My old iPad Pro 9.7 died and there are on going sales on iPad 9th gen 64gb for $250. Then I read on some other sites there could be a 11th gen coming out in March and the 9th and 10th gen will drop in prices. But I checked MacRumors and no such rumors.
The $250 price point for 9th gen is a decent deal to me but if I only need to wait one month for a better price I will.
Anyone has any insights?
Of all the iPads on sale, the 9th Generation seems like the worst buy from a longevity standpoint. Its killer features are the legacy design and ports. Also the physical home button. If those aren't must-haves, then I'd go with a 10th Generation model or a refurbished fourth generation Air (though both of those two things are pretty similar in price).
iPad 10th generation just came out 4 months ago! It wouldn't surprise me if the 11th gen comes out in 2024.
They've been releasing annually since 2017 and releasing consistently in the fall since 2020. Safe bet 11th Gen is coming this fall.
The 9th gen will probably be 'current' and available all through this year. Many, many schools use these, and the form factor is significantly embedded. So it's going to hang around for a while.
You might see it around for another year, but doubtful that it'll be around too much longer than that. Apple is giving those with ecosystems dependent on lightning, the headphone jack, and the home button (and those who produce accessories for those design conventions) a warning that they need to move over to the new design generation when possible.
I have a 9th gen, and find it very capable for all normal tablet stuff.
It's totally a fine tablet. But it's obviously the end of the line for that body style. And A13 is only going to suffice for so much longer. Even non-X/Z A12 iPads are starting to lose out on iPadOS features. That's only going to continue.
