We're starting to wonder if the iPad 2021 is going to be a part of Apple's September 14 event. That's due to reports of stocks running low for the 8th gen iPad at both Apple retail and online stores, which could mean that the unveiling of a newer model could happen within days.
Word first came from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, a reliable source on all things Apple, who claimed that nearly all iPad 8 listings show that the tablet is either "currently unavailable" or unable to ship until October. We checked for ourselves, and got an October 8-15 window estimate, which is 4-5 weeks away.
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According to Gurman, "Apple tells retail employees not to speculate why to consumers," which is something the Tom's Guide staff has experienced every time we've needed a repair or been in the vicinity of a Genius.
"New ones are coming soon - thinner/faster etc," he mentioned in a tweet.
In one of his latest Power-On newsletters, Gurman suggested that the iPhone 13 won't be the only device making an appearance on September 14. The fall event could see up to five product announcements, including the Apple Watch Series 7, AirPods 3, iPad mini 6 as well as the rumored iPad 9.
But Gurman isn't the only source that claimed that the iPad 9 would be announced alongside the iPhone 13 lineup. A report from DigiTimes backed Gurman's statements and also mentioned that the new tablet could "boost Apple's overall iPad shipments to as many as 60 million units this year," according to industry insights.
Based on the rumors from earlier this year, the new generation of Apple's entry-level iPad could bring a lot to the table, from a slightly larger 10.5-inch display to a faster A14 Bionic chip and a slightly cheaper price. And although some sources say that the tablet won't go through a significant design overhaul, we're still excited to get a more powerful and affordable iPad, which could be a gamechanger for students in particular.
Another report from Chinese tech site Cubeta (via What HiFi) claimed that the iPad 9 could also get more storage for its basic model, upgrading from 32GB to 64GB compared to its predecessor. There's also talk about the tablet getting 4GB of RAM, a slight upgrade to the 8th gen model that currently packs 3GB.
