Bundled accessory will be optional, says Ming-Chi Kuo

Jan 19, 2015 09:14 GMT  ·  By

The upcoming iPad Pro slated for release later this year will come with an optional add-on targeting creatives and business users. This extra piece of hardware goes against Steve Jobs’ judgment that iPads require additional input methods other than our hands.

The prediction comes from the usually-reliable Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst with KGI Securities known to have solid connections to Apple’s supply chain partners in the Far East.

iPad Pro with Stylus

That’s right. Even though the late Steve Jobs vehemently denied that Apple tablets would ever sport a stylus, Kuo believes that the company’s priorities have since changed, and that a larger iPad – whose screen reportedly measures nearly 13 inches on the diagonal – will require additional input devices to cater to all kinds of users.

“We don’t think all users will need a stylus initially. Coupled with its unfavorable cost structure, high selling prices may turn consumers off if the 12.9-inch iPad is always bundled with it. We therefore expect the stylus to be an optional accessory before sufficient user feedback is received,” Kuo wrote in a research note.

Nothing is set in stone, even at Apple

Many reports about the stylus-equipped iPad Pro obviously mention Steve Jobs, and how he hated this input device (at least for Apple's own tablet computer).

Die hard Apple fans will agree that even Apple will backpedal on some of its decisions, if there’s suddenly demand for a certain product. Had you asked the company about their plans to develop a watch, say in 2010, their answer would have probably been no.

There are other examples of Apple doing stuff against Steve Jobs’ will, such as the iPad mini. The diminutive tablet computer rolled out after the man had passed away. We’ll never know whether or not he’d have given his seal of approval for this particular product, but one thing is for sure: the smaller tablet did very well for Apple’s bottom line. So did the iPhone 6 Plus.

The giant smartphone is also something Jobs would have probably never approved. At least not in 2011, when he passed away. Bottom line, things change, markets change, and therefore priorities change as well. Apple would be dumb to stick to traditions that no longer apply.