The iPad has been something of a constant in the tech world since its introduction by late CEO Steve Jobs way back in 2010. We’ve seen the iPad brand expand in the meantime with the Pro, Air, and Mini lines; defining and dominating the tablet market as a whole.
2023 turned out to be an unexpectedly quiet year for fans of what consistently ranks as one of the best tablets in the world, as Apple seemingly didn’t find the time to develop and introduce a newcomer to the series that it deemed worthwhile ( not that that had an influence on the market share, according to Statistical).
Still, this unusually long absence invites speculation about what the company has in store for the next wave of best iPads; assuming it abandons its famous tablet line another years before the update.
Before Apple actually puts the finishing touches to the new tablets, some housework is needed first. Here’s what we hope from Apple’s iPad plans in 2024.
The current state of the iPad
While there’s no doubt – based on the company’s fourth-quarter 2023 financial results – on Apple’s ability to attract and retain a loyal base of iPad users, it’s clear that the numbers don’t are where they need to be: iPad sales are well over 10%. % lower compared to the same quarter last year; based on Apple’s own reporting.
The obvious reason for this relative slump is the absence of new hardware, with the release of iPadOS 17 and a new Apple Pencil with integrated USB-C charging doing little to attract newcomers and upgraders alike. At the same time, navigating the current range of Apple boards and suitable accessories is an undeniably complicated and confusing experience, especially when trying to discern which combination of features, design and power best suits your needs.
First, there’s the standard iPad. Apple is still selling the ninth-generation iPad that it introduced in late 2021, which runs on the oldest chipset of the entire iPad lineup – the same A13 SoC found in the iPhone 11 series launched two years earlier. The design is also dated, with a circular home button on the front with Touch ID and thick bezels surrounding a 10.2-inch screen. It also relies on Apple’s outdated Lightning port (the only iPad that still does this), and is only compatible with the first-generation Apple Pencil.
Then there’s the 10th generation iPad, which was introduced in late 2022 and is the only model in the entire lineup with a landscape orientation (which could be a sign of things to come). It has a larger 10.9-inch screen with a straight design and thinner bezels, plus more modern USB-C connectivity instead of Lightning, and a top button with Touch ID. It has a generation of newer Apple A14 chip at its heart, and also supports the first generation Apple Pencil, in addition to the latest Apple Pencil with USB-C (although while we’re here, this latest stylus actually loses the pressure sensitivity of its older siblings ).
Before we get to the market, there’s also the sixth-generation iPad mini to consider, which came out the same year as the ninth-generation iPad but has an aesthetic closer to that of the tenth generation iPad is located, and running on a newer version. -still A15 SoC. Packed into a body with an 8.3-inch screen, you’ll also find USB-C, second-generation Apple Pencil support, and a top button with Touch ID.
Now we’re in the air. Take the 10th generation iPad – complete with USB-C and a top button with Touch ID – increase the screen’s color accuracy, offer support for Apple Pencil 2 and make the jump to an M1 chipset also found in a few Macs from the company and you have the 5th generation iPad Air. Furthermore, it is the same size as the 10th generation iPad, with a similar aesthetic and a similar size screen; you get more power, and it’s better for creativity, but it’s not as good as…
…the iPad Pro! There are two sizes of Pro (11 inches and 12.9 inches), both running the same, more powerful Apple M2 SoC, with the same USB-C connectivity, Apple Pencil 2 and Apple Pencil USB-C support (like the Air), Face ID instead of Touch ID, four speakers (instead of two), but with two different screen technologies: LED on the 11-inch model and mini-LED on the 12.9 slate.
While the broader tiers are noticeable within the range, the nuance is whether you should opt for an iPad with Apple Pencil 2 support, A-series or M-series performance, and which keyboard cover you need (Magic or Smart, Folio or none?) makes choosing between slates that range several hundred dollars or pounds a tricky endeavor, especially if you’re not well-versed in the Apple language.
Clear away the tablets
Remarkable Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman said in early November 2023 that Apple “plans to update its entire iPad range in 2024”, but we don’t yet know what that update will look like. Considering the multitude of features, screen sizes and processors buyers currently have to choose from, it certainly seems like there’s room to streamline things.
For starters, Apple should ditch the 9th generation iPad and keep every model in the range up to date with USB-C. Then – and despite the recent release of the USB-C Apple Pencil – make the second generation Apple Pencil the standard across the range (and lower the price). Bring the entire range to M-class chips and remove the 11-inch Pro model from the selection while upsizing the Air to a full 11 inches to fill its spot, then rationalize those chips, with M1 for the mini and standard iPad, M2 for the Air and the latest Apple M3 for the now only 12.9-inch Pro.
Gurman has also said that this year’s iPad Pros will likely feature OLED screens as well, meaning the mini-LED screen technology in the current top-end Pro could trickle down to this year’s Air as well.
Collectively, these changes would give us four models in four discrete sizes with the same ports, same-generation Apple Pencil support, same design language, and same class of chipsets. As long as the company only offers one Magic Keyboard for each model (without the Smart and Folio options), that would give consumers a decidedly more accessible offering to choose from.
A new focus for iPad?
When the iPad was first introduced, it promised to bridge the gap between phone and laptop while delivering a better experience for web browsing, emailing, photo sharing, video watching, listening, gaming and then read both devices. to varying degrees this has been successful. But the ways we use these three products have evolved significantly since 2010.
In the years since, the iPad has found its way into the hearts and minds of digital content creators – a subset of users that didn’t really exist when the iPad first debuted – while at the same time still struggling to convince as the true laptop replacement Apple has occasionally tried to market it as.
One long-neglected area that the company now seems to be turning its attention to is gaming, and the iPad could well play a role in that. The A17 Pro was the first Apple silicon to feature hardware-accelerated ray tracing, which went hand-in-hand with the company’s efforts to convince developers to port their AAA games – like Capcom’s Resident Evil Village – to the iPhone 15 Pro series (which runs on the A17 Pro).
Apple has since introduced its M3 series chips, which share the A17 Pro’s talent for hardware-accelerated ray tracing. Although they’re currently exclusively in Apple’s latest MacBook Pros, there’s already a precedent of M-series chips making their way into iPads – and with the current iPad Pro already equipped with M2 silicon, it makes sense that M3 chips will go to market this year. Plus points, and with it more graphical grunt and tailor-made features that fit perfectly with gaming.
What is the competition doing?
The path the iPad will take this year remains open, not just because Apple controls the narrative that the tablet market follows, but because the competition, try as they might, continues to feel like they’re playing catch-up.
Even Samsung, Apple’s most prominent iPad-competing maker, took 18 months to update its flagship tablet line, launching the iPad Pro-rival Galaxy Tab S9 series last August and, more recently, the more modest Tab S9 FE.
We’ve also seen Xiaomi, Oppo and even OnePlus enter the tablet world, the latter with the OnePlus Pad – which put a little extra pressure on Apple, but not so much that Apple seems concerned. If it were, we’d already have a new iPad; instead, we’re left wondering and waiting for what’s in store for Apple’s famed slate this year.