Rumor: Apple may charge $80 more for 'iPad 3' with Retina Display

Posted:
in iPad edited January 2014


A document that has surfaced out of the Far East claims that Apple's third-generation iPad will cost $80 more, starting at $579 instead of $499.



Evidence of a potential price hike for Apple's so-called "iPad 3" came on Monday from a newly publicized price comparison sheet that surfaced from China. The post was originally discovered on the Chinese microblogging site Sina Weibo by MacRumors.



The comparison chart shows a 16-gigabyte Wi-Fi-only iPad priced at $579, with the 32-gigabyte model for $679 and 64-gigabyte for $779. 3G-capable models are also shown with a price hike, though slightly less at $70 for each model.



If the rumored prices prove accurate, the increases could be as a result of higher costs associated with the Retina Display Apple's next iPad is expected to feature. Reports have pointed toward the new iPad screen having a resolution of 2,047 by 1,536 pixels, which would be twice that of the current 1,024-by-768-pixel screen on the iPad 2.



Other changes to the iPad are expected to be largely internal, with evidence of a faster processor and potential 4G LTE connectivity having surfaced in recent weeks. On the outside, the next iPad is expected to look largely the same, with an external case featuring edges slightly more tapered than the iPad 2.











A price increase for the next iPad would be a rare move for Apple, which has generally maintained price points for its iOS products with each annual upgrade. One of the biggest surprises with the first iPad when it was announced in 2010 was its $499 starting price, which some analysts expected would cost over $1,000.



There have also been suggestions that Apple could continue to offer the current iPad 2 at a lower price, much like the company currently does with previous-generation iPhone models. Some have seen a hypothetical $399 iPad 2 as a way Apple could take away sales from Amazon's $199 Kindle Fire.



[ View article on AppleInsider ]

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 195
    Who seriously isn't going to pay 8 to 16% more to get an iPad with an LG AH-IPS panel with 2048x1536 resolution that can hold the same battery life?
  • Reply 2 of 195
    So, discount for iPad 2, same prices for iPad 2S, and +$80 for iPad 3?
  • Reply 3 of 195
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    $80 bucks more or less makes zero difference to me and it doesn't matter to the majority of Apple users either. If the extra tech included in the iPad 3 warrants the increase in price, then so be it. Those who want an iPad 3 will get one, and those that don't, well they won't.



    Apple does not need to attract any customers with rock bottom prices. That has never been Apple's philosophy and they certainly don't need to turn into one of those Android companies whose main selling point is cheap ass prices. Welfare recipients do not drive the tech industry, people who appreciate quality and Apple customers do.
  • Reply 4 of 195
    paxmanpaxman Posts: 4,729member
    Increased labour costs?
  • Reply 5 of 195
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tlevier View Post


    So, discount for iPad 2, same prices for iPad 2S, and +$80 for iPad 3?



    Where are you seeing an iPad 2S?
  • Reply 6 of 195
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by paxman View Post


    Increased labour costs?



    Maybe a little but I think the biggest hit is from the HW they have to use. Just like the iPhone 4 display no one had anything remotely close, the difference is that the components to push the pixels in the iPhone 4 already existed in the iPad and then some. WIth this new resolution on a mobile device a lot of tech is leading edge. I think it's safe to say that the 43.9 billion Apple invested was likely for display tech.
  • Reply 7 of 195
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post


    Where are you seeing an iPad 2S?



    Just trying to rectify the various rumors about the A5X chip and the A6 quad core chip.
  • Reply 8 of 195
    Seems to me the iPad 3 has to be the same price or lower than the previous model. And, the 1 year old model should be $70 or so cheaper than the new model (and $100 cheaper would really boost sales more than $70 off).



    It would be a mistake to raise prices, in the light of the Samsung competition (which is starting to attract my attention).
  • Reply 9 of 195
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tlevier View Post


    Just trying to rectify the various rumors about the A5X chip and the A6 quad core chip.



    I don't think anything can drawn from Apple using A5X over A6. The A5X could very well be a 2x doubling of most components. Double the A9 cores, double PowerVR GPU cores, and double the RAM.
  • Reply 10 of 195
    Makes sense to offer the current iPad at $399 and the iPad 3 at $579.



    Millions of people are using the iPad 2 right now and are perfectly happy with it. For those who want the latest and greatest or who need the extra resolution, there's the new model. Both versions would sell in the millions and be a good choice for particular customers.
  • Reply 11 of 195
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by paxman View Post


    Increased labour costs?



    Perhaps. They did just get 25% raises didn't they?



    And I bet that the people who will whine the most about Apple's prices are many of the same hypocritical people who whined about the working conditions. These people should now be glad and they should be happy to pay more for their new iPad, otherwise they should just STFU.
  • Reply 12 of 195
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by KT Walrus View Post


    It would be a mistake to raise prices, in the light of the Samsung competition (which is starting to attract my attention).



    I hear that Samsung is also eventually coming out with some kind of hi-res screen tablet too. You should probably wait around for that one.
  • Reply 13 of 195
    Apple could be pricing themselves out of the market regardless if it has Retina Display.
  • Reply 14 of 195
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by KT Walrus View Post


    Seems to me the iPad 3 has to be the same price or lower than the previous model. And, the 1 year old model should be $70 or so cheaper than the new model (and $100 cheaper would really boost sales more than $70 off).



    It would be a mistake to raise prices, in the light of the Samsung competition (which is starting to attract my attention).



    What bizarre logic would lead one to believe that Apple should LOWER prices on the iPad?



    If you look at the published results, Samsung is only a tiny player - and no evidence that they're growing. Apple is the clear #1 - by far. Amazon is #2 - again with a wide lead. But Apple isn't really competing with the Kindle, so that's not really an issue. None of the full tablet computers have even a tiny fraction of Apple's share.



    If Apple really does come out with a high resolution iPad, it will be so far ahead of the competition that there's no reason to think that they'd have to lower the price. And a price increase wouldn't be out of the question.
  • Reply 15 of 195
    80 dollar is about the extra cost for the retina display.



    I personally think the quad core model will cost 80 dollar more. Many will pay 80 dollar extra for a quad core CPU. The fun thing for Apple is that the quad core cost about the same as the dual core.
  • Reply 16 of 195
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    A document that has surfaced out of the Far East claims that Apple's third-generation iPad will cost $80 more, starting at $579 instead of $499.



    I'd be more surprised if they didn't have a price hike.



    I wonder if they'll have the HD iPad models with an A6 and the regular model with the A5X, but at this price point it's unlikely. Just wonder which processor they'll use for the basic iPad 3, if they differentiate a basic model or just keep the iPad 2 at a discount.
  • Reply 17 of 195
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by theoldcoot View Post


    Apple could be pricing themselves out of the market regardless if it has Retina Display.



    Apple is the market.
  • Reply 18 of 195
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by theoldcoot View Post


    Apple could be pricing themselves out of the market regardless if it has Retina Display.



    I'm worried about this.
  • Reply 19 of 195
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by paxman View Post


    Increased labour costs?



    Plus all the additional costs to put stickers over the name 'iPad' on every unit sold in China.
  • Reply 20 of 195
    I think the screen on my iPad 2 looks amazing. I'll be skipping the iPad 3.
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