Report: Apple Could Release 16-inch iPad in 2023
Apple’s 6th gen 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models may be fresh out of the oven, a new report from The Information says that Apple is working on a 16-inch iPad. This bigger iPad could be released in the fourth quarter of 2023, and this 16-inch screen may well blur the lines with Apple’s 16-inch MacBook Pro.
It’s actually not the first time we hear about Apple possibly working on bigger iPads. Citing supply chain sources, Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants tweeted back in June that a 14.1-inch iPad was in the pipeline for next year.
Apple’s iPad lineup is in a somewhat weird place right now. The brand new iPad Pro models brought few changes except for the new M2 chip we previously saw in recent MacBooks. Apple also didn’t give its latest iPad Pro models the same landscape FaceTime camera that the new entry-level iPad just received. Moreover, Apple’s new Magic Keyboard Folio with its adjustable stand and 14-key function row isn’t compatible with the iPad Pro.
Beyond Apple’s questionable design choices, the freshly-released iPadOS 16.1 isn’t the multitasking revolution many iPad users hoped to see. The new Stage Manager feature, which allows iPad users with M1 or M2 chips to interact with up to four apps at a time in adjustable windows is quite unpolished right now. All in all, you have to wonder if a mobile-focused OS like iPadOS really makes sense on a 14” or 16” screen.
Over the past 10 years, Microsoft did a lot of work to make Windows usable on tablets, and the Surface Pro line is still alive and kicking in 2022. Apple, however, doesn’t seem to be interested in optimizing macOS for touch input, and it seems unlikely we’ll ever see an iPad running macOS.
Considering the cheapest 12.9-inch iPad Pro already starts at $1,099, do you think there’s a market for even bigger models? Sound off in the comments below.