10.2-inch budget iPad reportedly due in 'late third quarter'

Apple's rumored 10.2-inch replacement for the current 9.7-inch iPad should ship in the "late third quarter," a report claimed on Thursday.

The source of the story, DigiTimes, didn't immediately offer any other details. The given timeframe would likely put a launch sometime in September, possibly coinciding with the company's annual iPhone event.

Fall iPad releases typically take place in October however, and have more recently narrowed to the iPad Pro line. Apple more often updates non-Pro models in other windows — 2019 iPad Air and iPad mini models were launched in March, for example.

DigiTimes also has mixed track record with the features and timing of Apple products. The publication is focused mostly on the Taiwanese supply chain, and is more reliable in that field.

At the same time, multiple sources have hinted at a 10.2-inch iPad, including the more dependable Ming-Chi Kuo of TF International Securities. One possibility is that Apple will keep the same overall size of the 9.7-inch iPad but fill bezel space with extra screen. Two new iPad models have appeared in the Eurasian Economic Commission's database, which could refer to Wi-Fi and 4G versions of a 10.2-inch product.

The last update for the budget-oriented iPad was in March of 2018.