iPadOpinions

Expect new iPad Pros and peripherals to be announced on March 18 or 19

Upcoming iPad Pros and iPad Airs could be offered with matte screens for the first time.

The long-rumored MacBook Air update was announced on March 4, and I expect the anticipated 2024 upgrades of the iPad Pro — along with some new accessories — to be announced on Monday, March 18, or Tuesday, March 19.

Pre-orders will likely be taken on Friday, March 22, with deliveries starting Friday, March 29, if not sooner. 

The biggest change is the OLED displays on the iPad Pro line-up. They’re likely to be hybrid OLED displays made with a combination of flexible and rigid materials. This could mean the updated iPad Pros would be even thinner and lighter design than current models.

Speaking of which, the 11-inch model may slim down by 13.5% to about 3.2 inches, while the 12.9-inch model is likely to shrink by 21.8% to 3.1 inches. This makes them the slimmest flagship tablets you can get your hands on. What’s more, the display on the bigger model will, I think, grow slightly — from 12.9 inches to 13 inches.

Such changes may see a price hike in the tablet line-up. Apple’s upcoming OLED iPad Pro will start at $1,500, rising to between $1,800 and $2,000 depending on size and configuration, representing a major increase in prices compared to Apple’s current equivalents, according to the news aggregator account “yeux1122” on the Naver blog.

However, I’m going out on a limb and predict that any price hikes won’t be more than $100. 

The rumor mill says that the orientation of Face ID will be tweaked — and I think that’s true. The orientation will favor landscape mode, which matches up with how most users interact with their iPads.

Look for the iPad Pros to get support for MagSafe charging, although theres’s a chance this might not happen.Why? Apparently, MagSafe charging works better with a glass back, but that would make the iPad Pro more fragile. Having an aluminum back would make it difficult to make the device compatible with the MagSafe Charger.

Apple has apparently built an Apple Pencil 3 that works with the Find My app.

Finally, look for Apple to introduce a new Apple Pencil and new Magic Keyboards. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the latter will purportedly have a sturdier frame made from aluminum, which will allow the ‌iPad‌ to more closely resemble a laptop.

What new features might an Apple Pencil 3 include? Previous rumors have suggested the following:

° New sensors for more haptic feedback features;

° The tip of the Apple Pencil could have new tech that supports additional features or more accurate drawing accuracy.

° Support for a rolling gesture that would allow you to zoom in on the iPad. 

° A pivotal end that allows for rolling and sliding gestures.

° And (the least likely of all to appear next year): the ability for the Apple Pencil to scan colors from real-life environments into the iPad.

Dennis Sellers
the authorDennis Sellers
Dennis Sellers is the editor/publisher of Apple World Today. He’s been an “Apple journalist” since 1995 (starting with the first big Apple news site, MacCentral). He loves to read, run, play sports, and watch movies.

4 Comments

  • so…pre orders will be taken March 15 but the product won’t be announced til March 18th or 19th?

    I’ve read this like five times but can’t make sense of it.

  • Wait, what do these words even mean?

    ” the 11-inch model slimming down by 13.5% to about 3.2 inches, while the 12.9-inch model is likely to shrink by 21.8% to 3.1 inches.”

    WHAT?

Comments are closed.