2018 iPad: Apple Might Finally Bring The iPad’s Price Below $260


Since the first quarter of 2014, Apple’s iPad sales have been steadily dropping. However, Apple may have finally found a way to spark people’s interest in their iPad line once again. The Cupertino-based company may be releasing a cheaper iPad to continue the line’s rise in sales.

According to DigiTimes, Apple may be thinking of introducing a cheaper 9.7-inch tablet to the iPad lineup. Related upstream suppliers assume that the new iPad will cost consumers about $259 and will probably be released in 2018. Apple has reportedly chosen to release the new iPad to refresh consumers’ interest in their tablet series. As per Statista, Apple’s tablet sales have slowly dropped since it sold over 26 million units in the first quarter of 2014.

According to BGR, iPad users tend to hold on to their units longer than iPhone users. This observation seems true for all phones and tablets on the market. Based on a report from Fortune, the tablet market, in general, has been declining as consumers opt to buy new smartphones and cheaper laptops than upgrading their tablets.

The decline in iPad sales finally came to a halt just recently. Despite the overall tablet market’s decline, Apple has been able to reverse its iPad sales and increase it steadily. Nathan Ingraham, from Engadget, reported that the growth in iPad sales is thanks to Apple streamlining the lineup after the company introduced the 9.7-inch iPad Pro. Even though Apple was very proud of the new-age iPad Pro tablet, Ingraham credits the tech company’s basic iPad model for the increase in sales.

The basic model was priced at $329 and was not as flashy as the iPad Pro. In fact, Apple seemed to have taken the opposite direction with the basic model when compared to the top-of-the-line iPad in the series. The basic iPad was heavier and thicker. Apple seemed to have tightened its budget with the basic iPad’s display as it was not laminated onto the glass and did not have an anti-reflective coating.

Given that the $329 iPad encouraged people to upgrade their tablets, Apple may be betting that a cheaper model will do the same. At a price point that is even more aggressive than the affordable iPad of 2017, the 2018 iPad might very well end up resurrecting the tablet market.

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