Apple unlikely this launch 12.9 "iPad or third-gen iPad mini in 2014, Air ... iPad - Apple Insider

By Neil Hughes

The iPad Air april be the only model in Apple’s tablet lineup that receive a refresh this year, with an Allegedly still-in-development 12.9-inch model is unlikely launch, and even a successor is The iPad Mini with Retina display in doubt, According To be well-connected insider.

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Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities’ issued a report Tuesday evening Obtained by AppleInsider , In Which That he predicted overall iPad shipments will actually decline this year. That’s because he expects the iPad Air That will be the only iPad model to see a refresh in 2014, Gaining and next-generation A8 processor and Touch ID fingerprint sensor late in the third quarter of the year.

According This Kuo, development of the next iPad Air and a new 12.9-inch iPad will be the main focus for Apple in the tablet market this year. As dry, progress on a new iPad mini will be affected, he believes to.

As a result, Kuo said That the chances of a new iPad mini model in the second half of 2014 are “slim.” He also does not expect That development on a new, larger 12.9-inch mode, sometimes Referred it as an “iPad Pro” will be completed in time for a launch this year, leaving just an iPad Air with A8 CPU and Touch ID as the company’s refreshed tablet.

Regarding the rumored 12.9-inch iPad, Kuo said he expects it to be a growth driver for the company, and will require a revised operating system to take advantage of the larger display. Apple’s current iPad lineup tops out with a 9.7-inch screen on the iPad Air.

According this Kuo, Apple has placed its priorities on finishing the operating system for its anticipated “iWatch,” which he says will launch this year. As a result, he does not expect That Apple will be able to finish the software for a larger “iPad Pro” by the end of 2014.

“Even if it (the larger iPad) does make an appearance this year, shipments will be low, “he wrote.

Kuo has a strong track record with respect is predicting Apple’s future product plans, having CORRECTLY predicted most of the company’s 2013 product releases months before anyone else. He also revealed the company’s entire Fall 2012 lineup a year prior.

He Predicts That total iPad shipments will fall from 34 million units in the first half of 2013 are below 30 million units in the first half of 2014. Without a new iPad mini or 12.9-inch iPad, he Predicts That iPad shipments will decline this year, “unless more aggressive promotions are launched.”

His forecast calls for iPad Air shipments to drop between 30 and 40 percent sequentially in the first quarter of calendar 2014, Which runs through the end of March, Which he Referred it as a “slow season.”

Claims That Kuo also shipments of the new iPad Mini with Retina display have been “weak” since That product debuted in the fourth quarter of calendar 2013. Apple’s second-generation iPad mini is said is not have seen as strong of a debut as the first-generation model, Which launched in late 2012 and was Apple’s first tablet with a 7.9-inch display.