While there’s no news of a big announcement or media event, it’s a safe bet that Apple will be releasing a new iPad soon. It’s unlikely to be a major refresh with Apple’s focus likely be to bring Apple Intelligence support.
The recent release of the iPad mini, late last year, gives us a string hint if what we can expect. The three main hardware upgrades will come in the form of a processor bump, RAM upgrade, and boost to storage.
| 10th Gen iPad | 11th Gen iPad (predicted) | |
| Processor | A14 Bionic | A17 Pro |
| Memory | 4GB | 8GB |
| Storage | 64GB and 256GB | 128GB and 256GB |
The processor and memory improvements will come to support Apple Intelligence. The storage boost reflects the increased need for storage for new operating systems – the 10th generation iPad shipped with iPadOS 16.1 back in 2022. iPadOS 18 seems to need more storage of installation than its predecessors.
Comms will get a boost to Wi‑Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. There will be most likely also be some cosmetic changes such as new colours.
In other words, this will be minor release that will offer the bare minimum to ensure compatibility with Apple intelligence.
Anthony is the founder of Australian Apple News. He is a long-time Apple user and former editor of Australian Macworld. He has contributed to many technology magazines and newspapers as well as appearing regularly on radio and occasionally on TV.