As iPhone 6 frenzy kicks off in Australia, rumor has it Apple are turning its attention to iPad, next.Apple will unveil a new generation of iPad tablets around mid-October as the company bolsters its product lineup ahead of the holiday shopping season, US reports say.
CEO Tim Cook is said to be working to shake up the iPad line after sales of the tablets, Apple’s second-biggest product by revenue, have declined for two straight quarters.
Apple’s suppliers recently started making an updated 9.7-inch screen iPad, and were also set to enter production of a new version of the iPad mini, according to a Bloomberg report.
Suppliers are also said to be preparing to manufacture Apple’s largest-ever iPad, in many quarters reported to have a 12.9-inch screen.
The release of Apple new iPhone 6 Plus today which measures a ‘phablet’ style 5.5″ inches could eat into iPad mini’s market share.
iPad sales fell to their lowest level since Q2 2012 to 13.3 million in its last quarter, as rivals like Samsung Tab S and Microsoft Surface emerge as fierce rivals to Apple.
CEO Tim Cook said at the July 22 investor call that “we still feel the category as a whole is in its early days, and there’s also significant innovation to be brought to the iPad, and we plan on doing that. “
More than 50 percent of the iPads sold are to first-time tablet buyers, he said.
Apple hasn’t released a new iPad in over a year, when it launched the 9.7″ iPad Air.
