Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman says Apple scrapped its plans to offer a low-cost iPad sporting a plastic body and an included plastic keyboard for below $500.
In his Power On newsletter, Gurman said Apple had “internally considered launching an iPad with a plastic back and plastic keyboard” that would ship in the same box for below $500. “The idea was seemingly abandoned, but that was probably Apple’s only real hope of ever giving Chromebooks a run for their money in most schools,” Gurman added.
Gurman did not specify whether the plastic iPad would have debuted as the 10th-generation iPad, announced last week, or another distinct iPad model. The new entry-level iPad features an all-screen design featuring a large 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display. It is powered by the A14 Bionic chip and features an updated Ultra Wide 12MP front camera located along the landscape edge of the iPad, as well as an updated 12MP back camera.
