Analysts: Apple planning total upgrade to beloved product

2023 was a bumper year for Apple  (AAPL) , which saw the success of its Wonderlust event in September, a 13.06% rise in net income year-over-year during its holiday quarter, and the introduction of plenty of new products. 

Such new products included the Apple Watch Ultra 2, the tech giant's most advanced Apple Watch, which includes a GPS with near-pinpoint accuracy, the iPhone 15, the M3 iMac, and the all-new Apple Vision Pro goggles. 

Related: I spent two weeks with Apple’s new Vision Pro headset strapped to my head

Noticeably missing from its lineup of new stuff, however, was Apple's beloved iPad. The device, which essentially invented the tablet category, was first introduced in 2010 to much fanfare, but in the last 13 years or so the excitement has noticeably slowed down. 

In fact, 2023 might have been one of the worst years for Apple's iPad. While everyone fawned over the $750 Apple Watch and the brand new Vision Pro, the iPad was cast to the side, relegated to entertaining toddlers at restaurants and grandparents who are still trying to send you that friend request.

In fact, 2023 was the first year since 2010 that Apple did not introduce new software for the iPad, and sales reflected it. Revenue was down 25% year-over-year in 2023, to just over $7 billion. 

And while plenty of public companies would be thrilled to have $7 billion in sales across any one of their segments, for Apple, both its customers and investors have come to expect more. Far more. 

Apple plans big things for the iPad

So those of us who do still enjoy the iPad (there are still plenty of us, rest assured) have been waiting more or less on the edge of our seats for the next iteration to drop. Apple remained mum on details in 2023, though analysts were speculating about when — and what — the new year might hold for the device. 

And now, it seems as we inch closer to the spring, we are also inching closer to a potentially new year of the iPad. 

"Apple didn’t release any 11th-gen iPads last year, which is something to note, considering the Cupertino, California company has released one yearly for over a decade. The rumors make it clear that Apple thinks this latest refresh is a big one, and it could possibly reinvent the somewhat confusing SKU bloat that’s hindered the tech giant’s tablet line for years," Gizmodo writes. 

It appears that both the iPad Air and iPad Pro may be in for refreshes. Here's what analysts are expecting we might see: 

• New: FaceTime camera located at the top of landscape mode, for when iPad is being used as a mini laptop
• New: relocated slot for Pencil, which might have to move if the camera does
• Refreshed: Magic Keyboard likely to undergo a facelift, including more durable hardware, larger trackpad, and aluminum finish
• New: iPad Air receives Apple M2 processor
• New: iPad Pro receives new Apple M3 chip
• Possible: new iPad Mini 7

It's important to keep in mind that these details are all speculation based on previous trends and releases by Apple. Analysts expect we might see a new product line drop sometime in spring 2024, possibly as early as March or April.

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