On Sept. 12, Apple finally unveiled the much anticipated iPhone X. It was nothing the rumor-starved tech community hasn't seen before, so no surprises came. It's got an almost bezel-less OLED display, no Touch ID, dual cameras, wireless charging, a distracting notch at the top, and Face ID. These were all leaked beforehand.
But there was one surprise nobody thought was coming and probably not many know about yet: Apple has just increased iPad Pro prices by $50. Without changing the models at all. They're the same iPad Pro devices as before, just $50 more expensive. While everyone was busy watching the event of the year, Apple quietly marked up the iPad Pro for some reason.
Apple Quietly Raises iPad Pro Prices
MacRumors first noticed the price increase. The 10.5-inch Apple iPad Pro now costs $799 for the 256 GB model, $999 for the 512 GB one. The 64 GB model remains at $649. The ones with cellular capability have become even more expensive: $929 for the 256 GB model and $1,129 for the 512 GB version. These were also $50 cheaper previously.
The 12.9-inch iPad Pro also received a price increase. While the base 64 GB version remains at $799, the 256 GB version now costs $949 while the 512 GB now costs a whopping $1,149. Before, pricing for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro was $799, $899, and $1,099 for the 64, 256, and 512 GB models respectively.
It remains unclear why Apple would do such a thing, but MacRumors speculates it's because of rising costs for flash memory, compounded by a surge in orders for the new higher-capacity iPhone models.
Some stores, such as Best Buy, have already changed their prices to reflect Apple's markups, but others have not. Those looking to buy an iPad Pro should look for a retailer which still offers the original price so as not to pay $50 more.
Apple iPad Pro
The iPad Pro line is the most powerful out of all Apple's iPad models, marketed as devices that can replace most PCs. In June, it was reported that iPad Pro models performed better than a high-end MacBook Pro in some benchmark tests, hinting at the sheer power of the tablet.
Apple will soon release iOS 11 for compatible devices, and by the looks of it, the iPad Pro will be the most radically changed. The software update brings a fresh new look, a new file system, a significant user interface upgrade, and makes the iPad Pro's ecosystem closer to that of a dedicated laptop.
