Apple Expected To Roll Out New iPad, Mac Products At Event This Week

Apple is gearing up to launch new products on Tuesday (October 30), and the Wall Street Journal reported those offerings are expected to include new iPad and Mac products.

According to the Wall Street Journal, citing analysts, during the event being held at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York City, the Cupertino, California iPhone maker is likely to roll out a new iPad Pro that has a faster processor and new sensors so that facial recognition can be on its iPhones and tablets.

According to the paper, the update of the iPads is part of Apple’s aim to bring new life to the tablet business. Sales in that category have declined 40 percent from the peak in 2013, noted the paper. In June of 2017, the firm launched an updated iPad line but focused on the display and processor, the Wall Street Journal noted. The iPad Pro has a price tag starting at $649 but going as high as $1,279 but even with a high price point Apple hasn’t been able to boost the annual sales growth for that portion of the business during the past four fiscal years, the Wall Street Journal reported.

A new iPad is seen as an important way for Apple to maintain its leadership position in the high-end portion of the tablet market. If it didn’t refresh the product line another player would step in and steal that market share, noted the report, citing Rob Cihra, an analyst at Guggenheim Partners.  “You have to keep refreshing the product if you want to keep a hold on the high end,” Cihra said.

On the Mac front, analysts told the Wall Street Journal the firm is likely to roll out a lower-priced MacBook that has an enhanced display and quieter keyboard. What the new MacBook is priced at will be critical to its adoption rate and how broadly it is purchased. The current MacBook Air sells for a starting price of $999. Apple is also expected to update the Mac mini, which has long been a favorite among families who want an Apple desktop in their homes. The new Mac mini is expected to have new processors that analysts think could prompt longtime users to update their existing Mac computers.