Apple will not launch a new 12.9-inch iPad Pro with a mini-LED display until at least the second quarter of the year, which begins on April 1, according to industry sources cited by DigiTimes.
From today's report:
Epistar has become the exclusive supplier of miniLED chips to be used in 12.9-inch miniLED-backlit iPad Pro, with nearly 50% of the corresponding production capacity booked up for the tablet and volume shipments to begin in the second quarter of 2021, the sources said.
Last week, DigiTimes reported that the new 12.9-inch iPad Pro could launch at the end of March, or early in the second quarter. The publication is now shifting, explicitly stating that mass shipments for the new iPad will begin in the second quarter. At the same time last week, speculation grew that Apple will hold an event on Tuesday, March 23.
That event, yet to be confirmed, is rumored to include the launch of AirTags, AirPods 3, and new iPad Pro models. If DigiTimes is to be believed, however, the new 12.9-inch iPad Pro with a mini-LED display will not launch until at least April.
Apple has several products in the pipeline with mini-LED displays. Compared to regular LCDs, mini-LED offers higher brightness, improved contrast ratio, and is expected to become the new standard amongst Apple's future products, including a 14-inch MacBook Pro.
Thursday November 13, 2025 11:35 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods 4, and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 firmware is 8B21, all up from the prior 8A358 firmware released in October.
There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 3...
Tuesday November 11, 2025 9:48 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple released the first iOS 26.2 beta last week. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more.
In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date....
Thursday November 13, 2025 6:48 am PST by Joe Rossignol
iOS 26 extended pinned conversations in the Messages app to CarPlay, for quick access to your most frequent chats. However, some drivers may prefer the classic view with a list of individual conversations only, and Apple now lets users choose.
Apple released the second beta of iOS 26.2 this week, and it introduces a new CarPlay setting for turning off pinned conversations in the Messages...
Wednesday November 12, 2025 11:42 am PST by Joe Rossignol
While it was rumored that Apple planned to release new versions of the HomePod mini, Apple TV, and AirTag this year, it is no longer clear if that will still happen.
Back in January, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple planned to release new HomePod mini and Apple TV models "toward the end of the year," while he at one point expected a new AirTag to launch "around the middle of 2025." Yet,...
Wednesday November 12, 2025 9:15 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today announced that iPhone users can now create a Digital ID in the Apple Wallet app based on information from their U.S. passport.
To create and present a Digital ID based on a U.S. passport, you need:
An iPhone 11 or later running iOS 26.1 or later, or an Apple Watch Series 6 or later running watchOS 26.1 or later
Face ID or Touch ID and Bluetooth turned on
An Apple Account ...
Tesla is working to add support for Apple CarPlay in its vehicles, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports.
Tesla vehicles rely on its own infotainment software system, which integrates vehicle functions, navigation, music, web browsing, and more. The automaker has been an outlier in foregoing support for Apple CarPlay, which has otherwise become an industry standard feature, allowing users to...
Monday November 10, 2025 1:08 pm PST by Juli Clover
Today marks the fifth anniversary of the Apple silicon chip that replaced Intel chips in Apple's Mac lineup. The first Apple silicon chip, the M1, was unveiled on November 10, 2020. The M1 debuted in the MacBook Air, Mac mini, and 13-inch MacBook Pro.
The M1 chip was impressive when it launched, featuring the "world's fastest CPU core" and industry-leading performance per watt, and it's only ...
Friday November 14, 2025 10:02 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Starting with the upcoming tvOS 26.2 update, currently in beta, additional profiles created on the Apple TV no longer require their own Apple Account.
In the Settings app on the Apple TV, under Profiles and Accounts, anyone can create a new profile by simply entering a name and indicating whether the profile is for a kid. The profile will be associated with the primary user's Apple Account,...
Wednesday November 12, 2025 3:29 pm PST by Juli Clover
Apple today provided developers with the second beta of iOS 26.2, which adds a few new features worth knowing about.
Measure App
Apple's Measure app now features a Liquid Glass design for the level, with two Liquid Glass bubbles instead of white circles.
Games App
There's now an option to sort games in the Games app Library by size, in addition to Name and Recent.
CarPlay
The...
Wednesday November 12, 2025 2:49 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Update: It took a day, but Apple has now corrected its Apple Intelligence device compatibility list to show support for the earliest Apple silicon Macs. The original article follows.
Apple's website is causing some confusion among Mac owners, and for good reason – its device compatibility listing for Apple Intelligence appears to have dropped support for M1 Macs.
The U.S. version...
I haven’t pulled the trigger on a M1 Mac because I want to see what the new iPad Pro has to offer. I truly believe the iPad Pro is the future of the Mac. It can technically run both iOS and Mac software with touch and pencil support, which I think it eventually will. The MacBook and regular iPads can stay as they are to please those that are devoted to those form factors, but Apple should run with the iPad Pro and give it all the capabilities to make it the perfect mobile computer, which I think it almost is.
I haven’t pulled the trigger on a M1 Mac because I want to see what the new iPad Pro has to offer. I truly believe the iPad Pro is the future of the Mac. It can technically run both iOS and Mac software with touch and pencil support, which I think it eventually will. The MacBook and regular iPads can stay as they are to please those that are devoted to those form factors, but Apple should run with the iPad Pro and give it all the capabilities to make it the perfect mobile computer, which I think it almost is.
iPad Pro is not the future of the Mac.
Besides the fact that management has repeatedly stated the two serve different purposes and make no sense to combine, you still can't code on the iPad Pro and you still can't develop software, iOS apps or otherwise.
The way many programmers are able to streamline their creation is through a shortcut-heavy, full-sized, full-powered keyboard, and low-level access to the console and directory through the terminal, homebrew, git, installing things like python, node, etc. The iPad, a device geared towards consumers, doesn't allow low-level access, and you still can't turn off animations, freely navigate the file system, and crawl it via command line. It's just not built to be a device from which you develop, and no amount of touch control is going to enable that.
Unless you are doing video editing and playing high end 3D games it makes no sense to get iPad pro.
The iPad Air and basic iPad is well okay for basic stuff.
Taking hand written notes, doing assignments and reading papers in university, especially for STEM, require a big screen. Bigger the better. It’s either the IPP or Surface Book.
