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Smaller Apple iPad Pro Starting At $599, Coming In 32GB And 128GB

By Sonny Go
Published on: 12:43 PST, Mar 18, 2016

While Apple is set to unveil a new iPhone and iPad Pro during this year’s spring event, it has been reported that the new 9.7-inch Apple iPad Pro will start at $599—higher than its larger predecessor’s $499. This new Apple iPad Pro is set to come in both 32GB and 128GB capacities, similar to the previous iPad Pro.

The additional $100 for a smaller device is a significant price increase, especially compared to previous 9.7-inch devices, including the original iPad, have always been priced at $499. However, the $599 price tag on the base 32GB model puts it in line with the similarly-priced 32GB Apple iPad Air 2.

Despite this development, the new Apple iPad Pro won’t be replacing the iPad Air 2, which itself itself starts at $499 with 16GB of storage. The previous iPad Pro’s base 32GB base model was priced at $799 due to its sizable 12.9-inch screen. This new iPad Pro may succeed where the upcoming Apple iPad Air 3 is failing, at the moment, in creating excitement.

This new 9.7-inch iPad Pro will have most of the same features as last year’s version, but it will also feature an A9x processor with more RAM, four stereo speakers for better audio, a more vibrant display that supports the Apple Pencil, Smart Connector for an appropriately-sized Smart Keyboard, 12-megapixel camera (more than the previous version’s 8 megapixels), and 4K video recording. Meanwhile, the 128GB model of the new Apple iPad Pro will also have LTE cellular network connectivity.

The previous iPad Pro was announced by Tim Cook back in September 9, 2015, and released on November 11, 2015. Despite receiving lukewarm reviews due to its large, yet awkward 12.9-inch screen, it outsold Microsoft’s entire Surface lineup over the holiday season, including its direct competitor—the Microsoft Surface Pro 3.

Aside from the new Apple iPad Pro, this year’s spring event is expected to announce the Apple iPhone SE and the new Apple Watch 2. The former is basically like a 4-inch iPhone 5s with a matte finish and 4K video recording, while people are hoping that the latter will have a more powerful ARM Cortex-A32 processor that was released earlier this year.

Apple’s 2016 spring event will take place on March 21 at its Cupertino, California, headquarters.

[Photo by Stephen Lam/ Getty Images]

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