The tablet sales are declining year-on-year but that has not stopped Apple to keep working on its new iPads. If the reports are to be believed, then the Cupertino-based company is planning to launch three new iPads in the second quarter of 2017.
Along with the usual screen sizes of iPads, Apple is now said to be working on a device with a 10-inch to 10.5-inch screen. As per the report from 9to5Mac, three new iPads will be released in the second quarter of 2017.
Mac Otakara and Barclays Research have predicted an early 2017 launch for the new iPads in March or April. Apart from the 12.9-inch iPad Pro 2 and 9.7-inch iPad, we will also see one in the 10-10.5-inch form factor which is expected to come in a bezel-free design.
With regard to the same, Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities said,
We note the 12.9-inch model will be the second generation of the existing 12.9-inch iPad Pro, the 10-10.5-inch model will be the high-end model equipped with a narrow bezel design, and the 9.7-inch model will be the low-priced option.
According to the report, the 12.9-inch and 10-10.5-inch models will house Apple’s A10X chipset made by TSMC, while the 9.7-inch iPad will have an Apple A9 chip made by Samsung LSI.
The report further suggests that the decline in the shipments of iPad will continue, but will not be as steep as last year. It says:
Although we estimate iPad shipments in 2017 will drop again YoY to 35-37mn units, we except the decline to narrow to 10 percent from 2016’s roughly 20 percent, given that the 10-10.5-inch model may see more demand from commercial/enterprises and tender markets, while the low-priced 9.7-inch model may have a greater shipment contribution and likely account for 50-60 percent of total shipments of new iPads.
Interestingly, the report does not mention iPad Mini, even in the company’s future product plans. Since September 2015, Apple has focused on introducing “Pro” models with Apple Pencil support and magnetic Smart Connector, at a more premium price.
