New iPad Pro with 'A14X' chip and Thunderbolt to arrive as soon as April

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in iPad edited March 2021
Apple's next-generation iPad Pro is expected to debut in April with a big performance boost, Thunderbolt compatibility and, for the largest-screened model, a Mini LED display.




Citing sources famliar with the matter, Bloomberg reports the updated iPad Pro models will be powered by a new A-series variant that is as performant as the M1 chip currently found in the MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro and Mac mini.

While the 11- and 12.9-inch tablets are predicted to carry over a design from 2020, Apple could incorporate new internal technologies like Thunderbolt connectivity. The faster I/O protocol was deployed in testing and could make it to production models for compatibility with speedy external hard drives and displays, the report says.

Finally, Apple is working to incorporate Mini LED technology in the larger 12.9-inch iPad Pro, offering better local dimming, color reproduction and contrast ratios than conventional LCD screens.

Beyond iPad Pro, today's report claims Apple is developing a thinner and lighter base iPad for release later this year, as well as an iPad mini refresh with a larger screen.

As usual, most of Bloomberg's information echoes months-old predictions first aired by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and other industry insiders. In September, Kuo said iPad Pro would be the first Apple device to benefit from Mini LED, while a Mac Otakara report in January claimed the tech would be limited to the larger 12.9-inch model. Earlier today, a report from DigiTimes suggested a Mini LED iPad Pro would ship in April at the earliest.

Apple will likely introduce the new iPad Pro line at a special event in the coming weeks, though the company has yet to announce such a gathering.

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 12
    sdw2001sdw2001 Posts: 18,016member
    Makes sense.  I just bought an iPad Air 4, and in many ways it’s on par with the current pro.  Others than Face ID and refresh rate, it really is.  It also uses the A14, though the pro still has the extra core for GPU.  The point is I think some differentiation is warranted now.  
    williamlondonwatto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 12
    tmaytmay Posts: 6,328member
    sdw2001 said:
    Makes sense.  I just bought an iPad Air 4, and in many ways it’s on par with the current pro.  Others than Face ID and refresh rate, it really is.  It also uses the A14, though the pro still has the extra core for GPU.  The point is I think some differentiation is warranted now.  
    I'm on the original 12.9 inch Pro, so it seems obvious that I should upgrade to the 2021 iPad Pro large screen model.
    sdw2001watto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 12
    lordjohnwhorfinlordjohnwhorfin Posts: 849member
    Wow. What are we going to do with all this power!
    williamlondonwatto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 12
    CheeseFreezeCheeseFreeze Posts: 1,249member
    lordjohnwhorfin said:
    Wow. What are we going to do with all this power!
    That’s actually a really good question. I already had this with my 2nd gen iPad Pro. You have a really capable machine, but the operating system isn’t really setup to do serious work (except using creative apps with the pen). I wish my tablet became closer to macOS when attached to a screen and was capable of running native resolution of that screen; transform from a tablet-first setup to a desktop-first one when attached to a monitor, mouse and keyboard 

    I ended up using a Mac Mini M1 and even there I think: what am I gonna do with this power? Set aside Unity, FCPX etc, I wanted to play games. I booted the App Store, and boy, what a mess that is. I can’t even search by genre and find some really cool FPS games. It’s so mobile-centric and the games, especially Apple Arcade, don’t cut it.
    With Apple being so good at hardware and expecting to release higher-end products this year, it’s time they take gaming more seriously.
    muthuk_vanalingamelijahgwatto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 12
    sdw2001sdw2001 Posts: 18,016member
    CheeseFreeze said:
    lordjohnwhorfin said:
    Wow. What are we going to do with all this power!
    That’s actually a really good question. I already had this with my 2nd gen iPad Pro. You have a really capable machine, but the operating system isn’t really setup to do serious work (except using creative apps with the pen). I wish my tablet became closer to macOS when attached to a screen and was capable of running native resolution of that screen; transform from a tablet-first setup to a desktop-first one when attached to a monitor, mouse and keyboard 

    I ended up using a Mac Mini M1 and even there I think: what am I gonna do with this power? Set aside Unity, FCPX etc, I wanted to play games. I booted the App Store, and boy, what a mess that is. I can’t even search by genre and find some really cool FPS games. It’s so mobile-centric and the games, especially Apple Arcade, don’t cut it.
    With Apple being so good at hardware and expecting to release higher-end products this year, it’s time they take gaming more seriously.

    Games for Mac and now the larger iPads are a mess.  It wasn't always this way.  I actually prefer gaming on my Mac.  I played all the MoH games for years on my old powerbooks.  I usually can't stand the "turn my iPad into a laptop or desktop" thing, but I think you're right here.  iPadOS and iOS just don't seem setup to do serious work.  In my Mac I have several Excel files, Word Files, Outlook, two browsers with multiple tabs, sticky notes, messages, everything....all I have to do is swipe right and up and I see everything.  I love my iPad Air 4, but beyond sending a few emails or maybe editing a single document, it's not the same.  
    elijahgAlex1Nwatto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 12
    davgregdavgreg Posts: 1,037member
    I love my current iPad Pro but would gladly upgrade if there is enough there to justify the expense.

    It would be nice if the next iPad Pro fits the current Keyboard which is nice but a little pricey.

    watto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 12
    MplsPMplsP Posts: 3,925member
    I’m not a power user but my 2nd gen iPad Pro is still doing quite nicely. I agree with CheeseFreeze - ipad is being hamstrung by iPadOS. From a processing standpoint, the iPad is more than capable enough - heck, it’s more powerful than half the laptops on the market, but until Apple decides to get serious about making an OS that matches its capabilities it will be relegated to being a functional accessory instead of a serious work machine.
    edited March 2021 muthuk_vanalingamwilliamlondonelijahgAlex1Nwatto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 12
    blastdoorblastdoor Posts: 3,278member
    If the A14X is really an M1 —or an M1 with less RAM— will apple call it an M1?

    I think they should. It will highlight just how powerful an iPad Pro really is 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 12
    canukstormcanukstorm Posts: 2,700member
    blastdoor said:
    If the A14X is really an M1 —or an M1 with less RAM— will apple call it an M1?

    I think they should. It will highlight just how powerful an iPad Pro really is 
    If the A14X is really an M1, what I would love to see is Apple offer the choice of 8GB or 16GB RAM like they do on their M1 Macs.  That would really put the Pro in the name iPad Pro.  The next step would be to make iPadOS into a true desktop class OS.
    MplsPwatto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 12
    LuckyCharm427LuckyCharm427 Posts: 1member
    Wow. What are we going to do with all this powerWow. What are we going to do with all this power!

    I would really like to see a full version of the Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop Classics, for example. There are many creative artist who'd wanna work with this than on laptops including myself.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 12
    rowboatrowboat Posts: 3member
    An entry level iPad is too much power for iPadOS and the half baked apps, the iPad Air 4 is over kill.  
    Even graphics professionals do not see the iPad Pro as a valid alternative to MacOS and Win10. 
    Most developers target entry level iPad's or worse iPhones, iPad Pro is not on their radar.  Not enough Dev revenue for specialised iPad Pro apps.

    Bring MacOS to the iPad Pro is a slim hope for rescuing the platform.
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