Analyst Predicts Apple's Upcoming iPad will Transform the Notebook Market

Analyst Predicts Apple's Upcoming iPad will Transform the Notebook Market

Published on 01-04-2014 07:01 PM

Evercore Partners analyst Patrick Wang believes Apple will show a renewed focus on the enterprise market with a new 12-inch iPad hybrid, which he believes could fundamentally change the notebook and PC landscape. Wang made his prediction in a note to investors this week where he forecasts that a new iPad model with a larger 12-inch display, powered by an Apple-built next-gen “A8” processor will launch in the fall of 2014.

The analyst sees such a device shaking up the traditional established notebook market, an industry that Microsoft has been trying but largely failing to overhaul with its own hybrid laptop-tablet devices running the Windows 8 platform. According to Wang, such a device would expand the reach of chipmaker ARM, which makes the reference designs for Apple’s A-series chips. ARM’s gains would come at a cost to Intel, which is the dominant player in traditional computer chips, resulting in greater price competition.

Wang particularly noted that the processor in a MacBook Air is estimated to account for 22% of the notebook’s bill of materials. In contrast, the processor found in a 128 GB iPad is estimated to represent just 4% of the total cost to Apple. Wang sees the 64-bit infrastructure introduced in Apple’s new A7 processor, which powers the iPhone 5S, iPad Air and Retina iPad Mini as a “game changer” that sets the stage for a so-called “iPad Pro.” Recent rumors have been suggesting that Apple is testing touchscreen panels in the 12-inch range for a new product that could launch this year.

Some believe that the naming convention of the new iPad Air (borrowing from the MacBook Air) could signal that Apple plans to release a professional-grade iPad, similar to the MacBook Pro in its notebook lineup. A 12-inch display would put such a device in a class closer to Apple’s 11.6-inch MacBook Air. Up until now, all full-size iPad models have had a 9.7-inch screen, while the iPad mini models have sported a 7.9-inch display. Wang also predicts that Apple wouldn’t just simply release a larger iPad. Instead he sees the company using the additional screen real estate to create a hybrid-style device that could serve as both a tablet and a notebook which would make the iPad lineup more appealing to business customers.

We’ll have to wait and see which one of the predictions turns out to be true.

Source: Evercore Partners via AppleInsider

_{This article was originally published in forum thread: Analyst Predicts Apple's Upcoming iPad will Transform the Notebook Market started by Akshay Masand View original post}