Recent reports from East Asia say that Apple has started pushing up manufacturing of a 10.5-inch iPad Pro to make an early April launch. The report cites sources within Apple’s supply chain and claims that the new iPad Pro could be announced during the inauguration of Apple Park, expected to open next month.
During the same event, Apple could also announce a new 128GB iPhone SE, Apple Watch bands and possibly a Red iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.
The information should be taken with some skepticism, considering that Apple has yet to send invites for such an event and that some previous reports stated that the new device could be announced as soon as March 20. The report mentions that volume production could be delayed until May or June.
Apple employees are expected to start moving into the Apple Park headquarters in April, but construction of some units, like the Steve Jobs Theater hasn’t completed yet and should finalize later this year.
More iPad models could be announced soon
It’s quite unsure if Apple will actually announce the new iPad this month, but the company has already started testing a series of tablet devices in San Francisco, as a marketing firm recently discovered four new iPad identifiers in device tracking logs.
Once thing is for sure, the new 10.5-inch flagship iPad Pro could be announced in the coming weeks, most likely in early April. The device is expected to be slightly larger than a 9.7-inch iPad Pro, with a bigger display resulted from thinner bezels.
Apple is also expected to announce a refreshed 12.9-inch model aimed at the mid-tier to high-end tablet market in 2017. There have been reports that Apple could introduce a lower-end 9.7-inch iPad Pro and a 7.9-inch model, but that remains to be seen.
All in all, this year’s iPad Pro lineup appears to offer options to meet the needs of all consumers, but it remains to be seen when they will be introduced.
