Partners: New iPad Pro Will Drive Much-Needed Apple Tablet Refreshes
Partners on Wednesday gushed over Apple's announcement of a new 12.9-inch iPad Pro, contending that the tablet's beefed-up screen, as well as its critical keyboard and stylus productivity accessories, will spark refreshes across the channel.
"The iPad tends to be a dated product, and customers want a bigger screen and better external keyboard, similar to what Microsoft has done with the Surface series," said Stephen Monteros, vice president of business development and strategic initiatives at Sigmanet, an Ontario, Calif.-based Apple partner. "We've got a lot of customers looking at the Surface products because they are more cutting-edge, while Apple's [original] iPad is more of a complementary device."
Apple called the new iPad Pro, unveiled during its special event Wednesday, the "biggest news in iPad since iPad." The device's screen is a whopping 12.9 inches, well beyond the iPad Air 2's 9.7 inches.
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[Video: Everything Partners Need To Know About Apple's September Event]
The iPad Pro features a full-size software keyboard so users can type right on the screen, in addition to a $169 Smart Keyboard, a new enhanced keyboard accessory.
The new iPad Pro will be available through Apple Authorized Resellers in addition to at the company’s retail stores.
Apple's new tablet touts new enterprise-targeted features, such as iOS 9's split-view screen and picture-in-picture screen viewing capabilities, as well as the $99 Apple Pencil, an accessory stylus for writing notes and drawing on the device.
These productivity features are seen as crucial for Apple to match the popularity of Microsoft's trademark 2-in-1, the Surface Pro series, in the competitive tablet market.
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The iPad Pro runs on a 64-bit third-generation A9X chip, a processor that is 1.8 times faster than Apple's A8 processor, and has a 10-hour battery life as well as a secure Touch ID.
While Apple's iPad upgrades are typically revealed in a separate October event, partners speculate that the company pushed ahead its iPad Pro announcement because of disappointing tablet sales over the past few years. iPad sales slumped 18 percent in the third quarter of 2015, ended June 27, marking the sixth consecutive quarter of year-over-year declines.
The iPad Pro, available in November, will run from $799 for the 32-GB version to $1,079 for the 128-GB version.
Michael Oh, chief technology officer and founder of TSP LLC, a Boston-based Apple partner, said upgrades were ’likely’ after the tablet has been bolstered by more productivity and vertical-focused apps in the enterprise space.
’I'd say [iPad upgrades are] likely, but only once the apps come out that demonstrate how much better it is in professional applications,’ he said. ’Medical, architecture and construction are just some of them. … That will give you an idea of what is going to drive upgrades and sales.’
Apple also announced new upgrades to its trademark iPhone 6 smartphone. Apple's new iPhone s6 and iPhone s6 Plus provide important upgrades to the company's iPhone 6 original phone released last fall. While the iPhone s6 and iPhone s6 Plus tout the same design as their predecessors, with 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch screens, respectively, they will have new style options, such as a new Rose Gold finish and a 7000 series aluminum frame.
Internally, the iPhone 6s will contain Apple's quicker processor, the 64-bit A9 chip, as well as 2 GB of RAM. In addition, the new iPhone s6 brings in new options, like a 3-D touch capability, which enhances how users touch their phone screens.
While Monteros said the channel is more interested in iPad upgrades than the constantly refreshed iPhones, he stressed some of the important new features in the iPhone 6s, such as an all-new 12-megapixel iSight camera.
The iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus will be open for preorders Sept. 12 and available Sept. 25, from $199 and $299, respectively. iOS 9 will be available Sept. 16, according to Apple.
Also detailed during Apple's special event was the 7.9-inch iPad Mini 4 for $399, as well as an upgraded Apple TV with a modern OS, a newly designed remote and new Siri voice command capabilities.
PUBLISHED SEPT. 9, 2015