Apple sometimes releases new iPads in the fall, but a question mark remains over whether that will happen in 2023. We’re now into October, and if Apple plans to release iPads before the holidays, this is the month it will most likely happen. Here’s what we know so far.
It’s been almost a year since Apple released a new iPad, the last being the two refreshed iPad Pro models and the latest low-cost iPad, all released in October 2022. Going on recent tradition, new models are now long overdue.
If you look at the last decade, Apple sometimes holds an annual fall event in which it launches new Macs and iPads. While that did not happen last year, there were October events in 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2021.
Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman recently told The MacRumors Show hosts that he does not expect Apple to hold an October event because the company does not have enough new products and features to justify it.
However, that doesn’t mean we won’t be seeing new iPads from Apple this year. Apple could choose to release new models via press release instead, like it did in January 2023 for the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models and the second-generation HomePod. At the same time, Apple may not have any new models forthcoming this side of Christmas 2023. So what do the rumors say?
Rumors For 2023 iPads
In an article discussing stagnating global tablet demand in the second half of 2023, Taiwan-based DigiTimes said investors expected an uptick in Apple’s share of the tablet market owing to orders for a “small-size” iPad in the fourth quarter. Additionally, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman earlier this year reported that an iPad mini update with a minor “spec bump” is not out of the question.
Apple is working on two new versions of the iPad Air 6, according to a recent report from 9to5Mac. The site claims that Apple has four separate models in the works (two each in cellular and Wi-Fi).
Apple makes two versions of the iPad Pro because it comes in two sizes, and 9to5Mac speculates that Apple could release a larger version of the iPad Air to go along with the current 10.9-inch version, or debut “a more expensive model with better specs.” 9to5Mac says that its sources believe the iPad mini 7 is coming “soon,” but the report also says that all of the new iPads are on track to be announced “between now and WWDC 2024 in June,” which is a wide window.
Apple last updated the iPad Air in March 2022 with the M1 chip. If the iPad Air were to be updated with the M2 chip one year after the iPad Pro, that would point to an October 2023 launch. However, a later launch in 2024 is possible.
It’s worth noting that Apple has updated the entry-level iPad on an annual basis since 2017, so there will either be an 11th-generation iPad released later this year, or Apple will break a six-year tradition.
Rumors Against 2023 iPads
Apple during its August earnings call warned that iPad revenue is expected to drop double digits, suggesting it does not expect to have products to entice customers during the holiday quarter beyond the recently launched iPhone 15 series and new Apple Watch models.
That is in line with some rumors, which indicate major new iPad launches are not expected until 2024. In January, established Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the next iPad mini would likely enter mass production in the first quarter of 2024. More recently, Kuo said he does not expect any new iPad models this year. Likewise, multiple rumors suggest iPad Pro models with OLED displays and M3 chips won’t be coming until 2024.
One other thing to consider is the introduction of Apple’s Vision Pro headset. According to Apple, the Vision Pro will go on sale in early 2024, which likely means January to late April. Note that the Vision Pro uses an M2 chip. If Apple’s $3,500 headset launched with a processor that is inferior to those already powering iPad Pro models, that may seem strange to the average consumer.
Summing Up
Summing up, we could see at least one iPad unveiled in October, perhaps an iPad mini, an iPad Air, or an 11th-generation low-cost iPad, but these will be minor refreshes. It would be reasonable for at least one or two of these models to be updated in October 2023, but 2024 launches cannot be ruled out.
