iPad Is Apple phasing out the 9.7 budget iPad?

[rui no onna]

Why?
It is all about profit margin, not about real costs. Could go for $100-149 cheaper than the 11 inch iPad Pro, since the 12.9 inch is $200 more than the 11 inch.

As you said, it's about profit margins. A new 9.7" Pro is going to cost almost as much to build as 11" and I doubt Apple's willing to lower their markup/margins.

Before the iPad Air 3's release, the already 1+ year old 2017 iPad Pro 10.5 was occupying the $650 price point. The $500 Air 3 is even a feature-gimped version of that.

 

[Devyn89]

The 9.7” iPad is the best selling iPad (says so right on Apple’s website) they aren’t going to discontinue it anytime soon.

 

[Wokis]

There is no “plan” for this and Apple can easily drop the rumoured release of SE 2. Even if they do release SE 2 just like they revive iPod, then this SE 2 won’t be a budget device by any means based on your assumption, especially OLED is included. I think using A12/A13 is also unlikely, since Apple has just bumped iPod with A10 processor. When SE was released back in 2016, Apple included A9 processor instead of A10 processor, and reused lots of old parts to build this SE phone. Therefore, I highly doubt OLED will be included in this rumoured SE as well as receiving a new form factor.

When SE was released, mid cycle, the A9 was the latest and greatest CPU they had.

Don’t know about OLED and the like, but I would assume a potential SE successor would get at least the same CPU/RAM combo as the mini 5 and air 3.

 

[JPack]

Most consumers want a bigger display. This applies to iPad and iPhone.

Just look at iPhone XR vs. iPhone XS. The less expensive device has a bigger display.

 

[Digitalguy]

Most consumers want a bigger display. This applies to iPad and iPhone.

Just look at iPhone XR vs. iPhone XS. The less expensive device has a bigger display.

Not for ipads. The market is segmented. For some only the mini makes sense, for some the midsized does. Following your reasoning most people would prefer the 12.9 if it was the same price as the 11, which is probably not true. One thing is true however, most people prefer the cheapest one, especially when the cheapest is already pretty good. By the way those “most people” are probably not (or only rarely) in these forums, where enthusiasts tend to be much more active.

 

[Richard8655]

Most consumers want a bigger display. This applies to iPad and iPhone.

Just look at iPhone XR vs. iPhone XS. The less expensive device has a bigger display.

Do they really? The new iPad Mini is having a popular resurgence. I for one don't want anything larger than my 9.7 5th and 6th gen iPads, as well as my iPhone SE. But then I might not represent the majority.

I think the 9.7 will stick around for a while.

 

[Digitalguy]

Do they really? The new iPad Mini is having a popular resurgence. I for one don't want anything larger than my 9.7 5th and 6th gen iPads, as well as my iPhone SE. But then I might not represent the majority.

I think the 9.7 will stick around for a while.

Agree, personally I have the 3 sizes (mini, mid, and 12.9), but I love 9.7 pro and don’t feel the need to upgrade. It’s the lightest and most compact pro ever made. And its logitech smart connector keyboard (which for me is a must) is also significantly lighter than the equivalent for the 10.5 and 11 (the latest doesn’t even have the smart connector). The apple keyboards for me do not protect the ipad enough.

 

[JPack]

Do they really? The new iPad Mini is having a popular resurgence. I for one don't want anything larger than my 9.7 5th and 6th gen iPads, as well as my iPhone SE. But then I might not represent the majority.

I think the 9.7 will stick around for a while.

If the mini were so popular, it would be updated annually. Look at the $329 iPad, we saw a 2017 and 2018 model. For 2019, it gets updated to 10.2".

 

[Shirasaki]

If the mini were so popular, it would be updated annually. Look at the $329 iPad, we saw a 2017 and 2018 model. For 2019, it gets updated to 10.2".

Changing form factor means huge upfront modelling cost and Apple may need to change screen size to accomodate new form factor. With that budget in mind, I don’t see this coming. Unless, they use iPad Pro 10.5” form factor and go from there. iPhone SE reusing iPhone 5 form factor is a good indication of how this might work.

 

[JPack]

Changing form factor means huge upfront modelling cost and Apple may need to change screen size to accomodate new form factor. With that budget in mind, I don’t see this coming. Unless, they use iPad Pro 10.5” form factor and go from there. iPhone SE reusing iPhone 5 form factor is a good indication of how this might work.

I envision the 10.2” model to be a simply a thinner bezel 9.7” using the same chassis. So I suspect the cost to Apple won’t be too big. Given the 10.2” prediction was from Kuo and we already saw the model numbers in the EEC database, I’m confident the model is coming.

 

[Ixon2001]

The reason they didn't update the 2018 iPad this year is because the A10 is still very decent, next year it probably get an update nothing will change design wise to keep costs down, it will be internal only with the A11 & 3GB of ram plus 64GB base storage as this will keep it under the iPad Mini 5.

 

[Shirasaki]

I envision the 10.2” model to be a simply a thinner bezel 9.7” using the same chassis. So I suspect the cost to Apple won’t be too big. Given the 10.2” prediction was from Kuo and we already saw the model numbers in the EEC database, I’m confident the model is coming.

Model number in EEC database indicates literally nothing about the individual product. And Kuo, despite his pretty good track record, may still miss shots here and there. With all that being said, I have no knowledge of CAD and manufacturing process. If 10.2” makes sense for apple they might as well just do it. I just think they can use 10.5” model and produce screen at that size as they don’t need to change pretty much anything on the chassis, creating a cheaper “iPad Air”.

 

[Freakonomics101]

I don’t think anyone has said that the smallest one should be cheapest, at least not since where the options were Mini or 9.7” and the specs of the Mini were often behind the 9.7” model that came out at the same time. The iPad is always going to be cheapest while it is 2 chip generations behind, without the laminated display and with half the base storage of the Mini.

I think it’s fair that the Mini 5 is cheaper than the Air 3 though (as the latter has a bigger screen and the smart connector.)

And smaller bezels. The bezels on the Mini 5 are horrendous. It would constantly bother me. The bezels on the 10.5 are definitely something I can handle as they’re almost the same size as the one on the new iPads, even the top and bottom of the 10.5 Pro and Air.

Edit: I meant the new iPad Pro 11”

 

[Freakonomics101]

There is no “plan” for this and Apple can easily drop the rumoured release of SE 2. Even if they do release SE 2 just like they revive iPod, then this SE 2 won’t be a budget device by any means based on your assumption, especially OLED is included. I think using A12/A13 is also unlikely, since Apple has just bumped iPod with A10 processor. When SE was released back in 2016, Apple included A9 processor instead of A10 processor, and reused lots of old parts to build this SE phone. Therefore, I highly doubt OLED will be included in this rumoured SE as well as receiving a new form factor.

I don’t see a second gen iPhone SE having OLED. Likely the same screen as the Xʀ. LCD but a similar look to OLED but with slightly bigger bezels. That would drop the cost for them and will push the savings to the price of the device. I mean, that makes sense, doesn’t it?

 

[Digitalguy]

And smaller bezels. The bezels on the Mini 5 are horrendous. It would constantly bother me. The bezels on the 10.5 are definitely something I can handle as they’re almost the same size as the one on the new iPads, even the top and bottom of the 10.5 Pro and Air.

I think there is a great devide about the bezels. I am in the camp of those that like them and want them to stay for better handling the device (palm rejection is not reliable enough for me)

 

[Freakonomics101]

I think there is a great devide about the bezels. I am in the camp of those that like them and want them to stay for better handling the device (palm rejection is not reliable enough for me)

Very true. I didn’t think about that. I can hold my iPad Pro 10.5 perfectly without my hands touching the screen but doesn’t apply to everyone.

 

[Shirasaki]

I don’t see a second gen iPhone SE having OLED. Likely the same screen as the Xʀ. LCD but a similar look to OLED but with slightly bigger bezels. That would drop the cost for them and will push the savings to the price of the device. I mean, that makes sense, doesn’t it?

Yes, that’s what I want to say. There is no point to build a 4” iPhone that has even some of those best technologies. OLED is everything but cheap, so does Face ID. The best thing Apple could do is to bump the spec to minimise the cost, and there seems to be no point to do that this year as A9 is still powerful enough. Maybe they will include A12 in 2020 but nobody knows.

 

[Richard8655]

If the mini were so popular, it would be updated annually. Look at the $329 iPad, we saw a 2017 and 2018 model. For 2019, it gets updated to 10.2".

Maybe so. But if everyone wanted a bigger display, the Mini would never have returned. The iPhone SE is still popular and sought after for its ease of portability. As noted earlier, the 9.7 base iPad will also probably return next year with an upgraded processor.

 

[joeblow7777]

The 9.7” iPad is the best selling iPad (says so right on Apple’s website) they aren’t going to discontinue it anytime soon.

It’s still very much the “every man” iPad. In fact, that’s why it’s called just “the iPad”, no Pro, no Air, no Mini, it is the vanilla iPad, and that’s not a bad thing.

 

[nicho]

All new iPhones every year. All with the latest chip. This is what Steve would have done too.

Like when Apple still officially sold the iPad 2 even after they discontinued the 4th generation one?

Yes, iPad 3 was released 5 months after he died... but things were mapped out way before that point. Unless you somehow believe Tim said, "great Steve's popped his clogs so we can flog old stuff and he won't complain", then that is not what steve would have done.

Or the iPhone 3G (8GB), which was sold as a cheaper alternative to the 3GS (16GB, 32GB). Or the iPhone 3GS (8GB) which was introduced after the other 3GS' were discontinued, to be sold as a cheaper alternative to the iPhone 4.

Steve didn't do it then, he wouldn't do it now. Your thinking is fanciful.

 

[AutomaticApple]

Like when Apple still officially sold the iPad 2 even after they discontinued the 4th generation one?

The iPad 2 was discontinued on March 18, 2014. That was months before the iPad 4 was discontinued on October 16, 2014.

 

[nicho]

The iPad 2 was discontinued on March 18, 2014. That was months before the iPad 4 was discontinued on October 16, 2014.

I should have added, the first time. But this is another example of (re)introducing old technology and models to the lineup to fulfil a lower price point. It isn't a new thing, it's a trend that goes all the way back to Jobs' time.