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They were so busy with all the other great products of the last months.




Apple's new line of iPad models might not launch "until the second half of 2017," according to sources in the upstream supply chain speaking with DigiTimes. The new 9.7-inch iPad is predicted to enter mass production sometime in Q1 2017, while the 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch iPad models will begin production in Q2 of this year. All of the new iPads are described as still being in the "planning" phase.

Although it was expected for Apple to announce and launch the new iPads during the Spring, the new report claims that "these tablets may not be announced or even released" until sometime in the second half of 2017. In December, "lower-than-expected" yield rates for the 10-nanometer manufacturing process was rumored to be a potential factor in a delayed launch for the new iPads.

ipadprosmartcover.jpg
In DigiTimes' report, the sources mentioned a 10.5-inch iPad, which is a size that was recently well-explained by Studio Neat designer Dan Provost as a logical choice for the middle-tier iPad. While multiple rumors placed the new iPad -- believed to be an iPad Pro -- somewhere in the 10-inch range, everything from a 10.1-inch to a 10.9-inch model has been reported.

According to the supply chain sources, the 10.5-inch iPad Pro is a contender to replace the price tier of the existing 9.7-inch iPad Pro, while the new 9.7-inch version will be introduced at an even lower cost to become an entry-level device, "mainly targeting the education sector."

As previously reported, DigiTimes' sources today reiterated that the higher-end 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models will include an A10X processor. No mention was made of the 9.7-inch model and its processor, but analyst Ming-Chi Kuo last year predicted that the "low-cost" iPad would likely adopt a lower-end A9X processor.

The 10.5-inch iPad Pro is being positioned as a flagship model of the iPad line, believed to feature an edge-to-edge display without a home button, but retain a small portion of the top bezel in order to provide space for the front-facing FaceTime camera.

Article Link: New iPads Might Not Launch Until Sometime in the Second Half of 2017
The
 
ipads are fantastic media consumption devices- nothing more. I'll hold onto my ipad air until it's as dead as Apple keynotes. Anything remotely productive is done on my PC.
 
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Is that a question.

To release or not to release, that is the question!

Normally they would try to catch the holiday season window, however hopefully they learned from the hasty 2016 MBP that it's not worth it.

People have become very critical about small salami slice updates. So, based on what we know how much more can they do with a new iPad? Usually memory and speed. Another category that has matured and I think the surface is challenging them a lot.
 
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What can't your iPad do that you want it to do? Not being obstinate, this is a genuine question. As a working "pro" in digital media, I use my iPad 3 just fine still at work years later and my iPad mini 2 at home all the time with no complaints.

However, I am fit to be tied over Apple's negligence on their computers. I don't even need to elaborate, because as you are a member here you have obviously seen the lists of gripes about Apple's current desktops/laptops.


Apple is sending some really mixed messages about Macs and iPads and which one people really need right now. The iPad is still just a toy until they lighten up on what they allow one to do.

They should make a Mac that has the lower half of my rmb for the brains and make it interchangeable with an array of iPads for the screen. So you choose your screen and chassis separately. When one breaks or is out of date you swap it out separately.

So you get a device with interchangeable pieces that has all the benefits of IOS and OS X. Not sure how to differentiate it from the MS offerings. I guess am suggesting a headless laptop with the option to buy whatever screen and it can be docked or connected via wifi or bluetooth or whatever you need.

So I guess if they can shrink the iPad as much as they can it would become closer to this. Instead of the current smart keyboard use the lower half of a rmb 12 and let them pair easily. Either half can be replaced as needed.
[doublepost=1484842426][/doublepost]So when the iPad is paired to the rmb it would run OS X and when you detach the "iPad" or screen it would run IOS. One of the things people say about touchscreens is they aren't very good tablets on their own. This idea could fix that. You have heavy computing power when they are paired and the best tablet on the market when they are separated.
 
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So what about the mini? Isnt that over due for an update?

No. the life of the mini has been greatly over exaggerated. It has no place as far as I can see in a modern line up. It used to be a great media server solution and still is but those days are over as other options are introduced.

The mini is a computer most people simply don't need these days.
 
Glad I bought my 12.9 instead of waiting.

Honest question though-

If Apple continues these long update cycles won't their "Supercomputer" tablets always be slower than the iPhone that they are sold alongside? Seems like it would have been more of a computer refresh line if they had stuck the A10 in in November for a minor increase in performance (without a massive keynote of course) and they just release these new iPads with the really more powerful processors almost a full year after anyway?
 
I don't mind waiting. My pro, which I bought on launch day, has been stellar. I would need new features to upgrade.
Wish list:
- iphone 7 like button
- water resistance
- even better speakers (the four are awesome)
- Faster is always better
 
I have an iPad Air and it is working fine for me. I want to upgrade but no compelling reason to stop using what I currently have. Hopefully the new iPads will give me a reason to upgrade.
This.

I don't think there is any compelling reason ever to upgrade an iPad. I don't even use it any more.
 
9.7 will be iPad, 10.5 will be iPad Pro.

Its early and I can't be bothered to figure out percentages, but it honestly does not seem like a great enough increase for them to get onstage and brag about, then also include a new much cheaper option that's so close in screen real estate. I might be totally off, but I feel like the "Cheap" 9.7 option will just be the current 9.7 Pro with a price slash and the 10.5 will be the new 'ipad' base from now on. I could see them renaming it the air 3 (Maybe also remove the smart connector) while the 10.5 becomes 'pro' to include the air/cheap Pro/more expensive thing they have going now. I feel like that would also confuse the people who look at every word the factories print and every piece of scrap that gets snuck out enough to make them feel like an entirely new 9.7 would be introduced.
 
Backlight and a bloody home button already. Is that too much to ask?

I'd buy it with a trackpad. Besides that it would need a serious price slash in its current form. Or even better, they could introduce the "Smart Keyboard Pro":D
 
No worries here. I'm not interested in a new iPad that's thinner and in Jet Black.
 
In fact I love Mac mini. That's a perfect little box with so much power that you can just keep it even in your bed room. Apple killed it by not making it uogradeable!
 
No worries here. I'm not interested in a new iPad that's thinner and in Jet Black.
Thinner no, but the current 12.9 needs to go on a serious diet. In a desktop I understand the rage, but as a mobile device I do look forward to seeing my laptop and iPads get thinner and lighter.
 
A guess would be that the edge to edge without home button, would launch after it's being introduced in their iPhone 8, so the iPhone will take the glory, since it's their bestseller.

Used an Android phone with no physical home button - that's a big engineering mistake. Physical buttons for home, silence, and volume are must haves for usability.
 
This sounds right to me. Always thought there were too many developer facing changes in the rumours for a release prior to WWDC
 
It's okay, as long as they are more expensive I can wait for the fifth quarter 2017. Keep selling the Air 2 as your budget model and I'll be happy for having it bought in its first year.
 
A guess would be that the edge to edge without home button, would launch after it's being introduced in their iPhone 8, so the iPhone will take the glory, since it's their bestseller.

If they launch it first in the iPad product line, it would be old business when it comes to iPhone.

I agree. And also whatever software changes required for both the homeless iPhone and iPad may still need tweaking.

Anyhow, I'm ready for a new iPad with drawing as a main feature for me. So better pro software is also a priority as well as the most powerful processor and memory.
 
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