Wedbush Analysts Say 'Spring Loaded' Event Will Debut New iPads With 'Modest Price Increase,' Along With 'a Few Surprises'

Apple is planning to launch a new entry-level iPad, iPad mini, and iPad Pro at its "Spring Loaded" event tomorrow, along with "a few surprises," according to Wedbush analysts.

iPad Pro Feature Orange
In a new note to investors, seen by MacRumors, Wedbush analysts Daniel Ives and Strecker Backe explained that the ‌iPad‌ will be the main focus of Apple's "Spring Loaded" event, with new entry-level ‌iPad‌, ‌iPad mini‌, and ‌iPad Pro‌ models being announced.

The 11-inch and 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ will apparently be receiving "significant changes," including the A14X chip and a "game-changing" mini-LED display for the 12.9-inch model, allowing for better color performance, dimming capabilities, and higher contrast.

While the entry-level ‌iPad‌ and the ‌iPad mini‌ will see "consistent pricing" compared to the current models, the ‌iPad Pro‌ models will apparently have "modest price increases" over the current versions.

While the new iPads will be the main focus of the event, Wedbush believes that "there could be a few surprises," including new iMacs with a range of color options, an updated Apple Pencil, and the long-awaited AirTags item trackers.

Moreover, third-generation AirPods are expected to be teased at the event, but will not be launched immediately. The AirPods 3 are instead expected to be launched "in a separate virtual event in the early summer timeframe," which may be referring to WWDC, starting on June 7.

This may explain some of the uncertainty around the launch of the third-generation AirPods, with some leaked images and reports claiming that launch is imminent, while others have said that they will not enter production until the third quarter of 2021. Nonetheless, it is not clear why Apple would announce new AirPods but not launch them for several months, suppressing the sales of the current model in the process.

MacRumors will provide live coverage of the "Spring Loaded" Apple event both here on MacRumors.com and through our MacRumorsLive Twitter account.

Related Roundups: AirPods 4, iMac, iPad, iPad Pro, iPad mini
Related Forums: AirPods, iMac, iPad, iPad Accessories

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 18

iOS 18.3 Coming Soon: Here's What's New

Monday January 13, 2025 5:33 am PST by
iOS 18.3 is currently in beta for developers and public beta testers. So far, the upcoming iPhone software update is very minor in scope. Below, we outline what is new in iOS 18.3 so far. The only potential new feature coming to iPhones with iOS 18.3 so far is robot vacuum support in the Home app, but this functionality is not yet live. Apple is laying the groundwork for the feature,...
new magsafe charger

Apple Releases Updated MagSafe Charger Firmware

Tuesday January 14, 2025 11:30 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the 25W MagSafe Charger that is compatible with the iPhone 12 and later and the latest AirPods and Apple Watch models. The updated firmware is version 2A143, up from the 2A138 firmware that the accessory shipped with. In the Settings app, you'll see a different version number than the internal firmware number. The 2024 MagSafe charger was...
iPhone 17 Slim Feature Single Camera 1 Redux

'iPhone 17 Air' Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Wednesday January 15, 2025 7:16 am PST by
While the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" is not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the "ultra-thin" device. Overall, the "iPhone 17 Air" is shaping up to be a mixed bag. Due to its thinness, the device is expected to have some limited specifications compared to the iPhone 17 Pro models, including only a single rear camera, only a single speaker, no SIM...
iPhone 17 Pro Dual Tone Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 8 New Features

Thursday January 9, 2025 5:45 am PST by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. iPhone 17 Pro concept based on rumors Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of January 2025: More aluminum: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models ...
HomePod mini and Apple TV

HomePod Mini 2 and New Apple TV Launch Timeframe Narrowed Down

Sunday January 12, 2025 4:11 pm PST by
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman recently reported that Apple plans to release new HomePod mini and Apple TV models this year, and now he has provided a more precise timeframe. In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said Apple is currently aiming to launch the new HomePod mini and Apple TV models "toward the end of the year." That timeframe suggests the devices will be released at some point...
severance new york promo 1

Apple Promotes Severance Season 2 Premiere With Lumon Industries Pop-Up and Visits From Actors

Tuesday January 14, 2025 3:47 pm PST by
Ahead of the season two premiere of hit TV show Severance, Apple is marketing the show with a fun Severance pop-up at the Grand Central Terminal in New York City. Apple has assembled a glass cube with workstations that are identical to the setups that Lumon employees use on the show, complete with employees "working," doing yoga, playing catch, throwing paper airplanes, sipping coffee, and...
airpods pro 2 gradient

AirPods Pro 3 Expected This Year: Here's What We Know

Wednesday January 8, 2025 7:05 am PST by
Despite being released over two years ago, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 continue to dominate the wireless earbud market. However, with the AirPods Pro 3 expected to launch sometime in 2025, anyone thinking of buying Apple's premium earbuds may be wondering if the next generation is worth holding out for. Apart from their audio and noise-canceling performance, which are generally regarded as...
General Apps Messages Redux

Phishing Attacks Use This Simple Trick to Defeat iPhone Message Security

Monday January 13, 2025 6:11 am PST by
A new social engineering tactic is being used by cybercriminals to trick iPhone users into disabling iMessage's built-in phishing protection, in a bid to expose them to malicious links and scams, according to BleepingComputer. The scam exploits a security feature in iMessage that automatically disables links from unknown senders. Apple told the outlet that when users reply to these messages...

Top Rated Comments

jk1221 Avatar
49 months ago
Good luck. $799/999 (especially the $200 more for under 2 inches more screen) for the base models are already too high as starting prices as is. Without a keyboard even.

They're getting to the cost of a full laptop (and over) with competitive speed, which makes it a non-starter for most when it can't do everything a full laptop can. The choice would be an easy one for most people looking in that price range.

The base ipad and Air are still relatively good deals for the price, but the Pros are making less sense vs a laptop if they go up any.
Score: 74 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Spock Avatar
49 months ago
If this is true, and I’m sure it is, Apple is slowly pricing me out of the eco-system..
Score: 54 Votes (Like | Disagree)
magicschoolbus Avatar
49 months ago
Over 1k for a 12.9 iPad feels like robbery. Unless this can do something game changing, its still the same limiting iPad OS.
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MarioPhone96 Avatar
49 months ago
So, what is modest here? A $30 increase? $50? $100? The Pros are expensive as it is, and I especially don’t see any reason for the 11” Pro’s price to go up considering it’s rumored to not get the mini-LED display. It better have something else besides a new processor or camera.
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DesignTime Avatar
49 months ago
They were already over priced.
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rovex Avatar
49 months ago
Redesigned ipad mini pleaseee
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)