Bloomberg: Major Overhaul in Store for 2024 iPad Pro Lineup
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We’ve seen rumors of a major update coming to the iPad Pro in 2024. Now Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman is sharing some more information on what may be coming in Apple’s next-generation iPad Pro. Expected updates include a switch to larger OLED displays and a remodeled Magic Keyboard.
In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says that the upcoming iPad Pro models will be the “first major update to the product since 2018.” Gurman adds that while the iPad Pro has undergone a number of smaller changes since the current design language was introduced that year, the basic product itself has remained the same.
According to Gurman, the upcoming iPad Pro lineup will include a model with an 11-inch display and one with a 13-inch display. “That’s similar to the existing lineup, but the larger model is currently 12.9 inches,” he says.
Both models will make the switch to OLED screen technology. The current 12.9-inch iPad Pro boasts a mini-LED display, while the 11-inch iPad Pro still uses the older LED backlighting tech. This means the new iPad Pro models will offer crisper and brighter displays that offer more accurate color reproduction.
In July, we saw a report from Korean website The Elec claiming that Apple would begin the mass production of new 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro models with OLED displays sometime in the first quarter of 2024.
Apple currently equips nearly all of its iPhone and Apple Watch models with OLED displays, with the lowest-priced iPhone, the iPhone SE being the only exception.
Both of the new iPad Pro models will be powered by M3 chips. Gurman says the devices are currently being tested by Apple, and use model identifiers J717, J718, J720, and J721. The M3 chip is expected to make its debut this fall in new Macs, after which it will be used in next year’s iPad Pro revamp.
Gurman’s report also mentions a new Magic Keyboard. The Magic Keyboard for iPad first debuted in 2020 and has not seen an update since then. The Magic Keyboard brings a dedicated keyboard and trackpad to the iPad Pro and makes the iPad Pro resemble a laptop.
Gurman says the revamped Magic Keyboard will make the iPad Pro even more like a laptop than the current keyboard and will boast a larger trackpad than the current model. The current Magic Keyboard’s trackpad is a bit smaller than the size of the trackpad used in Apple’s current MacBook.
Gurman has previously claimed that the revamped 12.9-inch iPad Pro will feature a slightly larger display, and his current comments back that up. The larger display could be pulled off in one of two ways. Apple could shrink the bezels surrounding the display and either retain, or shrink, the overall size of the tablet. On the other end of the possibilities, Apple could also make the overall size of the device slightly larger, which could also allow for the use of a larger trackpad on the revamped Magic Keyboard.
Gurman says the new iPad Pro models won’t be unveiled until “spring or early summer” 2024 and that we won’t see any updates to the devices between now and 2024.
[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]
