Apple disappointed many with the release of the simply-named iPad earlier this week, but consumers and analysts aren’t giving up hope for that 10.5-inch iPad Pro 2 model that’s been rumored for quite some time. Now we’re hearing a refresh that the new model will be coming in June, and it sounds an awful lot like something we heard from another source in February but that people apparently forgot about.
New iPad Pro 2 coming in June?
In a research note dated March 23, Credit Suisse analyst Akinori Kanemoto said that based on their “latest investigations,” it sounds like Apple is still working on new iPad models for release in or around June (would this be the rumored iPad Pro 2?).
“We thought Apple would probably unveil new 10.4- and 12.9-inch iPads, but instead it opted to launch a budget 9.7-inch model,” Kanemoto wrote. “However, we understand from our latest investigations that Apple is working on new 10.4- and 12.9-inch models that will likely be unveiled around June. Apple started to buy in many devices in Jan–Feb; it is unclear at present why the launch will likely be around June.”
The company was widely expected to unveil a new 10.5-inch iPad Pro 2 at a spring event, and some still believe that this rumored tablet will be revealed this spring, possibly at the grand opening for the new Apple Park headquarters next month. Instead, what we got was an entry-level 9.7-inch iPad (and a few other items, including the red iPhone 7 that had been rumored for quite a while).
More new iPads yet to come
But what’s interesting here is that DigiTimes reported in February that Apple was planning to debut new 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch iPads at a March event, citing its supply chain sources. The website added that those iPads wouldn’t begin to ship until May or June. Further, DigiTimes said that an entry-level 9.7-inch iPad would start shipping around the March event.
It should be noted that this website has a mixed track record when it comes to reporting Apple rumors, but it certainly hit the 9.7-inch iPad right on the head. The “event” turned out to be merely a press release and update to Apple’s online store, and there were no new 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro 2 models revealed this month.
But what if at least one of those new iPads is slated for debut in April as the current rumors state? A ship date in May or June wouldn’t be that out of the ordinary then, and with Credit Suisse’s supply chain sources currently pointing to a June ship date for new 10.4-inch and 12.9-inch iPads, we might have one of the last pieces of the puzzle here.
