iPad Pro iPad Pro Theory / Rumours

[James Godfrey]

As we know the iPad Pro line is in a very strange situation at the moment with the launch of the 4th Gen iPad Air in late 2020, essentially making the 11” Pro a bit of a lacklustre product.
I noticed on the forum that member @Osamede mentioned that Apple will release a 12” version of the iPad Pro this year, and I really think this is a possibility.

At this present time, the rumours currently circulating is that both the 2021 11” and 12.9” iPad Pro will be very similar in design with maybe a few mm shaved off the size, and that the miniLED iPad Pro (presumed to be 12.9”) will be slightly thicker.

Now, we all know that the 2020 Pro’s were a minor spec bump likely because Apple was planning to launch their miniLED iPad Pro alongside the air later in said year, but with the coronavirus, this has delayed things for Apple, so we did not see that iPad Pro materialise in 2020, with rumours now pointing to a March 2021 release.

In March, the 2020 iPad Pro’s will be a year old with an even older A12 chip inside, so it’s extremely likely that both the 11” and 12.9” will get updated with a very minor design change, possibly 5G and the A14X chip inside.

Now that just leaves the miniLED iPad Pro... now I don’t think that only the 12.9” will get miniLED leaving the 11” stale yet again... what I do think is going to happen is a 12” iPad Pro with MiniLED, 5G and A14Z chip will get released alongside the standard iPad Pro 11” and 12.9”.

So why do I agree with @Osamede and also think this?? There are a few reasons:

1. When the Apple Watch was first released, generally users of the 38mm felt that the 38mm was too small and the 42mm was too big, and users of the 42mm longed for a larger size... sound familiar? The same is true for the 11” and 12.9” iPad Pro’s at the moment, the end result with the watch was a 40mm and a 44mm eventually coming to the market.

2. They need to differentiate the smaller iPad Pro away from the Air as much as possible, because they will always run into a situation where the Air is far better value.

3. The rumours keep pointing to the 12.9” getting miniLED, but I have noticed on many forum posts, people referring to the 12.9” as the 12”, maybe there is some misinformation in the rumour mill, with some in the know presuming 12” is referring to a 12.9”.

So what does that mean for the future... well already we have heard rumours that miniLED will initially cost Apple quite a bit, with the price of it dropping throughout 2021 and becoming more cost effective towards the end of 2021 early 2022, so my prediction is as follows:

MARCH 2021
iPad Pro 11” - A14X, Maybe 5G, LCD
$799

iPad Pro 12.9” - A14X, Maybe 5G, LCD
$999

iPad Pro 12” - A14Z, 5G, miniLED
$1199

MARCH 2022
Discontinuation of the 2021 11” and 12.9” iPad Pro’s.

iPad Pro 12” - A14Z, 5G, miniLED
Price drop to $999 or $1099

iPad Pro 14” - A14Z, 5G, miniLED
$1199 or $1299

Would like to hear what you all think of this???

 

[ericwn]

I don’t see a 12” and don’t have that much hope for a 11” Pro either. The Air might cannibalize those models for good and the Pro may be just the biggest screen option going forward.

 

[Zazoh]

Apple is in a great position to screw this up big time.

Because we are speculating, I offer this, like the iPhones, Macs and iPads will differentiate by size and resolution and be almost be identical on the inside. There should be a SKU reduction across the board.

 

[Digitalguy]

While I would love 12in and 14in pros, there is absolutely 0 chances of this happening this year or anytime soon. Screen size changes like this are rumoured many months and even years in advance from the supply chain. As for people referring to the 12.9 as 12in, it's just a poor approximation that many people do on these forums too. People should say the 13in iPad pro, not the 12in one...but no, let's approximate 99 to 90 instead of 100... But what can you do? Reply each time people make this wrong approximation to tell them it's wrong and start a small dispute? not worth it...

 

[AutomaticApple]

I don’t see a 12” and don’t have that much hope for a 11” Pro either. The Air might cannibalize those models for good and the Pro may be just the biggest screen option going forward.

Yeah, I think the same thing.

 

[Apple Mac Daz]

I like the sound of a 14” Pro but be miffed if the miniLed is only in 12” only come March if it’s released

 

[Chaparral02]

I don’t see a 12” and don’t have that much hope for a 11” Pro either. The Air might cannibalize those models for good and the Pro may be just the biggest screen option going forward.

If they drop one it be better if they dropped the 12.9" as it to big to be used as a mobile tablet..
If mainly only used at home then wouldn't a 13" MacBook be better (apart from people that use an ipad for drawing)

 

[ericwn]

If they drop one it be better if they dropped the 12.9" as it to big to be used as a mobile tablet..
If mainly only used at home then wouldn't a 13" MacBook be better (apart from people that use an ipad for drawing)

People buy this to have the biggest iPad possible- the main consideration is probably not mobility. I certainly don’t move around with it much but I wanted this size iPad.

Having just 1” difference in screen diameter isn’t enough to separate the models. But it’s Apple, so we shall see what they cook up.

 

[muzzy996]

If they drop one it be better if they dropped the 12.9" as it to big to be used as a mobile tablet..
If mainly only used at home then wouldn't a 13" MacBook be better (apart from people that use an ipad for drawing)

I certainly do think twice about carrying my 12.9 with me everywhere away from home/office but that comes down to whether or not i'm going to use it where i'm going as opposed to it being far too large to consider taking with me. I'm pretty sure I'd make the same evaluations had 11" been the max iPad size, and I'd likely make the same choices to take it with me or not. We're all different though, so I can certainly understand if for some people the size difference between the 11" and 12.9" is a concern.

As for home use vs a laptop it obviously depends on how one is using the device at home; having the ability to detach a physical keyboard, fold the keyboard back and out of the way, or just plain not ever having one can be important to some of us. I'm much more comfortable using an iPad to reference recipes or instructions while cooking or working on a project, or having media/news streaming on it while I'm doing just about anything anywhere in the house than I would be moving a laptop around to do the same things. It's not that the laptop wouldn't work in such cases, it's just that an iPad is a more space efficient and convenient device.

 

[KittyKatta]

My prediction is the more traditional one.

Same as last models + 2 new gimmick features

 

[Zazoh]

If they drop one it be better if they dropped the 12.9" as it to big to be used as a mobile tablet..
If mainly only used at home then wouldn't a 13" MacBook be better (apart from people that use an ipad for drawing)

I’m not a big drawer but I prefer iPadOS and the freedom of using in portrait mode for writing and landscape for other tasks.

 

[Adelphos33]

Remember that Apple just released two expensive keyboards in 11” and 12.9” sizes. It is likely that all “modern” iPads (any iPad with a flat edge) will work with these peripherals for at least 2021. For example 2018 iPad Pro users that bought Magic Keyboards last year will want to be able to use those keyboards if they upgrade to 2021 iPad Pros. So I don’t see any changes in size this year.

This gets to a bigger issue that I think Apple will face with its iPad Pros. It is simply getting too expensive to kit out iPad Pros (meaning a iPad plus a keyboard or some kind) relative to other iPads (both the Air and the “regular iPad) and MacBooks (A $999 MacBook Air with M1 is a better buy than a $999 iPad Pro with Keyboard for most users)

 

[playtech1]

I think the profit margin on those Magic Keyboards must be huge - a small trackpad and nothing particularly exotic about the rest of it. Bill of materials must be what, $100 max? I think even that seems high given that similar products retail for half the price of the Magic Keyboard.

I think the whole reason the Air moved to the Pro form factor was so Apple could sell the keyboard to both Air and Pro owners.

Which suggests either the 2021 iPad Pros will fit the current magic keyboard or... it will be slightly different meaning you have to buy an entirely new '2021' Magic Keyboard...

That opportunity for Apple to upsell existing Magic Keyboard owners means I don't rule out a 2021 12 inch iPad Pro.

 

[Zazoh]

Which suggests either the 2021 iPad Pros will fit the current magic keyboard or... it will be slightly different meaning you have to buy an entirely new '2021' Magic Keyboard...

Or, a keyboard dongle ... ?

 

[Falhófnir]

There was a rumour early on of a 12" mini LED but that's not been built upon and everything is now pointing to a 12.9". The 12" rumour might even have been a typo or misunderstanding given the 12.9" is sometimes referred to as the '12 inch' even though '13 inch' would be more accurate.

If they wanted they could make the next Pro redesign around 12.0" and 14.0" sizes, the 12" would be about the size of the iPad 2 in footprint, a 14" could fit in about the same footprint as the original 12.9" so neither is unprecedented. But again, no leaks or rumours to this effect (yet) so we have to assume it will remain 11" and 12.9" for the foreseeable future.

 

[James Godfrey]

I think the profit margin on those Magic Keyboards must be huge - a small trackpad and nothing particularly exotic about the rest of it. Bill of materials must be what, $100 max? I think even that seems high given that similar products retail for half the price of the Magic Keyboard.

I think the whole reason the Air moved to the Pro form factor was so Apple could sell the keyboard to both Air and Pro owners.

Which suggests either the 2021 iPad Pros will fit the current magic keyboard or... it will be slightly different meaning you have to buy an entirely new '2021' Magic Keyboard...

That opportunity for Apple to upsell existing Magic Keyboard owners means I don't rule out a 2021 12 inch iPad Pro.

Exactly the reason I have ditched the Magic Keyboard case and gone for a Bluetooth keyboard and trackpad... the Magic Keyboard case is an easy forced upgrade for Apple now, and they can decide at any time to change the form factor of the iPad Pro to force people to buy new.

Plus the Magic Keyboard case material won’t likely last most users more than 2 year anyway unfortunately.

 

[Jonathantuba]

If they drop one it be better if they dropped the 12.9" as it to big to be used as a mobile tablet..
If mainly only used at home then wouldn't a 13" MacBook be better (apart from people that use an ipad for drawing)

I don’t agree. I rarely go outside my house without my 12.9” iPad Pro. It goes with me virtually everywhere except when I go for a cycle ride. I do not want to be using a MacBook

 

[Apple Mac Daz]

I don’t agree. I rarely go outside my house without my 12.9” iPad Pro. It goes with me virtually everywhere except when I go for a cycle ride. I do not want to be using a MacBook

Exactly I use my 12.9 all the time, home and work.
A tablet is so much easier to use when chilling on the sofa etc than using a MacBook

I say make it bigger 14” iPad Pro would be fantastic

 

[DexBell]

I don’t see a 12” and don’t have that much hope for a 11” Pro either. The Air might cannibalize those models for good and the Pro may be just the biggest screen option going forward.

Does the 13.3 inch MacBook Air cannibalize sales of the 13.3 inch MacBook Pro? Does the 6.1 inch iPhone 12 cannibalize sales of the 6.1 inch iPhone 12 Pro? The only thing Apple should have done with the Air 4 was give it an 11 inch screen, just like the MacBook and iPhone options are the same size as the entry level Pro models. They screwed that up by intentionally giving the Air 4 larger bezels than the 11 inch iPad Pro and making it 10.9 inch. Luckily for them its still a great device that is selling well despite their screwup.

 

[James Godfrey]

Does the 13.3 inch MacBook Air cannibalize sales of the 13.3 inch MacBook Pro? Does the 6.1 inch iPhone 12 cannibalize sales of the 6.1 inch iPhone 12 Pro? The only thing Apple should have done with the Air 4 was give it an 11 inch screen, just like the MacBook and iPhone options are the same size as the entry level Pro models. They screwed that up by intentionally giving the Air 4 larger bezels than the 11 inch iPad Pro and making it 10.9 inch. Luckily for them its still a great device that is selling well despite their screwup.

Its intentional, for two reasons... firstly, to differentiate it from the pro, and secondly, to bring an increased screen size on the air 5.

 

[Digitalguy]

Its intentional, for two reasons... firstly, to differentiate it from the pro, and secondly, to bring an increased screen size on the air 5.

exactly, totally intentional, by the way the original plan according to rumors was to make it 10.8, but the bezels were pretty ugly, so 10.9 seemed the best compromise, also given that they ended up increasing the price by $100. Having said that, I wouldn't bet on 11in air next year...

 

[DexBell]

Its intentional, for two reasons... firstly, to differentiate it from the pro, and secondly, to bring an increased screen size on the air 5.

I get that. So why are the MacBook Air and iPhone 12 the exact same sizes as the entry Pro models? Like I said, Apple screwed this one up.

 

[Digitalguy]

I get that. So why are the MacBook Air and iPhone 12 the exact same sizes as the entry Pro models? Like I said, Apple screwed this one up.

They don't have the same strategy with iPads, Macs and iPhones. They have shown so far that they want to differentiate the 3 tiers in terms of bezels size. They did the same with the entry level iPad. Why going through the trouble of making it 10.2 instead of 10.5? Because it was too close to the Air 3... They just did the same with the Air 4 and the Pro.
The strategy with the Mac may be evolving in the future with the 14in pro, but they can maintain different strategies for different product. I find the iPad strategy actually more sensible than the iPhone one but who am I to judge...

 

[jb1280]

There was a rumour early on of a 12" mini LED but that's not been built upon and everything is now pointing to a 12.9". The 12" rumour might even have been a typo or misunderstanding given the 12.9" is sometimes referred to as the '12 inch' even though '13 inch' would be more accurate.

If they wanted they could make the next Pro redesign around 12.0" and 14.0" sizes, the 12" would be about the size of the iPad 2 in footprint, a 14" could fit in about the same footprint as the original 12.9" so neither is unprecedented. But again, no leaks or rumours to this effect (yet) so we have to assume it will remain 11" and 12.9" for the foreseeable future.

Agreed on conclusion about sizes.

If Apple was happy with the footprint of the original 12.9”, they would have increased the display size in 2018 with the redesign to around 14”

To OP‘a point on the Apple Watch resizing, I believe they did that with iPad with the 2018 redesign.

12.9” and 11 for foreseeable future

 

[ericwn]

Does the 13.3 inch MacBook Air cannibalize sales of the 13.3 inch MacBook Pro? Does the 6.1 inch iPhone 12 cannibalize sales of the 6.1 inch iPhone 12 Pro? The only thing Apple should have done with the Air 4 was give it an 11 inch screen, just like the MacBook and iPhone options are the same size as the entry level Pro models. They screwed that up by intentionally giving the Air 4 larger bezels than the 11 inch iPad Pro and making it 10.9 inch. Luckily for them its still a great device that is selling well despite their screwup.

Of course there is product cannibalism everywhere. Especially with an Air more up to date chip wise than the next best pro model - a situation that doesn’t occur in the usual upsell matrix you mentioned in your examples. What Apple should have done last year is to provide a more meaningful update to the 11” Pro but they didn’t. Imagine if with the iPhone 13 the Pro model would not have the current cpu that the cheaper ones carry.