The upcoming iPad Pro updates will be iterative and not innovative, said Mark Gurman during an interview on Bloomberg Technology. He outlined the rumored and leaked features that we have been covering for a while now: faster chips, improved cameras, Thunderbolt 3 port, and miniLED display for the 12.9-inch model, but added a caveat that none of these updates will be innovative. Unless Apple decided to surprise everyone with new Apple Silicon iMac models.
iPad Pro updates to be ‘iterative’, not ‘innovative’
Mark Gurman told the host during an interview on Bloomberg that these iPad updates are nothing extraordinary that we haven’t seen from Apple or anyone before, and that these are ‘more iterative updates’. He pointed out that iPad made $8.4 billion for Apple during Q1 2021, which was the highest since 2014, due to increased demand as students and employees studied and worked from home during the pandemic. Gurman said that as students start going back to schools and people start going back to workplaces soon, it will be another purchase cycle for iPad, which is a key product in education and work segments.
Whether you agree with the above or not, it is clear that Apple needs to really sell the value of iPad to customers now, especially with the Pro model. It now faces tough competition from M1 MacBook Air, and seeing how Mac shipments grew 111.5% year-over-year in Q1 2021, demand for the portable Macs is growing exponentially. If analysts are already considering that iPad Pro updates will simply be iterative, this means that they will resemble 2020 iPad Pro upgrades, which were nothing to write home about.
Apart from iPad Pro, Apple could also launch a new iPad mini, Apple Silicon iMac, AirTags, third-generation AirPods, or an Apple TV. There are a lot of products rumored to be in the pipeline, and some long overdue for an update. It will be interesting to see if Apple has any surprises in store for us during its April 20 ‘Spring Loaded‘ event.
Check out the full interview below:
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