Apple is rumored to be releasing a new 9.7-inch iPad this month.
But some speculate the company will expand the color options from just your average silver or black.
Bloomberg started the rumor mill with this article, reporting, "Apple will add a gold color option for its full-size iPads in an effort to boost a category that's posted declining shipments this year, according to people familiar with the plans."
At the end of August, Computerworld published this graphic from Cantor Fitzgerald. There's no arguing iPad sales have plummeted since the first quarter of 2012. An analyst for The Wall Street Journal explains why that might be the case.
"With tablets, I think a lot of researchers have kind of been modeling very short replacement cycles on tablets. ... Most people don't use their tablets as frequently as they are using their phones."
So for instance, you most likely bring your phone everywhere, while the iPad might stay at home during the day. Now, with that being said, how much could offering a new color actually help boost sales?
Well, as you can see, a majority of outlets are getting their info from the Bloomberg article we mentioned earlier, which didn't name any reliable sources for the rumor.
In fact, Bloomberg admits it reached out to Teresa Brewer, a spokeswoman for Apple, but she declined to comment. The article also points out Apple has used color strategies to help increase sales in the past but has gotten mixed results.
So as for how the rumored addition might help iPad sales — that's still up in the air.
But a writer for Business Insider does note: "This isn't the first time we've heard that Apple will add a gold variant to the iPad lineup. In early September, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has a pretty solid track record when it comes to predict[ing] Apple product launches, also reported the company would release a gold iPad."
If Apple follows its tradition of announcing iPad changes in October, we should expect the speculation to be cleared up very soon.
This video includes images from Getty Images.
