Apple continues to run into production challenges with its next-gen iPad Pro, but they won’t stop the tablet from debuting later this month, reports Bloomberg.
If you plan to get one, you might want to brace yourself for a wait, though. The next iPad Pro — notably, the larger, 12.9-inch model — could prove tough to get your hands on in the early days.
The next-gen iPad Pro will be Apple’s first to boast Mini-LED display technology, offering superior screens visuals to the current LCD displays. However, this new screen tech will only be available on the larger 12.9-inch iPad Pro, not the 11-inch model. Aside from this, and speedier internals, the new iPad Pro is unlikely to change much from its predecessor, according to Bloomberg.
“The Cupertino, California-based tech giant plans to showcase a new Mini-LED display technology in the 12.9-inch iPad Pro set to be announced as early as the second half of April,” Bloomberg writes. “But the firm’s overseas suppliers are dealing with poor manufacturing yields, the people who asked not to be named discussing sensitive matters said. At least one of the Mini-LED makers has had to recently pause production as a result, one person added.”
Apple typically does a pretty good job of making sure its new devices are available in sufficient quantities upon debut. But it’s not unheard of for constrained supplies to persist for a few months. Getting the most popular new iPhone in the most popular color can take a while. Other hot-ticket items sell out quickly, too. The AirPods Pro, for instance, debuted just prior to Christmas a couple of years back, but quickly became virtually impossible to find.
An important iPad update for Apple
The new iPad Pro likely will be Apple’s first hardware release of 2021. Despite the comparatively paltry upgrades this year (at least compared to the 2018 refresh that brought Face ID and an edge-to-edge display), this year’s iPad is a big one for Apple.
The iPad line raked in $8.4 billion in revenue for Apple during the holiday quarter 2020. That’s the most money it’s made since 2014. A big part of the reason for the spike is remote work and schooling, with more people hunkered down at home due to COVID-19.
For obvious reasons, Apple wants to keep that sales momentum going. That means it’s relying on this year’s iPads winning over even more customers.
Do you have plans to buy a new iPad this year? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Bloomberg
