Apple allegedly plans to add a 12.9-inch model to the iPad Air lineup while giving the iPad Pro family more premium features for differentiation.
Shopping for an iPad used to be simple. The iPad Pro offered Apple’s best tablet technologies, while other models focused on price-conscious buyers. But many of the features that used to be unique about the iPad Pro, like USB-C and full-screen designs, are now available on its less expensive tablets.
The various models and accessories with little differentiation between them have turned iPad shopping into a chore. But Apple could fix things by refreshing the iPad Pro with features not found on any other model, like OLED panels. At the same time, the company is rumored to add a 12.9-inch model to the iPad Air lineup.
Could a 12.9-inch iPad Air and OLED iPad Pro make Apple’s tablet lineup less confusing?
According to Mark Gurman’s Power On newsletter for Bloomberg, the iPhone maker is working on upcoming iPad Pro models with these features:
- OLED screens
- Updated design
- Apple M3 chip
- Revamped Magic Keyboard
The next iPad Pros will be 11 and 13 inches, Gurman has it, marking a slight increase over the current iPad Pros (available with screens measuring 11 and 12.9 inches diagonally). The next iPad Pro will have another thing going for it: an overhauled Magic Keyboard with a more durable aluminum enclosure.
The new Magic Keyboard provides another differentiator for the iPad Pro. Apple isn’t planning a new version of that accessory for the iPad Air. The new 12.9-inch model will stick to using the current Magic Keyboard for that screen size. So if you want to get the best keyboard, you have another reason to spring for the Pro.
According to Gurman, the next iPad Air will be powered by Apple’s M2 chip and come in two screen sizes instead of one. But what about the budget iPad? Isn’t it time Apple retired this tablet with huge bezels and a home button?
The next iPad and iPad mini
To that end, Gurman claims Apple will discontinue the ninth-generation iPad when the eleventh-generation model is released. “The discontinuation of the ninth generation iPad should ultimately let Apple slowly phase out some of its older Pencils, further cleaning up the line,” he reasoned.
The iPad mini also isn’t going away anytime soon, with the next model gaining a faster chip. Gurman argues that Apple needs both the iPad mini and budget iPad to remain competitive in the education market, where inexpensive Chromebooks have been eating the iPad’s lunch.