All iPads 13-inch iPad for $599? iPad Mini EOL? iPad 2026 Full Lineup Discussion Threads

[TigeRick]

I am wondering whether to post new topic discussing iPad 2026 Lineup or not. The news of upcoming low cost MacBook got me excited and confused. To my understanding, Apple won't use A18 Pro with 64-bit memory bus for MacBook; even M1 MacBook was using 128-bit memory bus. Then I look into next year iPad lineup....I think I know what Ming Chi Kuo refers to: It is not low-cost MacBook; Apple going to introduce 13-inch iPad sitting below iPad Mini. iPad Mini and iPad Airs are getting OLED display in 2026 and Apple will likely increase the SRP for both devices. That leaves empty price slot between standard iPad and iPad Mini: here comes 13-inch iPad with A18 Pro. By then, Apple will have ample supply of laminated display for standard iPad. That's mean future iPad lineup will include LCD display, OLED and Tandem OLED of both display size AND iPad Mini.

PS: Apple might cancel iPad Mini with OLED display.

I may not 100% correct but I think it makes more sense than low-cost MacBook which itself is contradicting with MacBook lineup. Feel free to express your ideas whether you agree or not ....

Model	CPU	Price	LCD	RAM	Storage		Speculated SRP ?	CPU ?	LCD ?	RAM ?	Storage ?
iPad Pro	M4	$1299	13-inch	8 / 16GB LPDDR5x	256 GB		$1299 - $1399?	M5	OLED + Promotion	16 / 24 GB	512 GB
		$999	11-inch				$999 - $1099 ?
iPad Air	M3	$799	13-inch	8 GB	128 GB		$899 ?	M4	OLED	12 GB	256 GB
		$599	11-inch				$699 ?		OLED
iPad Mini	A17 Pro	$499	8.3-inch	8 GB	128 GB		EOL?
							$499 - $599?	A18 Pro	13-inch Laminated ?	8 GB	128 GB
iPad	A16	$349	11-inch	6 GB	128 GB		$349 - $399 ?	A18	11-inch Laminated ?	8 GB	128 GB

iPad Lineup ?		SRP ?	+ Magic Keyboard Folio ?		MacBook Air		Current Price
11-inch A18	8 + 128	$399	+ $249 = $648		13-inch M1 (Walmart)	8 + 256	$599
13-inch A18 Pro	8 + 128	$599	+ $299 = $898		13-inch M2 (BestBuy)	16 + 256	$699
Air 11-inch M4	12 + 256	$699	+ $269 = $968		15-inch M3 (BestBuy)	16 + 256	$899
Air 13-inch M4	12 + 256	$899	+ $319 = $1218		13-inch M4 (Official)	16 + 256	$999
					15-inch M4 (Official)	16 + 256	$1199

 

[DaniTheFox]

In the iPadOS 26 future I think the iPads (plain, Air, Pro) with keyboard/trackpad will have feature and price parity with his Mac equivalent (plain, Air, Pro). But the Mac will be more modular.
So a plain MacBook will be a good buy. (As every Apple product)

 

[DaniTheFox]

Yes I think the iPad mini will be the 9“ iPad Air. But they will not give up the name „mini“. To priceless.

 

[DaniTheFox]

For a short time they will be always a 11“ and a 13“ iPad version. But what is with a iPad „Fold“. Will that be the iPad „Ultra“.
Think about the iPhone Air. This needs also two sizes. When we have this there will be in a other area a new line. We will never be in synch.

 

[TigeRick]

New MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Spotted in Apple Code

Apple is developing a MacBook with the A18 Pro chip, according to findings in backend code uncovered by MacRumors. Subscribe to the MacRumors...

www.macrumors.com

I know Mac17,1 is Mac Identifier...

But the color options essential are the same as current iPad 11

We know from the latest release, iPadOS and MacOS are not going to merge even though the UIs are getting similar. iPadOS will power sub-$1000 devices, namely iPad. iPad Pro and MacBook Air are overlapping in terms of pricing but functionality still very different. That's why I still believe the so-called low cost Macbook is iPad 13-inch in disguise. We shall see..

 

[JPack]

It's clearly a low-cost MacBook, not something that runs iPadOS.

When supply chain guys like Kuo take their contacts out for dinner, they ask detailed questions. Like what OS do you think this hardware is running? When you're testing the hardware, what drivers are you writing?

This feels like your other thread where you predicted M4 would undoubtedly come with LPDDR6.

 

[TigeRick]

Didn't know iPad has J-identifier until now. Yep, I am pretty sure J700 refers to 13-inch iPad.

Let me ask you guys, how does Apple explain A18 Pro could run MacOS but M3-M4 iPad couldn't?

In case people want to bring up A12Z running Mac; they don't know A12Z is running 128-bit memory bus unlike A12. Considered it as M0 not A-series SoC. And here is Craig Federighi commented:

“Even that DTK hardware, which is running on an existing iPad chip that we don’t intend to put in a Mac in the future – it’s just there for the transition – the Mac runs awfully nice on that system. It’s not a basis on which to judge future Macs ... but it gives you a sense of what our silicon team can do when they’re not even trying – and they’re going to be trying.”

 

[TigeRick]

Why would they come out with a brand new product to fit the niche instead of slowly retiring their older products from shelves, like they have the M1 and M2 Airs? Doesn't make sense to me. That's extra engineering spend for little/no gain.

One member of Arstechnica commented about rumored A18 Pro MacBook above. If you don't get technical aspect, at least have some sense of logic. Apple has refreshed MBA M2 and M3 with 16GB RAM right before M4 MBA. And yet, Apple discontinued them right after M4 MBA. Why ??? Why not keep selling those models at lower price point at Apple website ?

You could still purchase the following MBA @ BestBuy at attractive prices:

• MBA 13 M2 16+256 @ $699 (30% price cut, superb value)
• MBA 15 M3 16+256 @ $899 (25% cheaper than M4 MBA15)
• MBA 13 M3 16+512 @ $999

Again, why would Apple let Walmart/Bestbuy keep selling discontinued models? But not at official website?

It seems 16GB models with AI feature will replace Walmart model with M1 8+256 which doesn't support AI feature. Why would Apple launch A18 Pro with MacOS without AI feature? Meanwhile, iPadOS is able to support AI feature with 8GB of RAM. And that's my argument. 😘

 

[TigeRick]

Hoho, MC has mentioned there are two models of iPad, J581 and J582. As I speculated it is referring to two display size: 11" and 13". Mark Gurman mention that low-cost iPad will get faster SoC, that would be A18. What SoC is rumored to powered 13-inch device again?

And no mention of low-cost Macbook from Mark Gurman.

Yep, 13-inch iPad is indeed coming. But iPad Mini with OLED display might get axed by Apple: same fate as iPhone Mini.

 

[123123123]

Why would Apple launch A18 Pro with MacOS without AI feature?

I don’t think anyone’s suggesting that. An A18 CheapBook will almost certainly have 16GB.