New 9.7" iPad Pro to Start at $599, 32GB and 128GB Models Available

[gugy]

Really like the iPad Pro but the prices are really not helping out switching to it.
My iPad 4 works flawlessly and while I like the larger screen of the Pro, the price is just too close to a MacBook.
So I guess I will keep holding back. I am sure a lot of people will too. So no wonder iPad sales are slow. Apple on top of this increase the price it doesn't make sense.

 

[JamesDo]

What's next? The New iPad Pro, iPad Pro 3, iPad Pro Mini, iPad Super Pro, iPad Amateur? What are they smoking in Cupertino.

 

[OllyW]

True, didn't factor that in

It's all going to get a bit expensive this year. With VAT it would come to about £507 in a straight conversion, so I imagine it'd be a fair bit higher than that, possibly around £530?

I'm sure Apple will pad it out to an nice neat £549 including the extra bit they always seem add on which isn't Apple tax.

 

[bushido]

There is no price increase. The iPad Pro has shrunk in size and become significantly cheaper.

or instead of simply updating the Air 2 to an Air 3 they call it a Pro with half the storage for the same price.

what exactly makes it a Pro device? thats like saying the new iPad (iPad 3) was an iPad Pro cuz it had a retina display. now it just works with a keyboard and a pen. its just an evolution of a existing product not really "Pro".

the whole "Pro" name crap is just an excuse to charge more for something that should / would have gotten upgrated specs anyway

 

[Chupa Chupa]

The epicenter of Pro money grabbing.

They gotta find buyers before they can grab. I'm usually a "take my money please" guy when it comes to the latest and greatest 10" iPad but I'm a bit turned off. $1000 after tax for a 10" iPad is insane even by my impulsive buy standards. I can't see this turning out well once the early adopters have bitten.

 

[TheShadowKnows!]

Welcome to Tim Cook Apple. None of what made Apple great (i.e. Steve Jobs vision and ideas). Lots of eking every dime of profit out available. It might be slow, but the decline will be inexorable. HP/Dell/MS/Sony here we come.

^^^This.

Today's Apple under Tim Cook reminds me of a dromedary. From the National Geographic:

Camels, also known as dromedaries, have only one hump, but they employ it to great effect. The hump stores up to 80 pounds (36 kilograms) of fat, which a camel can break down into water and energy when sustenance is not available.​

Why?

A single hump: an exponential rise under the leadership and vision of Steve Jobs, followed by inexorable decay which many world-class companies experienced, once their innovation faded away:

Kodak, Xerox, Polaroid, TI, HP, Motorola, Sun Microsystems, Digital, Leica, Hasselblad, and many others, just a shadow of themselves, or gone forever, because of disruptive technologies that made them irrelevant.

You surely can make your own list.

In my opinion, the encryption dilemma, although important, is a distraction [although many of you will disagree]. Like a magician, Tim Cook is playing a sleight of hand to change focus away from a product pipeline bereft of significant innovation, and heavy on repackaging concepts.

 

[tubeexperience]

There is nothing "pro" about the iPad Pro. You can't run any "pro" apps like you can with Mac OS X or Windows 10. It's a lame product. There is also nothing "pro" about this 9.7" tablet. Apple would have released this as a regular iPad regardless. A $100 price increase to a product whose sales have fallen off a cliff seems like the wrong approach. It violates basic laws of supply and demand. Apple should be LOWERING prices, not raising them.

The real "pro" device is the Surface Pro 3 and it's now $599 and include the pen.

And also, $599 is now the regular price.

so basically u get an updated Air 2 with 32GB instead of 64 GB. sounds about right for Apple ...

what exactly makes it a pro device? with that logic every apple device ever updated would be a Pro over its previous model. makes no sense to me

greedy bastards

It's basically the iPad Air 3, but Apple put "Pro" in the name to increase the price.

I don't understand how you people can be upset that they increased the price. This thing is a beast: Laptop class processor, 4GB of RAM, incredible graphics, Apple Pencil support, smart connector, 12mp camera with 4k (that is the rumor I'm most unsure about), and four speakers. At $599, that's a deal and I'll take that any day.

What I wonder is whether or not the 128GB model will be $699 or $749. But considering my iPad Air 2 128GB cost $699, I wouldn't mind spending $50 more for a powerhouse machine. Although I bet they discontinue the 128GB iPad Air 2 model.

32GB is kinda low for a "Pro" level machine, but it is what it is. At least it's not 16GB, and the people who need it can always jump up to 128GB for not a whole lot more. With twice the capacity, 50% faster processors, twice the RAM, and all the other perks—I'm honestly surprised it won't cost more than $599. A $699 or $749 price-point makes me much more likely to trade-in my iPad Air 2 on Gazelle and lock in a price. Time to go check prices, lol. My experience with them was great on my iPhone 6 Plus. Decent price and great service.

Another thing that helps: the Best Buy 10% off movers coupon. Just go to the post office if you're in the U.S. and ask for the movers packet. You don't even have to lie and say you're moving. Just ask for it. I used that to get $70 off my iPad Air 2 on launch day and I'll do the same this time if I pull the trigger.

Maybe you should check out the Surface Pro 3. At $599 with the Pen included, it will blow your mind if you think that the iPad "Pro" is a deal.

 

[Max(IT)]

At $599 price you can get the Surface Pro 3 and run Photoshop. And of cause, the Pen is included.

but it doesn't really run a touch oriented os, on the contrary it runs Windows so for what it counts they could even sold the Surface Pro 3 at $100 I wouldn't buy it anyway...

 

[Marx55]

Bring a true Mac tablet.

 

[JamesDo]

but it doesn't really run a touch oriented os, on the contrary it runs Windows so for what it counts they could even sold the Surface Pro 3 at $100 I wouldn't buy it anyway...

Windows 10 works fine with touchscreens (tablet/desktop mode), take of your Apple glasses.

 

[Mac 128]

The real "pro" device is the Surface Pro 3 and it's now $599 and include the pen.

And also, $599 is now the regular price.

It's basically the iPad Air 3, but Apple put "Pro" in the name to increase the price.

Maybe you should check out the Surface Pro 3. At $599 with the Pen included, it will blow your mind if you think that the iPad "Pro" is a deal.

I don't believe that. At a minimum they will continue to offer the iPad Air 2, just as they have offered "last-year's" model year after year when they release the new iPad models. In fact, I wound't be surprised to see the Air 2 get a processor upgrade (making it an "Air 3"), and continue offering it as the entry level budget model iPad, along with the mini 2. I doubt they are going to bump down the new "iPad Air Pro" when they release the "iPad Air Pro 2". At least not at first.

 

[Mascots]

or instead of simply updating the Air 2 to an Air 3 they call it a Pro with half the storage for the same price.

what exactly makes it a Pro device? thats like saying the new iPad (iPad 3) was an iPad Pro cuz it had a retina display. now it just works with a keyboard and a pen. its just an evilution of a existing product not really "Pro"

This.
The Air 2 hasn't be updated in over a year and the majority of the updates trickling back down to the 9.7" model are evolutionary steps in the iPad linage. Apple is choosing to separate them out into their own lines, while offering options that basically force customers to spend more to get what I highly doubt Apple won't offer within the next two generations.

The Pro could have features that truly differentiate it from the iPad line as we know it, but it does not (like I said, I believe Pencil and SC are evolutionary steps as Retina has once was). Instead it is a larger iPad that managed to get features that were in the iPad pipeline exclusively to justify it's position as Pro and price points. I find mutating / fragmenting the Air line to justify that decision incredibly reckless.

 

[StoneJack]

At $599 price you can get the Surface Pro 3 and run Photoshop. And of cause, the Pen is included.

but the dreaded windows makes it unusable

 

[Max(IT)]

or instead of simply updating the Air 2 to an Air 3 they call it a Pro with half the storage for the same price.

what exactly makes it a Pro device? thats like saying the new iPad (iPad 3) was an iPad Pro cuz it had a retina display. now it just works with a keyboard and a pen. its just an evolution of a existing product not really "Pro".

the whole "Pro" name crap is just an excuse to charge more for something that should / would have gotten upgrated specs anyway

Are you being obtuse on purpose ???

Im not happy about the price, for sure, but IF (a big IF) the rumors are true, we are speaking about a A9X with 4 Gb of RAM, Apple Pencil support and (finally !) a 32 Gb starting storage: this is A HUGE upgrade.

 

[OllyW]

That's not the point ... Im not going to buy a Samsung tablet for sure, but still not happy about another price raise by Apple.

Especially how much the prices have gone up outside the USA over the last year or so. I wonder how long it will be before it starts impacting negatively on sales?

 

[Max(IT)]

Windows 10 works fine with touchscreens (tablet/desktop mode), take of your Apple glasses.

No it's not. It's quite pathetic and there are basically NO "professional" apps for the touch interface.
And I don't wear any glasses....
[doublepost=1458320882][/doublepost]

Especially how much the prices have gone up outside the USA over the last year or so. I wonder how long it will be before it starts impacting negatively on sales?

In my opinion it already did.
Sales outside USA are not so good as in USA...

 

[PizzaBoxStyle]

They have to increase the price somewhere. Even if dollars each, no doubt the extra storage and more RAM with the A9x and 2 extra speakers costs more. How much more you can debate, but it costs more than the Air 2 for sure.

More than likely, the direct cost of parts is minimal to Apple. Few dollars here and there.

What Apple is pricing its products at is artificial. It's probably more based on a mix of how much value the purchaser perceives that they receive, marketing strategy (how well it fits in with their lineup), and margins.

I like others, also miss the old days when their product lineups were much better organized and trimmed back. (iPhone 4S, iPhone 4), (iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS)...

I'll never buy another iPad again for personal use. Had the original iPad mini, sold it and not looking back. IMO: just an overhyped product with untapped/unthought-out potential in terms of UI idioms, and Apple doesn't seem to care.

 

[applesith]

This is Apple's way of

1. Increasing average selling price of iPad
2. Have another device compatible with costly accessories like the pencil and keyboard
3. Cater to people who want the pen/keyboard but don't want a giant iPad
4. Avoid making updated to the Air itself because there really isn't anything left to do other than bring Pro features

The whole "let us loop you in" seems to be offering variations of products to appeal to anyone on the fence or want something slightly different: different size iPhone & iPad Pro and more watch bands.

 

[stulaw11]

So the 66+ million Mac users should just go buy a Surface Pro 3? That argument make no sense. If they wanted Windows Im pretty sure their PCs would be

 

[mantan]

Not sure what your point was since the post clearly stated: "At least they're starting with 32GB, so I guess the screen and extra speakers must account for the $100 bump."

On topic: Hopefully for Apple, this will give the iPad a much needed boost. Won't be from me, but I'm sure some will find this exciting. The two iPads at my house are glorified paper weights. No one uses them. Tablets are a category that have come and gone in my use case.

I'm the opposite. I hope it doesn't 'give the iPad a much needed boost'. If sales take off then it reaffirms their strategy of offering very little in terms of an upgrade and charging a premium for it. That'll just trickle it's way into other products.

As a consumer I care about my wallet a lot more than Apple's bottom line. I hope this price leads to even more sluggish sales so they will get off their duff and try innovating something besides the price tag.

 

[vertsix]

It's totally not like the tablet business is doing bad already.

Let's jack up the price $100!

 

[robbyx]

Welcome to Tim Cook Apple. None of what made Apple great (i.e. Steve Jobs vision and ideas). Lots of eking every dime of profit out available. It might be slow, but the decline will be inexorable. HP/Dell/MS/Sony here we come.

To be fair, Apple was already in that place once before. Jobs returned in the 11th hour, we got the iPhone and the game changed. And now we're back in a lull, the only difference being that today's Apple is much bigger and has much deeper pockets to ride it out. Technology ebbs and flows. Could Apple go the way of the companies you mention? Sure. Like I said, they've already been there (anyone remember those atrocious Quadra infomercials?).

I think people have unrealistic expectations of Apple based largely on the iPhone. Those of us who watched and supported the company for multiple decades know that it has always had its ups and downs. I don't think Apple is in decline today, more like plateaued. But I see this across the industry in general. Nothing is really exciting these days. The real question is, when that next leap comes (whatever it is), will Apple be the leader? I'm worried that, given Apple's leadership today (and I don't mean just Cook), they won't be.

 

[Max(IT)]

The real "pro" device is the Surface Pro 3 and it's now $599 and include the pen.

And also, $599 is now the regular price.

Maybe you should check out the Surface Pro 3. At $599 with the Pen included, it will blow your mind if you think that the iPad "Pro" is a deal.

Again.
I think WindowsCentral could be a better place to go to keep advising to buy a Surface Pro...
Does it run iOS ? Last time I checked, NOT.

 

[ronincse]

Windows 10 works fine with touchscreens (tablet/desktop mode), take of your Apple glasses.

To each their own but I just sold off my Surface 3 because I HATED using Windows 10 as a tablet OS and I'm usually a pretty big Microsoft fanboy. I had an iPad 4 which I traded in for a Nexus 9 which was later traded in for the Surface 3 and I miss that iPad so much. Compared to Android and Win 10 iOs is just soooooo much better as a tablet OS IMO.

With this price I don't know if I will end up going with the iPad Pro but I'm almost certainly getting another iPad within the week.

 

[bushido]

Are you being obtuse on purpose ???

Im not happy about the price, for sure, but IF (a big IF) the rumors are true, we are speaking about a A9X with 4 Gb of RAM, Apple Pencil support and (finally !) a 32 Gb starting storage: this is A HUGE upgrade.

uhm you will be paying what you used to pay for 64 GB. A9X should be obvious just like every other iPad had the A.X ... Pen is sold seperatly and the RAM isnt really a selling point. Apple doesnt even mention it. so yeah to me thats just an naturally evolved iPad Air 3 sold with 32GB instead of 64GB and a new name