Analyst says Apple will release this year only the upgraded iPad Air

[RaduTyrsina]

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Apple has already accustomed its customers with the release of two iPad models per year - the iPad and the smaller brother, the iPad Mini. Last year, Cupertino has tried the same scenario with the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 5s. However, Apple could change this strategy and release only a new iPad this year, according to KGI Securities analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo.

Compared with lower-margin iPad mini with Retina display, which shipments has been tepid, higher-margin iPad Air was a hot selling item in 4Q13, which will slow Apple in developing new iPad mini models. We believe Apple plans to launch upgraded iPad Air early this year, and will accelerate development of 12.9†iPad. As such, more resources will be allocated to these two products, which will affect the progress of the development of new iPad mini. All told, we think chances of the debut of a new iPad mini in 2H14 are slim. In addition, the 12.9†iPad is unlikely to be offered in 2014. For these reasons, we predict the only new iPad product in 2H14 will be the upgraded iPad Air.

As you can see, the analyst also talked about the 12.9 inch “iPad Proâ€, saying that Apple will most likely launch it in 2015 and will focus on its development this year. This is the main reason why Apple will release only the upgraded iPad Air, which will get the new A8 processor and the Touch ID fingerprint sensor. Development of the next iPad Air and a new 12.9-inch iPad will be the main focus for Apple, and this will even cause a decline in overall iPad shipments, from 34 million units in the 1st half of 2013 to below 30 million units in the first half of 2014.

It’s interesting that Ming-Chi Kuo also says that there won’t be an updated iPad Mini this year. Besides working on the development of the upgraded iPad Air and the first 12.9 inch iPad, Kuo also states that Apple has prioritized developing the operating system for the iWatch. Also, Apple is expected to restart mass production of the iPad 4 in Q1 2014.

Source: AppleInsider

 

[s2mikey]

I know the big question will be whether the second gen Air will get a RAM boost? Hmmmmm......

 

[AQ_OC]

I don't think this makes a lot of sense....dropping an A8 and Touch ID into a mini is not really a significant task (the do it on an iPhone, so the mini is not a big deal here)...and sales of the Retina mini were hurt because qualities were low at launch....it's not as if it steals a lot away from the development....and it is also unclear who will buy a 13-inch tablet and in what numbers..and the price push is even stronger against laptops... Samsung is the king of tossing zillions of different products out there and seeing what sticks. Apple will do better to watch them. Also, let's get real...tablets will not replace laptops, they will compliment them. There is no way that a touch screen device can replace all functions of laptops, so the need for both remain. It seems to be that the only people who don't get this are those who just type words and pontificate for a living.

If I were Apple, I'd develop a model of the iPad that has a digitizing screen and pen. And I'd put touch and a digitizing screen on all Apple product screens. And they seriously need to up the RAM and the tablets. They look outdated against Android by lagging on the RAM. Now that they have a 64-bit OS, it only makes sense. Why else go to 64-bit if you don't intend to address lots of RAM?

 

[s2mikey]

I don't think this makes a lot of sense....dropping an A8 and Touch ID into a mini is not really a significant task (the do it on an iPhone, so the mini is not a big deal here)...and sales of the Retina mini were hurt because qualities were low at launch....it's not as if it steals a lot away from the development....and it is also unclear who will buy a 13-inch tablet and in what numbers..and the price push is even stronger against laptops... Samsung is the king of tossing zillions of different products out there and seeing what sticks. Apple will do better to watch them. Also, let's get real...tablets will not replace laptops, they will compliment them. There is no way that a touch screen device can replace all functions of laptops, so the need for both remain. It seems to be that the only people who don't get this are those who just type words and pontificate for a living. If I were Apple, I'd develop a model of the iPad that has a digitizing screen and pen. And I'd put touch and a digitizing screen on all Apple product screens. And they seriously need to up the RAM and the tablets. They look outdated against Android by lagging on the RAM. Now that they have a 64-bit OS, it only makes sense. Why else go to 64-bit if you don't intend to address lots of RAM?

Agreed on all points. Tablets will not replace laptops and quite frankly I would prefer they didn't try! I want a tablet to be a tablet and that's it. This crossover, hybrid, convertible stuff is just lame. I like your idea about the screens and digitizers. The RAM would be nice too but my Air seems to run like a champ with just the one GB. If they keep the software optimized then I think they get away with less RAM.

We shall see.