Size of Apple's New 'High End' iPad Pro Model Said to be Between 10 and 10.5-Inches

[potatoman93]

Talk about cluttering up an already cluttered product lineup.

Keep.
It.
Simple.

Have Apple learnt anything from Steve circa 1997?

I'd like to think they are actually trying to simplify the product lineup (I hope at least). Everything at the moment is either a pro, air or mini. 'Air' doesn't make sense when the 'Pro' is just as small and light. Having two 9.7" models doesn't make sense, and the Air and Mini being the same price doesn't make sense (who the hell is going to buy a mini?). I'm hoping the new product line will look something like this:

2016:
12.9" iPad Pro $799
9.7" iPad Pro $599
9.7" iPad Air 2 $399
7.9" iPad Mini 4 $399
7.9" iPad Mini 2 $269

2017:
12.9" iPad Pro $799
10.1" iPad Pro $599
9.7" iPad $399
7.9" iPad Mini $299

Pro Models: A10X chip, Larger screens, Smart connecter and pencil support, specific features in iOS 11 (pop out apps similar to macOS (not just video), visible filesystem

Other Models: Smaller and cheaper, less Powerful, last generation experience

Come 2018 they will update the 12.9" Pro with a smaller bezel to 13.3" (maybe even keep the same screen size and make it smaller), pretty much what they are doing to the smaller version this year, they will cut the mini, and bring in an updated 9.7" to keep around. This way they keep their 'classic' size, and the product line reflects the macs (MacBook, MacBook Pro 2 sizes). It also reflects their change of direction, focusing on enterprise and on creating a legitimate computer replacement in the form of a tablet.

2018:
13.3" iPad Pro $799
10.1" iPad Pro $599
9.7" iPad $399

 

[ericwn]

The iPad is a laughing stock in the Pro mobile market. Because it's a giant iPhone still, worst still - a giant iPod touch.

That's a funny comment. Making it sound as if the device isn't the most successful tablet on the market. And yes, it also runs the same os as some other device, how dare they.

Room for improvement, for sure. Laughing stock? Unlikely.

 

[iSayuSay]

Apple have never released upgradeable laptops, Apple are well known for being a closed system and not wanting users to open up their devices. I wouldn't exactly call their laptops crap, they still have a decent design and a great OS. Are they expensive? Yes but I think you pay the premium at the start, but the devices last a long time and require far less maintenance than any other computers on the market.

Less maintenance? Less fixable parts is more like it. If you want to replace the battery, or display, or even a single key on your keyboard you'd need to buy the whole assembly.

A big waste for the actual parts which needs replacing. And more importantly, a big expense for us customers after it runs out of warranty/AppleCare.

 

[ericwn]

Most of us are moving away from Apple in one way or another.

Most generations are rubbish.
Anyway, keep telling yourself how little you care while posting on an Apple forum.

Edit: typo, should have read:
Most generalisations are rubbish.

 

[ValO]

Like I said earlier, you're right. But, at that point, you literally have a MacBook without a touch screen... So, just buy a MacBook. The only thing you don't have is touch screen. Basically, everyone who wants an Apple Surface Book wants a MacBook with a touch screen. The problem is, I don't see the value added to this, and I agree with Apple when they say it is a poor option. Although, I don't really see the value in the 'Touch Bar' either.

A much more robust option would be to make iOS more feature rich and more seamlessly integrate iOS APPs with Desktop APPs. I think that's a much better option that trying to merge iOS with macOS into one or just give a MacBook a touch screen.

Yes, you could buy a macbook, but you would not have a 12.9 inch ipad . For about $600 more than the macbook you could have both.

But it probably won' t happen . The next logical step is to develop/introduce padOS or ios pro for the high end ipad pro' s with more functions and flexiblity but touchscreen optimized. After that a lot of current macOS apps will be compiled/converted to the padOS/ios pro by developers. After that, when there are more high end , complex apps that can match their macos counterparts, PadOs/IOS pro and MacOS will be virtually be the same under the hood and will converge. The only difference will be that PadOS will have a gui that is optimized for touch and MacOs a gui that is optimized for keyboard, trackpad/mouse. This paves the way for mac(book)s with arm architecture instead of x-86, and an universal modular OS and cross compatible apps for each kind of device.

It is really smart from apple actually. It pushes app development .
It makes it possible to have very complex apps that were only possible on a high end macbook pro today to run on a future iphone without adjustments , when iphone hw keeps progressing.
If this works, you' ll never have to worry that your new iphone ,with lots of power , is without apps that make use of that extra power.

 

[techwhiz]

iPad Pro Mini. I was pencil functionality in the Mini size.
If Apple wants to get my money..... No plans on buying a larger iPad.
The Mini is the size I want.
My wife wants the larger Pro.

 

[laudern]

Most generations are rubbish.

Take that back. My generation isn't rubbish. We are too lazy to be considered rubbish.

 

[Scarpad]

Noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has released a new research report underlining his expectations for the future of Apple's iPad line-up, with slightly revised predictions for a new "high-end" middle-size tablet to be released later this year.

According to Kuo, Apple is planning to introduce three iPads in 2017: a 12.9-inch iPad Pro 2 and a "low-cost" 9.7-inch iPad, along with a new bezel-free, mid-size model in the range of between 10 and 10.5 inches.

Last August, Kuo's expectation for Apple's mid-size model was a more definite 10.5 inches. His latest revised prediction of 10-10.5 inches suggests Apple is still testing multiple tablets and has yet to settle on a final size. Interestingly, Japanese site Mac Otakara released two separate reports last year stating that the tablet will be 10.1 inches and 10.9 inches, so while the former size falls into the lower end of Kuo's revised range, the exact dimensions remain unclear.

Market-wise, Kuo believes "the worst has passed" for Apple's iPad as he predicts a narrower year-on-year shipment decline in 2017. The analyst puts this down to an improved product mix, decreasing exposure to the iPad mini, and an improved cost structure due to an increasing number of suppliers of touch-module lamination and display panels, with Samsung being "the biggest winner" in joining previous monopoly-holder Silicon Works to supply the latter.

Mac Otakara and Barclays Research have both predicted an early 2017 launch for the new iPads, perhaps in March or April. However, if a radical bezel-free redesign is planned, it is unlikely that Apple will upstage the 2017 iPhone 8 that's expected in September with an edge-to-edge iPad launching earlier in the year.

Article Link: Size of Apple's New 'High End' iPad Pro Model Said to be Between 10 and 10.5-Inches

I

I think apple needs to rethink this policy of putting older parts into models that are still fairly expensive all models should get new processors maybe I want a 9.7 but have to settle for an older processor

 

[Thunderhawks]

They intentionally made things that are less than what they could do so that they could "upgrade" it a year later. For each product they made the past two years, they crippled on purpose some features that they could have included so that we customers have to keep upgrading each year.

If one is a long time Apple user, one knows that "salami" tactic and has learned to wait and then leap over several generations.

Like iPhone : Don't buy 1st Gen, then wait for 3G, then 4S, now 6S plus (for me)
By 8S I will be back , IF I like it.
[doublepost=1483933491][/doublepost]

Apple nearly went bust during that four decades. Many others actually went bust.
[doublepost=1483926412][/doublepost]

Why do a lot of people want to see the mini killed?

The mini is great for kids. My daughter had been using my original iPad and I gave her the choice of iPad or iPad Mini last year and she wanted the mini.

For what kids do, you can get less expensive alternatives (Especially when kids break it), plus it looks to me as if Apple is no longer updating/supporting it as a worthwhile item to sell.

Whatever they do not sell in large enough quantity, they give up, regardless of demand:
Server, Display, Router etc. etc.

Apple is in the process of trying to cover the set up of say about 80/90% of user needs.
Due to that their "Pro" products are not really "pro" and the days for the iPad mini are numbered,
whether we like that or not.

 

[dilbert99]

No, you want a free of wire, cards and other pheriphals experience on your sofa. Apple is the only one taking the steps to encourage developers to do that by making it a necessity. One kind of very fast port for all and wifi/bluetooth is the way to go.
On te go, a complete wireless experience is the way to go. In 2 years dell and the others will follow. Why? Because there will be high end dlsr' s with wifi/4g connection, plenty of monitors with usb-c , etc. It will make life easier, because apple took the plunge, while others waited instead of taking steps themselves.

My laptop had usb-c before the MBP did.

I know what i want and I want ports. Maybe you don't and that is fine too. Its a great thing that manufacturers can be inclusive. (well most of them, Apple seems to be on a different path from what I need today.

I'll gladly take wireless when it becomes available tomorrow on my DSLR and the like.

 

[ericwn]

Take that back. My generation isn't rubbish. We are too lazy to be considered rubbish.

Sorry, typo! Supposed to be "generalisations". Generations, good one though!

Sorry again for the confusion!

 

[Internet Enzyme]

What serious improvement would OLED bring? I'd rather have a better use-case for this device..

I would like an OLED display because of battery life. I watch a lot of 16:9 youtube videos, which have some pretty heavy letter boxing on the 4:3 iPad. And OLED panel wouldn't bother turning on those black letterboxed pixels, saving me tons of battery life since I use youtube so much

 

[Abazigal]

Yep. But Apple are still set in their ways of 0 innovation so they can't pull their fingers out of their figurative a**es long enough to realise iOS needs serious work before it can be considered even close to a 'Pro' set up. It's missing basic 'Pro' features. iPad needed a special version of iOS from the start, one with more features to take advantage of bigger screens and added features for productivity. Why has nobody at Apple thought of that? Or do they just not care?

The iPad is a laughing stock in the Pro mobile market. Because it's a giant iPhone still, worst still - a giant iPod touch.

Guess what? I love that my iPad is essentially a giant iPod touch and I am able to do many wonderful things on it precisely because it runs a mobile OS. I love that my iPad is the perfect package of battery life, portability and ease of use, and that it doesn't have a desktop OS bogging it down.

I would love for more functionality to come to it, but please keep macOS far far away from my iPad Pro.

 

[dilbert99]

plus it looks to me as if Apple is no longer updating/supporting it as a worthwhile item to sell.

I guess one could apply that to the whole iPad line, they don't sell as many iPads as iPhones.
They also seem to be having a tough time breaking into the education market which one might have thought was rich pickings.

In our family we have 4 ipads and 5 laptops.
two use laptop more than ipad. (some things are just easier on a laptop, e.g. browsing, others mileage may vary)
one uses both
one uses iPad mini - too young for a laptop.

 

[DailySlow]

iPad mini is the superior size for a tablet. I won't be buying any larger iPads because they're a pain to hold while lying in bed, and they're not as portable.

So, iPad mini Pro, or no more iPads for me.

My 3 year old mini works fine - but idea of a medium size Pro will get me to buy up, I think.

 

[jpn]

from poster stella: "Seriously, whats with everything being labelled as "Pro"? The only item Pro about most Apple hardware these days is the Price Tag Does having pencil support and a connector that gives extended functionality really make an iPad a "Pro" device??"

apple is trying to escape its history.

steve jobs declared that only a finger itself was the appropriate input tool.
and that anytime you needed to use anything other than a finger then it was a failure.

it turns out that he was wrong. big time.

apple people must all drink from the same cool aid in order to survive.
by calling an apple input device a "pro" item it somehow sets up a acceptable exception to the general rule that a finger is still (almost always) the only input tool needed.

ah, exception. therefore the general rule still is applicable.

result : no ripples in the apple cool aid continuum.

the "pro" word means nothing to apple.
its clear that indeed apple does NOT support pro anything anymore.
its all mainstreaming it.
trying to get you to believe that you can do your work on an iPad, pro or otherwise.

i think that you can make a good case for apple requiring years more time than other companies to allow innovations that it didnt invent or create to filter into its products and software.

it is arrogance. and the net result is it taking years longer to successfully imitate other's successful employment of tech that becomes mainstream before apple gets around to putting it in their devices.

phil: "can't innovate": yeah, thats right.

 

[tentales]

Except for the one year old iPad pros that come with the added bonus of a higher price, the iPads, like the macs, are woefully out of date. You would have to be an absolute idiot to buy an iPad mini for example.

Hey Brissie, the only idiots are those wasting time telling everyone else what they should or shouldn't buy.

iPad minis, especially the cellular ones, make great VOIP super sized iPhones, are unlocked, have a superior pixel density compared to the larger iPads and are plenty fast. Go tell us, which up-to-date tablet do you prefer?

As for Macs, yes some (Mac mini & Pro) are out of date, but the rest are still in line with current tech.
Some people have issues with the new MBPs dropping ports, but technically they're on par with any high-end PC laptop.

 

[Silver Idaten]

So dumb. The new MacBook is a disappointment, these new iPads appear to be a disappointment, so now I'm prepared to be disappointed with the new iPhone. Slowly I'm migrating away from Apple. This year I plan to go back to PC, my iPad won't really be replaced because it's not really being used, and the only reason I'm sticking with the iPhone 6S is because it has a vastly superior CPU compared to flagship Android phones.

If Google gets their act together in the next year or two, who knows, I may switch to Pixel. If Apple wants to keep me as a customer, they need to start charging more realistic prices for the disappointing products they put out.

 

[Investor27]

A new iPad with an old A9....Tim's got to keep those margins up!

Except in this case Tim has no choice since all of those A9 chips lying around due to the 20% decrease in volume of iPad sales last year, so we will be getting old tech yet again with an Apple product at a premium price point.

 

[Bacillus]

Greg: Wauw Tim, I just readied the Greatest Thing in tablet land: ipad-OS !!!
Tim: Ah great. But sadly, we cannot use that now, Greg. Too much fragmentation. We must keep the lineup simple.
Hey Joni ! That new size is what iPad really deserves ! Wow man - just bring it out tomorrow. Oooah, I am soo excited ! Steve's Power to be my Best !! Today, iPad got soooo much better...
Greg: By half an inch !? OMG, you're such a visionary Tim, of phallic proportions (...)

 

[macduke]

Yeah, you might have been happiest in East Germany.
You could choose 1 of 2 cars (Trabant or Wartburg)
People were so satisfied, nobody suffered from paradox of choice.
No fragmentation whatsoever.
It certainly contributed to the country's downfall though.

This is by far the worst analogy you could have made. People can choose from various other tablet and phone manufacturers. Apple isn't the only choice. They are the premium choice. There are hundreds of phones on the market around the world. But this specific issue is how Apple declined in the 90s before being brought back to life by investments from Microsoft and leadership from Steve Jobs himself.

Sure, there were other contributing factors. But a big one was fragmenting everything and confusing consumers. If you can't recognize that then please move along. There has been plenty written about it by people smarter than I. This is not some new idea, but was taught in my various marketing classes 5-7 years ago, and likely dates much earlier than that. Also, since you mentioned it, doing this won't contribute to the downfall of America. Republicans allowing large companies to move jobs overseas, all in the name of "fair markets" and "competition" has done far more to damage this country. So before you want to go all capitalism and free choice to the max, chew on that.

My biggest pet peeve are people who think we have to go to extremes on both sides, and therefore use straw man arguements like this to equate me thinking Apple should keep the iPad to three sizes as living in East Germany with one two choices in the entire country. I mean honestly, the gall of some people!

My motto is always everything in moderation. Most political parties have some good ideas that we can all use. Not everything is so black and white. And in this case we don't need to cut back to one or two iPads. We also don't need four or five friggin iPad sizes! The sales problems have nothing to do with people wanting more choice and everything to do with the fact that innovation is lacking and for the most part phones today are so good at doing what they do that people don't need to upgrade. They're plenty fast and run all apps well. There needs to be some killer new capability. And in the case of the iPad, it's not a suitable computer for a professional user because the software holds it back so much, the hardware just isn't quite where it needs to be yet, and developers don't want to invest as much in making killer pro apps for it because the App Store pricing model is so low-end and sales of the iPad are slumping.

 

[_manoloruiz_]

You are basically demanding that everybody make compromises, rather than having a choice between models, one of which might come closest to the desired specs?
No single device can ever satisfy everybody, different people have different needs - as is made obvious looking over any of these threads.
Why do you prefer having to accept one product - rather than multiple products to chose from?
Do you have difficulty choosing from a handful of models?
It's not like there are hundreds of iPad models and one would have to spend weeks researching them all.
Where is the problem with choice?

I'm not demanding anything...

My "complaint" is not with the options provided but the the feeling I have that Apple now doesn't strive for perfection anymore. They offer average products and call them magical and the best blah, blah ever made and then change premium prices when the competition sometimes offer better and cheaper products.

I don't mind paying extra for something I consider worth the price and so much entrenched into Apple's ecosystem that I'll keep buying their stuff, but lately, the things that Apple made are hardly worth the price they're asking for. But that's just my opinion so your mileage might vary.

 

[tentales]

My first MacBook Pro was 2011, I also have a 2012 MacBook Pro. Someone did mention it before so I stand corrected, I always thought that Apple didn't want users to open up the devices.

Their iDevices yes, their "Pro" devices no, until recently.
Check ifixit or everymac.com how upgradeable Mac Pros, Minis, MBPs and even Airs were prior to 2012/13.

Part of the reason longtime fans are increasingly annoyed is the lack of post-purchase upgrades and having to buy maxed out versions at a higher premium.

For a bit of nostalgia, check out the 2006 video where Steve & Phil introduce the first Mac Pro.
Modular, easily upgradeable and actual PRO features at the time and lower priced than similar Pro machines from competitors. Those were the days.

 

[Johnny907]

Watch this turn into zero love for the Mini, which would suck because that's the size I've been using the most and love now. It's perfect for travel and the gym.

 

[mrcobra92]

What serious improvement would OLED bring? I'd rather have a better use-case for this device..

Way better for movie watching.