Apple has tentatively scheduled the release of the new iPad Pro and iPad Air during the week of May 6 — timeline clarified Mark Gurman in the latest weekly Power On digest for Bloomberg.
From the previous iPad update 18 months have passedand the upcoming update promises to be one of the largest in the history of Apple’s tablet lineup. In particular, we expect new 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro with OLED screens, 12.9-inch iPad Air, as well as updated Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil accessories.
In addition to brighter and more contrasty OLED displays (instead of mini-LED), as in the latest iPhones, the new iPad Pro will have a more powerful M3 processor and a redesign — in particular, the new models will be even thinner (I wonder if this will turn into a another bandwagon), and the front camera will move to the side frame to make it easier to take horizontal photos.
Although expected, the news is still less pleasant — it is expected that this year’s iPad Pro update will not come without a price increase. This fact is confirmed by Mark Gurman in his new column, although there are no specifics yet. Suddenly, in the United States, prices for the current-generation 11-inch iPad Pro start at $799, and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro starts at $1099.
The new 12.9-inch iPad Air will be a more affordable alternative despite its larger screen. It is not yet known whether it will receive a more powerful processor — M2 or M3, or whether it will remain on M1 from 2020.
As for the new accessories, according to references in the iPadOS beta code, the updated Pencil stylus will support a new «squeeze» gesture that will be used for various quick actions, such as adding stickers. At the same time, the updated Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro will make the tablet look even more like a laptop with a larger trackpad and a sturdy aluminum frame.
Updates to the base iPad and iPad mini are due later this year — according to Gourmet, nothing major is expected, just a few minor improvements and a more powerful processor in the Mini.