After unveiling the M4 iPad Pro and M2 iPad Air in May, it seems Apple has even more tablets to introduce in the coming months. X users AppleDBdev and Aaronp613 discovered several identifiers for unreleased models, including some that Apple scrapped along the way.
According to the developers, Apple is currently working on all-new iPad models across the entire lineup, from the base version to a new M5 iPad Pro model. These are the identifiers:
- iPad15,7 – A16 11th-Gen iPad Wi-Fi
- iPad15,8 – A16 11th-Gen iPad Celular
- iPad16,1 – A17 iPad mini 7th-Gen Wi-Fi
- iPad16,2 – A17 iPad mini 7th-Gen Cellular
- iPad17,1 – M5 11-inch Pro Wi-Fi
- iPad17,2 – M5 11-inch Pro Cellular
- iPad17,3 – M5 13-inch Pro Wi-Fi
- iPad17,4 – M5 13-inch Pro Cellular
While other reports revealed that Apple plans to introduce some of these tablets in the second half of 2024, it’s interesting to see what processors the company might use. For example, iPad 11 is expected to feature the A16 Bionic chip, a big leap from the A14 Bionic processor available in the current base model. However, this wouldn’t be enough to bring Apple Intelligence to the company’s cheapest tablet.
That said, if the new iPad mini uses the A17 Pro chip (a jump from the A15 Bionic processor available in the current generation), Apple could be planning to make AI its biggest selling point, in addition to offering Apple Pencil Pro support.
Finally, it’s interesting to note that Apple is already working on the M5 iteration of its iPad Pro, even though an M3 (or M4?) iPad Air is not yet in the works.
In addition to these expected iPad models, the developers found some Apple scrapped tablets, such as an A14 iPad and M3 options.
Fortunately, it won’t take long for us to discover more about Apple’s plans for its upcoming iPad models, including an AI-focused iPad mini. Besides these findings, the developers also found that Cupertino is bringing the A18 chip to five different iPhone models, as you can learn more about below.