Tweaked Full-Size iPad with Lightning Connector Coming Next Week

In line with one of the theories explaining two dozen iPad part numbers that appeared earlier this week, 9to5Mac reports that half of those part numbers are indeed for a revised version of the third-generation full-size iPad.

The revised iPads arriving at next Tuesday's media event will reportedly make the switch to Apple's new Lightning connector, and may include other enhancements as well while retaining the same pricing as the current models.

Apple will announce a refreshed version of its full-sized, 9.7-inch Retina display iPad at its media event October 23rd, according to our sources. These people say that the new version of the iPad will retain the same $499, $599, and $699 WiFi-only price points, and the LTE line will retain the current $629, $729, and $829 pricing. With no price changes or additional storage capacities, we believe that the storage options of 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB will also be retained.

ipad 3 revised part numbers
Claims of a revised full-size iPad surfaced in July amid considerable skepticism, but gained momentum with several follow-up reports in subsequent weeks and were fleshed out with additional rumors over the past several months.

Rumors for the tweaked iPad have included a shift to new indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) display technology, better heat dissipation, backlight changes, 4G LTE support for the UK and other countries using the 1800 MHz frequency band, and perhaps even a move to Apple's new A6 chip found in the iPhone 5. It is, however, unclear just which of the rumored changes will actually be included in the revision.

Related Roundup: iPad
Tag: 9to5Mac
Buyer's Guide: iPad (Neutral)
Related Forum: iPad

Popular Stories

iOS 26 on Three iPhones

iOS 26's Liquid Glass Design Draws Criticism From Users

Wednesday September 17, 2025 2:56 pm PDT by
It's been two days since iOS 26 was released, and Apple's new Liquid Glass design is even more divisive than expected. Any major design change can create controversy as people get used to the new look, but the MacRumors forums, Reddit, Apple Support Communities, and social media sites seem to feature more criticism than praise as people discuss the update. Complaints There are a long...
iPhone 17 Pro and Air Feature

Two iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air Colors Appear to Scratch More Easily

Friday September 19, 2025 10:02 am PDT by
As reported by Bloomberg today, some of the new iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air models on display at Apple Stores today are already scratched and scuffed. French blog Consomac also reported on this topic. The scratches appear to be most prominent on models with darker finishes, including the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max in Deep Blue, and the iPhone Air in Space Black. Images Credit: Consoma ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.0.1 Coming Soon, Likely With iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro Fix

Thursday September 18, 2025 9:17 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to release iOS 26.0.1, according to a private account on X with a proven track record of sharing information about future iOS versions. The update will have a build number of 23A350, or similar, the account said. It is likely that iOS 26.0.1 will fix a camera-related bug on the new iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro models. In his iPhone Air review, CNN Underscored's Henry T. ...
M6 MacBook Pro Feature 1

Apple's Rumored MacBook Pro Redesign: 6 New Features Anticipated

Wednesday September 17, 2025 4:26 am PDT by
Apple in October 2024 overhauled its 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, adding M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max chips, Thunderbolt 5 ports on higher-end models, display changes, and more. That's quite a lot of updates in one go, but if you think this means a further major refresh for the ‌MacBook Pro‌ is now several years away, think again. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has said he expects only a small ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.1 to iOS 26.4: Here Are 5 New Features to Expect on Your iPhone

Tuesday September 16, 2025 11:17 am PDT by
iOS 26 was finally released on Monday, but the software train never stops, and the first developer beta of iOS 26.1 will likely be released soon. iOS 18.1 was an anomaly, as the first developer beta of that version was released in late July last year, to allow for early testing of Apple Intelligence features. The first betas of iOS 15.1, iOS 16.1, and iOS 17.1 were all released in the second ...
Tim Cook Rainbow

Apple Reportedly Plans to Launch These 10 Products in 'Coming Months'

Sunday September 14, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple's annual September event is now in the rearview mirror, with the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone Air, Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 3, Apple Watch SE 3, and AirPods Pro 3 set to launch this Friday, September 19. As always, there is more to come. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple plans to release many products in the...

Top Rated Comments

darkslide29 Avatar
169 months ago
Damn, owned for 7 months and outdated already. :(
Score: 89 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DakotaGuy Avatar
169 months ago
Why would they not just wait until it is actually redesigned? It seems too soon for a heavily revised model.
Score: 44 Votes (Like | Disagree)
wizard Avatar
169 months ago
We don't know what the revision entails.

There are some really good reasons for a more elaborate tweak though. For example:
[LIST=1]
* The lightening connector needs support. The faster Apple gets people moved to the standard the faster they can get on with other things.
* If the Sharp displays are indeed ready they would offer up a significant power savings which leads to longer battery life. This leads to marketing possibilities.
* Microsoft is coming out with their product, Apples ability to market new and improved devices against MS hardware is a positive thing. Even if the improvements are minor, people respond to new and Improved.
* If Apple does go A6 they will effectively be able to outperform most MS tablets with very good battery life. Not just ARM based MS tablets but even ATOM based tablets. Putting MS in the back seat performance wise would truly destroy any initiative they may have. It is bit of a brutal approach to business but if Apple can trash MS launch it could put MS tablet adoption behind by years.
* The potential for better and more universal LTE support should not be dismissed. apple coming up short here has been a problem in some countries.
* Christmas is coming. This should be self explanatory.
* A major revision at this time could potentially double performance of the iPad. This is huge and frankly as much as I love my iPad 3 it could use a performance boost. At this time it looks like a doubling of performance would be a no brainer for A6.
* Disruption of the rest of the competition. Why let the competition make progress against you.


Why would they not just wait until it is actually redesigned? It seems too soon for a heavily revised model.

Oh I think it is the perfect time. Hit the market right before MS introduces their hardware and right before the holiday shopping season with a device that no one can touch. Brilliant!
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DakotaGuy Avatar
169 months ago
Maybe that's why they didn't call it "iPad 3"...they'll just tweak it and wait another year.

That is a possibility, but there will probably be a few upset people with an iPad that went out of date faster then an Android phone.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
carmenodie Avatar
169 months ago
Ain't going to happen.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Akuratyde Avatar
169 months ago
GOOD. Maybe now they can finally start getting out of this 12-month redesign cycle they and their customers are locked into. Apple should make updates to the iPad and iPhone when they an addition worthy of an update. They don't update the iMac's and Macbook's every 12 months because there's no reason to. They do spec bumps when it's necessary and there's no reason the iPhone or iPad should be different.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)