Apple is reportedly eying a late 2022 launch for an iPad refresh, and per a recent leak, it will offer a chip and 5G upgrade in a chassis that remains aesthetically unchanged compared to its predecessor. The vanilla iPad has been rocking the same fundamental design since 2014’s iPad Air 2, which was the first Apple tablet to come equipped with a Touch ID fingerprint sensor in the home button. Soon after, the design made its way to the iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad Mini and the standard iPad.
But gradually, Apple deviated towards a more modern look for its tablets. The iPad Pro was first in line to ditch the home button and offered a uniformly thick bezel profile wedded to a sleek metallic build with sharp edges. The iPad Air from 2020 adopted the new design language as well. Last year, the sixth-generation iPad Mini also got a similar makeover. And with that happening, there were hopes that the vanilla iPad — the one that kickstarted Apple’s tablet empire worth billions of dollars — would also get a fresh look for its tenth iteration.
Well, it appears that a design makeover is not on the cards for at least another generation. As per leakster Dylan (@dylandkt) on Twitter, the upcoming 2022 iPad refresh will look identical to its predecessor that made its debut last year. However, those hopeful of a design transformation for the entry-level iPad will have to wait another year. And honestly, it’s a tad disappointing to see Apple serve the same looks on its entry-level iPad. But in hindsight, it appears that Apple wants to offer an affordable iPad experience for another year by recycling the same chassis and only swapping a few internal components.
Playing It Way Too Safe
A fresh design would mean Apple has to make some significant changes, down from the in-house engineering to the manufacturing part that third-party contractors like Foxconn handle. And in times of a chip shortage and pandemic-related supply chain uncertainties, the best solution is to steer clear of risks. As for the changes happening inside, the latest leak mentions an upgrade to the A14 Bionic chip, an improvement over the A13 Bionic SoC inside the current-gen iPad. To recall, the A14 Bionic powers the iPhone 12 series, while the sixth-gen iPad Mini offers the A15 Bionic.
And by the time Apple’s tenth-gen iPad arrives with the A14 Bionic inside, the A16 Bionic will be in the market powering the iPhone 14 series. The rest of the upgrades include 5G support. However, it is unclear if the 2022 iPad refresh will offer mmWave 5G support or be limited to the slower Sub-6GHz spectrum. The screen size remains the same at 10.2-inches, while wireless connectivity is handled by Bluetooth 5.0 and Wi-Fi 6. The leakster doesn’t mention anything about the pricing, save for a vague launch window “towards the end of this year.” As usual, all the details mentioned above are officially unverified, so process them as such.
