Apple is widely expected to debut its first iPad Pro models with OLED displays sometime next year. In the lead-up to the official announcement, a sketchy new supply chain report today suggests that Apple is also planning a big price increase for the OLED iPad Pro lineup.
The supply chain blog The Elec reports today that Apple is currently targeting a $1,500 starting price for the 11-inch iPad Pro with OLED and a $1,800 starting price for the 12.9-inch version.
This would be a significant price increase compared to the current iPad Pro lineup. As it stands today, the 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $799, while the 12.9-inch iPad Pro starts at $1,099.
The report explains:
The industry response to $1500 and $1800 is divided into two. The interpretation is “a reasonable increase even considering that it is an Apple product with loyal customers,” and the prospect that “the iPad is not as loyal as the iPhone and has a lot of replacements, so it will be difficult to maintain the existing iPad Pro lineup sales at $1500 to $1800.”
9to5Mac’s Take
We’d treat this rumor with a healthy dose of skepticism for the time being. We’re still at least a year away from Apple officially announcing the first OLED iPad Pro models.
Furthermore, it’s always important to keep in mind that supply chain sources don’t have a read on what Apple is internally planning for new product prices. They can make educated guesses based on what they know about component prices, but only certain product teams inside Apple know actual prices.
As today’s report points out, these prices could change as Apple finalizes agreements with suppliers:
The current OLED iPad price estimates from the industry could change in the future. The OLED for iPad, which is scheduled to be delivered by LG Display and Samsung Display, is still in the development stage, so the panel price has not been decided. In the cost of materials, the cost of procurement of panels is the largest.
With that being said, I’m fully expecting the iPad Pro to get more expensive when Apple switches to OLED displays. The 11-inch model in particular is overdue for a price increase, having been priced at the same $799 since its introduction in 2018. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro got $100 more expensive when it switched to mini-LED display technology. I just don’t think we’ll see as dramatic of an increase as today’s rumor claims.
How much would you be willing to pay for an iPad Pro with an OLED display? Would you pay the $1500/$1800 prices suggested in this report? Let us know in the comments.
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