Apple Pitching Budget-Friendly iPad Pro 2 While New 10.5-Inch Form Factor Goes Huge In Resolution And Display
ByApple is reportedly pitching the 9.7-inch iPad Pro 2 at "value level" while the new 10.5-inch and the 12.9-inch are intended for the higher-end of the market. The Cupertino-based giant is adding a new size to its range of tablets but its new form factor actually equals the 9.7-inch in physical dimensions. The only difference is a marked increase in display aspect ratio, screen area, and resolution. Meanwhile, as the unveiling of the iPad Pro lineup draws near, Apple once again released a new ad that does away with public printers and focuses on user privacy.
The iPad Pro 2 is reportedly unveiling next month and Apple will be bringing three variants, namely the 9.7-inch, the new 10.5-inch and the 12.9-inch models. The smartphone leader will be pitching the 9.7-inch as the budget-friendly variant as revealed by Rhoda Alexander, director of tablets and PCs at IHS Markit. The smallest of the three variants will be priced somewhere around $299.
The newest 10.5-inch iPad Pro 2 model is a new addition and may still be in the final stages of completion. However, rumors suggest that it may fetch a price of $599. This will be the first time that Apple will have a device in the said size range, but as reports say, it actually has the same physical size as the 9.7-inch. The display aspect ratio is only bigger at 1.50 from 1.33 because the screen took the space used by the bezels. In short, the almost bezel-less model now has a screen area that notably increased by 31 percent, Trusted Reviews has learned.
Moreover, the 10.5-inch iPad Pro 2 variant does not only have a big screen area but the newest form factor also scores big in screen resolution. It now has the massive 2224x1668 pixels-per-inch as compared to the 9.7's 2048x1536 ppi. However, Apple has not confirmed any of these rumored specs and has been characteristically silent about its iPad Pro lineup. The Cupertino giant has not even announced or released a special event invite for the new products though the launch is just a month away.
The only tell-tale evidence that the iPad Pro 2 is coming is in a series of ads, the latest of which was released last Tuesday. The new iPad Pro ad now focuses on user privacy by resolving the dilemma of printing in public, which may cause undue embarrassment. The iPad Pro with the help of the Apple Pencil can now sign a document and then send it without the need to print. The new ad is part of a series of 15-seconds short ads as Apple is deviating from the usual TV placement ads.
Apple is now looking to digital and social media for its iPad Pro 2 campaigns as well as applying a regional focus rather than the expensive global campaigns. This move can already be seen in Apple's "Meu Bloco na Rua" commercial for Brazil, AppleInsider reported. The tech giant is now cutting its marketing budget, which leaves its main ad partner TBWA/Media Arts Lab laying off people even including personnel from its headquarters in L.A.