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Apple is still on course to launch a 12.9-inch iPad Pro with a mini-LED display later this year, according to Taiwanese industry publication DigiTimes.

ipadprosizes11and12.jpg
Apple reportedly prefers mini LED to OLED for its medium-size devices and will launch an iPad Pro with backlighting in the fourth quarter of 2020.
The claim is made in relation to a separate paywalled article underscoring Apple's eagerness to adopt mini-LED technology, which allows for thinner and lighter product designs, while offering many of the same benefits of OLED displays used on the latest iPhones, including good wide color gamut performance, high contrast and dynamic range, and local dimming for truer blacks.
Mini LED is expected to get a significant boost in applications as Apple is proceeding with R&D of devices adopting mini LED backlighting, and may commercialize more such devices in the next five years, according to industry sources.
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has previously said that a mini-LED version of 12.9-inch ?iPad Pro?, which is expected to be a high-end option, will launch in the fall of 2020. Rumors continue to suggest that the fall 12.9-inch model is still planned despite the refreshed spring iPad Pro? models announced earlier this week.

Apple has six mini-LED products in the works that are set to debut in 2020 and 2021, according to Kuo. Apple is said to be debuting the technology in the aforementioned 12.9-inch iPad Pro, a 27-inch iMac Pro, a 14.1-inch MacBook Pro, a 16-inch ?MacBook Pro?, a 10.2.-inch iPad, and a 7.9-inch ?iPad? mini.

Kuo did not give projected launch dates for the other devices with the exception of the ?iMac Pro?, which Kuo expects to launch in the fourth quarter of 2020, and the 7.9-inch ?iPad? mini, which he says will launch in 2020.

Article Link: Apple Still Expected to Launch High End 12.9-inch iPad Pro With Mini LED Display Tech in Fourth Quarter of 2020
 
The 12.9 variant would only serve as a ‘desktop application’ for me, in terms of mobility, it’s just too unwieldy and large for everyday portability with holding. But this will be the perfect iPad paired with the Apple keyboard for a stationary device for me.
 
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Better than OLED? How is that possible, isn’t miniled still LCD with thicker layer/glass compared with OLED?

It's not. Micro-LED would be better. Mini-LED still require Full Array Local Dimming (FALD) which will cause blooming. It will have similar contrast and brightness to OLED.
 
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Apple trying to pull another iPad 4 on us.
The iPad 3 was an underpowered piece of crap. It should never have been released.

I don’t think you can say that about the just released A12Z iPad Pros. There will always be better spec’ed—though possibly higher priced—new models released in the future. If you don’t need it now, wait.
 
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The iPad 3 was an underpowered piece of crap. It should never haven released.

I don’t think you can say that about the just released A12Z iPad Pros. There will always be better spec’ed—and possibly higher priced—new models released in the future. If you don’t need it now, wait.

iPad 3 war really underpowered, been using it as a test device for years as it was the worse device, if my apps run fine on it I was confident they were really optimised for every device out there.
As you say the A12Z doesn't seem underpowered at all, actually iPad Pros have really good CPU and GPUs. They could release a new model in 6 months anyway, I don't see a real problem. Hardware gets updated all the time
 
It's not. Micro-LED would be better. Mini-LED still require Full Array Local Dimming (FALD) which will cause blooming. It will have similar contrast and brightness to OLED.
It will be better than OLED in an iPad. For small screens like iPhones, OLED is fine. As screen size increases and their use case varies in changing environments, devises like iPads and MacBooks need LED to get higher brightness levels. Mini LED will go brighter than regular FALD LED and OLED panels, so it will be an improvement.
 
Give me an iPad Pro Mini with mini-LED this year and I will buy it. I think it makes sense for Apple to release it in the iPad pro form factor.
I’d also like an iPad Pro mini, but I’m not sure enough people want what we want to make it a viable product.

A lot of the mini demand is in vertical markets like point of sale, healthcare and other specialized uses like use in small aircraft. Their needs are met by the current model, and in some cases they don’t want a new form factor, due to the use of sled type accessories that the mini slides into.
 
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If this is the case, really makes me wonder why the just announced 2020 iPad Pro couldn't come last fall. Compared to the 2018 iPad Pro, essentially A12Z update, and the new camera/Lidar sensor on the back. Maybe those components weren't yet ready. But if that was the case, did they really need to push this update now instead of waiting until a major one in the fall?
 
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