Apple’s had a busy 2024, and alongside Apple Intelligence, new Macs, and a whole family of iPhones, there’s been the iPad. In fact, the iPad Pro and iPad Air were the sole focus of the company's first ‘Special Event’ in 2024, and a new iPad mini was central to the launch of Apple’s AI features.
And now that 2024 is coming to a close, it’s time to reflect on the iPad this year. Yes, we got the thinnest device Apple has ever made in the form of the iPad Pro, and the iPad Air trickled down a supersize iPad for the masses, and the new iPad mini, well, was a new mini in a very similar form factor. Even so, though, the 9th Gen iPad and 10th Gen iPad were left untouched.
iPadOS 18 brought some new tricks, including the arrival of Apple Intelligence – mainly Scribble and Type to Siri, a new look for Siri, and Clean Up – but those yearning for a more desktop-class experience were left waiting.
So, as we look to 2025 and likely the arrival of a few new iPads, including an entry-level and iPadOS 19, let’s look back at 2024's highs and lows, and what we want to see next year.
Apple’s iPad in 2024
Let’s roll it back to May 7, 2024, to Apple’s ‘Let Loose’ event – the technology giant dropped the 11” and 13” iPad Pro and the 11” and 13” iPad Air. Both devices tested very well in our reviews, but the iPad Pro was a skinny, lightweight powerhouse. The iPad Pro is the thinnest product Apple has ever shipped, besting the iPad Nano, but it was also the first product with the M4 chip. The iPad Pro was super speedy and arrived with Apple's first-ever Tandem OLED display.
Seriously, we described that screen as “the most exciting thing about the iPad Pro” and further that Apple’s flagship tablet as an “incredibly accomplished and versatile device.” The M4 power, which made iPadOS run swimmingly, also extended a runway for more ‘Pro” creative workflows like music creation in Logic Pro for iPad and movie-making within Final Cut Pro. You can also do more in ProCreate with the Apple Pencil Pro.
While the iPad Pro was top-of-the-line, with a flashy, ultra-thin look, the 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air packed a ton of value into a lower-priced package. Furthermore, it finally trickled down to a bigger screen with less Apple tax. Our review called the 13-inch iPad Air an “attractive and very portable slab that’s ready for just about anything.” Sure, it only has an M2 chip inside, but it still can run rings around most other tablets on the market
Both the Pros and Airs supported the new Apple Pencil Pro, which felt like an accessory that had been coming for a long time. The two headline features it delivered were haptic feedback, allowing one to squeeze the Apple Pencil Pro to trigger an action or open a menu, but thanks to a gyroscope, you could also barrel roll the souped-up styles. We’ve seen Apple update its apps to take advantage of this, as well as third parties like Procreate.
Maybe the most surprising thing Apple did with the iPad in 2024, though, was support the new Apple Pencil Pro on the iPad mini (A17 Pro or 7th Generation). It made the latest iPad mini jump beyond just being fit for note-taking but also leveled up its ability for drawing even if the display stayed the same.
And that about sums up the latest iPad mini – it keeps a familiar form factor, actually the exact measurement and the same 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display with Touch ID built into the power button and a CenterStage capable camera, but leaps with processing power. Like the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, the A17 Pro powers the iPad mini and makes it run quite well, but most importantly, it supports Apple Intelligence.
It’s still excellent and scored four and a half out of five stars in our review, but we – like many others – can’t help but hope that a redesigned iPad mini with an OLED display like the tandem one in the iPad Pro might be on the horizon.
What’s to come in 2025?
While we can’t fully predict the future, the rumor mill for the iPad lineup certainly comes in handy. Considering Apple ushered in new versions of every iPad except the entry-level in 2024, we’re fully expecting the iPad's 11th generation to arrive in 2025. Much like the current 10th Generation, it should stick with a familiar look, mimicking the iPad Air with a 10.9-inch Retina display.
As far as what could be upgraded, as Apple tends to do with the entry-level iPad, it will likely be a spec bump, and if you guessed AI, it might just support Apple Intelligence. This means it could jump from the A14 chip, currently found in the 10th generation, to an A17 Pro or even an A18 to support Apple’s latest software suite.
Expect it to stick with 64GB as starting storage, something that’s a win for us all, and a USB-C port for easy charging and data transfers. Might it get support for the Apple Pencil Pro? That remains a bit more uncertain, but it’s certainly not off the table with that accessory being supported on the latest iPad mini.
While we wouldn’t expect a new iPad Pro, iPad Air, or iPad mini in 2025 – remember, these were all upgraded this year – we should get iPadOS 19 for all these models. It will likely continue the Apple Intelligence rollout, but it could also be the software upgrade that brings better multitasking and possibly better interoperability with other devices.
Apple’s iPad lineup is looking pretty good now, but we might just get a surprise or two in the next year; we’ll all just need to stick along for the ride. As always, keep an eye on TechRadar for the latest on all things iPad, Apple, and tech as a whole.
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