Table of Contents
The change
In 2023, Apple did not introduce a single new iPad model for the first time since its 2010 debut. However, it appears that the company will more than make up for it in 2024.
In 2023, new Mac models were released, as well as the Vision Pro headset and a new USB-C Apple Pencil. However, the iPads were not present. Rumors suggest that Apple’s tablet will make significant progress this year. We anticipate new iPad Pros, possibly a larger Pro model, as well as an aluminum replacement for the Magic Keyboard and trackpad, which will make the iPad function even more like a Mac. Let’s get started.
“The new keyboard accessory will be the big thing with these new iPads,” says Graham Bower, a graphic designer and iPad expert.
iPad as a Remark
The iPad has always been on a strange timetable, usually updating every 18 months or so, but not always. And the individual lines appear to be updated haphazardly as well. For example, the current non-suffix iPad (launched in October 2022) has its front-facing camera on the long side of the screen, making it far better for video chats than the more expensive Air and Pro models.
2024, hopefully, will be a year of realignment. The present portfolio is at best perplexing, with too little clear differentiation between model lines in terms of features. Even within those parameters, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, for example, employs far superior miniLED screen technology than the smaller but otherwise identical 11-inch device.
And while we’re on the subject of iPad Pro screen sizes, let’s make some guesses. One of the most interesting speculations is that the iPad Pro will be upgraded to a larger model, presumably so that professional users such as designers, filmmakers, and photographers can enjoy a considerably larger workspace at the price of a little portability.
A 15-inch iPad with an OLED screen (another major possibility for the 2024 iPad Pro) would be ideal for graphic professionals who use the Apple Pencil.
In terms of the Apple Pencil, we should expect the Apple Pencil 3, which will have magnetically attached tips and will be available in both black and white.
Important iPad Upgrades
The iPad has been about accessories since the iPad 2 added magnets to enable the now-ubiquitous sleep/wake cover. With the exception of a few dongles, Apple does not manufacture accessories for its MacBooks, while the iPad has a plethora of extras ranging from smart cases and various keyboard coverings to numerous Pencils.
The iPad is a “naked robotic core,” a simple, unadorned screen that, with the correct accessory, can be turned into a laptop, graphics tablet, or even a recording studio. This gives you a lot more versatility, and it has one big advantage over the Mac: you can use it as a touch-screen tablet without the keyboard.
The 2024 iPad may encroach even further on the MacBook’s turf, with a new Magic Keyboard accessory that may come in aluminum, and feature a row of function keys above the number row, just like the Mac does now, making it much easier to access various settings directly: media control keys, volume and brightness controls, and possibly an escape key.
“The new accessory makes the iPad Pro look even more like a laptop than the current setup and adds a larger trackpad,” serial rumormonger Mark Gurman wrote in his newsletter about the new accessory.
However, because to Apple’s software limitations, the iPad is still not a Mac and will never be. On the Mac, users can install whatever software they want, but the iPad is still limited by the App Store, which only carries software that Apple deems appropriate. On the iPad, for example, there is no option to install a clipboard manager (an app that allows you to save numerous samples to your clipboard and access them later).
The iPad, then, is in for a tremendous year. Although it may be overshadowed by the upcoming Vision Pro announcement, these new iPads may be Apple’s most exciting news in a long time for users.
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