Rumor: Apple to release Pro model of iPad mini

Apple is working on a Pro variant of the 7.9″ iPad mini. The tablet would be equipped with four speakers, a 12-megapixel camera and TrueTone screen. The 9.7″ variant of the iPad Pro will be slightly larger and gets a 10.1″ screen.

This would mean that the iPad Pro line will be available on all three sizes of the iPad. The smaller 7.9-inch iPad Pro will be equipped with a TrueTone flash and Smart Connector, with which a keyboard can be connected, reports the Japanese site Macotakara, which has proven reliable before.

The 9.7″ iPad Pro will be slightly larger to make room for the larger 10.1″ screen. According to the website, the tablet will be one centimeter longer and one and a half millimeters wider. Macotakara also reports that all new iPad Pro models will be equipped with four microphones. Also, the iPad Pro models will still have a 3.5mm audio jack, unlike the recent iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

It is not clear what will happen to the normal iPads. Macotakara seems to suggest that no new models will come out of that and that the Pro line will become the standard. The website indicates that the tablets will be available in the spring of 2017.