(Credit: Eric Zeman/PCMag)
Apple updated several products across its lineups early this year, but the company may not be done yet. It may launch the 12th-generation iPad with support for Apple Intelligence within the first half of 2026, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports.
This isn’t the first time we have heard of an update for the entry-level iPad. Ahead of Apple’s March 4 event, reports suggested that the company could unveil the 12th-generation iPad alongside the iPad Air M4. However, Apple only introduced the iPad Air M4.
There may have been various reasons for the snub, including a shortage of chips or a sufficient supply of the existing iPad 11, Gurman says. In any case, Apple is ready with the iPad 12, and the product should launch within the first half of this year, the reporter adds.
The exact launch timeline remains unclear. Gurman expects the tablet around the timeframe of iOS 26.4, which is likely to run until May.
While the iPad 12 may look and feel the same, it’s expected to feature a major internal upgrade. According to Gurman, Apple may upgrade the chip from A16 to A18 and enable Apple Intelligence features on its entry-level tablet for the first time. With that change, all of Apple’s tablets will have support for its suite of native AI features.
Whether that will affect pricing is unclear. The iPad 11 with 128GB storage was launched last March at $349. Though it didn't have Apple Intelligence support, our expert Eric Zeman dubbed it “Apple's best tablet for most people.”
Two other products are also reportedly set to receive upgrades. The first is the Apple TV streaming device, and the other is HomePod mini. According to Gurman, Apple has been sitting on the refreshed variants of both products since last year, and the only thing holding it back is the delayed arrival of supercharged Siri. The AI-upgraded version of Siri, promised at WWDC 24, is still awaiting release due to AI struggles within the company.