Rumor: New low-cost iPad to feature A12 chip later this year

A report suggests that Apple may be rumored to include its A12 processor in a new low-cost iPad later this year.

As reported by MacRumors:

Apple's eighth-generation iPad will arrive this year and feature an A12 chip, according to an anonymous Twitter account with a thus-far proven track record for forthcoming Apple product leaks.

Apple's seventh-generation ‌iPad‌, introduced in September 2019, was an iterative update to the sixth-generation low-cost ‌iPad‌, with a larger 10.2-inch display and support for new accessories. However, it used the same A10 Fusion chip as the sixth-generation ‌iPad‌.

As the report notes, in the last 24 hours, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has suggested that Apple plans to release a new, larger 10.8-inch iPad in the second half of this year. Kuo says that these will be "affordale", entry-level products and feature fast chips, like the iPhone SE.

The leaker at the center of this most recent story has previously predicted Apple products, but has openly admitted everything they say is a prediction, as opposed to inside information.

As the report notes, this is a "reasonable" assumption regarding the update timetable of the next iPad, which has been updated every year, most recently in September 2019. It would make for a welcome boost in performance over its current A10, likely without increasing the price of the device.