Rumors surfacing from Apple’s Asian supply chain, DigiTimes hints that a 10.5-inch iPad Pro production will begin next month. The device is expected to release in early 2017.
This 10.5-inch model will be the first Apple device to sport an enhanced A10X CPU, which is nothing but a beefed up version of the A10 chipset that is used in the current generation of iPhone, iPhone 7.
But why is Apple taking such a move? It seems that the 12.9-inch iPad Pro is too big in terms of both size and price to be used in education and enterprise sector and on the other hand, the 9.7-inch variant is too small to be used in the enterprise sector. A 10.5-inch iPad is just the right size for use in any sector. Further, the rumors are pointing out that there will also be an inferior and cheaper variant of this 9.7-inch iPad Pro which will be specially designed to give competition to a wide array of Android devices.
Though DigiTimes is not always right with its rumor leaks, industry analysts are also predicting similar ideas.
So there will be four sizes. And maybe even more than four models. Sadly, older iPads out sell current iPad Pros three to one.
This is exactly one of the very first things Steve Jobs eliminated when he can back.
Apple is going right back into old habits.
Out of date HW, extremely overpriced HW, complicated product lines, etc. yup. They make money, but with market shares nosediving and new markets like India and China failing miserably, how long before you need to actually compete on price and product?