Apple is set to debut a trifecta of new iPad Pro models in Q1 2017, according to a new report, citing “well-placed sources” of the Japanese Apple blog Mac Okatara.
If the report is to be believed, Apple will release a new 12.9-inch iPad Pro, a slightly larger version of its 9.7-inch iPad with 10.1-inch display, and a 7.9-inch iPad Pro upgrade of Apple’s iPad mini lineup.
Mac Okatara suggests that the 12.9-inch and 7.9-inch iPad Pros will get the same 12MP iSight camera and True Tone technology that the 9.7-inch iPad Pro currently has. All three models will also supposedly receive quad microphones and, in something of a pleasant surprise, 3.5mm headphone jacks.
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There’s no specific launch date announced just yet, but the new iPad Pro trilogy will reportedly ship some time in spring 2017.
If Apple’s yearly product cycle wasn’t enough of a hint that a new iPad was on the way, Apple’s iPad Pro tablets both received discounts of up to $100 after Apple’s iPhone 7 media event last month. This announcement coincided with a storage upgrade for other iPad models.
Personally, the only thing I find surprising about the news is that it suggests that the iPad mini may have a future as a product line, albeit under the iPad Pro banner. While there’s no doubt that the iPad mini 4 is a formidable piece of kit in its own right, it also seemed possible that Apple would phase it out due to a lack of differentiation with the plus-sized 5.5-inch iPhones. It now appears that may not be the case.
As an unabashed iPad fan (the 12.9-inch iPad Pro with Apple Pencil may be my favorite Apple product right now!), I’m looking forward to seeing what Apple has in store for the product line next.
What would prompt you to buy a new iPad, and which size would you go for? Leave your comments below.
Via: Mac Okatara
