When iPadOS 17 arrives later this fall, some older iPad owners might finally have an excuse to upgrade. A new report claims Apple will drop support for three models this year, including the very first iPad Pro models that won’t receive the latest update.
According to French-language Apple news site iPhoneSoft, an “Apple insider source” has leaked that three iPad models will be stuck on iOS 16 when the new update arrives this fall. These are the 5th generation iPad from 2017, the 9.7-inch iPad Pro from 2016, and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro from 1st generation which debuted in 2015.
All three tablets have a version of Apple’s A9 processor, which debuted with the 6s and 6s Plus in 2015. Apple dropped support for this chip and its successor, the A10, when iOS 16 rolled out. was launched last year without support for the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. or the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. It should be noted that the 6th and 7th generation iPad uses the A10 chip, while the 10.5-inch iPad Pro and second-generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro use the slightly faster A10X variant, it is therefore possible that these devices will lose support when iOS 18 launches next year.
The report doesn’t specify why Apple is dropping support for these iPads, but it’s almost certainly due to performance issues with the new features. For example, several iPadOS 16 features are not available on these devices, including Display Zoom and Stage Manager. Apple does not “guarantee” support for older devices, but generally offers five to seven years of upgrades.
On the iPhone side, Apple is expected to continue supporting all models that support iOS 16, starting with the iPhone 8 and iPhone X. We’ll get our first look at iOS 17 and iPadOS 17. at WWDC on June 5, when Apple will announce major new features and compatibility ahead of beta testing.
