The Latest: New iPads out in November Amid Sales Decline
The latest news on iPhones and other products from Apple’s event in San Francisco.
All times are PDT.
10:55 a.m.
Apple says its new iPad will be available in November.
The larger-screen iPad Pro model is aimed at countering weakening consumer demand for tablets.
The iPad was a runaway success when it was introduced in 2010, but sales have been declining since 2013. In part, that’s because competitors are now selling a number of lower-priced tablets that use Google’s Android software.
But sales of rivals’ tablets have been getting weaker, too. Analysts say some users are finding tablets aren’t well-suited for tasks that are easier to perform on a PC with a keyboard and mouse. And many consumers don’t see a need to upgrade their old tablets as often as they upgrade phones.
In response, Apple has tried to cultivate more iPad customers in the business world. It has partnered with IBM to develop new iPad software for workers in specific industries, such as airlines and health care.
At an Apple event in San Francisco on Wednesday, an executive from Apple’s former rival, Microsoft, demonstrated the iPad Pro’s productivity potential using Microsoft Office and other apps. Other companies showed off using the iPad Pro for creativity tasks and health care — including an app for doctors to show patients what’s happening with 3-D graphics.
The starting price is $ 799, with 32 gigabytes of storage. By contrast, the iPad Air 2 starts at $ 499, but the starting model has half the memory.
— Anick Jesdanun and Brandon Bailey, AP Technology Writers
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10:35 a.m.
Apple says it will make a larger-screen iPad tablet aimed at business users.
The iPad Pro, as it’s called, will take advantage of new multitasking features coming to existing iPads. A software update will enable iPads to run two apps side by side, something previously limited to Samsung and Windows tablets.
With a larger screen on the new iPad Pro, apps running side by side will have more room to breathe.
The new iPad will have a 12.9-inch screen, compared with 9.7 inches for the current full-size iPad. It will have four speakers and options for a physical keyboard and a stylus, called Apple Pencil. Despite the larger size, Apple says it’s about the same weight as the original iPad.
Samsung made a tablet aimed at professionals last year. It had screens as large as 12.2 inches and also came with a stylus. More recently, though, Samsung has been shrinking the screens on its tablets.
The new iPad also marks Apple’s latest attempt to steal corporate customers away from Microsoft, whose personal computers have been business staple for decades. Microsoft makes a tablet designed for the needs of office workers called the Surface Pro 3 that sells at prices starting at $ 800. With a 12-inch display screen, the Surface Pro 3 is slightly smaller than Apple’s new tablet.
Although there has been a lot of speculation that Apple would do make a larger iPad, an announcement wasn’t expected until October. A release date and price wasn’t immediately known.
Apple Inc. announced the new iPad in San Francisco on Wednesday.
— Anick Jesdanun and Brandon Bailey, AP Technology Writers
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10:20 a.m.
Apple says a software update for the Apple Watch is allowing outsider developers to write more sophisticated apps.