Even though Apple is not planning to host another media event this month, we’re still expecting modest hardware refreshes across the iPad and Mac. Today, Mark Gurman from Bloomberg reported that upcoming iPad models are just around the corner, specifically the M2 iPad Pro and 10th generation base iPad.
The M2 iPad Pro will share the same generation of Apple Silicon that’s found in the redesigned MacBook Air, which was announced back in June. While most users wouldn’t see a day-and-night difference when it comes to performance improvements, the M2 is about 20% faster than the M1 in certain tasks. Codenamed J617 and J620, the next-generation iPad Pro will retain the two sizes as before – the 11-inch and 12.9-inch displays. Additional new features remain uncertain at this point, but the Liquid Retina XDR Display will remain exclusive to the bigger 12.9-inch form factor.
We can also expect Apple to debut its 10th generation base model iPad, which will bring a modern design that’s in line with the other models. This fresh new design will support the 2nd generation Apple Pencil, USB-C, and 5G connectivity. To keep the M-class chips exclusive to the iPad Air and Pro, Apple will most likely bring the A14 chip to this iPad. This chip was also found in the iPad Air 4 and iPhone 12 series.
Based on Apple’s product releases in the past, we could see both of those iPads on October 18 via a press release. We could also see the public release of iPadOS 16 on October 24 based on Mark Gurman’s claim, and those iPad models will be available to customers starting on October 28. As with the Mac, Gurman claims that Apple will introduce new Mac models at a later date, possibly in November. This could include the M2 Pro/Max-based 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro as well as the M2-based Mac mini. Another upcoming product to look forward to is the next generation of Apple TV 4K with the A14 chip and 4GB of RAM although the release date remains unclear.
