Spring 2024 could bring array of new iPad models, according to a reliable Apple tipster. This might include models from the smallest iPad mini to the largest iPad Pro.
Some of the changes will be only a faster processor, but other tablets will supposedly see more dramatic improvements.
No new iPads in 2023
No new iPads have launched so far in 2023. None came out in the spring for Dads-and-grads season, and the September Apple event came and went without a mention of a tablet. Last week, the Apple Pencil (USB-C) was unveiled all by itself, without a new iPad to accompany it.
It seems tablet fans still have months to wait. “Apple isn’t planning to launch new iPads until around next March,” said Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, citing unnamed sources.
This is in-line with other tipsters. The rest of 2023 will be bare of iPad launches according to Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst with TF International Securities and another wellspring of Apple leaks.
(Which means the Apple event supposedly coming at the end of October will be focused entirely on Mac.)
But lots to look forward to in 2024
Details on a range of future iPad models have come to light in recent months. Gurman’s sources are unable to give him an exact list of which of these will be on the agenda for the Apple March 2024 event, possibly because Apple itself can’t be completely certain which will be ready to debut in five months.
But he did say, “I’m told that Apple is currently planning to release at least the more minor iPad refreshes in March.”
That’s a reference to the future iPadOS tablets that will be essentially today’s models but with newer, faster processors. On that list are the iPad 11 and iPad mini 7.
But the iPad Air line could be in for more major changes. There have been reports that Apple will add a 12.9-inch version of the Air to its roster. This might join the current 10.9-inch one. Cupertino is supposedly still weighing its options on this matter.
2024: A big year for iPad Pro
More certain is that multiple sources indicate 2024 will bring the first iPad Pro with an OLED screen rather than the traditional LCD. With OLED (short for organic light-emitting diode) displays, each pixel glows on its own. This leads to a bright, even image with strong contrast.
The current 12.9-inch iPad Pro model supposedly will be replaced with a slightly larger one at 13 inches. The 11-inch version will stay the same size.
Both these models and the fresh iPad Air iterations will likely include the Apple M3 processor, bringing an increase in performance and battery life.
Although Gurman’s sources aren’t certain that the 2024 iPad Pro will launch in March, that’s probably Apple’s goal. Its premium tablet traditionally gets updated every 18 months, and the last new version was fall 2022.
