According to the latest reports, Apple is about to unveil its latest hardware for the year 2018 as the company holds its first product event next week. The Cupertino-based tech giant has yet to confirm which gizmos can be expected by the public to appear during the event, but the rumors are rife that a new cheaper 9.7-inch iPad 2018 model will be the highlight.
As reported by Bloomberg, Apple will have a major production event next week at the Lane Technical College Prep High School in Chicago. This will be the first time that the company will hold a special launch event outside California, which is Apple's state of origin. Moreover, the upcoming event is special as it is geared towards education. Apple last held an education-focused event in 2012 when it introduced the first-ever iPad tool that can be used to create e-books.
It appears that Apple is hoping to attract more teachers and students to try their latest offering. To help them in their respective fields, the company will introduce a new budget-friendy iPad 2018 device, along with a new educational software. It has already been speculated that Apple will release a brand new iPad model this year, including a cheaper iPad that costs $259. It is uncertain if this is actually the upcoming iPad 2018 model next week, which is likely to snatch sales from Google and Microsoft in the education-based market.
While the new 9.7-inch iPad 2018 will get a cheaper price, it is still expected to boast updated features to meet the public's demands. Students and teachers will need to have a more reliable gadget with great performance to deliver high-quality outputs. Although, Apple could have already realized that bringing down the price of the usually expensive iPad is another factor to attract more buyers from the education field.
In other news, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo stated in his latest notes that the upcoming 9.7-inch iPad 2018 is likely to receive Apple Pencil support. Apple's high-end iPad variants are the only ones that can be used with the Pencil, but the company is reportedly updating its hardware so that the smaller iPad, as well as the iPhone, will be compatible with it. As more Apple devices use the Pencil, the stylus pen's sales are expected to rise up to 9 to 10 million in 2018.
