(Credit: Molly Flores / PCMag)
Is Apple releasing a new iPad this year or not? Several reports, including those from Supercharged and 9to5Mac, suggested that new iPads were coming last week. But all we got was a new Apple Pencil with a USB-C connector, and the latest rumor now pushes the next iPad launch to spring 2024.
This isn't exactly a new rumor. In January, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo tweeted that the next iPad mini refresh would begin mass production in Q1 2024. Kuo followed up with another tweet in September that reiterated: "New iPad models are unlikely before the year's end."
This weekend, Bloomberg reported a similar timeline, shortly after saying Apple is working on a new entry-level iPad, iPad Air, and iPad mini along with iPad Pro refresh. "I’m told that Apple is currently planning to release at least the more minor iPad refreshes in March," says Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Most folks are used to Apple launching new iPads in October, about a month after the latest iPhone. However, a March launch wouldn't be entirely out of character for Apple. The company announced several products, including the 5th generation iPad Air, at a March 8, 2022 event.
If Bloomberg's report holds true, the new iPads will contain upgraded chips and other minor spec bumps, but will otherwise be iterative updates as compared to their predecessors. It's also reported that the next iPad mini will address a jelly scrolling issue. The iPad Pro revamp might be more significant, but that might be even further out.