According to a new report from DigiTimes, via MacRumors, iPads are set to get a whole lot more affordable in 2018, with Apple planning to release a low-cost, updated 9.7-inch iPad at the end of 2018.
This past March, Apple released its cheapest iPad so far, the $329 9.7-inch model, with similar internals to the iPad Air 2. But DigiTimes thinks that the price could go even lower still for the 2018 9.7-inch iPad, which could retail for as little as $259.
Apple’s reason for slicing around $70 off the price of the 9.7-inch iPad would be to compete with other cheaper tablets on the market from the likes of Samsung Electronics, Amazon, Huawei, and Lenovo, and to ensure that shipments remain at a steady 10 million units per quarter. DigiTimes' source adds that aside from the consumer market, Apple is also hoping that the low-cost iPad will be able to expand further into the service and industrial sectors.
The source also states that Apple will be outsourcing production of the 2018 9.7-inch iPad to Compal Electronics, with PCB orders going to Compeq and Unitech Printed Circuit Board.
Source: Apple Reportedly Planning to Release Most Affordable 9.7-inch iPad Ever in Late 2018
