From time to time, I like to play “what if” as in “What if my rich Uncle Tim bought me some new Apple gear”. This week, I was thinking about what new hardware I might by between now and the end of the year (or early next year depending on when Apple Silicon Macs start shipping).
This week was the iPad Pro Edition of the What If game. I was playing around with the 2020 11-inch iPad Pro, using the same specs as my 2017 10.5-inch iPad Pro. The bottom line was $899. But the weird thing was that this iPad Pro was unavailable for pick up at any of my local Apple Stores. If Uncle Tim bought it for me online, from Apple.com, the delivery timeframe is October 1 – 8. The larger 12.9-inch iPad Pro with similar specs has the same delivery window. Huh?
Ok, I get it. Lots of people in the United States are still buying new hardware for back to school and work from home scenarios because the U.S. is still a complete disaster here on the COVID-19 front as compared to other countries. And that’s probably the real reason for the shipping delays and physical retail shortages. But, could there be another reason? Apple just refreshed the iPad Pro line back in March of this year. Apple can’t possibly be refreshing the iPad Pro line again in 2020, would they? I mean, the 2020 iPad Pros have only been out for less than six months. While this does seem crazy, it is not unfounded. Looking back at the iPad release history, the iPad 3rd Generation was release in March 2012 and replaced with the iPad 4th Generation in October 2012. Just seven months later (sorry, still salty).
So, could new iPad Pro models be on the way before the start of the holiday buying season? I guess only time will tell.