Apple’s best-value iPad is about to get a serious upgrade, says Gurman

Source: Luke Filipowicz /iMore

A new report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman claims Apple is about to upgrade its iPad (2020) with a new processor and slimmer design.

In a new Power On video for Bloomberg, Gurman listed planned upgrades and expectations for Apple’s iPhone 13, new AirPods, and a new iPad mini, as well as plans for a new ninth-generation iPad:

… as well as a new ninth-generation iPad, geared towards students, with a thinner form factor and faster processor.

As mentioned, the current eighth-generation iPad is the best iPad for those looking for value in a tablet, with a starting price of just $329. Gurman doesn’t indicate whether Apple plans to change the pricing of the new device at all, but we have previously heard that Apple is planning to hang on to some of the device’s older design aspects, suggesting it could keep the cost down. A Macotakara report from January claimed that Apple would retain the design of the third-generation iPad Air, keeping a 10.2-inch display but losing a lot of weight and thickness. That report would also suggest Apple will hang on to the iPad’s older design featuring a Home Button and Touch ID.

Gurman didn’t expand on a possible release date beyond this fall. He also didn’t expand on which new processor might feature, but given the iPad’s entry-level pricing and specs, an educated guess would probably be the A14 chip from the iPhone 12, which would be a pretty massive upgrade on the current A12, giving it the same processing power as Apple’s iPad Air.