New OLED M3 iPad Pro models in production; device to be released in late March
For the first time since the OG iPad was released in 2010, Apple completed a full year without launching a new tablet. The company needed the year to reset its iPad offerings, especially since the end of the pandemic resulted in a decline in revenue from iPad sales. TF International analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the guy who has more connections inside Cupertino than the Apple switchboard, said back in November that mass production of the new iPad Pro models would take place late in Q1 or Q2.
According to another guy with his share of connections inside Apple, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple is already in the process of producing the new iPad Pro models overseas. The tech giant's top-of-the-line tablets are rumored to feature OLED screens this year, and hidden code found in the iOS 17.4 beta says that the TrueDepth Camera will be repositioned so that Face ID will be at the top of the tablet when the device is held in landscape mode.
The front-facing camera on the 10th-gen iPad was already repositioned to be at the top of the tablet in landscape mode
Currently, the Face ID camera is found on the top of the display in portrait mode which means that the camera is off to the side when the iPad Pro is connected to the Magic Keyboard accessory. This can be a pain in the butt when you're in landscape and trying to unlock the tablet with your face; it can be downright awkward when using the camera for video conferencing and you're in landscape mode.
Apple already moved the front-facing camera on the 10th-generation basic iPad to be at the top when held in landscape. That was done back in 2022.
If you've been seriously jonesing for a new top-shelf iPad, you won't have long to wait as Gurman expects Apple to launch the new iPad Pro models at the end of March. The tablets will have the powerful M3 chips under the hood. Gurman and Kuo both also expect Apple to release two new iPad Air tablets this year with a spec boost and one will have a larger 12.9-inch screen. And we could also see new Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil accessories available this year.
TF International's Kuo expects shipments of the new OLED iPad Pro models to reach 6 million to 8 million units this year. Kuo expects deliveries of the two new iPad Pro models to be negatively impacted by higher pricing for the 2024 tablets and cannibalization by the new 12.9-inch iPad Air.
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