Ten years after Apple introduced its tablet, the 2020 iPad may get one of the features we've been waiting for. Apple's iconic slate device has evolved significantly over the past decade, becoming thinner and more powerful, spawning alter egos like the ultra-portable iPad mini and the PC-like iPad Pro. And that evolution is expected to continue into 2020.
Rumors of the iPad 2020 have already begun to surface, and Apple is known to announce a new iPad model as early as spring each year. Here is what we expect from the 2020 iPad and iPad Pro, as well as a wish list of what to expect from Apple's next tablet.
If Apple is developing a new iPad for 2020, we could see it as early as this spring; in 2019, Apple will unveil the latest iPad Air and iPad Mini in March, followed in September by the latest 10.2-inch iPad (Apple's most popular model) in September. Apple revealed the 2018 iPad at an education-focused event in March of that year, setting a precedent for Apple to announce new tablets in early spring.
As for the iPad Pro, the release date is a bit more difficult to predict. Apple prognosticator Ming-Chi Kuo has said that the new iPad Pro will be available as early as this month (March 2020). And according to a new report, production of the iPad Pro 2020 has already begun, with a targeted release date of March.
The latest fuel for the 2020 iPad Pro prediction is that Apple Stores are running low on stock of certain models. This leads people to speculate that, as usual, Apple has stopped production of the current iPad Pro and moved resources to newer models.
There were rumors that a March event for Apple's new product would be seen, but coronavirus concerns apparently canceled it, leaving people wondering where we would see the 2020 MacBook Pro too.
The latest iPad Pro models are the 12.9-inch and 11-inch variants we got in November 2018. Apple had long been rumored to unveil a new model at its October 2019 event, but that never happened. Given how much time has passed since the last iPad Pro, we expect a new model to arrive in 2020. The next big Apple events (that we know of) are the World Developers Conference (WWDC) in June and the typical iPhone launch event in September. It is possible that the new iPad Pro will appear at the latter of these events.
The base 10.2-inch iPad for 2019 sells for $329. Given that this is Apple's most popular model, it is unlikely that this price will change significantly for the 2020 version.
The latest iPad Air and iPad mini sell for $499 and $399, respectively. These models typically have a large gap between releases, so a 2020 version would not be expected.
And then there is the iPad Pro, which currently starts at $799 for the 11-inch model and $999 for the 12.inch model; while the Pro's rumored features (such as the inclusion of a triple camera) may raise these starting prices, the next-generation iPad Pro will be more or expected to remain at more or less the same price point.
If Apple does introduce a new 10.2-inch iPad for 2020, it is unlikely to be a major upgrade in terms of specs. The latest iPad has a 10.2-inch Retina display, Touch ID, and an A10 Fusion chip, so we would expect at least a processor upgrade to an A11 or A12 Fusion CPU. We would also like to see the iPad adopt Face ID and a bezel-less design, but at this price, we would not hold our breath.
The next iPad Pro will likely feature Apple's next A-series Bionic processor (possibly A14X), which could seriously blow away even the largest mainstream laptops. Since the next iPhone 12's A14 chip is rumored to deliver MacBook Pro-level performance, an even more powerful iPad counterpart to the iPad Pro could make Apple's next slate of PCs even more of a true laptop replacement.
Other reports indicate that the iPad Pro will add 5G connectivity, but that version of the tablet may not ship until after the fall, when Apple also announces its 5G-enabled iPhone 12 lineup.
A purported mockup of the new iPad Pro obtained by Sonny Dickson shows what appears to be a triple camera array, suggesting that the next iPad Pro may adopt some of the iPhone 11 Pro's key photo features. Previous rumors suggest that the 2020 iPad Pro may also adopt the 3D time-of-flight (TOF) sensor for better portrait photos and more accurate augmented reality.
The 2020 iPad Pro could also get a significant display upgrade. Reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted in September 2019 that the next iPad Pro model could use MiniLED technology, which would enable a slimmer, lighter tablet with OLED-quality visuals This could enable slimmer and lighter tablets with OLED-quality visuals. In his Apple predictions for the first half of 2020, Kuo said that the aforementioned triple-lens camera setup will be part of the iPad Pro, which will be available as early as March.
iOS 14 code suggests that Apple is developing a real iPad cursor. Currently, the existing cursor is a bit too large and unwieldy, so we expect this redesign to be a harbinger of a true touchpad on the iPad.
Thanks to a supply chain leak that Apple is working on a smart keyboard with its own touchpad, we suspect such a touchpad is indeed coming.
We still don't know what Apple's 2020 iPad lineup will look like, but we have some ideas of what we'd like to see. Here's our wish list.
These features could make the 2020 iPad and iPad Pro the best slate for Apple and start another decade of great Apple slates. I hope you will bookmark this page. This page will bring you the latest rumors about the 2020 iPad all year long.
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