Kuo: Mini-LED 12.9-inch iPad Pro to Enter Mass Production in 'Mid-to-Late April'

Apple's new 12.9-inch mini-LED iPad Pro will enter mass production in the second half of April, according to a new note by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The prediction adds further credence to a Bloomberg report just yesterday that said next month would be the earliest time we should expect the new models to appear.

iPad Pro Mini LED
In an investors note obtained by MacRumors, Kuo says that mass production for the new ‌iPad Pro‌ with a mini-LED display will now begin in "mid-to-late April."

We expect EMS to start mass production of mini LED iPads beginning mid to late April. The supply bottleneck, TSMT's yield rate, will increase significantly in 2Q21, and overall supply chain shipment momentum will also increase significantly in 2H21.

We have predicted in several previous reports that the mini LED iPad will be mass-produced in 1H21. Although this mass production date is slower than the market’s overly-optimistic expectation of February or March, it will provide a good entry point if the related supply chain stock price corrects.

Over the past few days, there has been widespread chatter about a possible event on March 23, when Apple was said to be to announcing the new 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ with a mini-LED display, amongst other products.

Credible sources such as Bloomberg and ‌Ming-Chi Kuo‌ have now both signaled that no launches will take place before April, and as things stand, it looks like there will be no March announcement from Apple either, despite earlier claims by some leakers.

The new 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ is expected to have "on par" performance with the performance of the M1 Apple Silicon. It's also rumored to include a Thunderbolt port and improved cameras. The device is expected to adopt mini-LED display technology, which offers improved brightness, improved contrast ratios, and color in its larger 12.9-inch iPad model. However, the smaller 11-inch variant is not expected to be updated with the mini-LED display technology anytime soon, according to rumors.

Related Roundup: iPad Pro
Buyer's Guide: iPad Pro (Caution)

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Top Rated Comments

TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
56 months ago
Not sure where there is a delay coming from. But it will be released when it’s ready
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kiranmk2 Avatar
56 months ago
If this gets delayed too much it will fall into the old iPad trap of launching and then being outperformed by the next iPhone a few months later (I expect A15 single core performance to exceed A14X performance).
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jimmy_uk Avatar
56 months ago
Damn, I was looking forward to new toys this month.

Apple struggled to keep up with demand for all its 2020 products so this is possibly the cause in timetable shift.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mr. Dee Avatar
56 months ago
My strategy is wait until the end of the year, then wait a few more months for a good discount.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rogifan Avatar
56 months ago
I hope these models have more RAM. I get app refreshes all the time, especially Safari and Music.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
newyorksole Avatar
56 months ago

I haven’t said anything in particular about Kuo, I don’t keep track of who has said what. However, there have been rumours for the mini-led iPad Pro for quite a long time and today is the first time we are hearing the mass production will start in April. This suggests launch in the second half of the year which is also something we are hearing about for the first time.
I find it VERY hard to believe that the mass production will start in April. For such a major product I would expect it to be released at a Spring Event and not WWDC and definitely not a September or October Special Event.

Either way... I’m itching to see this thing.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)