Apple suppliers ramping up 10.5-inch iPad Pro production to hit 5-6M target for 2017

Apple's manufacturing partners are reportedly stepping up production of a 10.5-inch iPad Pro from 500,000 units a month to 600,000 units by July, and should ultimately churn out 5 million to 6 million units for the whole of 2017.

Mass production of the tablet started around March or April, DigiTimes reported on Friday. The 5 million to 6 million target is consistent with a recent estimate by KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who also claimed that Apple is likely to debut the product at its WWDC 2017 keynote on June 5.

Production schedules for a refreshed 12.9-inch iPad Pro are less clear, but "market watchers" cited by Friday's report anticipate mass production starting in June — which could mean that if Apple announces the product on June 5, it might only ship weeks later in limited quantities. "Stable" shipments will probably happen in the September quarter, the people said.

Demand for the 9.7-inch "budget" iPad is expected pick up at the end of the June quarter and peak in the third quarter. The product's success will likely accelerate Apple's move towards phasing out the iPad mini 4, additional DigiTimes sources commented. The company is thought to be ending the iPad mini line due to shrinking sales.

Features of the new 10.5- and 12.9-inch Pros are largely unknown, although they should include faster processors, a revised Apple Pencil, and/or slimmer bezels, possibly limited to the 10.5-inch model.

29 Comments

Metriacanthosaurus 880 comments · 8 Years

About 7 years ago

I made a mockup of this and isn't as dramatic of a change as I think some people envision. Definitely cool though. It leaves just enough room for the Home Button/Touch ID sensor on the bottom bezel. (10.5" display inside the footprint of the 9.7" iPad).

slurpy 5388 comments · 15 Years

I REALLY hope that Apple adds some iPad specific UI features to the next version of iOS. I know this may be blasphemy to some, but adding basic bluetooth touchbar/mouse support would be amazing. This can even be off by default and enabled in settings, but really the iPad is still a massive pain to use for things like wordprocessing or any kind of long term, fine editing. Touch just isn't ideal. I'm not saying turn this thing into a Surface, but even an API for mouse support that devs can add into their specific apps would be amazing.

macxpress 5910 comments · 16 Years

If you want a mouse....get a Mac. Adding a mouse and keyboard immediately turns it into a 2-in-1 hybrid.

slurpy said:

I REALLY hope that Apple adds some iPad specific UI features to the next version of iOS. I know this may be blasphemy to some, but adding basic bluetooth touchbar/mouse support would be amazing. This can even be off by default and enabled in settings, but really the iPad is still a massive pain to use for things like wordprocessing or any kind of long term, fine editing. Touch just isn't ideal. I'm not saying turn this thing into a Surface, but even an API for mouse support that devs can add into their specific apps would be amazing.

You do not want mouse support added to iPad. What you want is a Mac.

They way they have the iPad Pro designed and positioned right now is correct. Including the way the Smart Keyboard works. It folds out of the way so that an iPad can be an iPad most of the time. When necessary, you can type better, using the Smart Keyboard. And then put it away, to keep using the iPad.

I know exactly what you're talking about, because I have attempted to use an iPad Pro for things I would normally use a Mac for. I get frustrated and decide "I can't do this without a mouse". But the solution is not add mouse support to iPad. It is far more complicated than that. The truth is, I need a Mac. I can't get away with doing all my work on iPad. BUT THATS OK. iPads replace Macs for people who don't need Macs. But some people do still need Macs.