Apple first unveiled the iPad 2 about year-and-a-half ago now. It was much thinner, faster and had more powerful graphics processor than it’s predecessor. According to Evercore Partners analyst Rob Cihra, the iPad 2 will be phased out once the iPad mini launches. It might sound crazy, but Cihra says the move will streamline the company’s product line. In a note to Apple investors he thinks that the iPad 2 will be phased out to make for a more clean product lineup for Apple. The iPad two is already being sold at a discount and once the mini is released is expected to be phased out. Cirha believes that once the iPad mini is released, Apple will only have two iPad models to sell — the regular 10-inch third-generation iPad, and the new 7.8-inch iPad mini. Cihra believes that Apple will sell about 7 million iPad minis in Q4 and roughly 26 million during the upcoming holiday season if you count both models. Apple will soon announce its Q3 earnings, and Cihra believes Apple sold 27 million iPhones, 17 million iPads, 5.7 million iPods, and 4.9 million Macs, which would result in a revenue of $36.5 billion, with a predicted revenue of $56.1 billion in Q4.
