Gizmochina has covered a report from ITHome which states that the next budget iPad will feature a larger 10.5” display. The current generation iPad features a slightly smaller 10.2” screen. The report also goes on to say that the design will remain unchanged which is quite shocking.
Previously, some rumours and reports revealed that the next budget iPad will ditch the thick bezels and Home Button to feature an all-screen design similar to the current generation iPad Air. The report covered by Gizmochina should be taken with a grain of salt, as it’s very early to comment on a device that is reportedly set to release next year.
Sadly no USB-C :/
It does indeed make sense for Apple to offer the budget friendly iPad model in the same package as it will be cheaper to produce. The report also states that the iPad will continue to have a Lightning port instead of USB-C. The iPad Air and the iPad Pro models have been moved to using USB-C as it unifies the tablet with the rest of the industry. Having USB-C means, many accessories will be able to easily connect.
The major news that the report states about the upcoming iPad is that it will start with the 64GB storage as the base variant. The current low-cost iPad packs a meagre 32GB of inbuilt storage for the base version which usually fills up quickly just by installing a few apps.
Another interesting point, the report makes is that the 2021 budget iPad could start at just $299, down from the current price of $329. However, it would be better if Apple could instead pack in USB-C and TouchID on the power button to lightly trim the bezels by removing the Home Button, and charge a little extra for the device instead – say around $399.
