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
Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.
6 responses to “Three new iPads Pro are coming early next year”
No iPad Air and Mini, Just all the iPad Pros without Pros name.
Only 7″, 10″, 12″ iPads with pros specs. Perfect.
But I’m quite enjoying seeing how Apple name their product line.
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Oh good, a 10.1″ iPad Pro. That’s just what we need, ANOTHER display size.
Love the mini size, glad it’s not being killed. I use mine more often then my phone or macbook.
The new post-Steve Apple LOVES adding new SKUs and confusion. I wish they had someone in charge of editing the line down again because it’s quickly becoming a real mess.
So what is the big bump in the next iPad Pro, true tone, big deal and if that is their direction then they should just go iPad Pro period and not have a standard and pro line with multiple storages and multiple colors pretty soon stores and carriers will have to carry 20 iPad models (wait carriers make you order online) plus another 20 iPhone models.