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Apple is running out of months to actually launch its 2022 iPad Pros in 2022, but they should arrive “in a few days” — and Apple would be working on a new roll for all of its iPad tablets, too.
This comes from the usually reliable Mark Gurman at Bloomberg (opens in new tab), which says the updated 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pros will use the latest Apple M2 processor for a performance boost of about 20%. The design would be similar to the current 11-inch iPad Pro and 12.9-inch iPad Pro.
Gurman says the new tablets don’t warrant an actual event – matching previous predictions – and while he says a new entry-level iPad with USB-C and a revamped design is also in the works, he won’t specify when it will appear (we think it might come out at the same time as the iPad Pros).
Gurman has another interesting piece of iPad information to reveal: Apple is also apparently working on an iPad dock accessory that will turn its tablets into smart displays. It won’t launch this month, but it could be unveiled sometime next year.
This is a market category that we’ve been expecting Apple to jump into for a while: previous leaks (also from the same source, by the way) had pointed to a HomePod with a display, or an Apple TV 4K with a display, and now it looks like Apple coming to the product from a different angle.
It fits the approach taken by the Google Pixel Tablet. When the budget list finally comes out, we’ll know there’s an accessory coming that essentially turns it into a Google Nest Hub when the tablet is docked.
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It’s actually no surprise that Apple is planning to launch a dock that turns the iPad into a smart display — it’s an idea so obvious, even we’ve thought of it. The iPad already comes with the Home app and Siri on board, so all the basics are there: all it takes is a power source and some extra audio oomph.
As we mentioned, it’s an approach Google is taking with its Pixel tablet, but Amazon is already here – the Amazon Fire HD slates come with accessories that turn the tablets into Echo Show displays when docked. It’s just a matter of a few interface tweaks.
It means your tablet can do all the tablet-like things needed while you’re carrying it around the house, while also acting double as a home hub screen when you’re doing something else – it’s not like many of us take our tablets from home.
The only problem is that these smart-displays-that-really-just-docked-tablets need a new name – to distinguish them from smart displays that you can’t detach the screen from – so any suggestions are welcome. Presumably, smart, portable battery-powered displays would be the logical next step…