2023's iPad upgrades might be the ones to skip — major updates expected next year

Silver 12.9-inch iPad Pro on top of records with Apple Pencil
(Image credit: Luke Filipowicz / iMore)

Anyone hoping to pick up a fresh new iPad this year might be best waiting until 2024, if a new report turns out to be accurate.

That report claims that Apple's 2023 iPad refreshes will feature minimal improvements — if those iPads are refreshed at all. Instead, it's thought that Apple will have its big new updates ready for 2024 with the iPad Pro, in particular, benefiting from a new display technology.

Those hoping for a larger iPad will also have to wait a little while longer.

Waiting game

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, writing via the weekly Power On newsletter, reports that he doesn't expect any major updates to the iPad lineup in 2023. That means that those holding out for a new design or big new features might be better off holding onto their money for another year.

Gurman writes that while we've heard rumors of new, larger iPad tablets, they won't be ready this year. He says that he's been "told not to expect those this year." Apple had been rumored to have designs on a 14-inch iPad, but that now seems unlike to arrive any time soon.

As for the iPad Pro, Gurman writes that the 11-inch and 12.9-inch tablets won't get a new refresh until the first half of 2024. However, those updates might be worth the wait with a new design and OLED displays thought to be in the cards. The use of OLED would be the first for any iPad and could allow for improved color reproduction and better contrast.

As for the iPad mini, iPad Air, and base model iPad, Gurman points to minor spec bumps as the likely case for 2023. But he does also suggest that we might not see any new updates at all, although that seems unlikely.

With Apple possibly having a year off in terms of big iPad updates, all eyes will be on the rumored AR/VR headset that is now expected to debut within the next few months.

Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.