New 10-inch iPad and low-cost iPad mini to launch ‘as early as this spring’
Apple is supposedly working on an updated version of its $329 6th-generation iPad alongside a new low-cost iPad mini to launch ‘as early as this spring’, reports Bloomberg.
The report claims Apple is working on a new iPad which will feature “roughly [a] 10-inch screen,” which would be slightly larger than the 9.7-inch model that is currently available. The new model is expected to include a faster processor and a Lightning port instead of a USB-C port, though the new iPad is expected to feature a Touch ID Home button rather than Face ID which would be appropriate as both the new iPad and updated iPad mini are both seemingly positioned as lower-cost devices.
According to Bloomberg, Apple could be planning to introduce the new iPads “as early as this spring,” matching previous reports and information we have seen.
The rumored product plans were shared shortly after Bloomberg reported how Apple is preparing to launch iOS 13 with Dark Mode, major iPad enhancements such as a new iPad home screen, the ability to tab through multiple versions of a single app like pages in a web browser, and improvements to file management, alongside upgrades to the CarPlay system.
It was discovered last week that Apple’s first iOS 12.2 developer beta had references to four new iPad models, identified as iPad11,1, iPad11,2, iPad11,3 and iPad11,4 with both Wi-Fi only and Wi-Fi + Cellular variations.
At the beginning of the year unreleased iPad hardware was photographed, possibly giving us our first glimpse at the rumored next-generation iPad mini 5, although the images didn’t reveal any design changes except from a slight tweak to the antenna band on the rear of the device.