New low-cost 9.7-inch iPad to support Apple Pencil
KGI Securities analyst Ming Chi Kuo, one of the most accurate and reliable voices on all things Apple, reported on Friday that the company’s low-cost 9.7-inch iPad will gain Apple Pencil support to help the device compete against Android tablets.
Within the report, Kuo claims that strong demand for the low-price 9.7-inch iPad introduced last March by Apple helped take iPad shipments to 43.8mn units in 2017, well above the 35mn units forecast by the market at the beginning of the year.
It’s likely Apple will debut their second-generation low-cost 9.7-inch iPad with Apple Pencil support at their upcoming ‘Let’s take a field trip’ event scheduled to kick-off on Tuesday.
In a bid to strengthen its selling points and to differentiate it more from low-price Android tablets, the new low-price 9.7-inch iPad (starting mass production in 2Q18) will likely support Apple Pencil.
In a move to make the Apple Pencil more accessible the company could potentially cut the price of the accessory that starts at $99/£99, however, as of yet no reports have confirmed this. In June 2017 Apple made a refurbished version of the Apple Pencil available to customers in the United States for the reduced price of $85.00.