New iPad With Model Identifier 'iPad6,8' Shows Up in Analytics
A new report from the mobile analytics firm AppSee has given us renewed confidence that we might see the iPad Pro at Apple’s fall launch in early September.
The firm revealed yesterday that a new iPad, the 'iPad6,8', had turned up in its database. They haven’t shared data on the screen size or other technical details, but they did note that its screen resolution was 2,732 x 2,048 pixels.
That matches closely with previous leaks and rumors about the iPad Pro, including the code references in iOS 9 that pointed to an onscreen keyboard designed to fit a screen with those dimensions.
There’s a lot of speculation surrounding the new iPad, including suggestions that it would have a pressure sensitive touchscreen, but (for those of us who don’t follow it closely) it’s hard to tell which is real and what is the result of fanboy optimism.
In related news, AppSee’s logs also showed data on two new iPhones tagged with the labels “iPhone8,1” and “iPhone8,2“,. These are probably the soon-to-be-revealed new iPhone 6S/6S+, but these are much smaller news.
http://9to5mac.com/author/markgurman/
Comments
Frank August 19, 2015 um 11:26 am
The tablet market is shrinking, so Apple needs to shake things up with a bigger screen.
Nate Hoffelder August 19, 2015 um 1:24 pm
Or they could just throw in the towel. The iPad has always been second to the iPhone in terms of sales, and with the market shifting in that direction anyway …
Tim F. August 19, 2015 um 3:39 pm
The rumors around the iPad Pro have only been difficult to chart if your Nate. If you actually have any intelligence and track the quality rumors from Mark Gurman (primarily on the software side) and Ming-Chi Kuo (on the hardware supply-side), it’s been extremely straightforward and clear.
Of course, Nate offering such advice in the comment above makes it clear that he doesn’t belong within 200 yards of an Apple rumor.
Nate Hoffelder August 19, 2015 um 4:19 pm
"if your Nate"
If their Nate what, exactly?
I have a rule about ignoring rumors and speculation from analysts, yes. I go for solid leaks, rather than speculation.
But clearly I need to watch Gurman, so thanks for the pointer. (And anyway, Apple has already told us what is in iOS 9.)
And as for my previous comment, it was an example of my oblique sense of humor. I know Apple is doing an iPad pro, and back in January I gave the exact same reasoning as Frank.
Tim F. August 19, 2015 um 4:32 pm
You say you don’t post rumors yet the site is littered with bad Apple rumors and your poor take on them, Nate. Pretty simple.
fe August 20, 2015 um 10:11 am
The naming is confusing. "iPad6,8" reads like a smaller tablet (the size of Kobo’s Aura HD/H2O). The 4:3 ratio of that 2,732 x 2,048 pixels could make this an attractive reading device, if they used an OLED and you read white on black. Pixel density would also be nice for reading at that size.
I’m not sure though, how “iPhone8,1” and “iPhone8,2“ would make sense then. There wouldn’t be two similarly but still differently sized screens, so the naming must have some other meaning, if any at all.
Nate Hoffelder August 20, 2015 um 10:27 am
It is confusing, yes. I also wondered whether this might be a new model that split the different between the iPad Mini and the iPhone.
But the screen geometry suggests it’s not a smaller screen. A 6.8″ screen would more likely have a geometry of 16:9 (so it would be easier to hold) rather than 4:3.
Tim F. August 20, 2015 um 2:52 pm
The naming is not confusing. This is Apple’s internal numbering scheme only. The first number denotes a major generation (8th for the iPhone, 6th for the iPad). The second number is a unique model identifier; see here (http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/iphone/index-iphone-specs.html) and here (http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/ipad/index-ipad-specs.html). In fact, the 6,8 id suggests that the iPad Pro may still be a generation off… but these internal IDs sometimes change.
Again, this is straightforward stuff … if you actually follow Apple news.
Tim F. August 20, 2015 um 2:54 pm
My bad: I forgot the iPad Airs are a major generation ahead of the minis — so we already have iPad 5,…s.
Nate Hoffelder August 23, 2015 um 3:05 pm
The problem with following Apple news is that this isn’t news; it’s leaks and rumors, and sorting between the two involves digging through shit to find diamonds.
Take Mark Gurman, for example. You say he’s reliable, but he also writes for a site that regularly posts crap sourced from Digitimes. That renders the entire site a suspect source in my mind, but more importantly I decline to waste my tme digging to find the good stuff.
Tim F. August 24, 2015 um 11:23 am
Journalism requires digging which just isn’t worth it. And yet you’ll still post crap without having done any digging so you have little sense of what’s crap or not.
That’s how I interpret your comment and why I think you are horrible when it comes to Apple news (or rumors).