Chinese manufacturers start showing cases for rumored 9.7" iPad Pro with smart connector, 4 speakers

With industry consensus trending toward the introduction of a new, smaller version of the iPad Pro to succeed the aging iPad Air 2, Chinese manufacturers have begun to churn out cases fitting that design weeks before the rumored unveiling.

Several Chinese firms have begun to list cases on Alibaba for a 9.7-inch iPad Pro. The cases feature a side cutout — in the same place the jumbo iPad has its smart connector — as well as slots for four speakers, one in each corner.

The camera cutout has also been enlarged and takes on a teardrop form, as noted by iGeneration, indicating that the manufacturers anticipate the addition of an LED flash next to the camera lens.

Apple is expected to introduce the iPad Air 2's successor alongside a possible new 4-inch iPhone at a press event on March 22. The new tablet is likely to mirror the functionality of the larger iPad Pro, with support for its own smaller Smart Keyboard as well as the Apple Pencil.

#Apple #iPad #iPad7 #iPadAir3 #iPadProMini pic.twitter.com/3dWcWsFTQG
— Steve Hemmerstoffer (@stagueve) March 10, 2016

Internally, the device may ship with the same A9X chip found in the Pro model.

With the refresh looming, many older iPad models have begun to drift out of stock. While Apple's own retail channels have yet to show supply constraints, many large resellers are showing wide-ranging stock outs for the iPad mini 2, iPad Air and iPad Air 2.

6 Comments

pmz 3429 comments · 15 Years

About 8 years ago

Now lets hope all the whiners that complained about the Pro "If only it was a 9.7", turn out to buy one.

TDMAT 2 comments · 8 Years

If the keyboard included a touchpad and the ability to add a mouse, I'd be very interested. The size would be similar to many of the popular new Windows laptops and 'All-in-Ones." Combine that with IOS and Apple would have a very big seller.

roake 820 comments · 10 Years

TDMAT said:

If the keyboard included a touchpad and the ability to add a mouse, I'd be very interested. The size would be similar to many of the popular new Windows laptops and 'All-in-Ones." Combine that with IOS and Apple would have a very big seller.

ROFL. A mouse... A touchpad... You do realize that you can touch the screen on an iPad, right? If we were trying to go backwards to what portable computing looked like 10 years ago, this would be a fantastic idea. In fact, Microsoft seems to agree with you.

If you want a tablet with a physical keyboard, mouse and touchpad, I would recommend either buying a craptastic Microsoft Surface or just buying any of the MacBooks, since a notebook computer is what you've ended up with.

Apple is interested in innovation with new technologies and creating the trends that the industry will follow, not working to build the old, stale technology of yesteryear.

roake said:

TDMAT said:

If the keyboard included a touchpad and the ability to add a mouse, I'd be very interested. The size would be similar to many of the popular new Windows laptops and 'All-in-Ones." Combine that with IOS and Apple would have a very big seller.

ROFL. A mouse... A touchpad... You do realize that you can touch the screen on an iPad, right? If we were trying to go backwards to what portable computing looked like 10 years ago, this would be a fantastic idea. In fact, Microsoft seems to agree with you.

If you want a tablet with a physical keyboard, mouse and touchpad, I would recommend either buying a craptastic Microsoft Surface or just buying any of the MacBooks, since a notebook computer is what you've ended up with.

Apple is interested in innovation with new technologies and creating the trends that the industry will follow, not working to build the old, stale technology of yesteryear.

Actually, I'm quite serious. I have three ipads and a MacBook, as well as a Lenovo Yoga. What Apple is missing is a machine that incorporates some of the best features of a laptop with the ease of use of iOS and its superior body of apps. Mice and keyboards may not be the latest technology, but both are much easier to use than touchscreens for frequent input.

multimedia 1030 comments · 23 Years

TDMAT said:

roake said:

ROFL. A mouse... A touchpad... You do realize that you can touch the screen on an iPad, right? If we were trying to go backwards to what portable computing looked like 10 years ago, this would be a fantastic idea. In fact, Microsoft seems to agree with you.

If you want a tablet with a physical keyboard, mouse and touchpad, I would recommend either buying a craptastic Microsoft Surface or just buying any of the MacBooks, since a notebook computer is what you've ended up with.

Apple is interested in innovation with new technologies and creating the trends that the industry will follow, not working to build the old, stale technology of yesteryear.

Actually, I'm quite serious. I have three ipads and a MacBook, as well as a Lenovo Yoga. What Apple is missing is a machine that incorporates some of the best features of a laptop with the ease of use of iOS and its superior body of apps. Mice and keyboards may not be the latest technology, but both are much easier to use than touchscreens for frequent input.

That's just not true. In fact the opposite is true. Typing directly in the virtual keyboard is far easier than a physical keyboard. Mouse would be completely redudundant.