If like us you thought the iPad most likely to be updated next was the iPad Air you might be surprised to learn that a report on Chinese site Mydrivers is suggesting not only that the iPad Air won’t be updated until next spring, but the iPad Pro – which was only updated in March – will be updated again this September or October.
It’s conceivable that something is lost in the translation, however Mydrivers has previously made accurate predictions, so it’s worth paying some attention to what they report.
We’ll start with the iPad Air: According to Mydrivers Apple will launch a new model of iPad Air in March 2021.
Mydrivers claims that ‘foreign sources’ indicate that the iPad Air 4 will launch in March 2021. They also claim that it will feature USB-C rather than a Lightning port, use an A14 processor, work with the Magic Keyboard, and offer an 11in display (up from 10.5in currently).
This isn’t the first time we have seen a claim that the next iPad Air will switch to USB-C. In June it was suggested that the iPad Air would be adopting USB-C. This would make it the first non-pro iPad to move from Lightning to USB-C.
Analyst Ming Chi Kuo has previously suggested that the new iPad Air screen could be 10.8in.
The suggestion that it will work with the Magic Keyboard backs up a Tweet from L0vetodream in June 2020:
in my dream Magic keyboard not only for the iPad Pro
— 有没有搞措 (@L0vetodream) June 11, 2020
Apple doesn’t sell an iPad Air keyboard right now, but there are various third party options. Read: Best iPad keyboards.
The price, on the other hand, is said to increase by $150, which means that prices start at $649 instead of $499.
Now for the iPad Pro: The same Mydrivers report also suggests that the iPad Pro will be updated in the next two months. This seems unlikely given that the iPad Pro only launched in March 2020. There have also been reports that the new iPad Pro will sport a micro-LED display, but the company is said to be facing delays with this technology, which again makes an immanent update seem unlikely.
The only possibility is that a 5G version of the iPad Pro is set to launch in September or October. This could be a reason why iPad Pro models are in short supply right now.
There have been iPad Pro stock shortages, with the Apple Store currently listing a late-September delivery date for the both iPad Pro models. There are similar delays for the iPad Air and iPad models (at the time of writing these were 14 September and 7 September). It may be that these delays are due to difficulties associated with the current pandemic, or it may indicate that Apple is slowing sales as it intends to release new models. Incidentally the iPad mini is in stock with no delivery delays.
Speaking of which, Apple’s expected to refresh the iPad mini soon, but that model is unlikely to gain a USB-C port. There have been reports suggesting the display size may increase though.
Author: Karen Haslam, Editor
Macworld editor since 2008, Karen has worked on both sides of the Apple divide, clocking up a number of years at Apple's PR agency prior to joining Macworld two decades ago.
Karen's career highlights include interviewing Apple's Steve Wozniak and discussing Steve Jobs’ legacy on the BBC. Her focus is Mac, but she lives and breathes Apple.