Apple May Overhaul Its iPad Strategy Next Year

Apple didn’t refresh its iPad line at all this year, but reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts that the company will change its tune next year, updating everything iPad, from the Pro to the Air to the Mini. The updates are set to happen soon, too, releasing by the second quarter of 2024, and could finally introduce the much-rumored OLED iPad. Updated iPad Air tablets, which could have an optional larger-than-usual 12.9-inch display alongside the usual 10.9-inch one, could even arrive in the first quarter.

Kuo states that Apple will launch both the 12.9-inch and 10.9-inch iPad Air models with the same liquid retina display, but better performance. According to Kuo, Apple will incorporate technology used in current-generation Pro models to achieve performance gains.

As for the iPad Pro, Kuo predicts that Apple will swap out the Mini-LED displays these higher-end tablets presently use for OLED screens, which use self-illuminating pixels and feature better contrast. They could also use Apple's latest M3 chips, which the company debuted for its latest MacBook Pros and iMac.

The OLED screens could mean a price hike, says Kuo, which might mean lower demand for the iPad Pro (Kuo forecasts that around 6 to 8 million units will be sold next year). If the iPad Air gets a bigger screen, as Kuo predicts, the Air could also take sales away from the Pro.

In the second quarter of 2024, meanwhile, Kuo predicts that Apple might launch a new iPad Mini model and an 11th-generation iPad, phasing out the 9th-generation model — the last to have a Lightning port.