It would seem the iPad Pro models are going to get quite the revamp in 2024, with new screens and new chipsets – a revamp which is probably overdue for these premium tablets, which have had rather minor updates since 2018.
As per the usually reliable Mark Gurman in his Power On newsletter at Bloomberg, Apple is hoping that the upgrades it introduces will "shake up" a stagnant tablet market and spark some fresh interest in the most expensive iPads.
There will be two new models in the first half of next year, Gurman says, both with OLED displays – a switch that's long been rumored. Right now the 11-inch iPad Pro uses standard LED and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro uses mini-LED.
The 11-inch screen size will be retained, while the 12.9-inch iPad Pro will become a 13-inch model. The iPad Pro screens are already very good, but the introduction of OLED should mean that they get crisper and brighter, and even better at color reproduction.
New chips and accessories
On the inside, these tablets are predicted to run the as-yet-unannounced M3 chips from Apple. That makes sense, considering that the current models run the M2 chip, so expect even faster performance and an even broader range of features.
Gurman also says that a new Magic Keyboard is in the works, an accessory that hasn't been updated since its 2020 debut. The 2024 edition will apparently have a larger trackpad, and make the iPad Pro "look even more like a laptop".
Like most manufacturers, Apple is seeing declines in tablet sales, according to Gurman – declines that haven't been helped by minor iPad updates, a confusing overall lineup (see the iPad Air 5 vs the iPad Pro 2022), and underwhelming iPadOS updates.
We'll have to wait and see if these new OLED iPad Pros can make a difference when they appear next year. In the meantime, all eyes are on Apple's expected September event, when we should see the iPhone 15 and the Apple Watch 9.
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