Update: iPad 2022 vs iPad 2021: All the biggest upgrades.
The iPad 2022's new design is looking locked in for later this month as one accessory maker has released a case tailor-made for the allegedly new body.
As we can see in an Amazon Japan listing for an ESR iPad case (via MacOtakara), the 10th-gen iPad it's designed to fit is a far cry from the current iPad 2021. There's no longer a home button, and it comes with a USB-C port instead of a Lightning connector. There's also a larger opening on the back for the rear camera, and a cutout on the right side, which is presumably there to allow for a second-gen Apple Pencil to attach.
The thing is though, with the rumors now saying that the Apple October product launches will come via press releases rather than a full announcement event, it would feel weird to see one of Apple's most popular products get a refresh of this magnitude without the full launch presentation treatment.
Aside from the refreshed design, the new iPad is rumored to get an A14 Bionic chip (an improvement on the current A13 chip) with optional 5G connectivity. We'd also expect there to be a Touch ID power button, similar to the iPad Air, since there may no longer be a home button to unlock the tablet with. Face ID has been an iPad Pro-exclusive feature.
We'd also expect Apple to remove the headphone jack, as it has with its other iPads, making things tricky for users who have yet to embrace the best wireless earbuds or wireless headphones.
Other than a new base iPad, we're also expecting Apple to reveal the iPad Pro 2022 soon.. It's not tipped to get any changes beyond moving from the Apple M1 chip to the Apple M2 chip, but that shouldn't hurt its status as one of the best tablets around.
Similarly, we're expecting the 14-inch MacBook Pro, 16-inch MacBook Pro and the Mac mini to get refreshed, but offer little to no updates beyond swapping their M1, Apple M1 Pro and Apple M1 Max chips to equivalent M2 versions.
