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Apple to Launch Two iPad Air and Two OLED iPad Pro Models Early Next Year

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To boost falling iPad sales, Apple has a major refresh planned for the iPad lineup in early 2024, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple plans to debut new iPad Air and iPad Pro models, both of which will feature notable changes.

12.9-inch-ipad-pro-cyber.jpg

The iPad Air will come in two sizes like the iPad Pro for the first time. The smaller model will continue to measure in at 10.9 inches, but the larger version will be 12.9 inches, like the larger iPad Pro. Apple is aiming to provide more variety between screen size and price, and the 12.9-inch iPad Air will be more affordable than the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

Apple's 2024 iPad Pro models will feature OLED displays, a first for the iPad lineup. Apple has been using OLED technology for the iPhone and the Apple Watch, but larger OLED screens are more expensive. Compared to LED or mini-LED, OLED brings deeper blacks and more vivid colors. OLED displays will be a Pro-only feature, with the iPad Air to continue to use standard displays.

Gurman says that the high-end version of the iPad Pro will be equipped with the new M3 chip that Apple introduced earlier this year. The M3 is built on 3-nanometer technology, and it will bring notable graphics improvement over the M2 chip that is currently used in the iPad Pro.

Apple will refresh the iPad mini and the low-cost iPad in 2024, but it is unclear if these tablets will be updated at the same time as the iPad Pro and iPad Air.

To go along with the updated iPads, Apple plans to introduce a new Apple Pencil and new Magic Keyboards. The updated Magic Keyboards are said to have a sturdier frame made from aluminum, which will allow the iPad to more closely resemble a laptop.

There were no iPads released in 2023, which is the first time that Apple has not debuted a new tablet during a calendar year. iPad revenue came in at $28.3 billion in 2023, down from $29.3 billion in 2022.

The new iPad Air and iPad Pro models and their accompanying accessories are expected to launch around the end of March, which is also when Apple plans to release iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4. Apple is likely to hold a March event to introduce the new devices.

Article Link: Apple to Launch Two iPad Air and Two OLED iPad Pro Models Early Next Year
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2023/12/06/ipad-air-ipad-pro-2024-refresh/
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GMShadow said:
On that front I'm curious how many Galaxy Tab Ultras Samsung actually sells. It's an interesting size, but the market has to be niche given how unwieldy they are as tablets.
Click to expand...
Personally I want one as a second "monitor" when I travel. Also I bet watching movies on it will be amazing in situations where you don't have a tv handy. But I agree on the niche aspect, maybe they factor that in so they aren't disappointed with slow sales — thinking iPhone 12 mini. That is, if they will make a 14" iPad of course :)
 
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GMShadow said:
On that front I'm curious how many Galaxy Tab Ultras Samsung actually sells. It's an interesting size, but the market has to be niche given how unwieldy they are as tablets.
Click to expand...
The Tab Ultra display has a different aspect ratio. It is almost as wide as the 12.9” iPad Pro, and just a bit longer:

1701886047855.png


A 14” 4:3 iPad Pro would compare like this:

1701886090284.png
 
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I will likely be buying the iPad Pro, though I’m only interested in the OLED screen, not in other Pro features. If the Air had OLED, I would buy that instead. Just what Apple wants, I guess.
 
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The introduction of a 12.9 inch iPad Air tells me that the new iPad pros will be getting a not so subtle price increase.
Currently the pros are 799 for the 11 inch and 1099 for the 13 inch, and I would bet that the new iPad airs are $599 for 11 and $799 for 13.

Personally, my expectation is that the 11 inch pro will be $999, with the new 13 inch pro starting at $1199.
That means there would be a $400 difference between all of the Airs and Pros, assuming the new air starts at 128 GB.

So:
$599: 11 inch iPad Air, LCD 60 hz display, M2.
$799: 12.9 inch iPad Air, LCD 60 hz display, M2.

$999: 11 inch iPad Pro, variable refresh up to 120 Hz OLED display, M3.
$1199: 12.9 inch iPad Pro, variable refresh up to 120 Hz OLED display, M3.



This does seem like a very messy lineup, but it also means that you’ll be able to get a 13 inch iPad Air with Pencil and keyboard for almost the same price as a MacBook Air, and if you opt for an 11 inch it should be several hundred dollars cheaper.

This is all great, but it means nothing if there’s not massive software improvements.
 
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Will the new Airs start with 64gb still, and will Apple charge the cost of a 2tb drive to upgrade to 256gb? Probably!
 
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alexandr said:
So no 14" iPad Pro just yet?
Click to expand...
That occurred to me as well. I figure Apple doesn't want to cannibalize sales of the base 14-inch MacBook Pro that just replaced the 13-inch MacBook Pro.

Meanwhile, I have found in recent months that I personally no longer require an iPad Pro. I have a 10th-generation iPad that suits me just fine in terms of tablet use.

I do my heavy lifting on the iMac - soon to be replaced by a Mac Studio. However, I wouldn't mind augmenting the base iPad with a larger iPad Air - as long as it's substantially more affordable than the Pro.
 
Good, I'm interested in a new 11'' iPadPro. My current 2017 10.5'' iPadPro's battery life is not great anymore and seems a bit slow.
 
Biro said:
That occurred to me as well. I figure Apple doesn't want to cannibalize sales of the base 14-inch MacBook Pro that just replaced the 13-inch MacBook Pro.

Meanwhile, I have found in recent months that I personally no longer require an iPad Pro. I have a 10th-generation iPad that suits me just fine in terms of tablet use.

I do my heavy lifting on the iMac - soon to be replaced by a Mac Studio. However, I wouldn't mind augmenting the base iPad with a larger iPad Air - as long as it's substantially more affordable than the Pro.
Click to expand...
I don't see iPads effecting MacBook sales, but that's my POV. I mean if all you need to do is watch Netflix and visit Lolcats.com — you probably won't be getting a MacBook Pro, but what do I know)
 
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GMShadow said:
On that front I'm curious how many Galaxy Tab Ultras Samsung actually sells. It's an interesting size, but the market has to be niche given how unwieldy they are as tablets.
Click to expand...
A greater size would be nice for sketching/drawing, though. Looking at the prices for Wacom tablets recently, I started to wonder if a 16" iPad Pro Max/Ultra would be something that has potential, at least for the specific audience of artists.
 
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I am ready to replace my 2018 iPad Pro 12.9 inch. It's so slow now and only has 64GB 💩. I hope they launch it early march
 
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