Report: Apple to ship 4 million 9.7-inch iPad Pro units in the first half of the year

Thanks to the new lowered price of $399 for the Apple iPad Air 2, that model will lead all iPads in the number of units shipped during the first half of this year. The just announced 9.7-inch Apple iPad Pro will ship 4 million units during the same time frame, according to Digitimes' research arm. The $100 price cut in the iPad Air 2 is expected to cannibalize sales of the Apple iPad mini 4.

The 9.7-inch iPad Pro fills a gap in Apple's iPad product line between the 12.9-inch Apple iPad Pro, starting at $799, and the iPad Air 2 which started at $499 prior to the price cut. The 9.7-inch iPad Pro starts at $599 for the Wi-Fi only 32GB model.

If Apple was hoping that the 12.9-inch iPad Pro would reverse the drop in quarterly iPad shipments, it really must harbor these hopes for the 9.7-inch iPad Pro. Still, the overall tablet market is fragile enough at this point that Apple expects to see more demand for the iPad Air 2, thanks to a price cut. Unlike smartphone buyers, those purchasing tablets seem to be immune to some of the things that drive phone sales, such as specs. There is no two-year replacement cycle in the tablet market.


source: Digitimes