Mini-LED iPad Pro Expected at Apple Event on April 20 as Production Ramps Up

Apple today announced that it will be hosting a virtual event on Tuesday, April 20 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, and one of the new products expected to be unveiled at the event is a new iPad Pro with a Mini-LED display.

iPad Pro Mini LED
In a brief snippet shared with paid subscribers, Taiwanese supply chain news website DigiTimes today reported that Apple supplier Ennostar has substantially improved its yield rates for Mini-LED chips and is expected to scale up its output for the new iPad Pro starting later this month. This lines up with a timeframe shared by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who claimed that the new iPad Pro would enter mass production in mid-to-late April.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Debby Wu recently reported that Apple plans to introduce new iPad Pro models in the latter half of April, which lines up with the now-confirmed April 20 event. The report said Mini-LED backlighting will be exclusive to the new 12.9-inch model, while both the 11-inch and 12.9-inch models are expected to get a faster A14X chip on par with the M1 chip in Macs and Thunderbolt support. Early rumors also suggested that cellular models will gain support for faster 5G networking like iPhone 12 models.

Gurman and Wu said that due to poor manufacturing yields, the new 12.9-inch iPad Pro could ship later and be available in constrained quantities to begin with, unless suppliers like Ennostar have managed to quickly improve production.

In a follow-up report today, Gurman said that Apple is also working on its long-awaited AirTags item trackers and a redesigned iMac, but it is less certain if those products will be announced at the April 20 event. A new Apple TV with a faster chip, redesigned remote, and a stronger gaming focus is also rumored to be in the pipeline.

On the software side, Apple has been beta testing iOS 14.5 for over two months now, and a final release around the April 20 event is likely. The software update has a long list of new features, including the much-awaited ability for Apple Watch users to unlock their iPhone with Face ID while wearing a mask.

Related Roundup: iPad Pro
Related Forum: iPad

Top Rated Comments

TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
39 months ago
iOS 14.5 is expected too :)
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FightTheFuture Avatar
39 months ago
Nice! An iPad Pro mini!
... oh wait
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BWhaler Avatar
39 months ago
Can’t wait.

Yes, new hardware is fun. But rock solid software is what we all need.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
EmotionalSnow Avatar
39 months ago
Well, trying to get one of these is going to be fun /s
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
_Refurbished_ Avatar
39 months ago
Just got my mom the plain Jane iPad for $300. That’s my go to for iPads, no better deal on the computing world.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rgarjr Avatar
39 months ago

Question, I have the 2018 iPad Pro 11 inch(256GB) that I want to trade in for the new 2021 model..usually I just sell it on craigslist and meet someone in person, obviously now due to covid thats not going to happen so will trade it into apple, I know I have the option to ship it but figured maybe I would just bring it to the store, for those who have done trade ins in store, how does it work, do you have to make an appt? Do they give you a gift card ? whatever the value is online is that what they give in store?
Well the stores here in LA County are open only for appointments and pickups, so yeah you would need to make one. Yeah, you will get an apple gift card.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

reset password request iphone

Warning: Apple Users Targeted in Phishing Attack Involving Rapid Password Reset Requests

Tuesday March 26, 2024 4:34 pm PDT by
Phishing attacks taking advantage of Apple's password reset feature have become increasingly common, according to a report from KrebsOnSecurity. Multiple Apple users have been targeted in an attack that bombards them with an endless stream of notifications or multi-factor authentication (MFA) messages in an attempt to cause panic so they'll respond favorably to social engineering. An...
maxresdefault

Apple to Launch New iPad Pro and iPad Air Models in May

Thursday March 28, 2024 11:07 am PDT by
Apple will introduce new iPad Pro and iPad Air models in early May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman previously suggested the new iPads would come out in March, and then April, but the timeline has been pushed back once again. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Apple is working on updates to both the iPad Pro and iPad Air models. The iPad Pro models will...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Purple

iOS 18: What to Expect From 'Biggest' Update in iPhone's History

Wednesday March 27, 2024 11:10 am PDT by
At least some Apple software engineers continue to believe that iOS 18 will be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Below, we recap rumored features and changes for the iPhone. "The iOS 18 update is expected to be the most ambitious overhaul of the iPhone's software in its history, according to people working on the upgrade," wrote Gurman, in a r...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces WWDC 2024 Event for June 10 to 14

Tuesday March 26, 2024 10:02 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference is set to take place from Monday, June 10 to Friday, June 14. As with WWDC events since 2020, WWDC 2024 will be an online event that is open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. WWDC 2024 will include online sessions and labs so that developers can learn about new...
apple maps 3d feature

Apple Maps May Gain Custom Routes With iOS 18

Tuesday March 26, 2024 3:10 pm PDT by
Apple may be planning to add support for "custom routes" in Apple Maps in iOS 18, according to code reviewed by MacRumors. Apple Maps does not currently offer a way to input self-selected routes, with Maps users limited to Apple's pre-selected options, but that may change in iOS 18. Apple has pushed an iOS 18 file to its maps backend labeled "CustomRouteCreation." While not much is revealed...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

Apple Releases Revised Versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 With Updated Build Number

Wednesday March 27, 2024 5:59 am PDT by
Apple on late Tuesday released revised versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 with an updated build number of 21E237, according to MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. The updates previously had a build number of 21E236. The revised updates are available for all iPhone and iPad models that are compatible with iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, but they can only be installed via the Finder app on macOS...
applephilschiller

Apple's Phil Schiller Works 80 Hours a Week Overseeing App Store

Wednesday March 27, 2024 2:03 pm PDT by
With the App Store and app ecosystem undergoing major changes in the European Union, The Wall Street Journal today shared a profile on App Store chief Phil Schiller, who is responsible for the App Store. Though Schiller transitioned from marketing chief to "Apple Fellow" in 2020 to take a step back from Apple and spend more time on personal projects and friends, he is reportedly working...