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New versions of this iPad and iPad Mini are rumored to be unveiled during Apple’s launch event on September 9.
Josh Miller/CNET
Apple is expected to show off a new set of iPhones at its annual event next week, but it may have something more in store: the debut of its plus-sized iPad Pro.
The tech giant will unveil both the iPad Pro and the new iPad Mini 4 at its event Wednesday, according to 9to5Mac, which cites “trusted sources.” It was previously thought that Apple wouldn’t debut the tablets until later in the year, although this isn’t the first report to suggest an earlier timeline.
While more than two-thirds of Apple’s revenue now comes from the iPhone, its quarterly iPad sales have declined year over year for the past six periods in a row. The company is likely trying to find a way to get buyers interested in tablets again — a bigger iPad , which would appeal to business users, could be a way to do that.
Apple’s September 9 event will be in San Francisco’s 7,000-seat Bill Graham auditorium and is expected to be one of the company’s biggest events to date. Given the size of the venue, there’s speculation that this would be the ideal time for the unveiling of the new iPads.
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Typically, Apple announces the new iPhones in September, followed by iPad news in October. Lumping them together could indicate Apple doesn’t have big changes in store for the devices — though market watchers have been eager for the company to introduce a new 12.9-inch iPad Pro .
Early last month, Buzzfeed reported that Apple would launch the next iPad alongside the new iPhone (as well as Apple TV ) sometime during the week of September 7, with September 9 highlighted as the most likely date. They got the date right; the validity of the remainder of the rumor remains to be seen. And this week Apple Insider reported that a JP Morgan analyst told clients that Foxconn, one of Apple’s manufacturing partners, would receive components in September, lending credence to an iPad Pro launch in October.
This new iPad is expected to have a high-resolution display and possibly speakers on both sides of the device. The iPad Mini 4 will reportedly by thinner and faster than the current version. If Apple does indeed debut the devices next week, it’s expected they’ll hit stores in November, according to 9to5Mac.
Apple declined to comment on the report.
