Apple is said to be planning a “quiet launch” for their new 9.7-inch iPad Pro 2, with the device being announced as soon as next week
Shortly after supply chain sources claimed Apple is ready to launch new products anytime next week, a new report from Japanese blog Mac Otakara backs up the claims, adding to the suspicion that Apple will host a “quiet launch” for their new 9.7-inch iPad Pro 2, with the company publishing a press release and adding the new device onto their online store without a formal Keynote or media event. – With Apple’s usual 10 day window for media invites passed, a quiet launch looks all the more likely to the disappointment of those hoping to tune into Apple’s first product announcement of the year.
Given the reports that the new 9.7-inch iPad Pro will be an internal upgrade only, picking a faster Apple A10X chip and quad microphones, a quiet press release would seem more plausible, similar to how the company made their fourth-generation iPad to $399 in March 2014. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has said he expects Apple to give the iPad Pro a price reduction, making the 9.7-inch model the most affordable out of Apple’s range of tablets.
While the attention is on the updated iPad Pro 2, Apple is also said to be readying an all new 10.5-inch iPad Pro with slimmer bezels and an updated 12.9-inch iPad Pro in the near future. On Monday The Apple Post reported that analytics firm Fiksu found four new iPad models out in the wild running early builds of iOS 10.3 and iOS 11 in the Cupertino area. The report detailed model identifiers: iPad 7,1; iPad 7,2; iPad 7,3 and iPad 7,4, spotting traces of 40 devices which are believed to be pre-releases and ex-testing hardware given to engineers and top level executives.
It was originally thought that Apple would unveil their new range of iPad hardware all together at a media event at Apple Park in April however as Timothy Phillips reports, new campus drone footage shows that Apple Park most likely won’t host new product launches for now as work continues on the site.