Apple's Upcoming OLED iPad Pro Models Rumored to Be Much Thinner

[eifelbube]

Aren’t they moving towards iOS on the Mac rather than MacOS on the mobile products?

My installation of Sonoma still has the Finder, the desktop, drag & drop, the top menu bar which i wished the iPad OS on my 12.9 iPad Pro had too … at least as an option. 😊

 

[Darth Tulhu]

Why would you want a MAC replacement when you can buy a MAC?

Because for me, a Mac is overkill. My problem is iPadOS is not powerful enough either.

Don't get me wrong but the iPad does exactly what I want it to do with finger input. My fingers are not the same thing as a mouse with precise ability to access things.

The iPad is a mobile devicee that must be usable with my fingers - the stand with the keyboard is adding some functionality but takes away some of the mobility.

I guess Apple see it the same way I perceive it - an emergency Mac replacement and for the most part a different use case when being mobile ( traveling, in meetings, off grid )

I agree, but it's some of the "Mobile" OS components that can sour the iPad experience for me, which I already specified (filesystem access, wonky website use, etc).

Would I want a MAC in the size of an 11" iPad - surely not - too small screen and too cumbersome to have a mouse with me.

I don't want a mouse at all if I can help it. But that's the thing, some things like text editing are better with it and a keyboard. I like the option to leave both behind, though.

The current iPad PRO 11" is surely not perfect - which device will ever be? It is close to perfection for the intended use case - ultra mobile computation and backup for the cases when the MacBook is not working.

It's a trade off between mobility and getting things done. The 14" MBP is 4x the weight and much larger. The iPP 11" is 70 % of the MBP and that's enough for traveling.

Again, I agree with your take on the iPad's role for the most part... I just want a bit more power from it. What I don't want is for Apple to slap macOS onto it, like many here are clamoring for.

Ideally, I want to NOT need a Mac at all. I also don't mean I want Apple to stop making them, either

What's missing is larger storage - I hope this will get addressed now. 4 TB is my magic killer functionality.

Wow that is a LOT of storage. For me, 1TB is more than enough, but I do light computing mostly. I'm not an avid photographer or videographer, although I do amateur music as a hobby. I got 25 years worth of family photos, videos, and music, and I'm still not even close to filling my 1TB drive. Still, all this 4K content would necessitate higher storages, so I always welcome more.

 

[jo-1]

Because for me, a Mac is overkill. My problem is iPadOS is not powerful enough either.

How can a MAC be overkill? It's a computer and in case you'll need one for media consumption only this is what it does as well - I can sense no overkill - just buy the "weakest" one

I agree, but it's some of the "Mobile" OS components that can sour the iPad experience for me, which I already specified (filesystem access, wonky website use, etc).

What's wonky here? You can browse the files and copy them and do whatever you like - at least I can do whatever I want - on internal and external media. I just can't edit the OS and such things and I am glad I and other can't - this will not change eventually.

I don't want a mouse at all if I can help it. But that's the thing, some things like text editing are better with it and a keyboard. I like the option to leave both behind, though.

hm?

iPad Keyboards

iPad keyboards provide a great typing experience, full-size keyboard, and durable protection for your iPad.

www.apple.com

Again, I agree with your take on the iPad's role for the most part... I just want a bit more power from it. What I don't want is for Apple to slap macOS onto it, like many here are clamoring for.

Ideally, I want to NOT need a Mac at all. I also don't mean I want Apple to stop making them, either

I don't get what you want? A MAC addresses a lot of things an iPad can do as well and the other way round that works as well - they are both meant for completely different use cases - hand held with fingertip pointing operation and one for deliberate all purpose use cases that are completely arbitrary - I want both and own both and a desktop and an iPhone too - all devices meant for different purposes - I even have several different speakers in my home for different purposes - horses four courses

Wow that is a LOT of storage. For me, 1TB is more than enough, but I do light computing mostly. I'm not an avid photographer or videographer, although I do amateur music as a hobby. I got 25 years worth of family photos, videos, and music, and I'm still not even close to filling my 1TB drive. Still, all this 4K content would necessitate higher storages, so I always welcome more.

I don't get what you want to accomplish not needed storage but a different file system - not needed a mac but wanting it's functionality in a finger operated device?

In all honest - the sounds a bit strange to me. I can do all I need to do when traveling lean - like a sports car - I'll never complain about the trunk in a sportscar and I'll never complain about the sportiness in a sedan - both the sports car and the sedan can have features of the other category but none of them will be especially good at it.

For the record - I own a BMW M550i and a Porsche Cayman S - the BMW even has 50 % more power but the Porsche is nimbler and more agile to drive - but getting the weekly shopping cart in the Porsche would be a real challenge and driving a windy mountain road with the BMW is just exaggerating the weight of the car. That's why both exist.

I would not want to change any characteristics of either of them - I want both.

 

[Darth Tulhu]

How can a MAC be overkill? It's a computer and in case you'll need one for media consumption only this is what it does as well - I can sense no overkill - just buy the "weakest" one



What's wonky here? You can browse the files and copy them and do whatever you like - at least I can do whatever I want - on internal and external media. I just can't edit the OS and such things and I am glad I and other can't - this will not change eventually.



hm?

iPad Keyboards

iPad keyboards provide a great typing experience, full-size keyboard, and durable protection for your iPad.

www.apple.com

I don't get what you want? A MAC addresses a lot of things an iPad can do as well and the other way round that works as well - they are both meant for completely different use cases - hand held with fingertip pointing operation and one for deliberate all purpose use cases that are completely arbitrary - I want both and own both and a desktop and an iPhone too - all devices meant for different purposes - I even have several different speakers in my home for different purposes - horses four courses



I don't get what you want to accomplish not needed storage but a different file system - not needed a mac but wanting it's functionality in a finger operated device?

In all honest - the sounds a bit strange to me. I can do all I need to do when traveling lean - like a sports car - I'll never complain about the trunk in a sportscar and I'll never complain about the sportiness in a sedan - both the sports car and the sedan can have features of the other category but none of them will be especially good at it.

For the record - I own a BMW M550i and a Porsche Cayman S - the BMW even has 50 % more power but the Porsche is nimbler and more agile to drive - but getting the weekly shopping cart in the Porsche would be a real challenge and driving a windy mountain road with the BMW is just exaggerating the weight of the car. That's why both exist.

I would not want to change any characteristics of either of them - I want both.

I get how this can be confusing for some folks. But I'll say it again, I tried to use an iPad as my main computer for 6 months (I LOVE the Magic Keyboard) and was mostly happy. But there were some things like filesystem access and some websites that are still easier on a Mac. Not to mention separate user accounts, I mean, the list is long. Also, after 30 years of computing I've accumulated a lot of legacy drives, etc that are a pain to connect to the iPad reliably. Those things have been discussed to death and there are plenty of vids online on the subject, so I won't discuss that here.

As I've gotten older, I've been simplifying everything. I want ONE thing that can do everything I need to, and the iPad is REALLY CLOSE for me. I'm not raging against the existence of other devices, I simply want a bit more power and control from an iPad, WITHOUT Apple turning it into a Mac. To be clear: When I say Mac I mean cursor-based OS. When I say iPad, I mean touch-based OS.

I'm not saying I want an iPad that can do everything a Mac CAN do (although that'd be nice).

I want an iPad that can do everything I use a Mac for, without losing what makes an iPad great (which I concede is very subjective). And a Mac cannot replace an iPad for at least 1 GLARING reason: Pencil.

Apple has been trying to add Mac features to iPad, Stage Manager being the latest... but I HATE its implementation. Seems like a half-measure.

For some people, like some of my family members, the iPad is already there and is their main computer. I need a bit more. That's all.

 

[ric22]

Apple is planning to update the iPad Air and iPad Pro lineups as soon as March, and the new iPad Pro models will be significantly thinner according to dimensions shared by 9to5Mac. Citing sources with knowledge of Apple's plans, the site claims that the larger version will be more than 1mm thinner.

The current 12.9-inch iPad Pro measures in at 6.4mm thick, but the new model is said to be 5mm thick. As for the 11-inch iPad Pro, it is currently 5.9mm thick, while the updated version is said to be 5.1mm thick. Both tablets may also be slightly bigger in size.

• Current 11-inch iPad Pro - 247.6mm x 178.5mm x 5.9 mm
• Upcoming 11-inch iPad Pro - 249.7mm x 177.5mm x 5.1mm

• Current 12.9-inch iPad Pro - 280.6mm x 214.9mm x 6.4mm
• Upcoming 13-inch iPad Pro - 281.5mm x 215.5mm x 5.0mm

Such a slimmed down body suggests a notable design change, which is enabled by an even more significant update -- OLED display technology. OLED display panels are thinner than LCD panels, allowing Apple to cut down on the thickness of its tablets.

Alongside the iPad Pro, Apple is expected to introduce two new iPad Air models, including a larger 12.9-inch version for the first time. The larger iPad Air will be almost the same size as the current iPad Pro, measuring in at 280.6mm by 214.9mm by 6mm.

Apple is limiting OLED display technology to the Pro lineup, so while the 12.9-inch iPad Air will be similar in length and width to the iPad Pro, it will be thicker because it will continue to feature an LCD display.

All of the new iPads are expected to have Apple's M3 chip technology, which was first introduced last year in updated MacBook Pro models. We haven't heard specifics about an event, but we are expecting something in late March to early April.

Article Link: Apple's Upcoming OLED iPad Pro Models Rumored to Be Much Thinner

When did 0.8mm become "much" thinner? Also, will smaller speaker modules sound as good? Will the device be more susceptible to bending? Will the cooling be as good? The battery as long lasting?

I had thought we had moved past the "thinness for no good reason" mentality years ago, then they give us the new iMacs and now this. 🤦‍♂️

 

[jo-1]

I get how this can be confusing for some folks. But I'll say it again, I tried to use an iPad as my main computer for 6 months (I LOVE the Magic Keyboard) and was mostly happy. But there were some things like filesystem access and some websites that are still easier on a Mac. Not to mention separate user accounts, I mean, the list is long. Also, after 30 years of computing I've accumulated a lot of legacy drives, etc that are a pain to connect to the iPad reliably. Those things have been discussed to death and there are plenty of vids online on the subject, so I won't discuss that here.

As I've gotten older, I've been simplifying everything. I want ONE thing that can do everything I need to, and the iPad is REALLY CLOSE for me. I'm not raging against the existence of other devices, I simply want a bit more power and control from an iPad, WITHOUT Apple turning it into a Mac. To be clear: When I say Mac I mean cursor-based OS. When I say iPad, I mean touch-based OS.

I'm not saying I want an iPad that can do everything a Mac CAN do (although that'd be nice).

I want an iPad that can do everything I use a Mac for, without losing what makes an iPad great (which I concede is very subjective). And a Mac cannot replace an iPad for at least 1 GLARING reason: Pencil.

Apple has been trying to add Mac features to iPad, Stage Manager being the latest... but I HATE its implementation. Seems like a half-measure.

For some people, like some of my family members, the iPad is already there and is their main computer. I need a bit more. That's all.

How should that be implemented? Could you elaborate on that how some functionality of a mouse operated device should be done in a touch operated device that is designed to serve a completely different purpose?

There is a clear distinction in how to operate a Computer and a Tablet. Changing things will affect the way we can use it.

Let me give you one example with Windows - the Windows explorer is completely confusing for me and not logical at all - the finder on my MAC however is close to perfection for me including the search function and I find things much quicker on my MAC compare to my company laptop. That's not a coincidence because it's designed to operate in that way and in a specific logic - the logic probably most of us like being Apple users.

The tablets fill a niche for a different purpose with different needs and conditions.

So how would you change it - please not what - that's clear from your postings - but they are not helping to understand what exactly Apple should implement and how it should look like - I am prepared for a quite long reply with details and probably graphs and deep dive on how it should look like - I don't get how your ideas could be done without turning an iPad into an iMac and I don't want that at all.

In case I had to choose between an MAC and a Tablet being forced to keep only one the MAC would stay - in case I had to use an iPad with MAC like features I'd also prefer the full fledged MAC - the tablets are for ( ultra ) mobile use and they do this kind of computation really really good for me.

It is not intended to be a MAC replacement - it complements with a MAC - IMHO you have to have a MAC in parallel in case you want to do serious workloads that need detailed and prescience interface.

The iPadOS will never be a replacement for macOS provided it is still touch controlled. ML and voice commands might change that however.

Once again - the iPAD is not a MAC and will never be and that's good - you can have both - what's preventing you to buy a 15" MBA and an iPad 11"

I like the iPadOS as it works today and I hope Apple is keeping the differences in usability.

That said - it is possible to do almost all things you can do on a MAC in emergency situations on an iPad - the iPad works well enough as a backup for MACs when needed - more cumbersome to use - for sure but doable and ultra small and lightweight - that's the beauty of the iPad.

The upcoming iPP 11.1" will be a very fine device.

For the record I own an iMac Pro AND a Mac Book Pro AND and iPad Pro AND an iPad mini AND an iPhone and I have use cases for all of them - horses for courses.

 

[jo-1]

When did 0.8mm become "much" thinner?

well - the legacy device is a whopping 16 % thicker - that's a lot

Also, will smaller speaker modules sound as good?

in short - probably yes - why should they sound any worse? it's an ultra thin membrane and it uses the complete surface on the iPad as resonator today already - why should the resonating surface - which stays the same - sound any different?

Will the device be more susceptible to bending?

No - as with the initial 2018 iPP it will bend more in case you try to enforce bending - but you can bend a 200 mm steel i-bar as well provided you put enough force to it. My 2018 iPP travels roughly 3x around the globe with me in my private live and for business trips - not the faintest bedding at all - but that#s probably me ;-)

Will the cooling be as good? The battery as long lasting?

Yes - the M3 will be more power efficient and thus a similar battery capacity will make it last at least as long as today - the main thickness savings come from the display getting rid of the back light foil.
Heat is dissipated via the backside for the most part - in case Apple does not change to a works material in thermal conductivity it will probably rund significantly faster than today since the M3 offers more power in the Neural Engine and in the GPU & SPU

I had thought we had moved past the "thinness for no good reason" mentality years ago, then they give us the new iMacs and now this. 🤦‍♂️

Well - for HANDHELD devices weight is a huge factor - the new 11.1" device could be around 400 g instead of the 470 g today - that's very noticeable IMHO

I am looking forward to the new iPP

 

[ric22]

well - the legacy device is a whopping 16 % thicker - that's a lot



in short - probably yes - why should they sound any worse? it's an ultra thin membrane and it uses the complete surface on the iPad as resonator today already - why should the resonating surface - which stays the same - sound any different?



No - as with the initial 2018 iPP it will bend more in case you try to enforce bending - but you can bend a 200 mm steel i-bar as well provided you put enough force to it. My 2018 iPP travels roughly 3x around the globe with me in my private live and for business trips - not the faintest bedding at all - but that#s probably me ;-)



Yes - the M3 will be more power efficient and thus a similar battery capacity will make it last at least as long as today - the main thickness savings come from the display getting rid of the back light foil.
Heat is dissipated via the backside for the most part - in case Apple does not change to a works material in thermal conductivity it will probably rund significantly faster than today since the M3 offers more power in the Neural Engine and in the GPU & SPU



Well - for HANDHELD devices weight is a huge factor - the new 11.1" device could be around 400 g instead of the 470 g today - that's very noticeable IMHO

I am looking forward to the new iPP

Wow, that's a lot to reply to. I agree weight is important for handheld devices. Regarding its propensity to bend- unless they use a more rigid metal like titanium to reinforce the device, or they use thicker aluminium to compensate, it literally WILL bend easier the thinner you make it- there's no debate- it's simple physics. I'm a bit tied up right now so will reply to some of the other points shortly.

 

[jo-1]

Wow, that's a lot to reply to.

I know - most people tend to shoot an answer out that just illustrate their point of view and no background

I agree weight is important for handheld devices.

That's probably the reason why Apple is keeping to make it thinner

Regarding its propensity to bend- unless they use a more rigid metal like titanium to reinforce the device, or they use thicker aluminium to compensate, it literally WILL bend easier the thinner you make it- there's no debate- it's simple physics. I'm a bit tied up right now so will reply to some of the other points shortly.

It's likely to get stronger Aluminium and/or Titanium - similar to the iPhone - Titanium might offer additionally weight savings on top plus more space in the device - would underline the exclusivity of the iPad PRO

 

[ric22]

It's likely to get stronger Aluminium and/or Titanium - similar to the iPhone - Titanium might offer additionally weight savings on top plus more space in the device - would underline the exclusivity of the iPad PRO

Is the current iPad edged with stainless steel or aluminium? Using titanium would add weight compared to aluminium, but reduce it compared to stainless steel.

 

[ric22]

well - the legacy device is a whopping 16 % thicker - that's a lot

16% isn't much for me when it's already incredibly thin. Aside from weight loss I see no benefit at all, and only the potential downsides I mentioned.

 

[ric22]

Yes - the M3 will be more power efficient and thus a similar battery capacity will make it last at least as long as today

You sure the M3 uses less power than the M2? I don't think it's supposed to...

Edit: It would appear the M2 runs at a maximum of 20w while the M3 runs at a maximum of 21w.

 

[cardfan]

You sure the M3 uses less power than the M2? I don't think it's supposed to...

Edit: It would appear the M2 runs at a maximum of 20w while the M3 runs at a maximum of 21w.

Doesn’t really matter when all it’s running are baby apps.

 

[cardfan]

Better filesystem access, better window control (not that Stage Manager garbage), no full website wonk, a freaking built-in Calculator app, among other things I'm sure someone else can point out and I just can't recall at the moment.

The iPad still has some issues that keep it from being a full "computer" replacement (I tried this for a year), to the point where I reverted to the Mac and bought an M2 MBA.

Ironic, really, because my iPad now sits EXACTLY where Apple INTENDS it to be: between my iPhone and my Mac.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my iPad, but aMac replacement it is not. But I also believe that slapping macOS on an iPad is NOT the answer.

Doesn’t this get old though arguing with people who are like “I don’t understand the difference”. lol. Just ignore em and move on.