On two issues pundits agree: New iPads are on the way in which and Apple is unlikely to announce them at a devoted press occasion. Past that, nonetheless, we have now severe disagreement.
“Sources acquainted with Apple’s media plans” (as reported by Supercharged) declare that Apple will announce a raft of recent iPad fashions this week. These sources say Tuesday, October 17 is the most definitely date for the disclosing, and that the iPad Air, iPad mini, and Tenth-gen iPad are all in line for a refresh: “The updates will characteristic minor spec bumps, bringing the fashions according to quicker and extra environment friendly chips,” the location predicts, slightly pessimistically. “The iPad Air will achieve the M2 chip, an improve from the present M1 chip, whereas the upcoming iPad mini will characteristic the A16 Bionic chip.”
On Monday, leaker Majin Bu on X (previously Twitter) additionally claimed that Apple will launch the Eleventh-gen iPad on Tuesday with new colours.
This all is sensible. The mini is actually due for an replace, on condition that the final (Sixth-gen) mannequin arrived greater than two years in the past, and the Fifth-gen iPad Air from March 2022 is greater than 18 months previous. The Tenth-gen normal iPad got here out only a 12 months in the past, however Apple’s entry-level machine habitually will get annual updates, whereas the iPad Professionals, which had been additionally up to date final fall, are inclined to comply with an extended cycle.
One other supply, nonetheless, begs to vary. Within the newest version of his Energy On publication, Bloomberg leaker-analyst Mark Gurman insists that new iPads won’t seem this month. He doesn’t provide far more element, aside from to concede that new variations of the three fashions talked about above are in growth (with the replace specializing in “quicker chips”), so it’s doable that they might but seem earlier than Christmas. Significantly since Gurman mentions, by the use of distinction, that the iPad Professional replace gained’t occur till 2024.
Stories have additionally claimed that Apple is making ready to launch a brand new Third-gen Apple Pencil with magnetic ideas. It’s not clear whether or not the brand new machine can be suitable with the Eleventh-gen iPad, which inexplicably is barely suitable with the 1st-gen Apple Pencil and requires a dongle.
Whichever of those new gadgets launch, nonetheless, the announcement appears unlikely to be a blockbuster. Our bickering sources, in any case, agree that these might be minor, iterative updates, with no point out of the type of flagship new options about which Apple likes to construct an occasion. (Fixing jelly scrolling on the iPad mini, as Supercharged mentions, actually doesn’t rely.) And the latter website explicitly predicts that “the bulletins will happen on Apple’s web site and its YouTube channel and won’t embrace a flashy hybrid occasion for important product bulletins.”
This 12 months has been a sluggish one for Apple occasions, with simply two to this point; Apple typically holds a spring occasion, however didn’t hassle in 2023, and infrequently holds a number of fall occasions (it had as many as three in September, October and November 2020) however once more has restricted itself to only the one. The indicators recommend 2023 could find yourself that includes simply two Apple occasions, and the final time Apple was so reticent with the general public was in 2017.
- 2023: 2 Apple occasions (and counting)
- 2022: 3
- 2021: 4
- 2020: 4
- 2019: 3
- 2018: 4
- 2017: 2
- 2016: 4
Whether or not the scarcity of occasions displays a wider conservatism and lack of risk-taking is debatable; actually, it’s in all probability extra to do with the quantity of growth and advertising useful resource being directed in the direction of Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional, which doesn’t launch till 2024. But it surely’s actually feeling like it will go down as one of many quieter years in Apple’s historical past.