Apple iPad Pro 2, and 10.5 inch new iPad model already in production, sources confirm
Rumors have been floating around since late last year on Apple’s next phase in the evolution of the iPad, and what will come of the Air legacy, in terms of laptops and tablets.
From what we can gather, both iPad Air and MacBook Air don’t seem to have a place anymore in Apple’s future plans, considering how the MacBook Air was used on stage, as a prop, to compare to the brand new 13 inch MacBook Pro, as a comparably superior product in every way, from weight to thinness, to performance.
The iPad Air, on the other hand, may not have been outed as the next in line for the chopping block, but the mere fact that Apple is carefully avoiding talking about the iPad Air, with an almost obsessive focus on the Pro line, is very telling of what we can expect in the near future.
Last year, word had it of a new iPad model in an unusual 10.5 inch size. Whether or not Apple feels there is a gap to be bridged between the 9.7 inch iPad Pro, and the 12.9 inch, change is in the air, and it’s clear that Apple is focused on cleaning up the slate by trimming out products that, in 2016, appear much too scattered and fragmented, especially when trends seem to converge on minimalism, performance and simplicity, not only on Apple’s side, but also among competing device manufacturers, including Microsoft.
A back-to-basics mentality seems to be the prevalent sentiment, as Apple reclaims the macOS, the “just” MacBook, and possibly, a “just” iPad, without Pro’s, air’s or any other confusing suffix.
Consistency is important to consumers, which is why the Internet is filled with comparison charts, benchmarks, and lengthy articles explaining the intricate differences between a MacBook Air, a MacBook Pro, and a 12 inch MacBook Retina.
Apple is, at least on the surface, having well enough of all that, and rumors have been reflecting that stance.
Finally, sources close to Chinese-based manufacturing plants have provided somewhat of an insight into Apple’s plans for the iPad Pro, and the iPad product line.
Chinese factories often produce prototypes on which Apple has no control, and this may very well be the case with a number of molds in different sizes, possibly reflecting what we have been hearing since last year.
Based on recent information from multiple sources, it appears that Apple is indeed no longer interested in manufacturing the iPad Air, which will likely be replaced by a new product line simply called “iPad”, signaling a return to a duality of products: “iPad Pro” for power users and organizations, “iPad” for the rest of us.
What’’s unclear is whether the new 10.5 inch size iPad will be a consumer model, or a Pro device, but one thing is certain: both product lines are set to obliterate older lines with comparably superiore specs and performance.
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