10.5-Inch and 12.9-Inch iPads May Not Ship Until May or June

The 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch iPads that Apple is expected to debut at a March event aren't expected to ship until May or June, supply chain sources tell DigiTimes. An entry-level 9.7-inch iPad, however, is expected to ship within close proximity of the March event.

ipadprodesign 1 e1487913806511
In January, DigiTimes reported that the 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch iPads were expected to enter mass production in the Q2 of 2017 while the 9.7-inch iPad would enter mass production in Q1 2017. The potential release dates partly line up with a recent report from Mac Otakara, which said the 10.5-inch iPad may not be ready to ship until May. However, that report said the three other iPad models rumored to debut at the March event, new 7.9-inch, 9.7-inch and 12.9-inch iPads, are expected to ship in March.

12.9-inch iPad shipments have been drying up around the world in recent weeks, slipping to shipping estimates of 2-3 weeks in the United States, Canada, Australia, France, Germany and Japan. While increasing shipping times are a sign of an impending refresh, in this case it seems to be a supply issue.

During Apple's latest earning call, CEO Tim Cook said that the company underestimated iPad demand in the past quarter and had an issue with one of its suppliers. Cook said the issue would probably not be resolved this quarter, likely leading to shriveling 12.9-inch iPad stock. Similarly, the supply issue could keep the refreshed 12.9-inch iPad from shipping before May.

The new 10.5-inch model is expected to be the flagship model in Apple's new iPad lineup, sporting an edge-to-edge display on the same footprint as the current 9.7-inch iPad. Alongside new iPads at a March event, Apple is also expected to debut a 128 GB iPhone SE and red iPhone 7 and 7 Plus color variations.

Related Roundup: iPad Pro
Buyer's Guide: iPad Pro (Buy Now)

Popular Stories

Apple Logo Zoomed

Tim Cook Teases Plans for Apple's Upcoming 50th Anniversary

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026. "I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
imac video apple feature

Apple Makes Its Second-Biggest Acquisition Ever

Tuesday February 3, 2026 12:45 pm PST by
Apple recently acquired Israeli startup Q.ai for close to $2 billion, according to Financial Times sources. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone maker Beats in 2014. This is also the largest known Apple acquisition since the company purchased Intel's smartphone modem business and patents for $1 billion in 2019....
wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...

Top Rated Comments

itsmilo Avatar
117 months ago
I could not be more excited to get my hands on these new iPads. They will all be incredible.
[doublepost=1487914364][/doublepost]

If iPad is dead, then computing is dead and we'll all be doing something else. iPad is without doubt the future of computing and Macs and Windows PC's as we know them will cease to exist soon.
Hi Tim, is it you?
Score: 36 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MH01 Avatar
117 months ago
Tim seriously focus on your products and stop playing Apple's version of celebrity big brother winner.

It's not s Mac Pro.....you are announcing and launching 2-3 months later....it's an iPad....your bread and butter. Stop making political statements and make some business statements to your teams to get their act together and hit delivery timelines .
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
OllyW Avatar
117 months ago
If you haven't ditched your Mac yet for an iPad, this will be the year that you do make the switch.
I bet you all the money in the world I don't. :p
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Pbrutto Avatar
117 months ago
Replace "may not ship" with "supply constraints at launch" and it's every Apple product released in the last 5 years. From airpods, to Apple Pencil, to beats X, to iPhone!
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MH01 Avatar
117 months ago

If iPad is dead, then computing is dead and we'll all be doing something else. iPad is without doubt the future of computing and Macs and Windows PC's as we know them will cease to exist soon.
Google trucks and cars, Steve jobs.

You sir just need a car, does not mean others do not need trucks. Steve knew this very well, This is beyond Tim...so he just "tries" to simplify the situation, though is very wrong. Macs and PCs are going nowhere.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
r03dz Avatar
117 months ago
I could not be more excited to get my hands on these new iPads. They will all be incredible.
[doublepost=1487914364][/doublepost]

If iPad is dead, then computing is dead and we'll all be doing something else. iPad is without doubt the future of computing and Macs and Windows PC's as we know them will cease to exist soon.
LOL! You're definitely smoking some devil's lettuce.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)