If you’re thinking about getting a new iPad, 2017 may be the year to do it. According to a new report from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple will be launching three new iPads in the spring — there will allegedly be a 9.7-inch model, a new design with a narrow bezel that comes in somewhere between 10 and 10.5 inches, and an update to the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. With an anticipated launch date somewhere in the second quarter of this year, Kuo expects customers to be able to get their new tablets between April and June.
Surprisingly, Kuo did not mention any updates to the iPad mini, the smaller version of the popular device that actually hasn’t seen any changes since September 2015. Rather, in the last year and a half, Apple has been more interested in its Pro models, which are not only larger, but more expensive as well.
The closest thing to the iPad mini would be the budget-priced 9.7-inch model, which is said to feature a variant of the A9 chip in the iPhone 6s. This chip is expected to be manufactured by Samsung. Given the lower price of this tablet, Kuo anticipates that the 9.7-inch model will be the most popular of the new lineup, with sales accounting for 50 to 60 percent of iPad totals.
As for the 12.9-inch and 10-plus-inch iPad Pro models, both will apparently feature a more advanced version of the iPhone 7’s A10 chip, which will be called the “A10X.” This chip will be manufactured by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.
Overall, Kuo predicts that while iPad shipments will not be particularly high, they won’t drop off as much as they did last year. “The worst has passed” for the Apple tablet, he concluded.
So get excited, tablet lovers. The iPad just may give you something to talk about this year.
