Apple to Announce Updated iPad Pro with M2 Chip in a Matter of Days

Bloomberg insider Mark Gurman in his latest weekly Power On newsletter has reported that Apple will introduce updated iPad Pro models with 11-inch and 12.9-inch screens based on the Apple M2 chip in the coming days. The new models are codenamed J617 and J620.

The company hasn't updated the iPads Pro for a year and a half. The biggest change will be the M2 chip, which offers a performance boost of nearly 20 per cent over the M1.

Gurman reports that the new iPad Pro models will have the same flat-edge design as past models.

Apple will also introduce iPadOS 16. The company has reportedly delayed its release to give developers more time to improve it as well as tweaking the Stage Manager multitasking feature, which Gurman thinks is disjointed and buggy.

Gurman also writes that Apple plans to turn the device into a smart hub and speaker in 2023. He previously reported that Apple was exploring the possibility of creating a separate device that would combine the iPad with a speaker hub. However, Apple has decided to settle on creating an iPad docking station that it could sell separately and that would allow the device to be used on the kitchen table, living room or nightstand.

Apple is also developing a new entry-level tablet with a USB-C port and a design similar to the iPad Pro. Gurman believes that the new iPad will be the most significant update to this range of Apple tablets in the last few years.

Apple's quarterly report will be published on 27 October. Typically, the company has previously released new products a few days or weeks before the quarterly report. It is not expected to change this tradition this year.

Gurman speculated that Apple declined to hold the event due to the rather routine nature of the announcements and is probably saving its marketing energy for the debut of the Reality Pro headset next year.