Who is Apple's rumored OLED iPad Pro for?

Earlier this year, there were enough rumors about upcoming new Apple products that a big spring event would be required, but the company announced its new M3 MacBook Air via press release — and no new iPads since. Have been seen. have given. Today, Mark Gurman writes in his Power On newsletter for Bloomberg that the big spring iPad update, which includes the new OLED iPad Pro, will arrive on May 6 – about 19 months after the last update.

But why upgrade? My 2021 model still feels like new, and I know at least one person who says the same about the 2018 iPad Pro. Unless this is nothing more than a rumor that has little value in the grand scheme of things at this point, it's limited to a very specific subset of people who like iPadOS and want a good, if Will pay the opposite. OLED screen. But what if it includes the fact that it's essentially a laptop with a touchscreen?

OLED iPad Pro is considered to be the big deal of the new lineup. Both the 11-inch and 13-inch versions are expected to get better screens, and Apple is apparently releasing a more laptop-like aluminum Magic Keyboard for them. Gurman writes in the subscriber edition of his newsletter that there may also be a new Apple Pencil with a pressure-sensitive button on the side. Two new iPad Airs with M2 processors are also expected – one in a standard 10.9-inch size, and a larger 12.9-inch model that will use the same Magic Keyboard accessories now available for the Pro.

It may steal some thunder from the Pro because not everyone cares so much about OLED or high refresh rates – a larger screen is arguably more valuable than fancy display technology. The iPad Pro is an ultra-portable productivity device, and a fancy Magic Keyboard reinforces that idea. But for now, it has a USB-C port and runs iPadOS, which still feels limited despite Apple adding multitasking features like Stage Manager.

The 12.9-inch 2022 model is already $1,099 for 128GB of storage and 8GB of RAM. For the same money you'll get an M3 MacBook Air with 256GB of memory, a larger screen, a built-in keyboard and trackpad, and an operating system with four decades of software ecosystem support and development. The next iPad Pro may be even more expensive. You really have to prioritize iPadOS to choose the former over the latter.

Federico Viticci, a well-known iPad power user, recently said that using macOS in a virtual display with VisionOS apps (which presumably includes some iPad apps) “felt quite powerful and flexible.” " , because iPadOS didn't make me feel that way. Whereas." A fun MacStories article last month detailed their experience creating a bizarre Frankenpad out of an iPad Pro and a headless MacBook.

At $3,500, the Vision Pro poses no immediate threat to the iPad Pro, but Viticci's story highlights the tablet's weaknesses. Even if iPad productivity isn't your thing, it's great for casual, personal content consumption. If the Vision Pro can handle that task, the iPad really needs something new. One thing Apple could do is make the iPad Pro a true hybrid. It's already a great secondary display for my MacBook Air.

Apple has shown over the years that it's willing to give people something they've been asking for by returning HDMI and SD card ports to the MacBook Pro. I say bring that energy to the iPad. Give it another USB-C port and — while I'm asking here for things that probably won't happen but would be awesome if they did — give it dual-boot macOS and iPadOS.