Apple is widely expected to announce new iPad Pro models as early as April, and ahead of time, accessory maker ESR has added a variety of 2021 iPad Pro cases and folios to its online store that offer some potential design clues.
While the cases suggest that the next-generation iPad Pro will not have any significant design changes, ESR informed MacRumors that there will be fewer speaker holes on the new models. This lines up with a report from Japanese website Mac Otakara, which in January claimed that the number of speaker holes on the new iPad Pro models will be reduced by one third, although the reason for this supposed change is unclear.
A one-third reduction would work out as follows:
11-inch iPad Pro: 13 holes per speaker → 8-9 holes per speaker
12.9-inch iPad Pro: 17 holes per speaker → 11-12 holes per speaker
The new iPad Pro models are still expected to feature four speakers for stereo sound, with two on the top edge and two on the bottom edge.
The new iPad Pro models are expected to be equipped with a faster A14X chip that is virtually identical to the M1 chip in the latest Macs. Last week, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that the new models could also feature Thunderbolt support, which is certainly plausible given that the M1 chip supports Thunderbolt on Macs. Gurman also expects improved cameras and a Mini-LED display on at least the 12.9-inch model.
Mac Otakara reported that the new 12.9-inch iPad Pro will be approximately 0.5mm thicker, whereas the 11-inch model will apparently have the same thickness, further suggesting that a Mini-LED display could be exclusive to the larger model.
The new iPad Pro is also expected to support 5G with a Qualcomm modem in cellular models.
As noted by French website iPhoneSoft, ESR has also listed new cases for third-generation AirPods that suggest Apple's wireless charging case will be slightly elongated, as previously rumored. The new AirPods are expected to have a similar design as the AirPods Pro, but without Active Noise Cancellation or silicone ear tips to maintain differentiation.
Less speakers worst sound. I honestly think the new iPad Pro should have more speakers. It gives you better sound and sound quality.
Fewer speakers doesn't equate to worse sound. Apple could use a higher quality speaker to deliver better sound. We don't know. Fewer speakers just equates to fewer speakers. If true, I'd be more inclined to think Apple would be using a higher quality component instead of offering degraded sound on their top tablet offering.
I hope they don’t start following the path of iPhones/Macs and make iPad gradually thicker and thicker. It feels really great right now, and it’s important in such a big device.
The new iPad Pro started arriving to customers on Friday, and Apple has since shared additional details about the device in a series of support documents, covering topics like the Liquid Retina XDR display, Thunderbolt and USB4 support, 5G networking on cellular models, and the new Center Stage front camera feature for video calls.
In addition to up to 1,000 nits of full-screen brightness,...
Tuesday January 12, 2021 3:38 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Tech blogs 91mobile and MySmartPrice on Tuesday posted a series of allegedly leaked factory CAD images of Apple's upcoming fifth-generation 11-inch iPad Pro.
Rumors suggest Apple plans to announce two new iPad Pro models in both 11-inch and 12.9-inch versions, and today's images offer perhaps the clearest indication yet that Apple's next-generation iPad Pros will have minimal, if any,...
Wednesday March 17, 2021 2:58 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple will introduce new iPads as early as April, according to a new report shared today by Bloomberg. The April date comes following incorrect rumors that Apple planned to hold an event on March 23.
Apple will refresh its iPad Pro lineup, introducing new models that "look similar to the current iPad Pros" in the same 11 and 12.9-inch screen sizes. The two iPads are expected to feature an...
Apple's next-generation AirPods are "ready to ship," and the second-generation AirPods will be discontinued this month as a result, a proven leaker known as "Kang" said today on Chinese social media website Weibo.
Apple is widely rumored to be working on third-generation AirPods, with leaked images and renders suggesting that the new earphones will have a similar design as the AirPods Pro,...
Tuesday April 20, 2021 11:56 am PDT by Juli Clover
Apple today unveiled new iPad Pro models that look remarkably similar to existing iPad Pro options, but which have an M1 chip, much like Apple's Mac lineup.
The 11-inch iPad Pro model starts at $799, while the 12.9-inch iPad Pro model is much more expensive due to its mini-LED display, starting at $1,099.
Both models come with up to 2TB storage and have higher RAM amounts at higher...
In our latest YouTube video, MacRumors videographer Dan goes hands-on with the new 12.9-inch 2021 M1 iPad Pro and compares it to the 2020 12.9-inch iPad Pro to answer the question "Is it worth upgrading?"
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Compared to the 2020 iPad Pro, the 2021 model features an upgraded M1 chip that's faster, a new Center Stage option powered by an...
The new iPad Pro featuring the M1 chip is now available to order and set to begin arriving with customers starting on Friday, May 21.
The new iPad Pro features the M1 chip, 5G connectivity, a Thunderbolt port, a Liquid Retina XDR mini-LED display on the 12.9-inch model, an improved front-facing camera with Center Stage, and more. It also comes alonside the Magic Keyboard, which is now...
Tuesday April 20, 2021 10:40 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple today announced the next-generation iPad Pro with the same M1 chip found in the latest Macs, Thunderbolt and USB4 support, 5G connectivity on cellular models with mmWave support in the United States, and more.
With an 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU, Apple says the M1 chip in the new iPad Pro provides up to 50% faster performance and up to 40% faster graphics compared to the A12Z Bionic chip ...
Apple's AirPods have been credited with saving a woman's life after a potentially fatal fall, People reports.
When a 60-year-old florist in New Jersey tripped and hit her head in her studio, she lost consciousness and awoke heavily bleeding. With nobody around to call for help, she realized she had her AirPods in, and used a "Hey Siri" command to call 911. An operator was able to stay on the ...
Apple will no longer include EarPods with every iPhone sold in France, starting on January 24, according to a notice posted by a French carrier (via iGeneration). Apple was previously required to include EarPods in the box with the iPhone due to a French law that required every smartphone sold in the country to come with a "handsfree kit," but the law has now been changed in favor of reducing the ...
Following months of bleak news about Peloton's "precarious state," including the revelation that it has halted production of its bikes and treadmills, Apple is being floated as a potential buyer of Peloton's troubled fitness business.
Yesterday, CNBC reported that Peloton will temporarily stop production of its connected fitness products due to a "significant reduction" in consumer demand, a ...
Sunday January 23, 2022 2:59 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple has always emphasized the depth of thought that goes into the design of its products. In the foreword to Designed by Apple in California, a photo book released by the company in 2016, Jony Ive explains how the company strives "to define objects that appear effortless" and "so simple, coherent and inevitable that there could be no rational alternative."
But every once in a while even...
Thursday January 20, 2022 8:32 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Earlier this week, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman tweeted that Apple "will be holding a spring event" to announce a new iPhone SE and other hardware. In a recent edition of his newsletter, Gurman said the event is likely to occur in March or April.
Gurman did not elaborate on what "other hardware" will be announced at Apple's purported spring event, but rumors suggest at least four products are...
Sunday January 23, 2022 10:32 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple is working on a number of new products that are set to launch this fall, and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says that it will be "the widest array" of new devices that Apple has introduced in its history.
In his latest "Power On" newsletter, Gurman explains that Apple is working on four new iPhones (iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Max, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Max), an updated low-end MacBook Pro, a ...
Thursday January 20, 2022 4:01 pm PST by Juli Clover
The watchOS 8.4 release candidate that was seeded to developers and beta testers this morning addresses an ongoing bug that could cause some Apple Watch chargers not to work properly with the Apple Watch.
Back in December, we reported on a growing number of charging issues that Apple Watch Series 7 owners were facing. Since watchOS 8.3, there have been a number of complaints about...
Thursday January 20, 2022 1:30 pm PST by Juli Clover
The macOS Monterey 12.2 and iOS 15.3 release candidates that came out today appear to address a Safari bug that could cause your recent browsing history and details about your identity to be leaked to malicious entities.
As shared last week by browser fingerprinting service FingerprintJS, there is an issue with the WebKit implementation of the IndexedDB JavaScript API. Any website that uses...
Friday January 21, 2022 12:43 pm PST by Juli Clover
Earlier this week, Apple began requiring that customers taking advantage of educational discounts in the United States verify their status as a teacher, student, or school staff member through UNiDAYS.
The requirement was a major change as Apple had never asked customers to go through a verification process in the United States before, and now, just three days after verification was added,...
Top Rated Comments
I‘m confused. Reducing by 2/3’s means -8 or -11 speaker holes in the grills, not down to 8 or 9 and 11 or 12 holes in the grills.
Also, the article says holes in the speaker grills, not number of, nor quality of, nor quantity of the SPEAKERS changing.