According to a report from HanKyung, Apple will reveal its next-gen iPad Pro series in March 2024 at the earliest. It’s expected to come in two sizes, 11 inches, and 12.9 inches, featuring OLED panels supplied by LG Display and Samsung Display. DIGITIMES reports that Apple is preparing to move some 8.5 million OLED iPad Pro units this year.
But new hardware alone, Ars Technica‘s Andrew Cunningham writes, won’t solve iPad’s issues.
Andrew Cunningham for Ars Technica:
We’ll talk about the specifics of these iPad rumors momentarily, but reading about them got me thinking about what it would take to make me consider an upgrade for either of the iPads currently rolling around my house — a third-generation iPad Air that is currently used mostly for watching Octonauts and assembling Super Mario Lego sets, and a fifth-generation M1 Air that I use mostly for reading and browsing.
At least for me, the answer isn’t “new hardware.” After a brief stint a few years ago using the iPad as a focused writing device, I’ve mostly relegated it to tablet-y content consumption, leaving behind the cottage industry of enthusiasts who keep trying to come up with workarounds to make the iPad into a Mac. To replace an iPad at this point, I would either need one of them to break or for Apple to dramatically change what the high-end iPads are capable of.
It’s looking like 2024 will be the biggest year the iPad has had in a while, though after a silent 2023, anything would look like a big year… It’s also an opportunity to make sure that each iPad is clearly defined. The low-end iPad is the one you buy for basic browsing, messaging, gaming, and doodling; the Air is the step up for people who use the iPad as their primary computing device but don’t care about the Pro’s bells and whistles, and the Pro is the model for people with money to spend who just want the best hardware Apple can make…
Even with a less-confusing range of products and Apple’s latest chips, the biggest problem for the iPad is still about software limitations… I don’t really think it’s likely that Apple will allow its high-end iPads to replace iPadOS with macOS or to implement some kind of dual-booting mechanism that would allow easy switching between the two. But it does feel like the kind of dramatic change that could shift the narrative around the iPad and deliver on the never-quite-fully realized promise of these convertible computing devices.
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MacDailyNews Take: New hardware isn’t going to solve iPad’s issues, but new leadership likely would, starting on Day One.
As with great swaths of Apple today, iPad suffers from the same myopic lack of vision, directionless “leadership,” and malignant bloat as the long-suffering Project Titan did before it was belatedly put out of its misery.
Imagine an “iOS Pro” mode.
Turn on iOS Pro on your iPad Pro
1. Tap Settings > General, and make sure iOS Pro is turned on.
2. There is no step two.
Hey, we can dream, can’t we?
— MacDailyNews, December 29, 2015
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I’m ready to upgrade my 2nd gen 12.9 ipad pro. I need at least a 15″ or larger for illustration work (with procreate).
Nothing larger? No reason to upgrade.
I’ve often wondered why the largest iPad was not a 15″ or a bit larger (“15.2” or “16” inch?) as that would allow the display of both U.S. standard page size documents and European standard page size documents at full resolution and full size. I’ve always thought if Apple wanted their iPads to replace those binders, notebooks, and paper tablets Apple should have an iPad that really could do that.
Concur with comment. I have the M2 iPad Pro with 1TB memory. M2 will run Mac OS Apple….. like all past iPad, memory management is an issue. Even with all that capability, the system slows then freezes when multiple App have been opened. The exact number varies by app, but generally about 10. Must force quit to free up space (contrary to Apple’s statements) .
This is frustrating. I just sold my 12.9” M1 iPad Pro. I tried using it as a laptop but I wanted to tear my eyes out half of the time. I have a 2020 11” Pro that scratches my iPad itch without pretending to be something its not.
The latest iPad Pros, massively overpriced for the value they provide, is a glaring reminder that this company’s greatest innovations in recent years are maintaining high profit margins and marketing. The new OLED iPads will continue this on steroids.
Forget tinkering with iPad OS. iPad Pros need to run a touch optimized Mac OS. Call it what you want, rebrand it for the device, but iPad OS is a massive failure for anything beyond content consumption.
iPad has been out for 14 years and it’s STILL not clear exactly what it’s for and why you should pay any more than $300-500 for it for what it does. Besides padding Tim Cook’s platinum parachute of course.
The problem with iPads is that they are too good. My 2020 iPad Pro is doing just fine.
Build an AI ChatGPT Bionic Humanoid Replicant of Steve Jobs infused with all his knowledge, history and quirks. This robot will walk into today’s Apple and fire Ted Cook’s ass.
needs to be 10 times lighter.
10 times faster
500% sharper.
and cost no more than 199.99
Tim Cook remains Apple CEO today because he’s gay, and therefore DEI-protected, and because he weaseled his way onto Apple’s board where no CEO should be.
Tim Cook is a talented Operations manager, in that he pits suppliers against each other to secure the best possible prices for Apple. He also took advantage of low labor costs in China to maximize margins. Virtually anybody else with a functioning brain, and not too much in the way of morals, could do the same things.
Tim Cook’s apologists are almost all gay men themselves. They are invested in him remaining Apple CEO for as long as possible even though Apple is diminished each day with him in the corner office.
The rest of the business world sees Tim Cook for what he is: a DEI-protected, overhyped, sanctimonious, overpaid mediocrity.
if you think Tim is bad just wait till he appoints his replacement on the way out the door. It will be (in his mind) his last great act to heal the world, and you can bet they/them will be fully woke. A young Steve Jobs type leader need not apply.
I’m much in the same boat as the original writer – I have two iPads laying around, not being used much. They’re both 4+ years old. After reading this article I wondered what would motivate me to upgrade. And in my case at least, there definitely is a hardware change that would!
My iPads are still of the original 9.7”, 1+llb variety. But the newer iPad’s 10.2” and similar weight are just not enough of an improvement of either to warrant a new device. If Apple could get the base iPad ($329?) to 11” with substantially lower weight, I’d definitely replace my current ones. I don’t need more power, RAM, or fancy cameras – I already have that in my iPhone – but device with a bigger screen that one can hold for long periods (eg for reading), would be a welcome addition.
I use my 12.9” iPad all day long. It is my most used device. Mostly I use it for reading and after that I use it for note taking and technical drawing. This iPad is 3 years old. I’ll gladly upgrade in the next month or so. I’m looking forward to the better display and faster processor.
What I’d like to see in an iPad:
They should add some texture to the surface to make using the pencil more like writing on paper. The experience has gotten better but the screen is still too slippery.
As others have stated, I’d like to have a larger screen. 15” would be great.
I’m on the fence about the OS. If I really need a Mac I’ll use the iMac. iPadOS could be improved. Mostly I’d like to see the Files app improved to make it more Mac-like. It is too hard to deal with files and folders on the iPad.
I hate to say it, but Microsoft is ahead in the touch game. Frankly, Macs and iPads are going to have to merge at some point and Apple is just going to have to suck it up. Apple has made some good choices and some weird ones, too. Why not a 27″ iMac? The last one remains the coolest looking computer ever made. After I have used an iPad for a bit and then move to a Mac, I will find myself poking at the screen for a few minutes. Also, the big table top Windows machine, forget what it’s called, is a great idea for sharing ideas in a meeting.
The coming hardware upgrades are nice. But that’s not enough for me. I just ended my iPad adventure (which lasted over eight years and several iPad models). Kept waiting for years, for the iPadOS version that never arrived. Yesterday, I sold my M1 iPad Pro and got an M3 MacBook Air. I love the iPad concept (touch-based model and its versatility). But iPadOS never overcame its limitations (including poor memory management resulting in frustrating episodes of strange “behaviors”). I was one who used the iPad as a primary device/platform. Used it daily at work for about 90% of tasks. But iPadOS started to fail me at crucial moments leaving me with anger and frustration. So I ended it all yesterday. I’m back using MacOS. The iPad platform has so much potential. Apple leadership seems not to care and is just killing it. As someone here mentioned, a touch-based full “MacOS” (or whatever you want to name it) for iPad would make it an incredible machine. I would get one in a second. I’ll keep my eyes open, because i love the iPad platform. Fingers crossed.