Keep the home button… Reduce the thickness of the body
Focus on student audiences, such as for educational use
This year, Apple is expected to introduce a variety of new products from the iPhone 13 (tentative name) to the new MacBook Pro. New tablet products are also expected. Upgraded entry-level iPad and iPad mini.
Bloomberg News reporter Mark Gurman said on the 19th (local time) that Apple plans to release a 9th-generation iPad with a thinner design and faster processor.
According to the report, the new 9th-generation model is expected to retain the existing design featuring a home button and Touch ID at the bottom of the bezel. It has the same shape as the previous work (8th generation iPad) that Apple introduced in September last year.
The 9th-generation iPad reduces the thickness of the body while maintaining the home button. The current 8th-generation iPad is 7.5mm thick, which is slightly thicker than the 4th-generation iPad Air (6.1mm).
It is also worth noting that the home button is maintained. The main feature of the basic iPad is the home button at the bottom of the bezel that resembles the old iPhone series. As the ‘iPad Mini’, the smallest of the iPad series this fall, is expected to discard the home button and increase the screen size, there is a possibility that the 9th generation iPad will be the only model equipped with a home button.
Currently, the cheapest product in Apple’s tablet lineup is the 8th-generation iPad. The 10.2-inch display supports Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard. The domestic factory price starts at 449,000 won based on the Wi-Fi model.
Gurman predicts that the new iPad will continue to focus on student audiences, including educational ones. It is equipped with a Bionic A13 or A14 processor with improved performance while maintaining the price not significantly different from its predecessor. The 8th generation is equipped with the A12 chipset.
For consumers who do not prefer the front home button, the new ‘iPad mini’ can be a candidate.
According to the leaked circuit diagram, the new iPad mini removes the home button and upper and lower bezels, and increases the display size to 8.5 to 9 inches while maintaining the body size. The previous iPad mini 5’s screen was 7.9 inches.
There is also the possibility that the Lightning port will switch to USB-C. The high-end iPad Pro and iPad Air already support USB-C. The basic iPad, on the other hand, is likely to retain the Lightning connector.
The iPad mini was last updated in 2019, including the A12 chipset and Apple Pencil support. Regarding the 6th-generation iPad mini, Gurman said, “It will be the biggest redesign in the 9-year history of[iPad mini].”
The exact release date of the new iPad has not been disclosed. Gurman said that Apple is planning several events from the iPhone 13 in September to the MacBook Pro equipped with Apple’s silicone ‘M1X (tentative name)’ in November. Therefore, it is highly likely that the new iPad will be announced separately at the second event in the second half of this year. In the industry, Apple introduced △iPhone 13 △Apple Watch 7 △AirPods 3 at the September event, △iPad 9th generation △iPad mini 6th generation at the October event, and △14/16-inch MacBook Pro at the November event. expected to be presented.
Reporter Min-ha Yang (mh.yang@etnews.com), Electronic Newspaper Internet
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