Apple will reportedly give its mainstream sixth-generation iPad, which costs just $329, a bit bigger screen going from 9.7 inches to ten inches. And to cover as wide a price range as possible, the Cupertino firm will release a cheaper iPad mini model, sources claim.
Those tidbits were mentioned as part of Bloomberg’s extensive write-up detailing triple-lens iPhones coming in 2019 and productivity changes coming to iOS devices with the iOS 13 update, like a system-wide Dark Mode, new iPad features, tabs in apps and more.
From the Bloomberg article, bylined by writers Mark Gurman and Debby Wu:
Beyond iPhones, Apple plans to release an updated version of its lower-cost iPad with a roughly ten-inch screen and a faster processor as early as this spring.
It’s easy to think that enlarging the display without making the device bigger will be realized by adopting a full screen design along with Face ID like on iPad Pro, but I don’t think that’s possible given the tablet’s low price, at least not without eating into Apple’s margins.
What Apple will likely do is shrink the side bezels, which is exactly what they did with the 9.7-inch iPad Pro to give it a 10.5-inch screen without changing the device’s physical dimensions.
That device is expected to retain the Lightning port, according to one of the people.
So USB-C will remain exclusive to the iPad Pro series, got it.
The company is also readying a new, cheaper iPad mini, its smallest tablet that hasn’t been updated since 2015, according to people familiar with the plans.
iPad mini could benefit from a lower price, for sure.
iPad mini 4 launched with the 16/32/64/128GB storage options, but Apple in March 2017 killed all models but the 128GB variant, which costs $399. Its price point doesn’t really make any sense though because it’s making the smaller-screened device pricier than the $329 9.7-incher.
The new iPads could release “as early as this spring,” the article added.
We’ve been hearing rumblings about a fifth-generation iPad for months now, and we know it’s coming sooner than later because some claimed parts leaked out.
Taiwanese trade publication DigiTimes claimed earlier in the month that the next iPad mini and a ten-inch replacement for the $329 9.7-inch iPad could launch in the first half of 2019.
What do you make of Bloomberg’s report?