Apple iPad Pro 2 series to release soon, say reports: Here’s all we know so far

By tech2 News Staff /  20 Mar 2017 , 12:05

Apple generally has an event at the start of spring – somewhere in March to April time frame. MacRumors suggests that an Apple event is on its way, which is going to happen sometime this week. This makes sense too, as last year the iPad Pro 9.7-inch was introduced on 21 March. According to the publication, the rumoured launch comes from reputable supply chain analysts and a possibility of an early April event is also on the cards.

According to a report in Inquisitr, the Apple iPad Pro 2 is set to launch soon, in not one, but four different variants. Online speculations hint at display sizes such as 9.7-inch, 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch for the iPad Pro 2. International media hasn’t received any invite to any Apple event yet, so an exact date is not known. So this may mean that the event is scheduled in April, as there is at least a 10-day gap between the invite-sent date and an Apple event. Inquisitr even hints that the iPad Pro 2 launch could happen via just a press release and not an actual event.

9To5Mac hints that the 9.7-inch iPad Pro 2 model will come with an improved skin with True Tone technology. This technology basically gives the iPad the smarts to automatically adjust its colour temperature based on the surroundings. This variant of the 9.7-inch iPad Pro is expected to sport the same Apple A9X chipset as the iPad Air 2.

The Apple iPad Pro 2 with the 10.5-inch display will be something new, as it is a display size that Apple hasn’t sold before. According to 9To5Mac, the 10.5-inch model will have extremely thin bezels, which means that it will have the same footprint as that of the 9.7-inch model, but with a much larger display real estate. It is also expected to come with a virtual Home button. It will also come with an LCD panel and not an OLED panel as was previously rumoured. The 10.5-inch iPad Pro is expected to be housing an Apple A10X chipset, which is an improved variant of the A10 chipset seen in the iPhone 7.

The regular upgrade to the iPad Pro in the 9.7-inch and 12.9-inch display sizes are expected to sport the same Apple A10X chipset as the 10.5-inch variant. As usual both these models will support the Apple Pencil Stylus as well. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro 2 is most likely going to get the 12MP rear camera as well as True Tone technology which is present in the current 9.7-inch iPad Pro model.

All these are speculations, so we will have to wait till Apple announces actual event dates.

The drastic fall in tablet shipments is a sign of the changing times, and that includes the Apple iPad

By Nimish Sawant /  01 Nov 2016 , 11:46

Tablets shipment numbers haven’t been able to maintain the same momentum as smartphone sales. In it’s latest quarterly tablet tracker, International Data Corporation (IDC) states that the worldwide tablet market has seen a slump with a 14.7 percent year-on-year decline in terms of shipments. In Q3 2015, the tablet sales stood at 50.5 million units, which came down to 43 million units in Q3 2016. But when compared to Q2 2016, the Q3 2016 shipments were up by 9.8 percent, thanks to upcoming holiday season.

One of the major reasons being stated is the rise in low-cost detachables being sold under $200 (approx Rs 13,500). But according to IDC’s senior research analyst Jitesh Ubrani, low cost detachables also lead to a low cost experience, which is detrimental.

“The race to the bottom is something we have already experienced with slates and it may prove detrimental to the market in the long run as detachables could easily be seen as disposable devices rather than potential PC replacements,” said Ubrani.

The state of tablets

Among the tablet makers, only Amazon and Huawei showed a growth from last year. Apple with 9.3 million units sold is still a market leader in the tablet category with a 21.5 percent market share. Samsung follows with 6.5 million units sold and 15.1 percent market share. Amazon at number 3 recorded the largest year-on-year growth of 319 percent thanks to the Amazon Prime Daily Sale, which saw the