The rumor mill is telling us we should be expecting small redesigns for the iPad Air and iPad mini, and that Apple is working on an iMac with an iPad Pro design aesthetic. But we may have to wait a bit longer before these new devices actually launch.
According to a new report from DigiTimes, we may see the rumored 10.8-inch iPad Air (which may switch to USB-C!), the 8.x-inch iPad mini, and a redesigned 23-inch iMac launch before the end of this year. Unfortunately the report can only give us “second half” of 2020, so there’s no reason to circle a date on the calendar just yet. And while this may cast some doubt on any potential announcements rumored for WWDC 2020 (which starts on Monday, June 22), that doesn’t necessarily mean we won’t hear anything about new hardware at the developers conference.
It is possible that Apple could unveil these new products, especially considering the company is introducing new screen sizes to the mix. And just because Apple is planning to launch them later in the year doesn’t automatically suggest they won’t unveil anything later this month.
Especially when you consider the fact that the second half of 2020 starts just two weeks after WWDC 2020 wraps up.
Here’s the important bit from the report:
Apple’s new offerings for second-half 2020 are likely to include a 10.8-inch ‌iPad‌ Air and a 23-inch ‌iMac‌ device, with prospects to also release an 8.x-inch ‌iPad‌ mini and 12.9-inch iPad Pro with mini LED display in the first half of 2021, said the sources.
Apple is also expected to enlarge the size of 2020 ‌iPad‌ Air to 10.8-inch compared to the 10.2-inch one launched in 2019, said the sources, adding that volume production of the new ‌iPad‌ Air is to kick off in the third quarter 2020.
Major panel suppliers for the planned 10.8-inch ‌iPad‌ Air include LG Display, BOE Technology and Sharp, with Radiant being the sole BLU supplier, the sources added.
You may have noticed that DigiTimes is claiming here that the iPad Air, in its current form, has a 10.2-inch display, which is obviously not accurate. The iPad Air has a 10.5-inch screen, and it’s the entry-level iPad that has a 10.2-inch screen. As MacRumors points out, it also adds to the confusion whether or not this new 10.8-inch iPad is going to be a follow-up to the current iPad, or a new iPad Air model.
An initial rumor regarding these new iPads suggested that the new iPad mini, with an estimated screen size somewhere in the 8-inch range, would launch in 2021, while the 10.8-inch tablet would arrive before the end of 2020. So it all feels up in the air right now.