Will this year’s iPad Pro land soon?
The next iPads are almost upon us. Joining the latest iPad Air and iPad mini, it seems, are new versions of the entry-level iPad (the tenth-generation model!) and the iPad Pro in two screen sizes. The new iPad Pro will likely sport the latest Apple silicon released in June for the MacBook Air, that is, the M2 processor. The new iPad looks likely to update the look to match the industrial design of the iPad Air and iPad Pro, though perhaps retaining the Touch ID button on the front of the tablet.
So, when, exactly, can we expect them?
October is the coolest month
As TS Eliot didn’t say. But since September is behind us, it’s likely that this month is when Apple will unleash its next products. As well as the iPads, we’re expecting a new MacBook Pro or two and maybe more stuff. The new laptops will be powered by the M2 chip, though we can expect these to be more powerful versions than in the iPad Pro, almost certainly called M2 Pro and M2 Max.
Apple will want to sell these products before the holiday season, for sure, so to allow that to happen seamlessly, October is the month of choice. November isn’t impossible, but October is easier.
There’ll be an event, right?
Well, maybe. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says he doesn’t think there’s enough product to launch to justify an event. I disagree with that: in October 2018, Apple held a special event in Brooklyn to launch a new MacBook Air, Mac mini and the iPad Pro in two sizes.
There’s enough expected for an event, I believe. However, that doesn’t mean there will be one. The September launch of iPhones, Apple Watches and AirPods Pro second generation went well for the company, a smooth and successful event that showed Apple at its best. So successful that it has nothing to prove, perhaps.
And if there is an event, when will it be?
Apple sends out invites to its keynotes a week or more before they take place, which means the coming days are out. Apple tends to prefer a Tuesday special event, or failing that a Wednesday. The only exception is WWDC where a week full of activities means the keynote takes place on a Monday.
So, there are a few possibilities: Tuesday, October 11, Wednesday, October 12 seems too close. But there’s the following week, October 18 or 19 and the last week of the month, October 25 and 26.
Apple announces its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings on Thursday, October 27, which makes me think it would like to avoid a new product launch in the same week (though that’s not unheard of). Additionally, an unveiling that late would mean the products would go on sale in November.
Sooner is better anyway, which suggests Tuesday, October 18 is favorite.
So, that’s the date?
It could be, and if it is, 10AM will be the time. That’s 10AM Pacific assuming the event takes place at the Steve Jobs Theater, but it could still easily take place in another city where it would default to 10AM in that time zone.
If there’s no event, then things change a little. Apple announces a lot of its products by press release and these can come on any day and at any time.
What’s your final answer?
I believe we will see the next iPad Pro, in 11-inch and 12.9-inch versions, a new iPad with a strikingly different design and two new Mac laptops with M2 processors released on Tuesday, October 18 or Wednesday, October 19. A slew of press releases is most likely, but it’s not impossible that there’ll be another special event.
These dates would mean the products would almost certainly be available for pre-order from Friday, October 21 and go on sale on Friday, October 28.
