Noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes that Cupertino will launch a foldable iPad in 2024. This could be Apple’s first device with a folding display. Aside from that, the analyst says that no new iPad is coming in the next 9-12 months. Apple updated the entry-level iPad and top-shelf iPad Pro last year with the pro models getting the M2 silicon.
Kuo says the next iPad refresh will come by way of iPad Mini and even that isn’t apparently coming before 2024. The analyst says the iPad Mini refresh is “more likely” to enter mass production in the first quarter of 2024. The foldable iPad should naturally be more exciting. Kuo notes that Suzhou-based Anjie Technology will be the biggest beneficiary of the all-new form factor from Apple. It is said to manufacture a carbon fibre kickstand for Apple’s purported foldable iPad though it isn’t clear if it would come pre-installed on the tablet or be a separate case.
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Apple launched the iPad tenth-generation with 5G and USB Type-C charging last year at a starting price of Rs 44,900. It was joined by the 12.9-inch and 11-inch iPad Pro with M2 chip for Rs 1,12,900 and Rs 81,900, respectively. With no new models in fray, analysts have forecasted a 10-15 percent decline in tablet shipments for Cupertino. The new Mini and particularly the speculated foldable iPad could turn the tide for Apple though. But we’ll see.
Even without a new iPad, the iPhone-maker has been keeping busy lately. Apple recently updated the MacBook Pro and Mac Mini models and launched the second-generation HomePod. The main highlight for 2023 though is expected to be its long-rumoured mixed-reality headset. We are expecting more details to be announced at WWDC 2023 in June.