14 DAY TRIAL // Apple is projected to launch a new iPhone generation in September, but bigger overhauls are expected in the next two years, when the company is very likely to introduce significant upgrades to its iPhone and iPad tablets.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who keeps good track of information regarding unreleased Apple products, claims that the company is working on new iPad models that could be introduced in 2017, as well as an eagerly anticipated upgrade happening in 2018.
First of all, 2017 will bring us three different iPad models, namely the 12.9-inch iPad Pro 2, which kind of makes sense to launch next year, a low-cost 9.7-inch tablet, and a brand new 10.5-inch version.
This should help Apple expand into the tablet industry, but Cupertino’s decision to invest in this industry is quite questionable, especially because statistics have shown that the tablet business has reached saturation, and customers are more inclined to buy bigger phones or phablets instead of tablets.
OLED iPhone coming in 2017
But the real and more exciting product is expected to land in 2018, in the form of what the analyst calls a “revolutionary iPad model” coming with “radical changes in form factor design and user behavior.” One of the most significant upgrades on this device is the flexible AMOLED screen that will position the iPad as the clear leader in this market.
“We believe iPad will follow in the footsteps of the iPhone by adopting AMOLED panel in 2018F (fiscal year) at the earliest. If Apple can truly tap the potential of a flexible AMOLED panel, we believe the new iPad model will offer new selling points through radical form factor design and user behavior changes, which could benefit shipments,” the analyst says.
What’s also imperative to note is that this new iPad model with a flexible OLED screen will debut one year after the iPhone, so the next-next generation of Apple’s phone is very likely to adopt this technology.
Previous reports indicated that Apple was planning a major overhaul of the iPhone in 2017, with an OLED screen incorporating all front-facing parts, including the FaceTime camera and the home button.
It turns out that this edge-to-edge screen will be similar to the one that Apple wants to use in 2018 on the iPhone, with the company thus planning to make the switch to OLED for the entire lineup of phones and tablets in the next couple of years.