac for 4 years. (That's not a joke. Mac Pro hasn't been updated in 4 years).
So maybe instead of being an ****** and assuming I'm talking about you when I say "we," you should just acknowledge that TONS of people feel abandoned when Apple neglects a product line. That's not a behavior you should permit from Apple, even if these aren't the products you mostly care about. Because before you know it, Apple will start neglecting the products that you love as well.

I never said no one wants Macs. I use one every day at work. My point is the the majority of Apples customers don't care about new Macs. But sure plenty still do. So in fact out of the total customer base YOU are in the minority here.

Try not taking out your aggression because you got screwed with a 4 year old trash can of a Mac Pro. I'm making that assumption since you made the broad generalization that Mac "hasn't been updated in 4 years" and then mentioned the Mac Pro. Surely you know the rest of the Mac lineup has received pretty regular updates. Did you know a new MacBook Pro was released a few months ago?

The reality weather you like it or not is the customer base for the Mac Pro is probably a few thousand. If you were a business would you put tons of effort into something that would make you a million dollars vs something that would make you a billion?

 

[splitpea]

I don't consider a new color and an option for more memory to be a "refresh".

A refresh involves improved internals, such as processor and camera (as others mentioned). That is something I'd like - but I can buy the this rumored SE right now, just not in red and just not with 128MB.

Perhaps "refresh" is the wrong word (if they indeed make no other changes), but at least it's not languishing like the Mac mini.

 

[Galatian]

Getting worse though...

The company's market cap broke $700 billion, but it is still about $70 billion short of where it was the last time Apple's individual share price approached $133 two years ago. And despite the tech giant's high stock price, the actual performance of the company is worse than it was in 2015, with 16 percent lower net income and earnings per share down 9 percent.

Not a good direction..bad

Don't get this the wrong way, but at what point are Americans and their capitalistic dream finally realize there is no such thing like unlimited growth? There is a point when the market is saturated. And I believe the tablet as well as the smartphone market just reached that point. Now you do still sell tons of smartphones because of contracts, but the same isn't true for tablets. You really need to innovate to get people to upgrade. And let's face it, the "Pro" iPads are what I would have considered a normal year to year update wrapped in a much higher price tag. Sure a few people might buy it, perhaps some people even need it with the Pencil support. But every increase in total iPad revenue last year was by higher prices and not because of more sales. At some point even that won't work.

Personally I'm absolutely puzzled they are trying the same trick with the iPad mini. Then again I really welcomed the iPad Air 2 price drop last year. Sure I would love a true tone display, four speakers (which really should have been on iPad 1 Gen) and a faster processor, but I simply don't need the same camera I already got on my iPhone again or Pencil support. Especially not for the huge price hike.

 

[manu chao]

Steve Jobs is rolling over in his coffin. The iPad lineup was already crowded and now they're making it even more overcrowded. Jobs was right when he said do three options and do them all well.

Yeah, because Jobs would never sell two generations of iPhones at the same time. And Jobs would never sell three different screen sizes in the same product category.

 

[Le Big Mac]

I own the 64MB SE, and like it (Nothing to do with being "cheap", just a correct size for my use case.)

As today, it has used only 50% of its memory. I see no need for a 128GB SE at all, like you found out.

So, the good news to me is that the SE (ie. 4-in form-factor, regardless of name) is not one-and-done.

Like you, my dream is for a SE OLED display without chins. I called it earlier my wet dream.

But the good news, apparently, is that the SE form-factor remains anchored in Apple's lineup, and this dream may come to fruition -- just maybe two or three generations from now, when the shine of OLED is no more.

So, I will await patiently until this happens.

Or it could be they're just getting a few more miles out of one and done . . .

Anyway, it sure would be nice for Apple to give an indication of what they're trying to achieve with the SE.

Is it a less expensive "entry level" iPhone?
Is it intended to provide a smaller form factor option to those who prefer that?
Something else?

Because depending on its goal it means different things - a tech upgrade makes more sense if it's the second one; letting it wither with older tech makes more sense if it's the first one, but then they need to drop the price further.

 

[manu chao]

"..new Macbook Pro's sold quite well" it was what 4 years ? Perhaps pent up demand for "any mac" simply look at this thread.

Four years? Apple never waited that long with major updates for Macs. Except of course that it did exactly that for the last 15 years or so.

 

[redscull]

Wow about time !

We've been all waiting to update our iPads said NOBODY!

I have been waiting to upgrade my Air 1 ever since the Air 2 came out and just wasn't sufficiently improved enough to justify it. I am super looking forward to these new options.

 

[manu chao]

Don't get this the wrong way, but at what point are Americans and their capitalistic dream finally realize there is no such thing like unlimited growth? There is a point when the market is saturated.

You are throwing two very different things into one bucket. (1) Market saturation of a product category (essentially what percentage of adults/households own a product in a given category) and (2) economic growth in current capitalistic economies. You can argue that economic growth depends on new product categories but that is overlooking several other important factors for economic growth (increasing the degree of industrialisation, productivity increases within existing categories, think of the assembly line production method) and that mobile computing is only one of many product categories.

 

[BoltmanLives]

Or it could be they're just getting a few more miles out of one and done . . .

Anyway, it sure would be nice for Apple to give an indication of what they're trying to achieve with the SE.

Is it a less expensive "entry level" iPhone?
Is it intended to provide a smaller form factor option to those who prefer that?
Something else?

Because depending on its goal it means different things - a tech upgrade makes more sense if it's the second one; letting it wither with older tech makes more sense if it's the first one, but then they need to drop the price further.

"First, for some people they simply love smaller phones. ... Second, we found that for a lot of these customers [who buy 4-inch iPhones] it’s their first iPhone, whether they’re switching from Android or it’s their first smartphone. ... And in some countries like China it’s the majority of these customers who it’s their very first iPhone." - Greg Joswiak

 

[MrNewVegas]

Awesome! I've been holding out on upgrading my iPad Mini 2. Itll be interesting to see what the specs and price points are for the iPad Mini Pro will be.

 

[69650]

But no iMacs?

I think it's more likely they will update the Mac at WWDC.

 

[Galatian]

You are throwing two very different things into one bucket. (1) Market saturation of a product category (essentially what percentage of adults/households own a product in a given category) and (2) economic growth in current capitalistic economies. You can argue that economic growth depends on new product categories but that is overlooking several other important factors for economic growth (increasing the degree of industrialisation, productivity increases within existing categories, think of the assembly line production method) and that mobile computing is only one of many product categories.

Yes and like I have written Apple is trying to grow through higher prices. Which I totally not see as a safe bet for the future. You can only milk Apple fans this far. Personally I reached that end point with the 1000€ I paid for the iPhone 6S Plus.

 

[JesterJJZ]

Hope the SE keeps the same design and headphone jack. Will buy in a heartbeat!

 

[v0lume4]

So THERE'S where that red rumor came from months ago. Turns out it may be true after all.

 

[Born Again]

I said it.

Whatever you say tim
[doublepost=1487619442][/doublepost]

I have been waiting to upgrade my Air 1 ever since the Air 2 came out and just wasn't sufficiently improved enough to justify it. I am super looking forward to these new options.

my ipad 3 is still working. Why should you upgrade?

 

[BeforeTheMeds]

4 different iPad screen sizes? Completely unnecessary. Why is there a market for a tablet device that is 0.8in bigger? Go one step further and create a tablet out of stretchy material so that it can be resized accordingly.

What's unnecessary to one may not be to another. The size(s) you deem necessary others may deem unnecessary, Hence more sizes are better and reach more people. Example is I like the mini size best, if not for it I would not buy one at all. Many have no use for a mini.

[doublepost=1487619588][/doublepost]

Whatever you say tim
[doublepost=1487619442][/doublepost]

my ipad 3 is still working. Why should you upgrade?

So you are going to give yours to them? If you are referring to their ipad you have no idea if theirs is still working good.

 

[Tycho24]

Jet is a black mineral. The rumors refer to jet white. I think that's why most people are calling it this.

Yes, jet is black... coal is black, obsidian is black. That's why those words all mean "black".
Certainly "most" people are NOT referring to a possible ceramic white iPhone as "jet white", as that is idiotic.
Further, that is only how one SOLE individual referred to it himself in the original rumor (singular... there have not been multiple leaks of a white iPhone, nor multiple sources using this verbiage).
They didn't even say anything remotely like- "and Apple has decided on the term jet white", or even "they're calling it internally jet white"; the leaker merely said that themselves.
Now there are a few possible explanations- perhaps English was this leaker's second language & he thought that, because the jet black iPhone is shiny, jet means shiny. Or perhaps, caught up over posting his 1st ever tip, he simply misspoke in his excitement. We will likely never know for sure (and honestly.... who cares?).
There is one thing we DO know though: jet white is not a color, and never has been. Indeed, if you Google the term, and go page after page, you will find not one single reference to one single object referred to as "jet white", save the dozens and dozens of references to this leaker's verbal or mental slip up in which they (quite accidentally, I'm sure) tried to use "jet" as a descriptor of a shade of white.
Oops!
Why anybody would repeat that, unless quoting him verbatim, for the purpose of giving him credit for leaking the rumor of a glossy ceramic white iPhone, I'm unclear on.

Hypothetical scenario:
If I found out that Apple figured out a way to miraculously manufacture a clear Apple Pencil, and in my excitement to share that info- accidentally referred to it as "Clear Plaid"; I would NOT expect all of you to act as if you've lost your minds & only refer to it in a nonsensical term such as "Clear Plaid" forever- even if I was the original leaker. You could go ahead and refer to it as "the rumored transparent Apple Pencil", or "the rumored clear Apple Pencil", so you wouldn't sound foolish.

Is any of this tracking??

 

[BeforeTheMeds]

And Jobs would never sell three different screen sizes in the same product category.

I would not bet on that. People have changed, hard to still convince the majority that an iphone 4 is the perfect size at this date in time.

 

[RowellE]

If they do the 128gb SE for $499, I'm so buying that. Since the 64gb dropped to $449, I hope the 128 will be at the $499 price point and not do a $549 thing.

 

[manu chao]

Also I counted 5 new iPads!! Thats crazy confusing!

Well, we had five different iPads (before storage and WiFi/LTE differences) ever since the 12.9" iPad Pro came out (heck we even for half a year had three different generations of iPad Minis sold in parallel. What appears to be different is that Apple is updating all three sizes at the same time. Recently, it staggered the updates (iPad mini often skipping a year, 9.7" iPad Pro released half a year after the 12.9" iPad Pro.

1. new iPad mini
2. new 7.9" iPad Pro

Where did you get the idea of both a new iPad mini and an new 7.9" iPad Pro. In my view, these are clearly the same products.

3. new 9.7 " iPad Pro
4. new 10.5" iPad Pro

I highly doubt we get a brand new 9.7" iPad. Maybe a processor update to either the Air 2 or the 9.7" iPad Pro.

 

[BeforeTheMeds]

Try not taking out your aggression because you got screwed with a 4 year old trash can of a Mac Pro. I'm making that assumption since you made the broad generalization that Mac "hasn't been updated in 4 years" and then mentioned the Mac Pro. Surely you know the rest of the Mac lineup has received pretty regular updates.

Not exactly. Mac pro, macbook air and mac mini have not been updated. Stating that everything but the pro has been updated is a gross exaggeration at best.

 

[manu chao]

I would not bet on that. People have changed, hard to convince the majority that an iphone 4 is the perfect size at this date in time.

I was being sarcastic. Apple did sell three differently-sized PowerBooks under Jobs (12", 15", 17"). If you throw in the iBooks, Apple even sold four different laptop sizes in parallel: 12" iBook, 14" iBook, 15" PowerBook, 17" Powerbook.
[doublepost=1487620715][/doublepost]

Otherwise, I don't see upgrading the SE I have for at least another year, and then only to whatever Apple offers new in the 4" size category (and yes an 4.7" OLED with no bezels would do the trick).

There a limits to what is possible. The current 4.7" screen (with the 16:9 aspect ratio) is 58.5 x 104 mm. The SE is 58.6 x 123.8 mm. So, width-wise, you'd really need to go down to zero bezel.