Apple May Leave iPad Pro Without Major Upgrades for Years

[tomtad]

Time to rethink this device.

There’s two routes Apple could persue imo:

A: Merging the Air and Pro lines into one.

B: Reimagine the iPad as a companion device to your MacBook, something which is an ultrathin piece of paper that you can use to draw on, read, watch when you wish, and then maybe magnetically attach to your laptop to charge and store.

The reality is the tablet market is getting squeezed hard by larger phones at the bottom and increasingly capable laptops at the top end.

 

[BorisDG]

There isn’t much more that can be done. I recently upgraded from the Air 4 to the M5, and it’s amazing - thin, powerful, and the screen is incredible. Outside of the typical "spec" bumps we’ll see with the M6 or M7, I can't see what else could be improved. On the iPhone, you at least get camera upgrades, but you don't really need those here. I'm good for the next 5-6 years (again).

 

[redmac]

This is definitely just me, but with the upcoming iPhone Fold and Touchscreen MacBook, I wouldn’t mind Apple ditching the iPad entirely

You're right, it's just you.

I'm pretty sure retail businesses can't replace iPads with iPhone Folds or touchscreen MacBooks. I also think families can't hand their young children any of those devices. Replacing a cheap, indestructible, easy to learn, easy to use device with more complex, super expensive and easily breakable devices won't work for 95% of iPad owners.

 

[thadoggfather]

Loving my m4 iPad Pro 11 inch nano+cellular

Great upgrade from base m1 ipad pro even though it was still a great tablet 5 years later

 

[MayaUser]

The iPad Air is exactly as capable and powerful at running iPad OS at up to $1,000 less. iPad Pro is super nice, but it doesn't make any sense at current pricing.

the difference in price is not that big for more compute power, far better display(air still on lcd, not even miniLed), better camera, far better connection (thunderbolt 4), faceID, audio system, wifi 7, double storage

 

[Jamie0003]

of course....but we were talking about phones tablets macs...things that dont sit on us, but with us
AR glasses are coming but until then, Apple needs this...since AR glasses i suspect are still 4- 5 years away at least

Fair, but Foldables, even ones made by Apple are never going to be big sellers, simply due to the price

 

[jdawgnoonan]

I love my M5 iPad Pro just as it is and am fine with processor bumps.

 

[jole]

The last iteration did not really add much — My iPad Pro M4 does pretty much everything that M5 version could.

What might change this:

• Shipping a useful AI with local inference that would benefit from faster pre-fill in M5
• iPad OS limitations being relaxed to allow using the device for more use-cases

Both are software limitations — I am not holding my breath for Apple having the conviction to solve either. If they do, I am happy to purchase a new device. Relax the limitations and I'll be first in line for iPad Pro M6 with 32GB RAM.

 

[MayaUser]

Fair, but Foldables, even ones made by Apple are never going to be big sellers, simply due to the price

AR glasses as well...you think AR glasses will cheaper than any foldable....so it applies for all.
Plus Ar glasses they have to nail the design, because it sits on us, and people that are not used to wear glasses they need a design that dont make them look weird

 

[Radon87000]

I don’t think ultra slim bezels would spur any additional sales other than it being an improvement. Low end iPads have it all over high end android tablets, in my own opinion.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra is better than the iPad at media consumption because of its 16:10 aspect ratio. Samsung also offers their anti glare reflective screen on the base model while iPad requires you to pay top dollar for the nano texture glass.

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

Might as well buy a Fire Max 11.

If there's a tablet out there more locked down and walled-in than Apple, it's Amazon and their Fire tablet crap.

 

[adamlbiscuit]

You're right, it's just you.

I'm pretty sure retail businesses can't replace iPads with iPhone Folds or touchscreen MacBooks. I also think families can't hand their young children any of those devices. Replacing a cheap, indestructible, easy to learn, easy to use device with more complex, super expensive and easily breakable devices won't work for 95% of iPad owners.

Not to mention artists. A display that can be scratched by a fingernail is going to be a non-starter for those who draw on it.

 

[Le0M]

I believe this rumor.
My interpretation is that Apple might not upgrade the iPad Pro anymore BECAUSE it'll move to foldable iPads.

 

[bigglow]

I have a 2018 iPad Pro 11" and I think it's worth upgrade to the 2026 model after 8 years of use.

 

[oghowie]

It's too damn expensive. Not sure why you'd buy it over a Air or a MBA.

 

[Unfilteredunmastered]

Still got my 2018 iPad Pro 11" (1st Gen). That A12X Bionic can barely handle iPadOS 26 but I don't feel compelled enough to upgrade 🙁

 

[tech_enthusiast_]

...it apparently has no intention of pursuing significant upgrades such as ultra-slim borders around the display, the likes of which are available on rival high-end tablets.

Good. Nobody wants that. It's a tablet, which primarily functions as something you hold in your hands. You have to have a spot to hold it.

 

[840quadra]

Still rocking the original 11.5 Pro. With it likely on the last OS update for it, I am considering an M5 or refurbished M4 since I like my work M4 Pro quite a lot.

Still dislike the nonsensical ommission in supporting the Apple Pencil #2 on the newer devices. The fragmentation on what accessories are, or aren't supported on iPad devices is complete nonsense.

 

[jole]

I believe this rumor.
My interpretation is that Apple might not upgrade the iPad Pro anymore BECAUSE it'll move to foldable iPads.

Foldable devices seem to be incompatible with pens due to soft glass. Thus a foldable iPad would not be able to cover the use-cases depending on Apple Pencil.

 

[I7guy]

Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra is better than the iPad at media consumption because of its 16:10 aspect ratio. Samsung also offers their anti glare reflective screen on the base model while iPad requires you to pay top dollar for the nano texture glass.

Yes, if media consumption is your primary use case then sure. If media consumption is among one of several use cases then an iPad imo is the better option.

 

[Bodhitree]

Apple need to go back to the design team and ask them how the iPad as a device can be improved. They have basically run out of incremental upgrades in screen, processor, graphics and ram which make any sense — in some respects the M5 is already wildly overspecc’ed in a tablet. But that is not to say that there isn’t more that can be done, it just needs to take a new direction.

What do you think the ultimate AI tablet would look like? A device in tablet form that looks at the world from an AI point of view… I think that might be interesting.

 

[Gathomblipoob]

It's quite a long shot, but one thing I'd really love is an iPad that has a 16:9 aspect ratio, ideally a larger display than the current 12.9", like the Samsung one with the ~15" size.

I do use mine more for media consumption though.

I have an iPad Pro, but I also have a Samsung 14.5" tablet with that great aspect ratio. It's great for media consumption. Never had an issue with it.

 

[klasma]

There isn’t much I’d like to be different for the iPad Pro hardware:

• Cameras and Face ID sensors in both orientations
• A more comfortable edge (the original iPad design was nicer)
• Matte bezels on the nano-texture option
• MagSafe or magnetic charge cable attachment, or open up the smart connector charging protocol to third parties

 

[tomtad]

You're right, it's just you.

I'm pretty sure retail businesses can't replace iPads with iPhone Folds or touchscreen MacBooks. I also think families can't hand their young children any of those devices. Replacing a cheap, indestructible, easy to learn, easy to use device with more complex, super expensive and easily breakable devices won't work for 95% of iPad owners.

It’s not though is it.

And to be honest a MacBook is going to be more durable than iPads with keyboard attached.

The truth is the tablet market is getting squeezed hard. They used to offer instant on, lightweight, long battery for example over laptops but now laptops beat the iPad in many of those categories. And from the bottom large screened phones are taking the market there as well.

There’s a market for cheap screens for content consumption, which the base iPad fills, but it’s time now for a rethink imo as to what the iPad could be. Churning out spec bumps to the Air and Pro lines each year and sales are only going one way.

 

[playtech1]

Once Apple realised the iPad wasn't going to replace the Mac it has always felt like a bit of an afterthought - apart from the screens it's really just stealing from the Mac and iPhone parts bins.

I am amused that the report claims the 2024 model was a major redesign when it was the exact same design as 2018 except just a bit thinner and moving the front camera to the long edge. I sometimes accidentally pick up my 2018 iPad and think it's the new one until I unlock it.

The physical aspect of the iPad doesn't need a redesign - software should be the priority. iPadOS has impreved a great deal, but it still doesn't feel as finished or refined as MacOS or the iOS it's based on.