Final week, a provide chain rumor probably spilled the beans on Apple’s complete iPad show roadmap, however now a brand new leaker is including one which will have been neglected: a 14.1-inch iPad Professional.
A bigger iPad Professional isn’t a novel thought; rumors that Apple was not less than exploring the thought return to 2021 and are available from sources no much less dependable than Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. Nonetheless, the standard sources have been eerily quiet concerning the notion over the previous yr or so, suggesting that if such a tool was on the drafting board, Apple has on the very least shelved it for now.
As a substitute, a report final week from South Korea’s ET Information offers us with a laundry record of iPad fashions that Apple has lined up for the following three years, starting with the plain — a pair of OLED-equipped iPads Professional subsequent yr — and culminating in 2027 in a 12.9-inch iPad Air with OLED.
This rumored 12.9-inch iPad Air would truly be the second of its form, as different sources have prompt Apple is already engaged on a 12.9-inch LCD mannequin that’s anticipated to land someday subsequent yr. These reviews, that are primarily based on 12.9-inch LCD panels being sourced for a brand new iPad, initially had some pundits scratching their heads over the concept that Apple would possibly revert the iPad Professional to an LCD display screen; nevertheless, that show kind is normal on the iPad Air, making it a a lot likelier candidate for the brand new 12.9-inch panels.
Now, simply after we thought all the pieces was laid out, leaker Majin Bu has thrown a spanner within the works with a declare from their sources {that a} 14.1-inch iPad Professional can be within the works as a 3rd possibility that may be a part of the 11-inch and 12.9-inch sizes within the lineup.
As famous by AppleInsider, which first highlighted Majin Bu’s tweet, Apple was contemplating a 14-inch iPad Professional for 2023. This was corroborated by data from show analyst Ross Younger final yr, however in keeping with Gurman, who initially reported the information, it could have been launched as an alternative of the 12.9-inch mannequin, not along with it. Ultimately, Apple opted to go for the established measurement.
Whereas that doesn’t rule out the chance that Apple should still have a 14.1-inch iPad on the drafting board, it could be very uncommon for the corporate to launch it as a 3rd tier. Therefore, even when this newest leak is correct, it’s seemingly that the lineup would include an 11-inch and 14.1-inch mannequin, with the 12.9-inch using off into the sundown. Nonetheless, this newest leak additionally suggests Apple will stick to mini-LED for the biggest mannequin “to maintain prices down.”
Which may make some sense in gentle of the 12.9-inch iPad Air, however it’s additionally important to take it with a really wholesome dose of salt. Contemplating Apple’s transfer to standardize its iPhone sizes throughout professional and non-pro fashions lately, doing the identical with the iPad Air and iPad Professional lineups makes far more sense.
Many of the different data that Majin Bu lays out matches up with different reviews we’ve heard or issues which can be already a given. For instance, whereas we haven’t heard too many conclusive reviews, an M3 chip within the subsequent iPad Professional is broadly assumed to be the pure evolution of the pill.
Apple’s plans to maneuver to OLED screens are already well-known. Nonetheless, Majin Bu suggests an eyeball-searing brightness of as much as 3,000 nits, which appears absurd on the face of it, contemplating that the one gadget that presently will get that shiny is the Apple Watch Extremely 2, and that’s so it may be seen in shiny daylight throughout the outside adventures that wearable is particularly designed for. Against this, the iPhone 15 lineup hits 2,000 nits, whereas Apple’s newest M3 MacBook Professional fashions solely attain 600 nits.
Majin Bu has a hit-and-miss monitor report with regards to leaks. They have been proper concerning the iPhone 15’s restricted USB-C speeds and barely proper on Apple’s new fake leather-based instances however incorrect about color-matched iPhone 15 USB-C cables, seemingly mistaking cables being mass-produced for Apple’s new M3 iMac as an alternative. Nonetheless, different leaks have been approach off, together with a mid-2022 report claiming Apple would launch a brand new Time Machine and AirPort routers by the top of the yr.
Mix that with the truth that Majin Bu is hedging their bets on this newest report with the qualifier that “I’m unsure of the supply so I can’t take this data too significantly,” it’s greatest that we comply with go well with and never put an excessive amount of stake in it both.
However, a bigger iPad Professional stays an intriguing thought, and there’s ample proof that Apple has thought-about it prior to now, so we can also’t rule it out totally.
[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.]