In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman warns that 2023 will be a “light year” for iPad releases…as one that will bring technical bumps, rather than astronomical leaps forward . Next year, however, will be a different matter, he says, with a “major redesign” underway for the iPad Pro.
Spring 2024, according to Gurman, will bring “an updated design and OLED displays for the first time” to the iPad Pro lineup. This is great (and arguably overdue) news. Apple hasn’t significantly changed the design of the Pro since 2018, when it removed the Home button, squared off the edges and curved the corners of the screen. If you’re not tracking, it’s been four consecutive generations since the company rolled out high-end tablets that are largely indistinguishable.
We don’t know what the new design will look like, but previous rumors have suggested the addition of a glass back, which in turn could mean MagSafe wireless charging. It’s also possible that Apple will bump the Pro’s maximum screen size from the current 12.9-inches to something in the region of 14 or even 16-inches. Some think that would be a very bad idea, but it would certainly be interesting.
As for the OLED screen upgrade, this is something that has also been expected for some time. The colorful, high-contrast OLED display technology arrived on Apple smartphones with the launch of the iPhone X in 2017 (and was offered, albeit in much smaller form, on the Apple Watch two years ago) but still hasn’t appeared on even Apple’s most expensive tablets. Last month, however, a reputable display industry analyst suggested that it could finally happen in 2024, which matches Gurman’s prediction.
Promising news for iPad Pro customers, then. But the coming year doesn’t seem to be so fun. As for the standard iPad, mini, and iPad Air, Gurman says there aren’t any major updates coming in 2023. And the iPad Pro “certainly doesn’t get anything remarkable This year”.
We’d like Gurman to be wrong on iPads in 2023, but he has a solid track record of predictions. In other words, buckle up for a lackluster year and we’ll see you on the other side of the calendar.
