Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Apple will soon debut the M3 iPad Pros with OLED screens. A new rumor suggests the smaller 11.1-inch model could be in short supply at launch.
This is due to the panels being in limited supply initially. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro apparently won’t have any supply issues.
Apple to soon get a second OLED iPad Pro supplier
Apple’s upcoming M3 iPad Pros will supposedly use 11.1-inch and 12.9-inch OLED displays. This would be a big upgrade from the current gen models’ LCD and mini LED panels.
Display analyst Ross Young, in an X post, claims the 11.1-inch iPad Pro’s panel production is significantly behind the 12.9-inch model. Samsung Display is currently the sole supplier of the screen. LG Display will start production of the 11.1-inch OLED panels later this month, which should ease supply issues.
So, the 11.1-inch iPad Pro might be in short supply initially, but its availability should improve in the following weeks. LG is already the secondary supplier of 12.9-inch OLED screens for Apple, so the bigger iPad Pro should have better availability at launch.
M3 iPad Pro won’t start shipping before April
Previous reports indicate Apple could launch the M3 iPad Pro in late March or early April. Ross reaffirmed this, saying the panel shipments started in February, and the new iPads won’t start shipping until April.
Apart from an OLED screen, a faster M3 chip, and a thinner chassis, Apple’s 2024 iPad Pro lineup is unlikely to sport other significant changes. We wish Apple would improve the battery life or add extra ports to the tablet, but the chances appear slim.
Alongside new M3 iPad Pros, Apple will purportedly also refresh its iPad Air lineup. Besides an internal spec bump, the company will add a 12.9-inch iPad Air to the lineup, whose design recently leaked in CAD renders. A new revamped Magic Keyboard should debut alongside the new tablets with an aluminum casing.