Apple is gearing up for a significant refresh of its iPad lineup in the coming year, featuring a notable addition—a larger 12.9-inch iPad Air MacRumor reported. According to insights from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the company’s roadmap prioritizes two iPad Air models for the upcoming launch.
Kuo’s projections foresee Apple compensating for this year’s relative inactivity in the iPad lineup by refreshing all existing models. The initiative kicks off with an updated 10.9-inch iPad and the introduction of a new 12.9-inch iPad Air. Mass production for these models is slated to commence in the first quarter of 2024.
The newly anticipated 12.9-inch iPad Air, as per Kuo, will sport an LCD screen, diverging from the mini-LED technology seen in Apple’s current iPad Pro lineup. However, it will leverage the same oxide backplane, promising superior display performance compared to the current 10.9-inch iPad Air that utilizes an a-Si backplane.
Following this release, the spotlight turns to the OLED iPad Pro models that have been the subject of rumors. Apple is poised to unveil redesigned 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro models equipped with a new M3 chip in the second quarter.
Kuo’s insights also foresee the introduction of a new iPad mini and an 11th-generation iPad, representing a revamped version of Apple’s most affordable tablet. This move signals the discontinuation of Apple’s 9th-generation iPad, which is currently available alongside the 10th-generation model in Apple’s lineup.
Despite these changes, Kuo predicts only modest gains in iPad shipments for 2024 compared to this year, estimating around 52-54 million units as opposed to 2023. This projection remains below Apple’s peak of 63 million iPads shipped in 2022 during the pandemic.
While Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman aligns with the idea of an extensive update for the iPad lineup in 2024, his timeline differs slightly from Kuo’s. Gurman’s predictions do not mention the larger iPad Air and suggest that updates to the low-end to mid-range iPads could occur as early as March 2024. Additionally, he anticipates the launch of new 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro models with the M3 chip and OLED displays in the first half of 2024. The upcoming iPad Air and iPad mini are likely to feature M2 and A16 Bionic chips, respectively.”
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.
