Two different sources are reporting the iPad 11’s support for Apple Intelligence. On one side, we have the highly public Mark Gurman from Bloomberg reporting that the next iPad will support Apple Intelligence. On the other, a private account on Twitter belonging to reputable source says the iPad 11 won’t support Apple Intelligence.
What does Apple Intelligence need?
Based on the iPhone 15 Pro and recently released iPad mini, Apple Intelligence requires an processor or later. Alternatively, it needs an M-series processor.
Coupled with the processor, there’s a need for at least 8GB of memory.
Option 1: The iPad 11 supports Apple Intelligence
Mark Gurman said, in his PowerOn newsletter, that the iPad will match the iPad mini’s specs and come with an A17 Pro processor and 8GB of memory. That’s a big step up from the current A14 Bionic and 4GB of memory.
Gurman’s track record is pretty good but he’s not infallible.
Option 2: The iPad 11 skips Apple Intelligence
A source, who posts on a private X account and wants to remain anonymous, but has a good track record of revealing accurate leaks about Apple, was recently quoted on MacRumors.
They say the iPad 11 will run a chip that is designated with the identifier T8120. That identifier corresponds with the A16 chip found in the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, iPhone 15, and iPhone 15 Plus. That chip has just 6GB of memory on board, so it is unlikely to support Apple Intelligence.
Will the iPad 11 support Apple Intelligence?
It’s hard to imagine Apple releasing a new product that doesn’t support the platform is has bet the farm on. Apple Intelligence is the centrepiece of Apple’s software development with new features being added regularly as incremental updates to macOS, iPadOS and iOS are released.
The likelihood of the next iPad having an M1 processor seems low. Apple decided to stick with the A17 Pro for the iPad mini which was released in October 2024. Giving the entry level iPad a processor bump that puts it ahead of the iPad mini does not seem likely.
While I don’t have the inside track on the goings on within Apple, it would seem highly unlikely that a newly released product would not support the feature Apple has spent the most time touting and developing.
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.