We waited for the announcement by Apple of three new iPad this spring, but the new line of iPad models of the Cupertino company may not arrive before the second half of 2017, according to sources in the supply chain as reported by DigiTimes. The new iPad 9.7 inches is expected to enter mass production in the first quarter of 2017, while the new models of the iPad Pro from the 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch are expected to enter into mass production in the second quarter of this year. The trio of new iPad is today, being still in design phase.
last August there emerged rumors that a iPad from Apple 10.5-inch will come in the course of 2017, and the existence of this device was at the beginning of this year, Mr. Ming-Chi Kuo, analyst of KGI Securities, who in his latest note to investors claims that Apple is preparing to release ‘some’ iPad this year, by estimating the period of launch April.
apart from the launch period is still in doubt, it is said that Apple is working on three new iPad Pro – a updated model, the 12.9-inch model by 10.5 inches with a slim frame, and a model of 9.7-inch at a low price. The first two (the updated model, the 12.9-inch model by 10.5 inches) should be fed by the chipset A10x, a more powerful version of the processor A10 that powers the iPhone 7. The model of 9.7-inch instead it will be powered by a modified version of the chip A9 that powers the iPhone 6S, according to the analyst. Kuo believes that the model of 9.7-inch will represent up to 60% of the total shipments of the iPad this year.
Remember that Apple is preparing three new models of iPad to be launched this year, sooner or later, according to most analyst.All three iPad models expected in 2017 will have a design similar to the one that has the line of Apple tablet today, with the most important changes expected in the model output in 2018.
In 2017, along with an upgrade of the iPad Pro by 12.9 inches (presumably called iPad Pro 2), the company is expected to introduce a new variant of iPad Pro by 10.5 inches – a first for Apple with regard to this format. These two models it is expected to be joined by a variant of 9.7 inches more economic (compared to the prices of the other two variants, not the economy in general).
contrary To what is suggested by Kuo, the second alcue forecasts of both models by 12.9-inch and 10.5-inch will be powered by the chipset the Apple A10x built on the process of 10nm from TSMC, while only the new model 9.7-inch will be characterized by the chip is less powerful A9X, the same found inside the iPad Pro 9.7 is currently for sale.
with Respect to the design of new models by 12.9 and 9.7 inches, which should not change much from the previous generations, the first tablet with the new format 10.5 inches is expected with a design without a frame (bordless). This should lead to the elimination of the physical button Home.
The new iPad Pro 12.9-inch should have a display of True Tone, a technology that already can be found in iPad Pro 9.7-inch is now available.
In 2018 it is expected that Apple will introduce on the market new iPad with a new design, very different from that of its current and upcoming lineup, and analysts expect that the company will begin to use AMOLED displays flexible.
What then to expect from Apple in the next two years about the tablet market? In 2017 a small upgrade to the lineup, and the introduction of a new format, with a renewal of the most important only in 2018. This is after the sales of the iPad in recent years are in steady decline around the world.
Despite the upgrade of the hardware, and the introduction of a model by 10.5 inches, the analysts expect that in 2017 the sales of iPad will continue to decline, and so, at least until the product line, the iPad will be renewed in 2018.
By 2016, the analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has revised its previous forecast of 45-50 million units of iPad sold by Apple dropping to 35-40 million units – this view of the “lack of new iPad models in the second half of 2016, and increased competition from Chromebooks in the market.”
All of the tablet expected from Apple in 2017, they should keep the headphone jack traditional 3.5 mm, then on tablets, Apple has not yet expected the change implemented by Apple in the new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, where the audio jack of 3.5 mm has been removed.
DigiTimes says that shipments of the iPad by 10.5 inches, it has been estimated will reach 2 million units in the first quarter of 2017, and 5 to 6 million units for the full year.