Apple would add 10.5-inch model to the new ipad pro

2017 will be the year of the iPad, where Apple has already announced that it will launch three models of its tablet in different sizes, 7.9, 9.7 and 12.9 inches.

According to a Taiwanese source, Apple plans to add a new 10.5-inch model to the lineup of the new iPad, so in total there would not be three but four sizes available for the new iPad that should hit stores in the first quarter of 2017.

As we know, Apple names the 12.9 and 9.7-inch versions as iPad Pro and apparently this 10.5-inch model would carry the same name. Like the other Pro models, inside it would carry the same Apple A10X SoC processor, a chip that would offer a performance between 30 and 40% higher than the current A10.

One of the main reasons Apple could launch a tablet with a screen smaller than 12.9 inches but somewhat larger than 9.7 is because portability, performance, and battery life play a critical role in effectively replacing a laptop. Although the 12.9-inch Pro model is sold as if it were a tablet and a laptop, the fact that it uses the iOS operating system is a limitation as a laptop and it is also expensive. A 10.5-inch model would solve the gap between the two sizes of the Pro model.

According to the sources themselves, shipments of the 10.5-inch iPad would amount to 2 million units in the first quarter and at the end of 2017 it should be between 5 and 6 million units.