Apple’s compact tablet is known as the mini, which must make its latest model the iPad maxi.
Actually, the Cupertino, Calif., company doesn’t have a new name for the iPad announced yesterday — a tablet stuffed with 128 gigabytes of memory, the most storage capacity of any in Apple’s lineup.
The latest iPad 4 is also the most expensive tablet, costing up to $929.
The extra capacity — enough to house 100 DVDs — and price give Apple a high-end iPad that could counter the mini’s effect on tablet revenue.
“Apple appeals to high end, so why not have a very expensive iPad to offset some decline in average selling price?” said Colin Gillis, an analyst with BGC Partners.
The average iPad sale amounted to $465 for Apple last quarter, the company reported, compared to $570 during the same period the year prior.
Apple hopes to appeal to graphic artists and other business clients who could use extra storage.
“Enterprises, educators and artists have even more reasons to use iPad for all their business and personal needs,” Apple said in a statement.
The new iPad, which hits shelves Feb. 5, also comes just in time to compete with the Feb. 9 launch of Microsoft’s Windows 8 Surface Pro tablet, which also is marketed toward enterprise customers and is priced accordingly: more than $1,000 for the 128 gigabyte version and a cover that seconds as a keyboard.
Apple shares closed yesterday at $458.27, up 1.9 percent.