M5 iPad Pro rumored to arrive sometime in late 2025
Apple's next update to the iPad Pro line with an M5 chip is quite a way from release, an analyst claims, with mass production of the tablet expected to happen in late 2025.
13-inch iPad Pro, running on the M4 chip
The most recent iPad Pro release was in May 2024, ushering in the M4 generation of Apple Silicon by being the first device to use it. However, it could be quite some time before the next iteration becomes available.
According to a Medium post by TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo on Wednesday, Apple will be using BYD Electronic for assembling more iPads in future. The post also touches briefly on the iPad Pro's next release.
The iPad Pro "equipped with the M5 processor" will enter mass production in the second half of 2025, Kuo writes. He adds that BYD is expected to "benefit significantly" from Apple's product launches at around that time.
The timing of mass production makes some sense, at least when it comes to the M5 chip.
The M4 iPad Pro's May launch was an oddity, as it was the first time the iPad Pro was the only product introducing a new Apple Silicon generation. The first Mac updates using it didn't arrive until the fall.
If the mass production timing is true, this would put the launch of an M5 iPad Pro in the fall. While this would mean a year and a half gap between releases of iPad Pro, it could also equate to a year between Mac mini and MacBook Pro updates.
A year between Mac chip changes is plausible considering previous product line updates, as does a shift in iPad Pro release timings.
Ming-Chi Kuo is well known for having a high level of accuracy when it comes to Apple's supply chain.
It is also unsurprising for Apple to be working on the M5 chip, as leakers back in August 2023 discovered references relating to it.
Rumor Score: Possible
Read on AppleInsider
Comments
Revving the products demonstrates commitment and gives the market confidence to buy more iPads. Would like to see 16 GB RAM in the base model iPPs and 32 GB RAM as an upgrade option. It's just going to be an SoC and NAND change. That and OS updates enough for an upgrade after 18 months with an M4 model.
I continue to want some crazy things for the iPad Pros, which won't be coming for 3 years at least. I continue to want a flush back cam. I think the bottom edges should be rounded. I would like to have 5:4 aspect ratio models, at 12 and 14.4 inch diagonals. There should be a Thunderbolt compatible Smart Connector. For the future, the necessary sensor suite for hand and eye tracking. 1 lb weight for the 13+ inch model.
Obviously, a lot of software features and updates should be made. Like, the full screen video player should let you place a video in the center (the current default), the top or even the bottom. Actual limitless multitasking and backgrounding. Terminal.app and XQuartz.app should be shipped for it, along with Xcode. They should continue down the road of virtual displays of multiple Apple devices, and add more integration between devices.