Apple is predicted to launch overhauled iPad Pro tablets with OLED display panels, an M3 chip, a new Magic Keyboard with a larger trackpad and more.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple will redesign the iPad Pro to reinvigorate its tablet lineup following modest upgrades in the past few years.
Part of that effort involves making the iPad a more usable computer, so the company will redesign the Magic Keyboard accessory, giving it a larger trackpad.
Other rumored updates are thought to include Apple’s upcoming M3 chip, a switch from LCD display technology to OLED panels, and more.
OLED iPad Pro with a revamped Magic Keyboard in 2024?
Writing in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter for Bloomberg, Mark Gurman takes a look at Apple’s confusing tablet lineup.
The next iPad Pro models—codenamed J717, J718, J720 and J721—will shift to the next-generation M3 chip. They will also be Apple’s first tablets with OLED displays, the same types of screens used on the iPhone since the X model in 2017. They are crisper and brighter, and reproduce colors more accurately.
The new models will come in two sizes—11 and 13 inches—making the flagship model a bit larger than the current 12.9-inch iPad Pro.
A new Magic Keyboard with a larger trackpad
Gurman also claims that the Magic Keyboard will be revamped to give the iPad Pro more of a notebook appearance:
The new accessory makes the iPad Pro look even more like a laptop than the current setup and adds a larger trackpad. That addresses a complaint about the current Magic Keyboard, which debuted in 2020.
Don’t expect these tablets to debut at the rumored September 12 iPhone 15 + Apple Watch event. They also won’t be announced at an event in October.
Instead, these tablets should arrive around Spring 2024. “I’m not anticipating anything other than minor updates to the company’s other tablets before then.”
The iPad Pro, Apple’s flagship tablet
The iPad Pro was thoroughly redesigned in 2018 by adopting a fullscreen appearance with Face ID, a high-quality Retina display, support for the Apple Pencil and more. The redesign sat well with many users, boosting the iPad Pro line as a pretty decent alternative to the computer.
Since then, the iPad Pro has been mostly unchanged, receiving only iterative updates such as faster chips and better displays. In 2021, it adopted the Mac’s M1 chip and a new display with mini-LED backlighting for an OLED-like experience.
The current iPad Pro, released in 2022, runs the Apple M2 chip and features Apple Pencil Hover support and ProRes video recording.