New iPads in 2024: What We Expect (OLED, M3 and Beyond)
Tablets
Speaker 1: It looks like this is going to be a big year for the iPad with reports hinting that every model is going to get a refresh. The first batch of new iPads could be just a month away from being announced. We could see iPads with ole screens, faster processors and new accessories, but the iPad is stuck in a funny place in the Apple product landscape. All of this talk lately about the Vision Pro headset and the future of computing has me thinking about one more thing this week. How does Apple keep us interested in [00:00:30] the iPad? Let's go over the rumors of what is coming with the iPad Pro, the iPad Air, and all the other iPads. I'm Bridget Carey, and this is one more thing. The iPad lineup is a mess because where do you even begin to decide which model to get? We have two sizes of iPad Pro one iPad Air, two standard model iPads and an iPad.
Speaker 1: Mini one has a home button and some charge the pencil magnetically and some don't. And only one model has the [00:01:00] camera on the side for landscape FaceTime video calls. There are so many variations that it can be hard for folks to understand the big price differences when they seem very similar. Is it really worth paying $150 more for the iPad Air when there's the 10th generation iPad? That's also very good. Both of them came out in 2022, and once you pick an iPad, there's this whole other bit of research you have to do on which version of Apple Pencil pairs best with which tablet, [00:01:30] and it may not always make logical sense. The cheaper $80 USBC pencil doesn't work with the cheapest iPad. That's the ninth gen model and the most expensive Apple pencil works with the pros, the air and the mini, but not the standard iPad models.
Speaker 1: Apple released no new iPads in 2023, so we are due for a revamp and a rethinking of the iPad's purpose. We can only hope that when Apple does drop new iPads, they can make differences between these [00:02:00] models and their accessories More clear. What do we have to look forward to? Next reports say March is when we can expect new iPad Pros and iPad airs. So let's first go over what's coming in the pros. Bloomberg reports that the new iPad Pros will get ole displays. These would be the first iPads with ole. Now mind you, the iPhone had ole seven years ago and plenty of Android tablets have oli like the Samsung Galaxy Tab S nine, but the new iPad pros are expected [00:02:30] to also get the new top of the line M three processor chips and maybe have displays that are just a smidge larger than before.
Speaker 1: The iPad. Pros could also entice buyers with a revamped magic keyboard attachment. Now let's go over the iPad airs. I have good news if you love having lots of iPad choices because there might be two versions of the iPad Air. There's already a 10.9 inch display, but there could be a second larger iPad air at 12.9 inches. Nine to five Mac reported [00:03:00] on leaks. That hint that the air could have a new camera with a flash on the back, but it's not clear if the air would get a revamped M two or M three processor. Airs do tend to be repurposed versions of the pros of the past, so a 12.9 inch air makes sense as a discount version of the current Pro. Now, what about the regular iPad or the iPad Mini? Every single iPad is expected to get an update this year, but it won't happen all at once.
Speaker 1: The rumors for the [00:03:30] standard iPad and iPad Mini are a little hazy. They could get a processor upgrade. Maybe the 2022 10th Gen iPad could become the budget iPad, but either way, expect to hear about other iPads later in the year. No matter how much faster or lighter or brighter they make the new iPads. Consumers still will be asking why get an iPad? That answer changes on the person and whether it's for airplane entertainment, if it's for school, for light [00:04:00] work on the go, or for keeping toddlers entertained, the purpose of an iPad sits somewhere between the iPhone and the MacBook. And you know what else lives in this Between zone? The Vision Pro, the headset is too expensive right now, but in time, apple may find that the iPad and the Vision Pro will compete against each other for our third screen needs. Add to that, the fact that people just don't feel the need to refresh their iPads as often as other devices.
Speaker 1: [00:04:30] Apple supports iPads with security updates for five or six years, sometimes even longer. And with that kind of life cycle, apple has to get creative to keep consumers excited about buying new iPads. Would Apple make the Pro more like a MacBook to hit folks wanting to buy an iPad instead of a laptop, or could they make the iPad work more fluid with work software? There is always the wild card question. What about a folding iPad? Yeah, this could be a real thing that happens. We have [00:05:00] heard from Bloomberg and Apple Analyst Ming Chi quo that Apple is working on a foldable iPad, maybe even something that could replace the iPad Mini. But for now, I will just get excited if I don't have to get so confused on which pencil works with which iPad and in which different ways it gets charged. And I will also see it as a huge win if we can get more iPads to do landscape FaceTime calls. Yeah, that really needs to be a thing in the pro models. What would an iPad need to get [00:05:30] you interested in upgrading to a new model? Let me know in the comments and be sure to subscribe so we can see how right or wrong we are in the next month.
