Apple's next iPad rumoured to come with a hefty price tag

iPad Pro
Is a smaller iPad Pro on the way?

Unless you've just stumbled across TechRadar during a visit from another planet you'll know that Apple has a big media event planned for Monday - and we're expecting to see both a new iPhone and a new iPad, amongst other goodies.

It sounds very much like the iPad will be Air-sized with Pro-level components, and according to 9to5Mac it's going to have a premium price tag too: $599 for starters, which is a full $100 higher than the cheapest iPad Air 2 currently sells for.

However, you get 32GB of room for your money rather than 16GB, 9to5Mac's sources say, so that eases the pain a little bit. The site is usually on the money as far as Apple rumours go so we'd say this is probably (but not definitely) what you can expect come Monday.

Tablet tittle-tattle

From all of the leaks we've heard so far, this sounds very much like a mini iPad Pro rather than an iPad Air 3, though the 9.7-inch screen size matches the latter range: it will include the Pro's four speaker setup and brighter screen technology, plus support for a clip-on smart keyboard and the Apple Pencil.

Maybe going premium is the only way forward Apple can see for its languishing tablet line: while still the most popular slate in existence, the iPad's sales have suffered from larger phone sizes and the fact that we just don't upgrade tablets as often as smartphones.

It's now almost certain that Apple has decided to go all-in with the Pro model for its next iPad, and we'll be bringing you live coverage of Apple's event on Monday as it happens. The ceremonies start at 10am PDT in the US, which is 5pm in London and 4am in Sydney.

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David Nield
Freelance Contributor

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.

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