New 9.7" iPad Pro to Start at $599, 32GB and 128GB Models Available
Apple's new 9.7-inch iPad Pro, widely expected to be announced at the company's "Let Us Loop You In" media event on Monday, will start at $599 and have 32GB and 128GB storage options, according to 9to5Mac.
The base $599 price will apply to the 32GB model with Wi-Fi only, while 128GB and LTE versions will be sold at higher price points. The older iPad Air 2 will reportedly remain in Apple's tablet lineup, likely for $499.
Previous 9.7-inch iPads have had a $499 starting price, meaning the smaller iPad Pro could be Apple's most expensive tablet ever in its size class. However, 32GB base storage would be higher than 16GB for the base iPad Air 2.
The much-rumored 9.7-inch iPad Pro is expected to have many new features compared to the iPad Air lineup, possibly including a Smart Connector, faster A9X chip with up to 4GB of RAM, four speakers, and 12-megapixel rear camera.
MacRumors will be providing live blog and Twitter coverage (@MacRumorsLive) of Apple's media event, which commences on Monday at 10:00 a.m. Pacific. A new 4-inch iPhone SE and Apple Watch updates are also expected.
Popular Stories
AirTags may be a convenient way for tracking dogs that might get off leash or otherwise lost, but there are dangers associated with the practice, as outlined by a report from The Wall Street Journal.
At 1.26 inches in diameter, AirTags are able to fit easily on a dog's collar, but that size also makes the tracking devices small enough to swallow, at least for a medium to large-sized dog, and ...
In June 2022, Apple previewed the next generation of CarPlay, promising deeper integration with vehicle functions like A/C and FM radio, support for multiple displays across the dashboard, personalization options, and more.
Apple says the first vehicles with support for the next-generation CarPlay experience will be announced in late 2023, with committed automakers including Acura, Audi,...
Apple has previously announced several upcoming iOS features that are expected to be added to the iPhone this year. Some of the features could be introduced with iOS 16.4, which should enter beta testing soon, while others will arrive later in the year.
Below, we have recapped five new iOS features that are expected to launch in 2023, such as an Apple Pay Later financing option for purchases ...
Apple will launch a foldable iPad with a carbon fiber kickstand sometime next year, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. In a series of tweets, Kuo said he expects an "all-new design foldable iPad" to be the next big product launch in the iPad lineup, with no other major iPad releases in the next nine to 12 months. The analyst said he...
Apple's next device with an Apple silicon chip may not be a Mac or an iPad, but rather an advanced external display, according to recent reports.
The display, which is rumored to arrive this year, is expected to sit somewhere between the $1,599 Studio Display and the $4,999 Pro Display XDR – but more exact information about the device's positioning and price point is as yet unknown. While ...
When the original HomePod launched in 2018, it was discovered that the speaker can leave white rings on some wooden surfaces. Now, well-known YouTuber Marques Brownlee has confirmed that the issue persists to a lesser extent with the new HomePod.
In a side-by-side test, he showed that the white second-generation HomePod left a white ring on the wooden surface that he placed the speaker on,...
Apple violated United States labor laws when it sent out an email warning employees about leaking confidential information about the company, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) said today in a ruling shared by Bloomberg.
Rules that Apple has established around leaks "tend to interfere with, restrain or coerce employees" from the exercise of their rights under the National Labor...
Top Rated Comments
No doubt Apple will be increasing its average profit per unit with this move.
Let's look at the main changes:
* The A9X is nice, but that's what a non-Pro iPad would have had either way if they had kept their previous pattern. (e.g. if Apple had gone with a $499 iPad Air 3, it still would have had an A9X). In fact, their flagship 9.7" iPad's chip is kind of weaker than before (relative to time), considering the Air 1 and Air 2 were released with a brand new architecture, whereas this iPad Pro will use a 6-month old architecture that will probably be surpassed by the iPhone 7's A10 in another 6 months.
* Having 4 speakers is nice, but that doesn't justify a price increase. Small speakers like those are dirt cheap.
* An increase to 32GB for the base model is nice, but again, doesn't justify a price increase. 16GB has been the norm ever since the first iPad was released in 2010. 32GB of NAND storage in 2016 probably isn't more expensive than 16GB in 2010. iPhones have seen their base capacity increase over the years (4 to 8 to 16) without a price increase. Same for iPods and Macs.
All those don't justify the Pro branding and the $100 extra. It's stuff you should expect from an Air 2 -> Air 3 update (which is an expectional 2-year cycle, so it's normal to have slightly higher expectations too).
So really, what justifies the Pro branding and associated $100 increase? 2 other main changes:
* Smart Connector
* Apple Pencil support
The thing is, to actually use those capabilities, you need to buy high-margin accessories sold separately. So Apple was going to increase their average profit per iPad sold either way, regardless of a price increase for the iPad itself.
The iPad also had various reductions in component costs over time (e.g. newer iPads having smaller batteries and enclosures than older ones) that never resulted in any price decrease.
Apple is getting really agressive about increasing its profits. Between this, the price of the 12.6" iPad Pro and its accessories, and the price of the new Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad, I'm getting worried a little.
1. run out of ideas (Just take a look at iOS and OSX)
2. go after new product category prematurely (Watch)
3. resizing and renaming existing ones
4. having done all above, have the audacity to increase price.