iPad Pro Do we suspect an A13X iPad Pro refresh in Fall? Or is Apple done with iPads for 2019? [Merged]

[PickUrPoison]

<snip>
But the idea of releasing a A13X in March then turn around in fall to release a A14X... just doesn’t seem realistic.

Yeah that would make no sense. That’s why I said wait, if it means they could give us A14X and 5G.

The display is great as is, and I don’t care about cameras. So if it’s an A13X/6GB 4th gen iPad, I’d rather save a few hundred and get the current A12X/4GB. I keep my devices 5+ years and if I’m going to spend $1200 it won’t be on a marginal upgrade.

 

[gadget.guy]

apple did that afew years ago i was caught out buying the new ipad in march then they announced another one in october/november i was fuming. I'm hoping history doesn't repeat itself.

You expect a new ipad each year from apple i understand that but to update it just 6 months later is excessive and just abusing customer goodwill IMO

 

[iPadified]

Fits with 18 month update cycle. The "X" processors live their own life and only hitches a ride now and again on the iPhone AYY chips. An A13X with 8 GB RAM would work fine. Considering the price of RAM and the expected use cases, why not 16 GB?

 

[PickUrPoison]

apple did that afew years ago i was caught out buying the new ipad in march then they announced another one in october/november i was fuming. I'm hoping history doesn't repeat itself.

You expect a new ipad each year from apple i understand that but to update it just 6 months later is excessive and just abusing customer goodwill IMO

iPad 3 should never have been released. It was apparent almost immediately that performance was pretty bad. Very poor product management—and customer hostile—for exactly the reason you mention: it pisses off customers.

They should have taken the damn things back and upgraded them for maybe a nominal $100 fee.

 

[gadget.guy]

couldn't have put it better myself

i'll be looking to see what new hardware it does have if it looks like an incremental upgrade hmm not sure what i'd do probably get a cheap 2018 version and upgrade again earlier than i'd normally do.

 

[PickUrPoison]

couldn't have put it better myself

i'll be looking to see what new hardware it does have if it looks like an incremental upgrade hmm not sure what i'd do probably get a cheap 2018 version and upgrade again earlier than i'd normally do.

Same here. It’s potentially a decent upgrade: triple camera plus time-of-flight depth sensor, mini-LED backlight, latest SoC and RAM bump to 6/8 GB plus whatever else.

But I’m not an iPad camera user, and the display is already great. If they’re really going to stick to a 16(-ish) month schedule, the 5th gen will be out in fall of 2021. I might even be able to hold out with my first gen 12.9 until then but it’s getting painful. So maybe a discounted or refurb 2018, or grab something used for the interim.

 

[EugW]

Same here. It’s potentially a decent upgrade: triple camera plus time-of-flight depth sensor, mini-LED backlight, latest SoC and RAM bump to 6/8 GB plus whatever else.

But I’m not an iPad camera user, and the display is already great. If they’re really going to stick to a 16(-ish) month schedule, the 5th gen will be out in fall of 2021. I might even be able to hold out with my first gen 12.9 until then but it’s getting painful. So maybe a discounted or refurb 2018, or grab something used for the interim.

If the 4th Gen gets 5G, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the 5th gen wait until 2022. Mind you that would mean that Ming Chi Kuo is off on his mini-LED timing if it’s not there in the 4th Gen.

 

[HerbertDerb]

Personally i am skeptical about the mini-led in iPads in 2020.

Apple hasn't jumped straight to new screen-technology before. Apple watch was first to get OLED, and Apple watch 5 was first to get AOD-screen. 11/11 Pro's don't have it, yet Samsung delivers it on their Galaxy -phones.

Pro XDR doesn't have mini-led (Arguably it doesn't need one), but if Apple would have wanted to venture the technology there, in 6000$ screen, the budget was there.

If we do get mini-led in Q1 it would be Q3 at earliest, but march release is pretty much "confirmed" at this point for A13X. It would be reaaally strange to wait 2 years from 2018-2020 Q1 for upgrade and then Q3 2020 release "better" version with A14X.

Earliest i can see for "mini-led refresh" is Q1 2021.

 

[PickUrPoison]

Personally i am skeptical about the mini-led in iPads in 2020.

Apple hasn't jumped straight to new screen-technology before. Apple watch was first to get OLED, and Apple watch 5 was first to get AOD-screen. 11/11 Pro's don't have it, yet Samsung delivers it on their Galaxy -phones.

Pro XDR doesn't have mini-led (Arguably it doesn't need one), but if Apple would have wanted to venture the technology there, in 6000$ screen, the budget was there.

If we do get mini-led in Q1 it would be Q3 at earliest, but march release is pretty much "confirmed" at this point for A13X. It would be reaaally strange to wait 2 years from 2018-2020 Q1 for upgrade and then Q3 2020 release "better" version with A14X.

Earliest i can see for "mini-led refresh" is Q1 2021.

Not sure what you mean “It would be reaaally strange to wait 2 years from 2018-2020 Q1 for upgrade and then Q3 2020 release ’better’ version with A14X.”

The 3rd gen iPad Pro models were released in 4Q2018, they’re barely a year old... not even close to two years.

Also, I’m not sure there are any rumors rear there’s going to be a 1Q2020 release, only to be replaced months later in 3Q2020. Apple did that with iPad 3—>4, and it absolutely infuriated iPad 3 customers. I don’t see Apple doing that again, but I suppose it could happen.

I do think it’s possible there could be a Q1 release soon for the 11”, then a release later this year for the 12.9”, which might have mini-LED and/or 5G. Or maybe both this fall. (Or both in March, for that matter). Who knows?

Ming Chi Kuo is certainly no help at this point. He’s switched his timeline so many times my head is spinning.

 

[EugW]

Also, I’m not sure there are any rumors rear there’s going to be a 1Q2020 release, only to be replaced months later in 3Q2020. Apple did that with iPad 3—>4, and it absolutely infuriated iPad 3 customers. I don’t see Apple doing that again, but I suppose it could happen.

Interestingly though, the iPad 3 was Apple's first 4G LTE product. Preceded the LTE iPhones by half a year.

 

[PickUrPoison]

Interestingly though, the iPad 3 was Apple's first 4G LTE product. Preceded the LTE iPhones by half a year.

True, and also first Retina iPad, finally matching the display quality of iPhone.

But I personally don’t expect 5G until fall. It’s possible, but it seems like Qualcomm and Apple have their hands full trying to get iPhone out on time. iPad Pro 5G is a much lower priority with its <5(?) million customers.

 

[delta0]

At best if there was another release of the IPad Pro later in the year it will be just to have 5g in there if it doesn’t have it in the March release.

 

[rui no onna]

But I personally don’t expect 5G until fall. It’s possible, but it seems like Qualcomm and Apple have their hands full trying to get iPhone out on time. iPad Pro 5G is a much lower priority with its <5(?) million customers.

Or they could use a 5G iPad with its larger battery as the trial run before deploying it on iPhones.

 

[Dave245]

At best if there was another release of the IPad Pro later in the year it will be just to have 5g in there if it doesn’t have it in the March release.

And a min-LED display which is what’s rumoured.

 

[delta0]

I don’t think that will come with a late 2020 release. It is highly wishful to think they would release two models in a year with a second being an upgrade to the other. 5g would be a complimentary range if it were to come out in an iPad in 2020. In reality we are going to get a major update around every 18 months.

 

[Apple Mac Daz]

Never seen a iPad get new tech before the iPhone
highly unlikely a March release iPad will get 5G

 

[rui no onna]

Never seen a iPad get new tech before the iPhone

LTE and ProMotion to name just two.

 

[PickUrPoison]

Or they could use a 5G iPad with its larger battery as the trial run before deploying it on iPhones.

It’s not a bad idea, but Qualcomm already indicated fall was going to be a tough schedule to meet:

“Given the late settlement between Apple and Qualcomm, the two have had to rush to get Qualcomm technology ready for 2020 iPhones.

"We re-engaged probably later than both of us would like, and I think we've been working together to try to get as much as possible done, and take as much possible advantage of what they've done before so that we can actually launch a phone on schedule with 5G," Amon said.”

Qualcomm President: Priority Number One is Launching Apple's 5G iPhone as Fast as Possible

Apple and Qualcomm are working to launch a new 5G iPhone as fast as possible, Qualcomm President Cristiano Amon said at Qualcomm's Snapdragon...

www.macrumors.com

Hopefully battery drain won’t be an issue as the 5G modem is not a separate chip like it was for the first gen modem; the 2nd gen parts have 5G integrated in the same chip as 4G/LTE 🤞

 

[Jury]

You can expect a major update for iPad Pro in the Fall.

 

[Kal-037]

The 3rd gen iPad Pro models were released in 4Q2018, they’re barely a year old... not even close to two years.

^^This^^
plus I got my iPad Pro on Jan. 3rd 2019, so it’s only just a year and 2 months old.
The power of this thing is still immense and overkill TBH.
The iPad Pro 3 was and is the iPad I’d always wanted from Apple, and so far *knock on wood* it has not disappointed.

 

[The Game 161]

You can expect a major update for iPad Pro in the Fall.

Won’t be major

Will be A14x and 5G

Everything else will be the same as new pro

 

[KarmaRocket]

A14X, 5G, Mini LED and the newer camera system the iPhone 12 would get (especially if it has better LIDAR), might be considered a major update. The 14X alone will most likely be a massive boost in CPU and GPU speeds.

I'm holding out until the end of the year to see if these rumors are true. Still have my 2018 12.9" Ipad Pro. Would love to upgrade to the smaller 11" IPP and the new butterfly magic keyboard. Just prefer if it had 5G and WiFi 6 so I can keep it for a few years.

 

[The Game 161]

A14X, 5G, Mini LED and the newer camera system the iPhone 12 would get (especially if it has better LIDAR), might be considered a major update. The 14X alone will most likely be a massive boost in CPU and GPU speeds.

I'm holding out until the end of the year to see if these rumors are true. Still have my 2018 12.9" Ipad Pro. Would love to upgrade to the smaller 11" IPP and the new butterfly magic keyboard. Just prefer if it had 5G and WiFi 6 so I can keep it for a few years.

No mini LED is coming until 2021

End of year 5G and A14x chip

 

[Alaxlmartin]

No mini LED is coming until 2021

End of year 5G and A14x chip

Who are your sources???? Digitimes?

 

[The Game 161]

Who are your sources???? Digitimes?

Jon Prosser who’s source working within apple’s camp. Says don’t expect mini led until 2021. Maybe this time next year or later. Digitimes are saying end of year and while they were correct in the keyboard they aren’t correct all the time

The same source says end of the year there will be one model which will be the cellular version so
Not WiFi option. Basically faster chip and 5G support