Apple will not launch a new 12.9-inch iPad Pro with a mini-LED display until at least the second quarter of the year, which begins on April 1, according to industry sources cited by DigiTimes.
From today's report:
Epistar has become the exclusive supplier of miniLED chips to be used in 12.9-inch miniLED-backlit iPad Pro, with nearly 50% of the corresponding production capacity booked up for the tablet and volume shipments to begin in the second quarter of 2021, the sources said.
Last week, DigiTimes reported that the new 12.9-inch iPad Pro could launch at the end of March, or early in the second quarter. The publication is now shifting, explicitly stating that mass shipments for the new iPad will begin in the second quarter. At the same time last week, speculation grew that Apple will hold an event on Tuesday, March 23.
That event, yet to be confirmed, is rumored to include the launch of AirTags, AirPods 3, and new iPad Pro models. If DigiTimes is to be believed, however, the new 12.9-inch iPad Pro with a mini-LED display will not launch until at least April.
Apple has several products in the pipeline with mini-LED displays. Compared to regular LCDs, mini-LED offers higher brightness, improved contrast ratio, and is expected to become the new standard amongst Apple's future products, including a 14-inch MacBook Pro.
Sunday November 1, 2026 7:27 am PST by Joe Rossignol
After announcing a new iPad mini with an OLED display earlier this month, Apple plans to release new iPad Air, iPad Pro, and entry-level iPad models in the first half of 2027, according to the latest word from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the next iPad Air will also feature an OLED display, while he expects the next iPad Pro to be equipped with a...
Apple today updated its U.S. trade-in estimates, raising maximum values across the iPad lineup and for most Macs following today's announcement of the new iPad mini.
Every iPad category has gained value, although the increases are relatively modest. The iPad mini and standard iPad both rise by $20, while the iPad Air gains $15 and the iPad Pro increases by $10. The revised maximum estimates...
Strong pre-orders have reportedly prompted Apple to order millions more iPhone Duo units from suppliers, according to DigiTimes.
Supply chain sources said Foxconn and component manufacturers had received instructions reflecting a roughly 44% increase from 9.7 million to 14 million devices. The revised target reportedly follows strong pre-orders for Apple's first foldable iPhone and covers a...
I haven’t pulled the trigger on a M1 Mac because I want to see what the new iPad Pro has to offer. I truly believe the iPad Pro is the future of the Mac. It can technically run both iOS and Mac software with touch and pencil support, which I think it eventually will. The MacBook and regular iPads can stay as they are to please those that are devoted to those form factors, but Apple should run with the iPad Pro and give it all the capabilities to make it the perfect mobile computer, which I think it almost is.
I haven’t pulled the trigger on a M1 Mac because I want to see what the new iPad Pro has to offer. I truly believe the iPad Pro is the future of the Mac. It can technically run both iOS and Mac software with touch and pencil support, which I think it eventually will. The MacBook and regular iPads can stay as they are to please those that are devoted to those form factors, but Apple should run with the iPad Pro and give it all the capabilities to make it the perfect mobile computer, which I think it almost is.
iPad Pro is not the future of the Mac.
Besides the fact that management has repeatedly stated the two serve different purposes and make no sense to combine, you still can't code on the iPad Pro and you still can't develop software, iOS apps or otherwise.
The way many programmers are able to streamline their creation is through a shortcut-heavy, full-sized, full-powered keyboard, and low-level access to the console and directory through the terminal, homebrew, git, installing things like python, node, etc. The iPad, a device geared towards consumers, doesn't allow low-level access, and you still can't turn off animations, freely navigate the file system, and crawl it via command line. It's just not built to be a device from which you develop, and no amount of touch control is going to enable that.
I am actually starting to wonder if this rumored model even exists. Does the pro really need an upgrade? Seems like Apple could wait much longer if it really wanted to..
Can’t have your mid range iPad Air 4 having a better chip than your pro models, not a good look.
