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Will Apple Launch Any New iPads in 2023? [Updated]
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iPad 10th gen shouldn’t exist.
Lineup should be iPad mini, iPad Air renamed iPad, iPad Pro with USB-C, SD Card, MagSafe 3 and optional Mac-mode when mouse or trackpad detected. All support Apple Pencil 2 and all start at 128 GB and call it a day.
iPad 9 for education bulk purchase only. Starts at 64 GB
Lineup should be iPad mini, iPad Air renamed iPad, iPad Pro with USB-C, SD Card, MagSafe 3 and optional Mac-mode when mouse or trackpad detected. All support Apple Pencil 2 and all start at 128 GB and call it a day.
iPad 9 for education bulk purchase only. Starts at 64 GB
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I'm not sure I totally agree with this assessment, but one by one:
iPad
This product has consistently seen an annual update since the 5th generation was announced in 2017. I don't see why this year would be different. My guess would be a fall refresh to an A15, with new colors and a slight price reduction, with the 9th and 10th gen discontinued.
iPad Mini
This product on the other hand only tends to be updated every few years, generally when it's processor really starts to show it's age in comparison to the rest of the lineup. The A15 chip is still feeling fresh so I seriously doubt this one will see an update this year.
iPad Air
This one could go either way - the current iPad Air was updated to the M1 before the iPad Pros were updated to the M2, so that could happen again. M2 in the fall is a possibility, but it could easily stay with the M1 until sometime in 2024 too.
iPad Pro
These do tend to have cycles of about 1.5 years, so with these just being updated to the M2 in the fall it will likely be spring 2024 before we see another update.
iPad
This product has consistently seen an annual update since the 5th generation was announced in 2017. I don't see why this year would be different. My guess would be a fall refresh to an A15, with new colors and a slight price reduction, with the 9th and 10th gen discontinued.
iPad Mini
This product on the other hand only tends to be updated every few years, generally when it's processor really starts to show it's age in comparison to the rest of the lineup. The A15 chip is still feeling fresh so I seriously doubt this one will see an update this year.
iPad Air
This one could go either way - the current iPad Air was updated to the M1 before the iPad Pros were updated to the M2, so that could happen again. M2 in the fall is a possibility, but it could easily stay with the M1 until sometime in 2024 too.
iPad Pro
These do tend to have cycles of about 1.5 years, so with these just being updated to the M2 in the fall it will likely be spring 2024 before we see another update.
I upgraded from a 2017 iPad Pro 10.5 inch to an 11 inch iPad Pro in 2022 and could not be happier. The device has resulted in me spending much less time with my 14 inch MacBook Pro. I don’t see any reason I will be upgrading until 2027 or so. The person to whom I gave my 2017 iPad Pro loves it. It was his first iPad and it just keeps on working. Apple knows what it is doing with its upgrade cycles.
to be fair to the iPad mini update schedule, we really don’t know what it is.
The first, second, third, and fourth generation were all introduced one year apart, in the falls of 2012 through 2015.
Then… it went over 3+ years without an update, most likely because (according to some rumors) Apple was internally thinking about killing it.
However, the fifth generation came in 2019 and the six generation in 2021, so a seventh generation coming in 2023 isn’t too big of a surprise.
That would mean that the iPad mini had been updated every two years for the last three generations.
And if the A17 truly has the efficiency gains that have been rumored, it could mean either a very nice performance or battery boost.
Outside of that though, I would expecte updates to the mini to be small, maybe a bump to the camera, maybe a bump to 6 GB of RAM, maybe a fix for the jelly scroll issue.
But the rumors of it getting a 120 Hz OLED display by 2024 are absolute nonsense.
Couldn’t disagree with this more, the budget iPad is Apple‘s best selling iPad.
Not just to education customers, to actual customers as well.
Second place is the iPad mini.
It’s the price, Apple absolutely needs a tablet at that $250-350 price point for all customers.
Discounting the 10th generation iPad (which I also agree is very strange) the next full size iPad starts at $599, a very different price from $329.
Upping the entry point to a ten inch plus iPad from around $300 to around $600 would be a massive failure on Apple’s end.
What they need to do next year is bring the 10th generation iPad down in price closer to $330-$350, introduce a pencil with USB-C on the end of it instead of lightning, and kill the 9th generation.
And I assume that is their strategy.
I want a promotion iPad mini 7!
If they can improved the display, make it M2 based with more memory/storage that would be a hot seller.
If they can improved the display, make it M2 based with more memory/storage that would be a hot seller.
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I wouldn't be surprised if they update the 11" iPad Pro this year. All this talk of 2024 would make it a ridiculously long time for the 11" iPad Pro to lack all the new features of the 10th gen.
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The 11 iPad Pro was just updated in October.
Since 2017 both sizes of the iPad Pro have been updated at the same time, and have never been updated less than a year apart.
Also, the only features the 11 inch iPad Pro doesn’t have from the 10th GEN iPad are the landscape camera, which is not going to happen on the pros because of the magnetic pencil connector being in the same spot, and the new keyboard accessory, which is not an iPad. It’s an accessory completely sold separately that Apple could update at any time.
Outside of that, the iPad Pro bests the 10th generation iPad in every way.
I wouldn't be surprised if they update the 11" iPad Pro this year. All this talk of 2024 would make it a ridiculously long time for the 11" iPad Pro to lack all the new features of the 10th gen.
Since 2017 both sizes of the iPad Pro have been updated at the same time, and have never been updated less than a year apart.
Also, the only features the 11 inch iPad Pro doesn’t have from the 10th GEN iPad are the landscape camera, which is not going to happen on the pros because of the magnetic pencil connector being in the same spot, and the new keyboard accessory, which is not an iPad. It’s an accessory completely sold separately that Apple could update at any time.
Outside of that, the iPad Pro bests the 10th generation iPad in every way.
I wouldn't be surprised if they update the 11" iPad Pro this year. All this talk of 2024 would make it a ridiculously long time for the 11" iPad Pro to lack all the new features of the 10th gen.
Until they address the elephant in the room that is iPadOS I don't think a new iPad is going to bolster sales much. It's the red-headed step child in the Apple family. They don't care about it and the line up is confusing AF.
There will come a time where all the iPads get away from the more RAM restrictive A SoC's and are all M based SoC's.
Either the M1 or the M2 iPad Pros come with 8 or 16 GB RAM, the recent M1 Air offers 8GB RAM. It's about time to move everything that direction if they want to make IPadOS more elaborate to use. All the other recent iPads are 3 to 4 GB RAM which is too little for a more advanced iPadOS IMHO. This was very evident when they tried to restrict Stage Manager earlier to M1 iPad Pros.
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it was never announced yet it still exists and therefore can be canceled.
just because something wasn’t announced doesn’t mean it can’t be canceled or delayed.
it’s very possible that internally Apple is/was working on it and canceled/postponed it. delays are still a thing even without a product being formally introduced.
The current iPad Pro are already overkill with M-series chips they are more power than the applications people use them for need for the near future. So only thing left is update some of the iPad, but then they start becoming too much alike and raise prices. Apple doesn't want to make a touch screen Macbook so iPad is their product to fill the gap. Bigger screen than a iPhone but a lightweight OS so doesn't have the capabilities of a Macbook. Apple way to make people buy multiple devices instead of making one that does it all.
Throughout 2022, we heard a multitude of reports about an OLED iPad Pro and even an all-new 14.2-inch iPad – but rumors about all of the next-generation iPad models have otherwise been thin on the ground, so can we really expect any new iPad models to launch this year?
2023 appears to be shaping up to be a quiet year for iPad hardware refreshes, and while it is possible we could see some new models, the current picture suggests that new iPads this year are unlikely on the whole. 2024, on the other hand, is looking like it will be a much more significant year for the iPad lineup. Below, we have consolidated all of the latest rumors about each of Apple's upcoming iPad models to get a sense of what may or may not be in store for this year.
11th-Generation iPad: Unlikely
When Apple introduced the 10th-generation iPad last year, it added the device to the lineup above the ninth-generation model from 2021. As a result, Apple currently sells both the ninth- and 10th-generation iPad for $329 and $449, respectively. It appears to be able to do this more easily since the devices are well-differentiated, offering different designs, chips, display sizes, ports, keyboard accessories, and more.
The A15 Bionic chip is the most plausible upgrade for the 11th-generation iPad, since each new entry-level iPad since the eighth-generation model from 2020 has gained a chip that is one generation newer. The 10th-generation iPad features the A14 Bionic chip, so the A15 is the most likely upgrade for the next model – not least because this chip is now widely used across devices like the iPhone SE, iPad mini, and Apple TV.
The entry-level iPad could, perhaps, also benefit from second-generation Apple Pencil support and a newer chip, but it is not immediately clear what else could justify offering a new version of the device this year. Since an 11th-generation iPad would be unlikely to have much new to offer over the 10th-generation model at the current time, a new model anytime soon seems unlikely. There have also been no concrete rumors about the new entry-level iPad as yet.
This year, Apple may be more likely to eliminate the ninth-generation iPad from the lineup and bump the 10th-generation model down in price, rather than release an 11th-generation model.
Seventh-Generation iPad Mini: Possible
Apple launched the sixth-generation iPad mini in September 2021, bringing the first major redesign to the device in its entire history. Like the 11th-generation iPad, a chip upgrade is the most certain feature coming to the next iPad mini – an aspect supported by recent reports.
The iPad mini currently contains the A15 Bionic. While it is slightly downclocked, the A15 Bionic puts the iPad mini on a level footing with the iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13, third-generation iPhone SE, iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, and third-generation Apple TV 4K. These six devices with the A15 chip are expected to remain on sale throughout 2023, meaning that the chip is likely to remain quite prevalent in Apple's product lineups.
As a result, the current iPad mini will contain relatively modern chip hardware throughout the entirety of this year. With features like second-generation Apple Pencil support and Center Stage, there is no pressing need to update the device this year and it is not clear what a new model could offer.
While Apple updated the iPad mini annually from 2012 to 2016, updates thereafter became more infrequent, with just one minor refresh in March 2019 before 2021's redesign. As a device that now seems to stick around for longer in between updates, a hardware refresh in 2023 is not certain, but the seventh-generation iPad mini is the only iPad model actively rumored to potentially launch this year.
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes that the seventh-generation iPad will begin mass shipments towards the end of 2023 or in the first half of 2024 – so while a launch this year is possible, 2024 seems most likely.
Sixth-Generation iPad Air: Unlikely
The iPad Air is another device with no solid rumors about its successor. The current model was introduced in March last year, adding the M1 chip, Center Stage on the front-facing camera, a faster USB-C port, and several new color options, but it was overall a minor upgrade over the previous model from September 2020.
As such, as of 2023, it has been some time since the iPad Air had a major hardware refresh. Yet due to its positioning between the entry-level iPad and the iPad Pro, it is not immediately clear what a new iPad Air model could gain without cannibalizing the iPad Pro.
A horizontally oriented front-facing camera, the M2 chip, and a Thunderbolt port are among the potential features for the sixth-generation iPad Air, but little is known about the device at this time. While a refresh to add the M2 chip is possible in 2023, it may be more likely that Apple again waits two years to update the device, and targets 2024 for a more worthwhile upgrade.
Seventh-Generation iPad Pro: Very Unlikely
The next-generation iPad Pro models are the most-rumored upcoming iPads. The current 11- and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models were released in October 2022, adding the M2 chip, Apple Pencil hover, Smart HDR 4, Wi‑Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.3 – another minor refresh like the fifth-generation iPad Air.
With the current- and previous-generation iPad Pro models featuring M-series chips, and the 2022 refresh making the leap to the M2 chip, the M3 chip is the most likely chip to be included in the next-generation iPad Pro. The M3 chip is expected to be manufactured using TSMC's 3nm process, bringing the biggest performance and efficiency boost to Apple's chips in several years. The first Apple devices with M3 chips are not likely to appear until the second half of 2023, which seemingly rules out a new iPad Pro anytime soon.
Moreover, the main feature rumored for the next-generation iPad Pro is OLED displays – an upgrade that has been rumored for over a year. Dozens of reports from multiple sources are consistent that iPad Pro models with OLED displays are scheduled to launch in 2024, rather than this year. The OLED displays Apple is planning to use will reportedly be more durable and enable thinner and more lightweight device designs, and they could have slimmer bezels with the display size options increasing from 11- to 11.1-inches and 12.9- to 13-inches.
The iPad Pro has had the same design for four successive generations since 2018, and it looks like the device could finally get a redesign in its next incarnation. It is not entirely clear what the new design could look like, but a thinner and lighter device with a glass back or larger glass Apple logo to enable wireless charging seems plausible based on current rumors. The device could also switch from a default portrait orientation to a landscape design – something seemingly supported by the relocation of the iPad mini's volume buttons and the latest entry-level iPad's landscape front-facing camera.
The iPhone 15 lineup is rumored to move to an iPhone 5C- or MacBook Pro-like design with a flat front and a rounded back, so a design like this for the iPad Pro is also not out of the question.
The one thing that is clear about the next major iPad Pro update according to rumors is that it will not launch in 2023, meaning that any new iPad Pro models this year seem very unlikely. Apple waited over 18 months between the 2021 and 2022 iPad Pros, and if a similar timeline was followed again, the next-generation iPad Pro would launch in May 2024.
14-Inch iPad: Cancelled
A 14.1-inch iPad was previously rumored to launch in in early 2023, but the latest reports suggest such a device is no longer in the works.
While it was initially said to feature a mini-LED display and ProMotion technology, it was later believed to feature an LCD display like the iPad Air. This suggests that it was not an iPad Pro model, but rather an all-new kind of iPad that focused on a large display without advanced features present on the high-end iPad models.
Larger iPads are still a possibility for the future, as The Information believes Apple is designing a 16-inch iPad and Bloomberg has repeatedly confirmed Apple's interest in bigger iPads.
With the cancellation of the 14.1-inch iPad, which was ostensibly the most far developed larger iPad model on account of the corroborated rumors surrounding the device, as well as the only iPad rumored to launch in the first half of the year, it now seems to be the case that any larger iPad models are off the cards for 2023.
Article Link: Will Apple Launch Any New iPads in 2023?
I agree that the iPad Pro is unlikely until there's an M3 to go in them. The M3 won't debut on the iPad Pro, so we're probably waiting.
M2 in the iPad Air is totally possible; Apple waited 11 months after bringing the M1 to the iPad Pro to bring it to the iPad Air, and they're positioning the iPad Air to be the central-point of the lineup and the lowest bar of entry to have support for pretty much every iPadOS feature except the reference mode feature exclusive to the 12.9-inch iPad Pros with either the M1 or M2.
An 11th Generation iPad is totally possible too, seeing as we've seen consistent updates to it every fall since the eighth generation model came out in 2020. Bump it to the A15, leave it otherwise untouched (it still lacks features from the iPad mini to justify the mini carrying a price tag), wham bam, thank you ma'am.
iPad mini is probably unlikely. It doesn't have to be, but Apple seems like it is totally fine with updating it sporadically.
M2 in the iPad Air is totally possible; Apple waited 11 months after bringing the M1 to the iPad Pro to bring it to the iPad Air, and they're positioning the iPad Air to be the central-point of the lineup and the lowest bar of entry to have support for pretty much every iPadOS feature except the reference mode feature exclusive to the 12.9-inch iPad Pros with either the M1 or M2.
An 11th Generation iPad is totally possible too, seeing as we've seen consistent updates to it every fall since the eighth generation model came out in 2020. Bump it to the A15, leave it otherwise untouched (it still lacks features from the iPad mini to justify the mini carrying a price tag), wham bam, thank you ma'am.
iPad mini is probably unlikely. It doesn't have to be, but Apple seems like it is totally fine with updating it sporadically.
The Mini is the only model that might need a refresh but I could see Apple skipping it this year.
I am very happy with my iPad 9. I would hate to see it killed off this soon. I just got it in October of last year. according to some things I’ve read a lot of people like the 9 over the newer 10th gen.
The 10th GEN is a good tablet, but it’s not worth such a price jump over the 9. As such the 9 is the better bank-for-the-buck.
