Apple’s next product launch is just days away, accrording to Bloomberg News’ Mark Gurman. Apple is set to launch new 11- and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models, codenamed J617 and J620, that include the company’s world-beating M2 chip.
Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News:
It’s the first update to the company’s pro tablet line in a year and a half, and the M2 chip is the biggest change. The processor will offer a nearly 20% speed boost… The new iPads will look similar to the pro model from last year, bringing the same flat-edge design into its fourth year…
Apple is also working on a new entry-level tablet with a USB-C port and a similar design to the iPad Pro, bringing that look to yet another device. When it arrives, this new low-end iPad will be the most significant update to that line in several years and mark a bit of a strategy shift: The entry-level product typically only gets annual processor upgrades.
On the software side, Apple is planning to release iPadOS 16.1 — the first iPad version of iOS 16 — around the week of Oct. 24. Development is set to be finished the prior week if all goes to plan. Apple’s quarterly earnings call takes place on Oct. 27, and the company has typically launched new products in the days or weeks ahead of that report.
MacDailyNews Take: We’d love to see Apple at least preview the smart HomePod hub for iPad docking unit that the company is reportedly prepping. Although Apple doesn’t usually do previews well ahead of release, they have in some cases, notably iPhone and Apple Watch. Of course, no event is expected for these new iPads, but it would make sense and likely boost sales of compatible iPads if they showed a forthcoming companion product that would make your new iPad even more valuable “in early 2023.”
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When is going to be available the new Mac mini with M2 processor ?
M2 iPad Pro models seem logical; they need to be better distinguished from current M1 iPad Air. The new entry iPad will likely have an A15, like the standard iPhones in current lineup. Existing entry iPad had A13. My iPad mini (5th gen) has an A12 and it runs current OS and software I use effortlessly. I also have a 10.5-inch iPad Pro (last Pro with a Home Button and Touch ID). It’s design investment has been worthwhile. The entry iPad is becoming more and more like that old Pro with each iteration. Screen size is already 10.2-inch. Previous rumors say new one will still have a Home Button with Touch ID, a good design choice for its intended audience. It won’t have ProMotion and excellent built-in speakers like my old Pro, but A15 is probably a match for the pro-variant A10X. So the next affordable entry-level iPad has mostly caught up to iPad Pro from 5 years ago.