If the OLED iPad Pro costs more than a MacBook Pro, that’s a problem
We recently reported that Apple’s next iPad Pros could cost significantly more than their 2022 predecessors – and a new report gives us a better idea of just how ridiculous those price tags could be.
It is well known that Apple is working on two iPad Pro models, likely to be released in 2024, as successors to the iPad Pro 12.9 (2022) and iPad Pro 11 (2022). Both tablets are rumored to feature ‘tandem’ OLED screens – allowing them to match the brightness of the best OLED TVs and extend the life of their respective screens – but these panels reportedly cost twice as much to manufacture like the mini-LED panels that are currently used in today’s top-of-the-range iPads.
Unsurprisingly, Apple will likely pass those increased costs on to consumers. According to the Korean outlet The Electric (opens in new tab) (through MacRumors (opens in new tab)), the 11-inch OLED iPad Pro could start at around $1,500 (around £1,260 / AU$2,270), while its larger 13-inch sibling could start at around $1,800 (around £1,500 / AU$2,700). Yes, you read that right: both iPads are allowed get started at four-digit prices.
It’s worth noting that these prices are only being considered at this stage – nothing is set in stone yet, and Apple has been known to put extreme pressure on suppliers to get the prices it wants. But if those numbers are correct, the 11-inch iPad Pro would cost 80% more than its predecessor (which starts at $799 / £900 / AU$1,399), and the 13-inch model costs 60% more than its 12.9 -inch 2022 equivalent (which starts at $1,099 / £1,249 / AU$1,899).
Even Apple’s cheapest 2022 MacBook, the MacBook Pro 13-inch (M2, 2022), is on sale for less than the reported $1,500 price tag of the 11-inch OLED iPad Pro (check out our best MacBook deals for the latest discounts), while the Apple MacBook Air (M2, 2022) – our pick for the best laptop in 2023 – starts at an equally paltry $1,199 / £1,249 / AU$1,899. And that’s a problem.
No one expects Apple products to be cheap – especially not the top-tier iPads equipped with dual-stack OLED displays. But almost $2,000 for one tablet? Apple may be overestimating the desire of iPad buyers with that kind of price tag.
There’s no question that the company’s upcoming iPad Pro tablets will be more than adequate alternatives to the best laptops out there. As they exist today, Apple’s professional iPads are extremely versatile machines with beautiful mini-LED screens and a veritable smorgasbord of tablet-specific apps. Simply put, they’re close to perfect – and how many people are really bothered enough by the lack of pixel-perfect contrast in the 12-inch iPad Pro’s (already amazing) mini-LED display to pay 60% more?
Faster internals on subsequent iPad Pros are a given, but the M2 chip in Apple’s current models already provides more than enough power for even the most demanding users. Plus, there are so many regular software updates that older iPads can often keep up with their newer siblings for years to come.
The tandem structure of these aforementioned OLED displays will supposedly give them a four times longer lifespan than OLED panels currently used in tablets and laptops – so at least it does.
Apple’s OLED-equipped iPad Pros will certainly be the best iPads we’ve ever seen – but there has to come a point when ridiculous price hikes are no longer justified by the innovation they’re supposed to pay for.