The 2024 iPad Pro has been all but confirmed, but with an Apple event set for May 8 and the event imagery looking iPad-adjacent its only safe to assume that the flagship tablet with a brand spanking new OLED screen will be revealed in May.
The announcement has been made! Read about the iPad Pro OLED here and read about everything else that was mentioned here.
Apple didn’t release any 11th-gen iPads last year, which is noteworthy considering the Cupertino, California company has released one yearly for over a decade. The rumours make it clear that Apple thinks this latest refresh is a big one, and it could possibly reinvent the somewhat confusing SKU bloat that’s hindered the tech giant’s tablet line for years.
Lets jump into all the OLED iPad news!
Table of contents
Latest iPad Pro News and Leaks
In January, Bloomberg’s Apple guru Mark Gurman reported that Apple has wide-ranging designs. Nothing’s changed as far as what’s coming down the pike. According to Bloomberg, this first iPad refresh in 18 months will include four models: the J717, J718, J720, and J721.
As first reported by Apple Insider, quoting from market researchers at Display Supply Chain Consultants, there have been a few snags with manufacturing the latest tablets. Still, now that Apple has a little more breathing room, there hopefully won’t be any more delays.
May 6
The event is less than 48 hours away (and is rumoured to only be 35 minutes) Bloomberg Apple insider Mark Gurman has noted that the upcoming iPad Pro could be a replacement laptop. The neglected iPad Air will have an M2 Chip while the Pro will have the M4 Gurman reported.
In the same newsletter, Gurman said the iPad lineup from Wednesday morning will feature 5 devices: the 10th generation iPad, the ninth generation, the iPad Air, the iPad Mini and the iPad Pro.
We are waiting with bated breath.
May 1
As the day nears to the launch, so too do the rumours. Today’s nugget is from MacRumors where Display Supply Chain Consultants have called the upcoming iPad Pro “by far the best OLED tablet panels on the market”. These new displays are reported to have LTPO, a 120Hz ProMotion refresh rate and ultra thin and light displays. I guess we will see what happens on May 8.
April 29
Apple insider Gurman has reported that the iPad Pros could come with the M4 chip rather than the M3 chip. The M4 chip will have a new neural engine that will boost the device’s AI capabilities. Gurman said he believes Apple will be pushing this device as the first “AI-powered” Apple device.
2024 iPad Pro Release Date
We are currently unsure of the release date but with Apple’s “Let Loose” event in the Calendar for May 8, which we are expecting to see the OLED iPads unveiled with a release day probably a few weeks after that.
2024 iPad Pro Features: What to Expect
OLED
Based on routine hints by industry analysts, it’s become well-known that Apple wants to make an 11.1-inch and a 13-inch iPad Pro with OLED. That’s compared to the most recent 12.9-inch mini-LED version (called Liquid Retina XDR) and 11-inch IPS LCD version that currently occupy the top end of Apple’s tablet line. Those rumors have been reconfirmed by the most recent word from
The new generation of iPads will be sized slightly differently from previous models. 9to5Mac reported, based on anonymous sources, that the new iPad Pros will be close to 1 mm less thick than the current 10th-gen. The existing 11-inch iPad Pro is 5.9 mm thick, but the new one could be 5.1 mm. The 12.9-inch version currency sits at 6.4 mm, but the new one could be a bare 5.0 mm.
To complement the new sizes, rumors also suggest we’ll see an updated MacBook Air that stretches the screen to 12.9 inches.
iPadOS 18
There could be some interesting changes in store for the next OS update to come along with the iPad refresh. For one, the next tablet operating system could drop support for several older-gen iPads. According to a rumour first reported by 9to5Mac, this includes the 2nd-gen 12.9-inch iPad Pro, the 10.5-inch iPad Pro, and the 6th-gen iPad. The rest of the tablets from 2019 and later should still have access to the new OS build.
If iOS 18‘s rumored AI enhancements prove true, it would only make sense to bring them to the iPad as well. This could potentially reinvent Siri and perhaps add several new AI-enhanced functions to Apple’s portable platforms.
At the tail end of last month, Apple released the new iPadOS update 17.4.1, which MacRumors confirmed didn’t offer any hints about iPadOS 18. At the very least, we can speculate that iPadOS 18 will come out at the same time as iOS 18, which will likely debut at WWDC 2024.
Magsafe
MacRumors claimed, based on a source who works with Apple parts, that the next iPad could support MagSafe wireless charging. There hasn’t been word that the Cupertino company would make an all-new MagSafe peripheral for iPads, but we can’t help but imagine a charging unit that could double as a hands-free stand. Bloomberg had previously hinted at Apple trying to create a glass-backed iPad that would work with MagSafe.
M3 or M4?
For months, rumours surrounded the chip of the iPad Pro with most punters saying it would come with the M3 chip which is in the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. But now Apple insider Gurman has reported the iPad Pros could come with the M4 chip rather than the M3 chip. The M4 chip will have a new neural engine that will boost the device’s AI capabilities. Gurman said he believes Apple will be pushing this device as the first “AI-powered” Apple device.
2024 iPad Pro Design
The biggest change to the design this year will most likely be the OLED display but with any new Apple product expect it to be lighter and thinner. Commentators believe there will be an 11-inch and a 12.9-inch (its 13, okay?) model for people to choose from.
MacRumors has the breakdown of the two models comparing them to its 2022 predecessors.
Current 11-inch iPad Pro – 247.6mm x 178.5mm x 5.9 mm
Upcoming 11-inch iPad Pro – 249.7mm x 177.5mm x 5.1mm
Current 12.9-inch iPad Pro – 280.6mm x 214.9mm x 6.4mm
Upcoming 13-inch iPad Pro – 281.5mm x 215.5mm x 5.0mm
2024 iPad Pro: Price
OLED normally costs more than LCD, partly because of materials and partly because fewer factories and makers are available to manufacture the individual components. Based on industry sources, Korean tech rumor site The Elec (via MacRumors) claimed that Samsung is producing the first batch of the 11-inch OLED iPads but that LG is also working on the 13-inch versions.
The Elec also noted that industry analysts expect Apple to ship 8 million units this year. That’s less than what the industry thought the company would ship last year, though it may be based on expected demand more than anything. Apple did have a few issues last year with MacBook sales being down, leading the company to release the M3 MacBook Pros, not even a year after it finally started shipping the M2 version. This did help build hype around the M3 chip, the company’s most powerful APU released.
That said, the iPad Pro would only make sense to see a price increase. Trying to guess an exact price would be like tossing darts blindfolded, but the 13-inch iPad Pro currently starts at $1,899 but can go upwards of $4,000 if you want to opt for more storage options and cellular connectivity. We could guess that a new iPad Pro would cost at least $200 more than the current generation. The Elec has previously reported the next iPad could cost several hundred dollars more, even putting the price at $US1,500 ($2200) for the 11-inch and $US1,800 ($2700) for the 18-inch model, which seems to be a higher jump than seems practical.
Also, considering the Magic Keyboard’s current starting price of $489, a new aluminum material will likely increase the overall cost. The future iPad Pro will be a much more luxury product, which will also recast the Air as a more consumer-grade product overall.
2024 iPad Pro: Accessories
Moreover, there’ve been hints at additional iPad accessories that could also find their way onto the scene, along with the new Airs and Pros. People digging into the code for iOS 17.4 found mentions of an Apple Pencil 3 that connects with Apple’s Find My app. With a surprise release last year, the previous Apple Pencil featured a slide-out USB-C slot. That pencil version also lacked pressure sensitivity, so a new version with more sensitivity options could fit well with the new “Pro” lineup.
The new iPad could also introduce an all-new keyboard. Gurman previously mentioned that Apple is trying to redesign the Magic Keyboard to work with the iPad. Rumors suggest the new keyboard will have a larger trackpad. Most importantly, Apple could switch to aluminum for the top portion of its keyboard, which would give it much more of a MacBook feel than ever before. The cover material would remain the same, but it would make the whole keyboard a lot sturdier for those who want to use their iPad as their main daily driver.
Rumors of the Apple Pencil Pro according to old faithful MacRumours, include a new “squeeze” gesture and haptic feedback.
I guess all will be revealed on May 8
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