Key Takeaways
- Apple confirms its iPad keynote for May 7, and we expect refreshes of both the Air and Pro lineups.
- Rumors suggest the new iPad Pro models will receive OLED displays.
- StandBy on an iPad could be a game changer.
After months of heavy speculation and a torrent of rumors, Apple has finally confirmed that it’s holding an iPad keynote on May 7. It’s been longer than usual without a proper iPad refresh from the company, and so we are expecting new products in both the Air and Pro lines. The latest Air is rumored to receive a new, larger 12.9-inch variant to compliment the existing 10.9-inch sized model.
Of course, all eyes are naturally on the next-generation iPad Pro, which is the most expensive and high-tech tablet in Apple’s portfolio. Like previous generations, we expect to see the Pro available in both 11-inch and 12.9 or 13-inch sizes. While nothing can be said for certain until after the official keynote presentation, most rumors point to the new iPad Pro models adopting OLED displays in place of LCD panels.
Thinner display bezels are also rumored, and so, hopefully, these new iPad Pro models will feel more like picking up a piece of paper than ever before.
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It goes without saying that I hope this rumor proves accurate. Apple offers some of the best LCD screens in the business, and has done so for years. The company has also experimented with mini-LED tech in its existing 12.9-inch iPad Pro, adding many tiny LEDs to improve the LCD screen’s local dimming capabilities. The result has been serviceable, but in my opinion, it still can’t compete with the pure black levels offered by OLED panels.
Besides punchier and more vivid visuals, OLED tech offers other advantages like lower power consumption and thinner physical space needed within a tablet’s chassis. I never pick up an iPad Pro and think to myself that it’s too thick and cumbersome, but I suppose the extra thinness might further improve ergonomics. Thinner display bezels are also rumored, and so, hopefully, these new iPad Pro models will feel more like picking up a piece of paper than ever before.
OLED could serve as a sort of Trojan horse
Using StandBy in iPhone as the model
I could gush over the picture quality offered by OLED all day long. But, I genuinely hope Apple utilizes the technology to its fullest potential. The combination of OLED and an adaptive refresh rate would make the new iPad Pro an absolutely perfect device for the company to introduce StandBy mode on. This same screen technology enables the feature on iPhone 14 Pro and 15 Pro, and it would be easy enough for Apple to port over the functionality to the iPad.
In fact, it would be a great shame if Apple didn’t lean into this exact feature — StandBy arguably makes more sense on an iPad-sized screen than it does on an iPhone-sized screen.
Google rightfully recognized that tablets are often left lying down, unused for periods of time. With its Pixel Tablet, it solved the issue of battery drain while also making the large screen useful at all times of the day. StandBy mode fits the bill in precisely the same way, and all Apple has to do is port over the work it’s already done for the iPhone.
Feature parity between both size classes would be ideal for lovers of both smaller and larger iPads.
I sincerely hope that OLED, as well as StandBy mode, make their way to both the new 11-inch and the new 12.9-inch iPad Pro models. The mini-LED screen technology has always been reserved exclusively for the larger model, which doesn’t sit well with me when I’m spending such a large sum of money on an 11-inch Pro tablet. Feature parity between both size classes would be ideal for lovers of both smaller and larger iPads.
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Accessories and add-ons can only do so much
The iPad Pro, as well as the iPad Air, are extremely competent devices from a hardware perspective. Rumors suggest Apple will continue to one-up itself by implementing even faster processors, as well as a new stylus and Magic Keyboard case. These would all be great improvements, but they don’t solve the iPad’s Achilles’ heel. iPadOS, the forked version of iOS that powers Apple’s lineup of tablets, is simply not competent enough to use as a computer replacement.
Many, myself included, have long dreamed of ditching laptops in favor of the more flexible paradigm that is tablet computing.
Many, myself included, have long dreamed of ditching laptops in favor of the more flexible paradigm that is tablet computing. Unfortunately, the cold truth is that Apple is interested in selling us a Mac in addition to an iPad. My biggest hope is that the company will turn a new leaf with iPadOS 18, which is expected to arrive in preview at WWDC in June. I want to be able to harness the raw power of Apple Silicon, but as it stands, I can’t do simple things like remap mouse controls, or play audio from multiple apps at once.
Unfortunately, the cold truth is that Apple is interested in selling us a Mac in addition to an iPad.
These are fundamental issues that Apple will need to address if it wants to justify the purchase of an even more expensive laptop-like Magic Keyboard case. I’m not so sure that this will be the year iPadOS is finally released from its shackles, unfortunately. In the meantime, I’ll continue to patiently wait for a native calculator app to arrive on my iPad.
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