Don't get your hopes up for big upgrades for the iPad Pro or other Apple tablets this year, as it could be another 12 months before the next wave of big updates arrive.
The subscriber-only version of Mark Gurman's latest newsletter for Bloomberg states that the iPad Pro "for sure isn’t getting anything of note this year," with the standard iPad, iPad Air or iPad mini not set to get "any major updates" either.
2024 will instead be a banner year for the iPad line. That's when Gurman says we'll see a new design for the iPad Pro, as well as a long-tipped upgrade to an OLED display.
The new design may include giving the iPad Pro a glass back, or at least a partial glass back, that is capable of wireless charging support. These are both rare things to find on a tablet, which would help Apple set its premium slate apart from rivals.
We've also been hearing rumors of larger iPad Pro models of up to 16 inches which haven't bourne out just yet. Gurman doesn't say anything specific about a new size in his newsletter, but perhaps this is going to be part of the redesign he mentioned.
OLED tablet displays are more common, with tablets like the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 series using the technology. Other Apple leakers have stated an OLED iPad is on the way next year as well, so Gurman's 2024 claim carries extra wait. While we love the iPad Pro (12.9-inch) model's mini-LED display, OLED could bring its color and contrast to another level.
The current iPad Pro models, armed with the Apple M2 chip, launched in November 2022, meaning it would be at least a year old by the time we see these alleged replacements. Perhaps we'll see it next spring in Apple's usual early-year product announcements, but if not then we'd still have WWDC in the summer and Apple's typical fall product events as launch opportunities.
New HomePod mini not under development
Mark Gurman had another interesting nugget of Apple info to share in the latest issue of Power On, that being that there's apparently no HomePod mini sequel in the works at Apple right now.
After the new HomePod dropped in a surprise announcement last week, Apple fans turned to Gurman to ask if Apple's smaller smart speaker, now over two years old, is due an update any time soon. Gurman responded that he "[does not] believe that Apple is actively working on such a product," pointing out that the new HomePod doesn't support any features that the mini didn't already have, making an upgrade unnecessary right now.
We've yet to try out the new HomePod, but once we do, we'll be sure to give you our thoughts on it, and how it compares to the aging HomePod mini.
