According to a serious rumor, Apple should announce new features in its iPad range this Tuesday, October 18, without a keynote. On the program: an iPad Pro with an M2 chip and a classic 10-inch iPad modernized like iPad Air.
If we are to believe Mark Gurman, the Bloomberg journalist always very well informed about the Cupertino company, Apple should announce today, Tuesday, September 18, at the end of the afternoon, new features in its iPad range. In his latest newsletter, the specialist predicts the imminent arrival of a dock for iPad, a docking station that would notably transform the tablet into a home automation control unit, a bit like the support that Google has planned for its future Pixel Tablet. Above all, it provides for the arrival of new versions of the iPad Pro powered by M2 chips, instead of the M1 embedded in current models. It should be noted that Apple is not expected to do a conference for this launch. Indeed, Tim Cook reserves his famous keynotes for major announcements – new iPhones, new Macs… – on the occasion of major changes, which would not be the case here.
iPad Pro M2: a more powerful chip in the same design
If no major exterior change is to be expected – or at the margin, the design having been thoroughly reviewed in May 2021 – the integration of this new SoC – System on a Chip, or all-in-one processor in French – should logically offer an increase in performance, of the order of 20% at least, which is always appreciable. The two existing versions, the 11-inch iPad Pro and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, would be affected by this engine change, retaining the flat-sided chassis and the main technical characteristics of their predecessors (screen, battery, etc.). .).
iPad 10: a new generation is approaching
Moreover, according to other sources identified by XDA Developers – but not taken over by Mark Gurman –, Apple should soon present a new version of the “just short” iPad, its entry-level tablet – nearly 400 euros all the same… – in 10-inch format. The current model, equipped with an A13 Bionic chip – like the old iPhones – and featuring a classic design, could benefit from a more visible redesign, by adopting a chassis inspired by the iPad Air, with flat sides. More importantly, the new version could ditch the traditional Apple-priced Lightning port in favor of a USB-C socket, as Europe will soon require. Excellent news, if confirmed. In a completely different register, the new iPad 10 could finally take advantage of the Pencil 2, the famous Apple stylus, already compatible with all the other iPads, which would give an even more coherent range. A significant advantage, the Pencil 2 is recharged by induction, instead of the old system by Lightning, impractical on a daily basis. That said, it is also rumored that Apple could also unveil a new stylus, the Pencil 3, initially reserved for the iPad Pro M2. To confirm. Finally, we can imagine that Apple will take the opportunity to modernize other aspects of the iPad 10, such as its screen or its processor, possibly passing an M1 chip.
Of course, we still don’t know anything about its supposed new models – Apple has observed almost military secrecy for years on all its announcements -, in particular about their prices, which could be hit by inflation, like the other recent products of the apple firm. And we do not know if the current versions will remain in the official catalog, in parallel. But we can logically assume that the old models will see their prices drop soon, even before Black Friday, which would allow interested parties to make good deals. To be continued then…
Of course, the introduction of new iPads would be accompanied by a new version of iPadOS, the operating system for Apple tablets. Unlike previous years, the Apple firm did not update iPadOS at the same time as iOS, which went to version 16 for the release of the iPhone 14. We can therefore bet without risk that iPadOS 16 will arrive with the new iPad Pros – and that it will benefit several models, as always, although Apple will no doubt discard the older ones.