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iPad Pro planned for Sept. 9 debut with iPad mini 4; October pre-orders, November launch

Bill Graham Civic (Exposition) Auditorium, 99 Grove St, SF

Apple’s September 9th event is set to be one of the company’s largest events in history, as is reflected by the expansive size of its San Francisco venue. Besides a pair of new iPhones, the substantially revamped Apple TV set top box, and new bands for the Apple Watch, Apple is currently planning to debut a pair of new iPads at next week’s event: the long-rumored iPad Pro, and a refreshed version of the iPad mini, according to trusted sources…

The “iPad Pro” (which is actually the planned name of the device) is currently scheduled to hit retail outlets in November, following a pre-order campaign that will launch toward the end of October, sources indicate. While whispers within Apple point to the MacBook-sized tablet making its debut on next week’s stage, it is possible that Apple could still hold back the larger iPad for an early October event given the currently planned November ship date. Following recent announcements of Apple iOS enterprise collaborations with Cisco and IBM, sufficient component availability to meet anticipated year-end demand appears to be the only question mark at this point.

Nonetheless, the Bill Graham auditorium (pictured above) is a massive 7000-seat building, and sources suggest that it was deliberately chosen to reflect the event’s scope. They have said that next week’s event will include an “unprecedented” blitz of product introductions, even potentially outmatching last year’s iPhone 6, Apple Watch, and Apple Pay keynote at the Flint Center in Cupertino. If the iPad Pro is indeed shown off next week, sources indicate that the new iPad mini 4 will also be introduced alongisde it. A third version of the iPad Air is also in the works, but sources confirm that it won’t be released until 2016. New Macs are also unlikely to appear next week.

The iPad mini 4 will be a thinner version of the current iPad mini, including a faster A-series chip with support for split-screen apps first introduced in iOS 9. It will likely also include a pair of upgraded cameras. As for the iPad Pro, codenamed J98/J99 internally, the larger-sized tablet will be geared toward power users and run iOS 9.1, support a Force Touch-based stylus, and include speakers on two sides for a more pronounced stereo effect. The new iOS 9.1 operating system is said to bring additional tweaks to the iPad Pro, including optimized versions of the Siri and Notification Center interfaces. If Apple does indeed unveil the new iPads next week, another Apple event this fall can be ruled out.

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Comments

  1. If true, then it explains the massive venue.

  2. ag80911 - 9 years ago

    Gee…how long long would this be…sounds like as long as WWDC (2hrs+)

  3. Yes!!

    My AMEX has started sobbing quietly.

  4. ag80911 - 9 years ago

    The “iPad Pro” (which is actually the planned name of the device) – this sounds like a $799-$999 product to be sold to a price insensitive market (enterprise, hotel kiosk, film houses, etc) – with that name they are signalling that this is not a consumer product.

    • 1koenig1 - 9 years ago

      Huh? The surface pro is in the same price range and several of my friends have it. Why is it people need to write without prior careful consideration of what they write?

      • ag80911 - 9 years ago

        Agreed..a fully decked Ipad+Cellular will run you for $829.00 – a starting price for $799 might work for some people. I already have iPad Air 2 so I am not in the market right now.

  5. Alex Moran - 9 years ago

    For me this is all o care about

  6. hungarianhc - 9 years ago

    iPad Pro… A9? A8X? A9X?

  7. Ryan Peterson - 9 years ago

    Thoughts on dual-boot. iOS / OS X?

    • Not going to happen.

    • driverbenji - 9 years ago

      No. Apple has already stated that there will be no merging of iOS & OS X. There will be more/easier communication between the two, but they will not merge.

      I do see it operating in split screen two apps at once with no lag.

      • chrisl84 - 9 years ago

        Dual boot isn’t merging.

  8. Inaba-kun (@Inaba_kun) - 9 years ago

    Weird to leave e regular full size iPad behind. First time it will be slower than the iPhone.

  9. No way… What?!… Wait a minute. So they would announce

    iPhone 6S
    iPhone 6S Plus
    Apple TV 4 and that new remote
    iPad Pro
    iPad mini 4
    Apple Watch bands

    plus iOS 9 release and more?

    Seriously, no way. I think October event makes a lot of sense with El Cap release, iPads and 21¨ iMac .

    • taoprophet420 - 9 years ago

      I can see a preview of IPad Pro next week then it being shown again at an October event along the iPad mini 4 and new Macs. I think developers will need more then the normal 10 days to develop apps for the iPad pro.

    • Mike McKee - 9 years ago

      I’m afraid Apple may be in danger of becoming like the John Scully-era Apple that lost focus and as a result had a confusing array of barely different products on the market. Maybe not, but I do see parallels.

  10. Greg (@GPELX) - 9 years ago

    These events are losing steam.

  11. Curious if they would announce a new Mac Pro with updated processors and Thunderbolt 3? Been 2 years and could use an update

  12. IF this is true it would appear that “post Jobs apple” is more about quantity than quality.

  13. technicalconclusions - 9 years ago

    It would be a mistake to not come out with an iPad Air 3 with A9X. I realize these are unconfirmed rumors, but the notion of not upgrading the main iPad is silly. It would be a real blunder if that’s true.

    • rettun1 - 9 years ago

      The past few 10 inch iPads have gotten the X-series chip, so I wouldn’t sweat it. It probably just won’t be at this event. What else could they show off at the Oct event if all the iPads are updated (assuming there is one, like there has been for the past few years)? This time I think we’ll see ‘iPad Pro’ with A9x and new iPad mini with A8X. Then whenever they update the 10 inch iPad (my best guess is at the Oct Event, but early next year wouldn’t surprise me) I think they’ll give it a A9X like its big sibling.

  14. totencough - 9 years ago

    Not to hijack the thread, but any news on another iOS 9 beta? It’s been 4 weeks since the beta 5 was released, and there are several bugs that still need to be fixed.

    • Kai Rode - 9 years ago

      Not likely because the current internal beta has all the “sekrit stuff” they have not announced yet.

  15. applegetridofsimandjack - 9 years ago

    I need an iPad Air 3 before november!

  16. Thomas Yoon - 9 years ago

    With all of this info they have to relay in their typical event time limit, I’m already concerned Apple Pay Canada will be skipped once again. Would really like the announcement to appear September 9.

  17. I want it, but I want it now.:( LOL

  18. bpmajesty - 9 years ago

    People people people, IF this is true, it would actually be quite easy to announce…

    1. Quick update on numbers, including Pay.
    1a. Breakout Watch numbers and show a few new watch bands via slides.
    2. Annouce iPhone 6 PlusS (within the announcement show a slide with 6S schematics and pricing).
    3. Annouce iPad Pro (within the announcement show a few slides with iPad mini 4 schematics and pricing).
    3a. Give extended iOS 9 preview, piggybacking off the WWDC preview.
    4. Announce new TV as the main body of the event. Show that its no longer ‘just a hobby,’ but a mainstream product.

    You could give each one of those sections 30 minutes and piece an still come in under 2 hours (just an example). It’s not that hard. Lets just sit back, wait, and drool over things we already know we’re all going to buy! LOL!

    • chrisl84 - 9 years ago

      Breakout Apple Watch numbers…..lol, yeah I wouldn’t hold your breath on that.

    • o0smoothies0o - 9 years ago

      They won’t show any numbers, exactly like last year, Tim said they were skipping them because there was too much to go over, and the same will happen this year.

  19. driverbenji - 9 years ago

    I think they are going to quickly go over new iPhones and iOS 9, show new Watch options & Watch OS 2, maybe go over a larger iPad (will likely be called iPad Plus), and quickly announce iPad Mini 4, (hopefully with A9, but, maybe with A8), I think the main focus will be a new Apple TV at the end (one more thing), focus on new channel options, app store, gaming, and also HomeKit, perhaps the big venue is for a display to show off their idea of a smart home with the new ATV as the hub, with a bunch of HomeKit devices, and also show off how iOS devices work with ATV, HomeKit and games.

    On the other hand, they may skip over the iPads, save it for October, and also add another (smaller) retina iMac. I don’t think Mac Pro will be updated until new processors are ready next year.

    But, Apple could even wait until January to announce new iPads and such. (Have we seen leaks of a larger iPad in production?) If the iPad Mini 4 is only going to have A8 processor, it may not get much attention and just be released alongside new iPhones, (and Mini 2 discontinued), Mini 3 would get a price drop and Mini 4 take the 3’s price point.

  20. BDKennedy (@BDKennedy) - 9 years ago

    I’m guessing the iPad Plus is a complete redesign, hence no update to the iPad Mini 3 and iPad Air 2. Maybe it will look more like the iPhone 6.

  21. usmansaghir - 9 years ago

    Really can’t see Apple doing this, iPhone is Apples most important product. Dont think they would want to mix iPhone and the ipads in together. I think October is still on slate. Apple hiring the bigger venue could simply mean they would what as much journalists invited to report big on force touch. If Apple is going to sell force touch as the next big thing
    My bet is Apple will announce
    * iPhones
    * Apple tv
    maybe add something special into Apple pay or the news app
    Not long to goooo 😃

  22. o0smoothies0o - 9 years ago

    Tim Cook comes on stage *loud applause* ‘Good Morning!’ *applause continues* Tim waits for applause to die down some ‘We have some really great things to show you this morning, and so, we’re going to skip all of the numbers today.’ ‘You know?…*momentary Tim Cook pause* …at Apple, we strive to think differently, to make the greatest products, and we continue to do so, it’s in our DNA, and we will not stop.

    He’ll go on to discuss the iPhone’s screens over the years, and interaction with said screens through multitouch, which they pioneered. He will then run a video to show what they’ve done to revolutionize the iPhone interaction and the new screens. Phil Schiller and Bob Mansfield will talk and show the new great screens. He’ll then invite Phil Schiller on stage to show you the innovative work they’ve done to the iPhone’s new screen. Phil will go over the new screen tech and how much better they are in every way, including Force Touch (or whatever they renamed it).

    Etc etc

    • rettun1 - 9 years ago

      Precisely, except for the part about Bob Mansfield. I love that guy, i could sleep soundly listening to jony and him talking in that original unibody Macbook promo. But we haven’t heard from him in a while, and i heard he took a more ‘hands off’ position in apple a few years ago. If Tim Cook said at the end of the sept 9 event, “We went through a lot today…. but there is just… one more, THING,” and Bob walks out, the keynote would be a grand slam for me.

    • jiggerslovesthemapples - 9 years ago

      You nailed it! These presentations are beginning to feel so predictable and stale. Just repeating “incredible” and “off the charts” doesn’t in itself make it great.

  23. 5K THUNDERBOLT MONITOR ***PLEASE***

  24. charismatron - 9 years ago

    Apple Watch info update plus new bands/ ios9 update
    iPhone 6S + iPhone 6Splus
    Apple TV

    one more thing….

    iPad Pro

    And another thing….
    You get a car! And YOU get a car! And YOU get a car! :)

    • benfrankart - 9 years ago

      I know I’m dreaming, but for once I’d like to see that giant ipad on stage and when Tim pushes the power button it chimes the booooonnnnngggg of a Mac computer running OSX. I’d go bananas. I’d literally reach through the TV screen and start throwing money at him like a high dollar strip club.

  25. vancefry - 9 years ago

    Up until a few minutes ago, I was a member over at the Savage Interactive forums. I was just banned (first a couple of deleted posts) for speculating that their developers would be on stage on Wednesday to show off the new iPad Pro hardware running Procreate, which is in most people’s opinion the best painting software on iOS. Not sure why it was such a big deal. Did Apple maybe buy a little Australian app developer and are super sensitive about this little fact? Very strange.

  26. Jim Miller - 9 years ago

    Will the 5c be continued? or an iPhone with the colorful cases like the 5c replacing it? Anyone know?

  27. Scott Falkner - 9 years ago

    Bullshit. Apple wouldn’t dilute they hype of a product by announcing their two biggest product line updates at one event. iPads and iPhones won’t share a stage.

  28. benedict (@benedictm) - 9 years ago

    Ok this 12″ IPad Pro – why do we think this will be released? It all seems to be rumour – there are no actual part leaks and, most importantly, who would actually want this? Large tablets seem totally unwanted by anyone.
    I still think the various parts and rumours that made people think there would be a 12″ iPad Pro were all actually Macbook parts.
    If anyone has a good reason why they think this 12″ iPad Pro is coming I’d be interested to hear it.,

  29. jamesbondsmartphone - 9 years ago

    Whats new in that?? Anyone can easily guess what’s iPhone 1000000000 is gonna have-
    1. A10000000003 chip
    2. 3 GB RAM
    3. iOS 10000000003
    4. 16 MP camera

  30. Kevin J. Sharkey - 9 years ago

    Disappointed no Ipad Air 3 till 2016. Time to trade in my Ipad 2. Are they talking fall 0f 2016 or earlier, and why the wait.

  31. Jan Vaculín - 9 years ago

    Guys, am I the only one who is dreaming about new iPhone with 4 inch display and body of new iPod touch?!

  32. Cola Publix - 9 years ago

    The reason for the large venue is because they’re going to surprise everyone with a circus. After that, everyone that attends will get a commemorative shirt and a free kitten.

  33. Wilson Reginald Roial - 9 years ago

    I am waiting for a new Macbook Pro 17 inches display with Retina