A new rumor purportedly originating at "sources
from related upstream suppliers" claims Apple is preparing the cheapest
ever 9.7-inch iPad for next year. As you may know, the company released the
iPad 9.7 (2017) back in March, and that model is priced from US$ 329. At launch,
it was the cheapest iPad of its size yet.
But in 2018 its successor is allegedly going to
start at just US$ 259. If that pans out, the rumored device will undoubtedly start
a resurgence of the tablet sector in the mobile world, which hasn't been doing
all that well in the past few years. The slate is said to launch in the second
quarter, thus sometime between April and June.
The upcoming iPad should allow Apple to maintain its
present quarterly tablet shipments of around 10 million units. Key competitors
in this space, such as Samsung, Amazon, Huawei, and Lenovo are expected to come
up with their own affordable options to compete with the new iPad. Keep in mind
that everything you've just read is only a rumor at this point, and an
unconfirmed one at that. If this iPad is real, expect to hear much more about
it in the coming months.
