Would you like your iPad in small, medium and large? Soon you’ll have the choice, if the latest predictions from noted KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo prove correct.
According to MacRumors, Kuo said in a recent research note he is expecting Apple to introduce a mid-size 10.5-inch iPad Pro alongside an update 12.9-inch iPad Pro 2 and a budget 9.7-inch iPad in 2017.
Kuo said the 10.5-inch device might be taken up by the commercial and education markets. The 12.9-inch and 9.7-inch devices are expected to see internal upgrades to the A10X processor and A9X processor, respectively.
Bigger changes – which Kuo dubbed “revolutionary” – will likely not follow until the fall of 2018, he said. Those tweaks, Kuo said, are expected to include a possibly flexible AMOLED panel that allows for “radical form factor design and user behavior changes.”
In his note, Kuo cut his 2016 shipment forecast for the iPad from 45-50 million to 35-40 million. Shipments in fall 2017 are expected to continue to drop 10 percent to 20 percent year over year due to an overall dip in the tablet space, Kuo said.
The timing of the note coincides with the publication of a lengthy interview with Apple CEO Tim Cook from The Washington Post.
In that piece, Cook said he sees an “enormous opportunity” for the iPad and iPad Pro in the enterprise space.
According to Cook, about half of the users who purchased an iPad in the second quarter were using it at work. So, Cook said, Apple is already working with the likes of Cisco, IBm and SAP to better integrate the iPad into the enterprise space to capitalize on that market.
