Don’t worry, full-sized iPad fans, the model you want is geting an update soon
Macworld ·
Macworld The announcement of the 8th-gen iPad mini last week included several major improvements on the previous model: a thinner and lighter design, a larger and brighter screen, dust and water resistance, and a big processor upgrade. As is often the case with Apple’s disjointed and confusing iPad range, however, this isolated update leaves the rest of the company’s tablets looking rather out of date. As the lineup currrenty stands, the baseline iPad has an A16, a full four chip generations behind the mini’s A20 Pro. It can’t run Apple Intelligence or Siri AI and looks thoroughly underpowered. The current iPad Air , meanwhile, costs $50 more than the mini but misses out on the latter’s OLED screen (and nano-texture finish), fast-charge capabilities, and new Acoustic Display feature… plus it’s nowhere near as slim. And the iPad Pro still has an M5 despite the M6 arriving for the MacBook and Mac mini. But there’s good news for prospective iPad customers, because those older models are reportedly headed towards their own refresh early next year. In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman predicts that Apple “will turn its attention to a slew of other tablet updates in 2027,” going on to specify that these updates will likely happen in the first half of the year. This means imminent new versions of all three non-mini iPad lines. Gurman offers little detail about the next edition of the baseline iPad, other than to note that recent price hikes have put it well above previously comparable rivals. To justify the pricing, one would imagine a significant boost to the device’s processing muscle is required, which would align with the most recent rumors . Gurman is more illuminating on the subject of the next iPad Air, which he expects to switch to OLED in order to match the iPad mini. That would presumably come with a $100 price hike as well, which would put some space between it and the iPad mini. The most compelling update, perhaps inevitably, will be the “faster” next generation of iPad Pro at the top of the range. “The big change on the high-end machine is likely to be the addition of a vapor chamber to cool things down during gaming and intensive AI tasks,” Gurman writes. The vapor chamber was one of the headline updates in the iPhone 17 Pro last year. The idea that it will make the move to the iPad Pro is a rumor, we should add, that’s been making the rounds since at least 2025 . It isn’t clear how Apple plans to unveil the new iPads. The company has been known to hold a press event in the spring, with the last such event being held in May 2024 to announce the M4 iPad Pro. A reveal at WWDC 2027, which will take place in June, would technically count as the first half of the year, but WWDC usually focuses on software with minimal hardware discussion. Based on the events of last month, however, it may be more likely for Apple to announce the new models via smaller “experiences,” press releases, and quiet updates to its website.