We’re coming up to March, and that means we’re probably about to get a new iPad Pro along with a healthy dose of PTSD from last March. While we can’t really help much with processing 2020, we do have a whole bunch of rumours about the processing power of the next iPad Pro (see what I did there).
Processor
Predictably, the next iPad Pro will be faster than the last one. Rumour site Mac Otakara claims that the performance of the new A14X chip will be significantly improved. This is in line with the release of almost every new iPad and laptop ever, where the processor is significantly improved each year, but it’s still nice to get confirmation.
Getting Thiccer
Mac Otakara also has supply chain sources who say that while the screen size won’t be getting any larger, there will be a higher end model with a mini-LED screen alongside some more affordable models with the regular Liquid Retina Display.
This inclusion of mini-LED means the iPad Pro will scandalously become 0.5mm thicker, going up to 6.4mm. Since Apple has always had an emphasis on thinner and prettier at all costs, like they were a casting director for a teen drama, this is surprising. However, it would take an extremely sensitive princess to notice a 0.5mm increase in pea thickness.
This extra thickness in the back will mean that the camera bump won’t protrude as much.
Screen
You’re still going to have the options of 11” and 12.9” iPad Pros, there will just be another, prettier screen choice in the 12.9” screen. The new mini-LEDs displays are rumoured to also be coming to the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros in 2021, so this could mark their debut for
Speakers
There’s going to be fewer holes and they’ll move a bit. There’s no word yet on what that will mean for audio, but I predict that Apple will say that it sounds better, and most people won’t be able to notice the difference.
Shape
The shape will stay basically the same, but because of that extra 0.5mm on the mini-LED, a lot of existing cases won’t fit. However, it should still be fully compatible with the Magic Keyboard and other non-wrap around accessories.
This is more of an internal upgrade year than anything external, and it’s all about the chip and the screen.
Extra features
Maybe 5G? Probably 5G. Nothing’s been confirmed, but DigiTimes claims that Taiwan’s Advanced Semiconductor Engineering will be supplying antenna-in-package tech for some 5G iPads, and that level of fanciness is more likely to start at the top of the iPad range.
Plus, it would be weird to take the iPad Pro down to 4G after releasing the full range of iPhone 12s with 5G.
Other iPad Pro rumours
While this folding iPad Pro looks extremely cool, and I want it more than almost any other iPad improvement, it seems highly unlikely. It would be like being able to fold up one of those mall directories and being able to take it with you, and who wouldn’t want that?
What else might be announced with it
AirTags. We have been hearing about them since forever, and now that Samsung has announced their competitor, the time has come for Apple to release theirs.
There might also be a black Apple Pencil, which is just neat. We don’t yet know if it will do anything new, but it looks prettier than the white one, and will show fewer scuffs, and that’s enough to make it a must-have for me.
When we’re getting the new iPad Pro
Not the 16th of March, but by the sounds of it any other date in March is fair game. As is any other date this year. But probably March. The iPad Pro with mini-LED was originally slated for late 2020, but the pandemic has ruined everything and created supply chain issues, so it’ll probably launch with the rest of the next-gen line-up.