It seems increasingly possible that the long since anticipated iPad Pro will be released in September of this year. According to recent reports, the release date of this state-of-the-art tablet has been leaked by sources close to Apple, and we can expect to see it by the end of the year.
The iPad Pro has been hotly tipped for quite some time, and is intended to breathe life into the tablet marketplace. Apple’s iPad series is certainly still the market-leading tablet, but sales in recent years have declined somewhat as analysts speculate that the market has already reached its peak.
iPad Pro vs Surface Pro
Although Apple is on top of the tree in the tablet marketplace, it faces increasing challenges from the Microsoft Surface Pro series. Rumors regarding the potential release of the fourth generation of the tablet have been emerging recently, and Apple might try to damage the ascent of Microsoft’s device by releasing the next generation iPad in the next few months.
With the International Business Times reporting that the Surface Pro 4 could hit the stores as soon as July, this could place pressure on Apple to rush out the next generation iPad as quickly as possible. Apple has always been resistant to this sort of pressure in the past, but considering that its tablet range has experienced somewhat lukewarm sales over the last couple of years, Apple might feel more inclined to compete directly with Microsoft.
New Apple niche
The iPad Pro it also an important device for Apple as it effectively represents a new product niche. Although the tablet computer is hardly anything new, this particular variant of the iPad is intended to represent the apex of the technology. With Apple having updated its standard iPad Air and iPad Mini devices last year, these could then perhaps be made more affordable, to provide a more diversified range of tablets for consumers.
Apple had promised the city early in 2014 that it would attempt to deliver new product niches, as mediocre sales data released at that time had a negative impact on the share price of the corporation. It now seems rather quaint that investors were concerned about the potential of Apple, as the consumer electronics giant experienced a stellar 2015 in financial terms.
But Apple hasn’t forgotten its promises to analysts, shareholders and investors, and is at least attempting to deliver new revenue streams at present. The recent release of the Apple Watch is one such attempt, with the smartwatch expected to shift around 20 million units for Apple during 2015.
With rumours increasingly implying that Apple will delay the iPhone 7 until 2016, it could also be that Apple is able to devote more resources to the imminent release of the iPad Pro. Although Apple will release an iPhone variant during 2015, speculation is increasingly suggesting that this will be an upgrade of the existing iPhone 6. This would mean that Apple could handle another major product release during the remainder of the calendar year, and could point to an early release date for this keenly anticipated iPad Pro.
