iPad Pro 2018 Rumors: New and Affordable 9.7-inch Model Coming?
Apple may have just consolidated its iPad products to just a few high-end models, but that doesn't mean that the company has given up on the mid-range tablet market. Next year's line-up could include a cheaper and smaller variant to reach out to more segments of the gadget market in 2018.
The company reportedly wants a slice of the lower-end tablet segment by releasing a new and more affordable iPad in 2018, according to DigiTimes, via Mac World. This new tablet would only be 9.7-inch diagonally and could start at around $259 for the smaller iPad model.
It remains to be seen if Apple is also introducing a smaller, cheaper version of the iPad Pro for 2018 as well. Next year's iPad Pro could still be, by all indications, an early adopter of the new features Apple has first developed for the iPhone X.
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These could include Face ID security and a faster A11X chip, something that the 2018 iPad Pro models could inherit from the iPhone X and its A11 chipset.
So far, the iPad Pro line has remained somewhat constant over the years, only refreshed during the time Apple added a 12.9-inch model or introduced ProMotion and the Apple Pencil.
The mainstream iPad line, in the meantime, has been more responsive to buyer trends. Apple has already introduced a more affordable iPad for $329 this year, and according to this new report, the company can still go lower.
This new, smaller iPad could be cheaper by as much as $70, or even more, compared to the already relatively affordable new iPads. This could be Apple's latest attempt to reverse a downward trend in their iPad sales, which has been in slow decline since 2014.
The new and cheaper 9.7-inch iPad or iPad Pro models, if any would end up being made, could launch by the "second quarter of 2018," according to the sources. No specs or features lists is available as of this time.
